How to read baccarat scoreboards
See how each hand lands on the bead plate and the big road, and what players mean by a streak and a chop.
Bead plate: one circle per hand
Bead plate
Big road
The bead plate draws one circle for every hand: red = Banker win, blue = Player win, green = Tie.
Example: Banker, Banker, Player, Tie, Banker, Player fills the first column from top to bottom. A column holds six circles, and the next hand starts a new column on the right.
Big road: a new column when the winner changes
- Hands: B B B P P B T B
- Column one: red, red, red (three Banker wins in a row)
- Column two: blue, blue (Player won, so a new column started)
- Column three: red, red – the tie is a green slash on the first red circle, not a new circle
- A long streak runs down to the bottom row, then turns right along the bottom.
On the big road, count columns to see how often the winner changed, and count circles in a column to see how long a run lasted.
What is a streak and what is a chop
Streak: the same side wins several hands in a row. Example: B B B B B – one long column on the big road.
Chop: the winner switches every hand. Example: B P B P B P – many columns with one circle each.
Streak and chop are only names for patterns that already happened on the board.
Derived roads: Big Eye Boy, Small Road, Cockroach Pig
Many tables also show three smaller boards called Big Eye Boy, Small Road and Cockroach Pig. They are drawn from the big road, so they show nothing new about the cards.
If the small boards look confusing, read the big road – it holds the same information in a simpler form.
The boards never predict the next hand
After a streak, a chop or any other shape, Banker wins about 45.86% of hands and Player about 44.62%. Over many hands the results tend to match these shares, and the house edge stays in place.
Read more in the gambler's fallacy and baccarat odds.
Play a few shoes in the free baccarat simulator and watch both boards fill up hand by hand.
Questions
What is a chop in baccarat?
A chop is when the winner switches every hand, for example Banker, Player, Banker, Player. On the big road it looks like many columns with one circle each.
How do you read the big road in baccarat?
Red circles are Banker wins and blue circles are Player wins. A new column starts each time the winner changes, and ties are shown as a green slash on the last circle.
What is the bead plate in baccarat?
The bead plate shows one circle for every hand, including ties, filled top to bottom in columns of six. It is the simplest record of the shoe in order.
Can a baccarat scoreboard predict the next hand?
No. The boards record past hands only, and Banker still wins about 45.86% of hands and Player about 44.62% no matter what pattern is showing.
What are Big Eye Boy, Small Road and Cockroach Pig?
They are three smaller boards drawn from the big road. They add no new information about the cards and do not predict results.