Baccarat Score Boards

Baccarat is a casino game where every decision may seem to be left to chance… but experienced players know that the history of results can influence their strategy. This is where Baccarat Score Boards come into play. Found in land-based casinos as well as in live baccarat online, these tables allow players to track trends, identify patterns (baccarat patterns), and, for some, adjust their bets accordingly.

In this article, we will see what a baccarat scoreboard is, how to read it, and how players actually use it in an attempt to maximise their chances.

What is a Baccarat Score Board?

A Baccarat Score Board is a visual tool that displays the history of previous hands in a shoe. Each result – Banker, Player, or Tie – is recorded using a symbol or colour, allowing players to spot trends.

In a land-based casino: often displayed on a screen above the table or recorded manually by players on a sheet provided by the dealer.
In online baccarat: directly integrated into the game interface, especially in live dealer versions.

The different types of baccarat scoreboards

There are several formats, each with its own specific role:

Bead Plate

The Bead Plate is the simplest and most direct table. It displays each hand played in chronological order, often in a grid 6 cells high and 8 to 12 columns wide. Each cell shows the winner (Banker or Player) with a distinct colour code – red for Banker, blue for Player – and sometimes the exact value of the winning hand. It is mainly used to have a clear, raw overview of the game, hand by hand, without graphical interpretation.

Advantage: Its simplicity – easy to read, even for a beginner. You can immediately see who won each round.
Drawback: It does not highlight visual trends or patterns, which limits its usefulness for players looking to detect patterns.

Big Road

The Big Road is the most iconic baccarat scoreboard. It represents results in columns, each column showing a continuous series of wins by the same side. Banker wins are in red, Player wins in blue, and ties are indicated by a small green circle on the corresponding cell. It is used to quickly spot long streaks or regular alternations between the two sides.

Advantage: The ability to highlight streaks and zigzags, two patterns many players like to follow.

Drawback: It only shows winners, with no information on hand values or the “quality” of the wins. Experienced players often use it as a starting point before consulting other tables.

Big Eye Boy

The Big Eye Boy is a derived, more analytical table that does not directly record results, but rather the structure of the streaks seen in the Big Road. Cells are coloured red or blue to indicate the stability or irregularity of the game according to specific rules. It is used to determine whether the game is following a “predictable” pattern or becoming more random.

Advantage: Provides an indirect reading of the shoe, useful for confirming or refuting a visual impression from the Big Road.
Drawback: Requires knowing its construction rules, which can discourage beginners. It does not indicate “who” wins, only whether the rhythm of changes is stable or not.

Small Road

The Small Road is another derived view, constructed similarly to the Big Eye Boy but with a different offset in calculation. Visually, it provides a complementary perspective that can reveal subtle changes in the game’s rhythm. Players often consult it after the Big Eye Boy to confirm a trend.

Advantage: Cross-referencing data – if the Big Eye Boy and Small Road “agree” on stability or instability, some players see it as a strong signal.
Drawback: On its own, the Small Road is hard to exploit as it does not show winners and must be read alongside other tables.

Cockroach Pig

The Cockroach Pig (often called “roach road”) is the most compact of the derived tables. It is read the same way as the Big Eye Boy or Small Road but with a different starting offset. It is appreciated by players who want a synthetic view of long-term trends in a shoe.

Advantage: Condenses a lot of information into a small space, making it a good overall tracking tool.
Drawback: Its compactness can make it unreadable for uninitiated players without a good grasp of the construction rules.

How to read a scoreboard step by step

Before diving into an example, it’s important to understand that each scoreboard follows its own construction rules, but they all share a common logic:

Results are displayed from left to right and top to bottom in a specific order.
A new column begins when the winner changes (from Banker to Player or vice versa).
An extra cell is added in the same column if the same side keeps winning.
Ties are indicated without interrupting the streak: they are placed on the existing cell, often as a small circle or green number.

Simple example – Reading a Big Road Baccarat
Imagine you are at the start of a shoe, and the first results are:

Banker, Banker, Player, Player, Banker, Tie, Banker.

On the Big Road, this would show as:

First Banker win: a red cell at the top left.
Second Banker win: add another red cell just below.
First Player win: start a new column in blue, at the top of the second column.
Second Player win: a blue cell below the previous one.
Banker again: start a third column in red, at the top of the column.
Tie: add a small green circle to the red cell, without changing position.
Banker win: move down one cell in the current red column.

At a glance, you see: two consecutive Banker wins, two Player wins, then a current streak of two Banker wins interrupted by a tie.

How players actually use scoreboards

Beyond simple reading, baccarat scoreboards are used as decision-making tools:

The most common use is to follow a winning streak – if the Banker has won five times in a row, some players will keep betting on him, banking on the continuation of the trend.
Conversely, others prefer to counter a trend: after a long streak, they bet on a reversal, thinking a change is “likely.”
Some look for zigzags – regular alternation between Banker and Player – and adjust their bets to ride this rhythm.
The most dedicated players even cross-check multiple tables: for example, they use the Big Eye Boy to assess the stability of the game, then validate their intuition by checking the Small Road.

The goal remains the same: to reduce the perceived element of chance by relying on visual cues.

Common mistakes to avoid

Taking ties as a change in streak: they do not alter the reading direction of the table.
Believing that a pattern guarantees a result: probabilities remain the same for each hand.
Getting lost in too many tables: it’s better to master one or two formats than to follow all of them without a clear logic.

Scoreboards: strategy or superstition?

On this point, players are divided.

For some, a scoreboard is a genuine strategic tool: it helps them stay disciplined, structure their bets, and avoid impulsive gambling.
For others, it’s just a visual aid that gives the illusion of controlling chance.

The truth is probably somewhere in between: a scoreboard does not affect the Baccarat house edge and does not predict the future, but it can enhance the gaming experience, especially for those who enjoy analysing and tracking the shoe’s progress.

Conclusion

The Baccarat Score Board is a valued game companion in both casinos and online baccarat. While it doesn’t guarantee winnings, it helps organise strategy, observe trends, and make the game more immersive.

Whether you’re a fan of Big Road Baccarat or curious about the subtleties of the Cockroach Pig, remember: the tables tell the story of the shoe, but chance always writes the next hand.