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Overview

Scorecard Baccarat is played just the same as the real full-table version of Baccarat is played in a real casino. We use a real 8 deck shoe instead of shuffling after every hand like other online casinos do. You may 'peek' at the cards, and open the cards in any order you like. You may cut the cards, request free hands and even change your seat. Most importantly, our game keeps track of every hand played on our automatic score card.

Gameplay

Click on the 'NEW SHOE' button to begin the game.
Click 'YES' to cut the deck, or click 'DEALER CUT' to have the dealer cut the cards.
Click on a chip value, then click on 'PLAYER', 'BANKER' or 'TIE' to place your bets.
Hold 'SHIFT' and click on a bet to reduce or remove your bet.
Click 'CLEAR' to remove your bets.
Click on 1, 5, 10, or 20 free hands to play that many hands. (There are no wagers on a free hand.)
Place a bet or bets and click 'DEAL' to deal the cards.
Click on the back of a card to flip it over.
From the right-hand edge or bottom edge of any card, click and drag to 'peek' at the card.

Baccarat Scoreboard App For Windows

Reading the Scorecard

Blue = Player
Red = Banker
Green = Tie
Oval = Natural Winner
Square = Non-Natural Winner

Rules

The cards numbered two through nine are worth their face value, the aces are valued at 1, and the tens and face cards have a value of 0. The suit is irrelevant. You may bet on Player and Tie at the same time, or Banker and Tie at the same time as well.

Once the 'Deal' button has been clicked, the dealer will give two cards to the player hand and two cards to the banker hand. The hand is scored using the right digit of the total of the cards. For example if the two cards were a 5 and a 9, then the total would be 14, and the score would be 4. The scores will always be between 0 and 9 and it is impossible to break.

A third card may or may not be dealt to the player and/or the dealer depending on the following rules:

Both the dealer hand and the banker hand stand if either has a total of 8 or 9. This rule takes precedence over all other rules.

The player hand is dealt a third card if it's total is 5 or under. Otherwise the player hand stands, in which case the banker hand would receive another card if it has a total of 5 or under. If the player hand gets a third card, use the chart below to figure out whether or not the banker hand gets a third card too:

The hand with the highest total is the winner. There is a 5% house commission charge for winning wagers on the bank hand. Winning wagers on the player hand are paid even money, and the payout for winning wagers on a tie is 8 to 1.

Baccarat isn’t typically known as a target for casino cheaters. Instead, blackjack, craps, roulette, and slot machines grab the headlines regarding cheating.

But you may be surprised to find that baccarat also draws its fair share of scammers. Baccarat cheats use a variety of means to gain an edge on casinos and win big.

But I still find any type of casino cheating to be an interesting subject. The same holds true with baccarat, which has its own unique cheating methods.

I’m going to discuss each of these techniques below. I’ll also cover baccarat edge-sorting incidents involving famed gambler Phil Ivey and why the courts felt that he was cheating.

False Shuffle

Richard Marcus, a former baccarat dealer and all-around casino cheat, introduced false shuffling to the gaming world.

The gist is that the dealer shuffles the cards so that they follow a pre-arranged order.

The accomplice can then raise or lower their wager based on the upcoming order. Here are the steps to performing a false shuffle:

1. The accomplice(s) records a group, or “slug,” of cards during a baccarat shoe. The slug will feature 40-60 cards that are recorded in the order that they’re played and put into the discard tray
2. When the 6- or 8-deck shoe has been dealt, the dealer will fast shuffle the cards. The idea is to keep the slug together through a series of convincing but fake shuffle actions
3. The accomplice uses the list of recorded cards to spot the slug cards as they’re dealt. They signal other players (if applicable) at this point
4. The cheaters can accurately determine 8-10 hand results once they identify the slug coming into play
5. They’ll bet on either the banker or player hand, depending upon what cards are coming next
6. Players often bet the table max to take full advantage of their insider knowledge

False shuffling is harder than it sounds because a perfect mix of factors must come together. But a dealer and their accomplices can develop a solid system with enough practice.

Here are some pointers on making sure each facet of a false shuffle works:

• Recording cards– The accomplice marks down a group of winning hands (slug) on a baccarat scorecard. Casinos encourage players to keep track of winning hands, allowing cheaters to use this as a guise while they’re tracking the slug
• Choosing a card slug– The slug is almost always at the beginning or end of a shoe. This way the dealer knows exactly what group of cards to false shuffle and keep intact
• False shuffle– It doesn’t take a world-class dealer to pull off a false shuffle. But they do need to practice this technique to both keep the slug intact and avoid drawing casino suspicion
• Identifying the slug– With the slug recorded from the previous shoe, a cheater can look for a specific group of cards to come out in reverse order. For example, K, 6, 9, 10 would be dealt as 10, 9, 6, K after the false deal
• Making big bets– The recorder can either bet solo or signal a group of players to place larger wagers. Acting as a group is more profitable because there are extra players to take advantage of the positive expected value (+EV)

A cheating group can wager on the same outcome, whether it be the player or banker hand during the slug. They can also stick around after the slug and make offsetting bets to continue selling the scam.

