Baccarat Appendix 6

Last update: July 8, 2008

Punto Banco

This version of baccarat follows the conventional rules, except a winning banker bets pays even money, except 1 to 2 (half) on a winning total of six. The house edge on the player and tie bets are the same as regular baccarat. The house edge on the banker bet is 1.46%. This game is called "Punto Banco 2000" in England, and just "Commission Free Baccarat" in the United States.

I have an unconfirmed report that the Pala Casino in San Diego County offers this game, with a side bet that pays 18 to 1 on a banker win of six. The player advantage on that bet is 2.34%. Unfortunately, I’m told the maximum side bet wager is 10% of the banker wager, for an overall house edge of 1.11%.

I have also heard of a variant in Singapore where there is no commission but a banker win of 8 pays 1 to 2. This has a house edge of 4.07% on the banker bet. Following is the return table for this version.

My webmaster, Michael Bluejay, says he is "96.42% confident" that a casino he visited in Amsterdam paid 1 to 2 on banker wins of 5 points. That would result in a house edge on the banker bet of 0.51%.

I hear there is a game in the Netherlands in which the banker bet pays 1 to 1, except a winning 5 pays 1 to 2. Here is the return table for that game, assuming 8 decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 0.93%, which is less than conventional baccarat.

Yet another variation has the following rules.

1. Banker or player 8 or 9 is a natural, neither hand draws.
2. Both banker and player stand on 6 and 7, draw on 0 to 5.
3. All wins pay even money except winning 3, which is a push.
4. Ties push

The following tables show the possible outcomes of either banker or player bet.

The lower right cell shows a house edge of 1.54% on both banker and player bets.

On July 3, 2004, at the Plaza in Las Vegas I observed a no commission baccarat game called EZ Baccarat. In April, 2008, I saw it at the Paris casino in Las Vegas. The rules followed standard baccarat except on the banker bet: (1) all wins pay even money, and (2) if the banker wins with a 3-card total of 7 then the banker bet will push. In addition there was a bet on a three card winning banker hand of 7 points that paid 40 to 1.

The following table shows the possible outcomes of the banker bet, based on six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 1.02%

With a probability of winning of 2.2535% the house edge on the Three Card Seven bet is 7.61%.