Posted by James K.
May 11 2015
May 11 2015
3 Card Baccarat is a baccarat variant found at most casinos in Macau. Based on an August 2007 visit, I would estimate it accounts for about 2% of the table games of Macau. The game is played with a single 52-card deck. As in conventional baccarat, face cards are worth 0 points, and all others according to pip value. Three cards each are dealt to both a player and dealer hand every time.
The highest hand is three face cards. After that the hands are scored as in baccarat, the hand with more points wins. If both hands have the same number of points, then the hand with more face cards will win. If both hands have the same number of points and face cards, then the hands will tie.
There are several bets to choose from, as follows.
Player Bet
This bet wins if the player hand beats the dealer hand. It pays even money, less a 5% commision. The probability of winning is 48.11%, and the house edge is 2.41%.
Dealer Total
There are ten bets available on the dealer's total points, without regard to the number of face cards. Each bet pays 8 to 1. The table below shows the probability of winning and house edge on each bet.
| Dealer Total | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | Probability | House Edge |
| 0 | 10.79% | 2.91% |
| 1 | 10.01% | 9.92% |
| 2 | 9.79% | 11.87% |
| 3 | 10.01% | 9.92% |
| 4 | 9.79% | 11.87% |
| 5 | 10.01% | 9.92% |
| 6 | 9.79% | 11.87% |
| 7 | 10.01% | 9.92% |
| 8 | 9.79% | 11.87% |
| 9 | 10.01% | 9.92% |
Tie
The tie bet pays 20 to 1. Remember, to tie not only must the points equal, but also the number of face cards. The probability of winning is 3.77% and the house edge is 20.80%.
Three Faces
The Three Faces bet pays 16 to 1 and wins if the dealer has three face cards. The probability of winning is 1.00% and the house edge is 83.08% (ouch!).
For more information on Three Card Baccarat, please visit my companion site, Wizard of Odds.