Offsetting bets only cost the cheaters the 5% banker commission each hand if there’s equal action on the player and banker.

False Shuffling with Electronic Devices

Baccarat players can use a more advanced method of false shuffling that includes devices. The devices give cheaters a discreet way to communicate with each other about the slug and when to bet more.

A group of cheaters known as the Tran Organization used this technique to win millions from casinos in the mid-2000s. The Tran Organization also bribed dealers to perform false shuffles in mini-baccarat games.

This group worked like other false shuffling cheaters, including having someone record card slugs. But where they differed is by using a hidden transmitter (microphone) and mobile phones to relay the card slugs to the group.

The information is also relayed into a computer program to ensure more accuracy in identifying a slug. Players can then hear the slug order through an in-ear cellular communicator.

Involving electronic devices makes this a more complex operation. But it paid off, because the Tran Organization made $7 million over a five-year span. One occasion saw them earn $868,000 in just 90 minutes.

The Tran Organization also used techniques to avoid drawing attention to themselves. For example, most of the group members would cash out less than $10,000 to avoid having to report winnings to the IRS.

The group was eventually caught when trying to bribe an undercover agent in 2006.

Baccarat Tracker

19 members of the Tran Organization were charged with counts of conspiracy to steal money and conspiracy to travel in interstate in aid of racketeering.

In all, 31 defendants pleaded guilty to either directly participating in the ring or aiding and abetting.

Swapping Cards

Big baccarat tables give players the chance to handle cards, which makes for the possibility of swapping cards. This scam can be pulled off by a group or solo player.

In either case, a player needs to obtain a card from the deck when it’s their turn to cut. They can do this using double-sided sticky tape underneath their sleeve, allowing them to take a card off the top without everybody noticing.

Another way to do this involves putting a thin container inside of a long-sleeve shirt. A cheater can take their cards, conceal the hand, and then slip one into the container with precision.

Anybody using a container must also take a card from the deck during the cut. They then rotate the card into their hand and remove one when it benefits them.

Baccarat Scoreboard Simulator

Card swappers must be good at cupping their hand to conceal the hidden card.

Card Marking

Marking cards is one of the oldest cheating techniques in gambling.

This is used to define baccarat card values, so you know what’s coming next when looking at the card backs. An example would be if you marked all the 8s and 9s in the shoe.

An advanced method of card marking involves using special contact lenses and invisible ink. This ensures that the cheater can see the markings, but the dealer can’t with their naked eye.

Casinos have caught on to this technique, though, and they use special equipment to check for invisible ink. That said, marking cards is risky no matter how complex your system may be.

Chip Dumping

Chip dumping is another old cheating technique that can be used in baccarat or any other card game. This requires a player(s) and dealer to work together.

Here are the steps to pulling off chip dumping:

• The accomplice makes their bet worth $10
• They win their bet
• The dealer discreetly places another $10 chip on top of the winnings
• The accomplice wins the double their bet

This method works best when the dealer is working with an empty table, or at least one with 1-2 players. Fewer players cuts down on the chances that somebody will notice the dealer giving their accomplice extra chips.

Past Posting

Past posting, which involves adding chips to your bet after a winning hand, is another simple way to cheat baccarat games. This technique can also be used by a solo player or a dealer working with an accomplice.

But the cheater must also be good at sleight of hand to avoid drawing suspicion from others.

Like with chip dumping, a dealer and their accomplice stand a better chance of pulling this scam off when there are few players at the table.

Card Cutting

A card-cutting scam requires technology to spot card values as a cheater is cutting the deck. This is another technique that can be used with one or more players.

Here’s how to cheat when cutting the deck:

1. The scammer is offered the plastic baccarat cut card
2. They have a small digital camera located inside of their sleeve or on a ring on their finger
3. The cheater places the plastic cut card into the deck
4. The player fans through a portion of the deck with the cut card, separating the edges
5. The camera films the card values as they’re separated
6. This info is relayed to a computer program, which processes the information
7. The processed info is sent to the cheater and their accomplices through in-ear cellular devices

This scam is exclusive to baccarat because this game follows a strict set of rules on when the player and banker hit for more cards. In contrast, the number of cards in a blackjack hand vary based on the actions players take.

Therefore, information relayed from the computer program tells baccarat players exactly how to bet based on the upcoming card order.

Like false shuffling, the advantage of card cutting as a group is that you can maximize +EV. More players betting with a built-in advantage means more overall profits.

This also allows cheaters to pull their money together and create a bigger bankroll. They can then play for higher stakes while knowing the order of upcoming cards.

Dealers can combat card cutters by holding the shoe in a manner that makes it difficult for cheaters to fan through cards. If a scammer can’t properly fan with the cut card, then the camera can’t record and relay the values.

Placing a Digital Camera in an Automatic Shuffling Machine

One more baccarat cheating method involves placing a digital camera inside of an automatic shuffling machine. This relies on the same technology used in card cutting, where the camera relays card values to a computer program and returns the analyzed data to cheaters.

A digital camera inside of a shuffling machine is more lethal to casinos than card cutting or false shuffling. After all, the cheaters are receiving info on the entire upcoming 6- or 8-deck shoe, rather than just a portion of it.

But a solo player or group can also place the camera inside of an automatic shuffling machine when the perfect opportunity arises.

This is especially the case during later hours when fewer tables are running and less personnel is on the floor. A cheater(s) can come back the following day when the table is running.

The cameras must be small enough to where they can’t be noticed with ease. Of course, casinos can still find a camera if they become suspicious and look hard enough.

Such was the case in Macau in the early 2010s, when several casinos couldn’t figure out why they were taking heavy baccarat losses. They discovered that players had installed mini cameras inside of automatic card shufflers.

The cheating ring, which consisted of 7 Chinese nationals, won US$3 million before they were busted.

Edge Sorting – Cheating or Legitimate Advantage Play?

All the baccarat cheating methods that I’ve covered up to this point are explicitly illegal. No gambling jurisdiction or courtroom accepts any of these techniques as advantage play.

But edge sorting, or the process of identifying flaws on the edges of card backs, is ambiguous.

Edge sorting has many characteristics of legal advantage play, making it comparable to card counting, shuffle tracking, sequencing, roulette wheel bias, and video poker (on +EV games).

Here are steps on how to effectively use edge sorting in baccarat:

1. Some card decks have small irregularities on the long-side edges
2. Study card decks to identify these irregularities and how they relate to specific card values
3. Example: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have full-diamond patterns on the edges; 6, 7, 8, and 9 have half-diamond patterns
4. Train yourself to spot these irregularities
5. Realistically, you need the dealer to rotate cards 180 degrees to spot the imperfections
6. This requires asking the dealer to rotate cards for you out of superstitious reasons (possible in high stakes baccarat)

DeadSpin notes that a skilled edge sorter can gain a 20.8% edge over the casino. This means that you’ll theoretically make a $20.80 profit when betting $100 per hand.

The most famous instance of edge sorting involves poker pro Phil Ivey, who worked with Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun to beat casinos out of over $20 million.

Sun analyzed a specific Gemaco card deck and found design flaws on the card backs. She and Ivey used this info to crush Crockfords casino and the Borgata in baccarat.

They were gambling anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 per hand. Therefore, casinos allowed them to make special requests, including the following:

• A Mandarin-speaking dealer, so that Sun could make requests without the casino understanding them
• Rotating the cards at 180-degree angles
• Using a purple Gemaco deck
• Only allowing this specific deck during the game

Crockfords reviewed the matter and withheld Ivey’s £7 million ($11m) in winnings as a result. Ivey sued the London casino and lost the case.

The Borgata originally paid Ivey $9.6 million in winnings. But they later sued and won the lawsuit.

Judges in both cases deemed that Ivey didn’t knowingly break the law by creating an advantage for himself. But they believed that the methods Ivey and Sun used – notably requesting a Mandarin-speaking dealer and asking for cards to be rotated – constituted cheating.

Furthermore, making requests in a language that floor supervisors don’t speak isn’t considered reasonable advantage play.

Ivey argued that both Crockfords and the Borgata agreed to the requests. And he felt that they turned a blind eye to the matter, knowing that they would either keep his losses or sue if he won.

The edge sorters convinced the judges in both cases that they weren’t nefarious baccarat cheaters. But they couldn’t convince the courts that they deserved the winnings.

Conclusion

One reason why baccarat cheating isn’t as prevalent as in other table games is because there’s not much equipment involved. It’s not like roulette, where you can track wheel velocity with devices, or craps, where you can load the dice.

Combine this with how mini-baccarat players don’t touch their cards, and you can see why it’s hard to cheat baccarat. But there are still ways for motivated individuals to cheat.

Some of these methods are as simple as past posting, chip dumping, and swapping cards. Others incorporate technology, like card cutting and placing cameras inside of automatic shuffling machines.

Certain cheating methods offer both simple and complex methods, including card marking (with or without contacts/invisible ink) and false shuffling (with or without devices).

These aren’t advantage-play techniques like card counting or shuffle tracking. Instead, you’re using technology, dealer cooperation, and/or sleight of hand to remove random chance and guarantee yourself profits.

Edge sorting is the only advantage-play technique that courts consider cheating without being illegal. But given that both Ivey and Sun lost court battles over the matter, it hardly seems worth learning edge sorting if there’s nothing to be gained.

I don’t recommend that you use any of these cheating techniques in a casino given the legal consequences. But I still think that it’s cool to learn about how far cheaters will go to beat the casino.