Many casinos now run baccarat without the 5% commission on Banker. Instead, Banker pays even money and only one result is cut: a Banker win with a total of 6 pays half. Tables usually add a side bet on that same 6. This style goes by several names: Super 6 in Asia and many US card rooms, Punto 2000 in parts of Europe, and simply “no-commission” elsewhere. Banker Six Baccarat is our version, with the Super Six bet on the layout.
How to play
Bets. Chips come in 10, 50, 100 and 500. Every spot takes up to 1,000 credits, in steps of 10:
- Player pays 1 to 1.
- Banker pays 1 to 1 with no commission. If Banker wins with a total of 6, the bet pays 1 to 2 (half).
- Tie pays 8 to 1. If the hands tie, Player and Banker bets come back.
- Super Six: Banker wins with a total of 6, on two cards or three. Pays 12 to 1. A 6 that ties or loses doesn’t count.
- Player Pair / Banker Pair: that side’s first two cards are the same rank. Pays 11 to 1.
The cards. Aces count 1, 2 to 9 count their pips, and tens and picture cards count 0. Only the last digit of a total matters. Player and Banker get two cards each. A total of 8 or 9 is a natural and nobody draws. Otherwise Player draws on 0 to 5, and Banker draws by the standard third-card table. The higher total wins.
Why a 6 is cut
In classic baccarat Banker wins a little more often than Player, about 45.9% of rounds against 44.6%. The commission exists to take that edge away. A no-commission table has to recover it somewhere else, and the Banker 6 is where it does. Banker wins with a 6 in about 5.4% of rounds, about one round in 19. Paying half on those wins costs Banker bettors slightly more than a commission would:
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Player | 1.24% |
| Banker (half on 6) | 1.46% |
| Banker at a 5% commission table, for comparison | 1.06% |
| Player Pair / Banker Pair | 10.36% |
| Tie | 14.36% |
| Super Six | 29.98% |
All figures are counted exactly over every possible deal from an eight-deck shoe.
Strategy
Player is the best bet at this table. Without a commission, Banker’s 1.46% is higher than Player’s 1.24%. That’s the reverse of a classic table, where Banker is the bet to make.
Super Six is a long shot with a big edge. It wins about one round in 19 and pays 12 to 1. A fair price would be about 17.6 to 1, so 12 to 1 gives up nearly 30% of the bet. Some casinos pay 15 or 20 to 1 on the same event. At 12 to 1 it is one of the most expensive bets in baccarat.
Don’t hedge Banker with Super Six. The idea sounds tidy: the 6 that halves your Banker win pays the side bet. Each bet keeps its own edge, though, and adding the worst one only raises what you lose.
If you enjoy Banker Six Baccarat, try Barbudi or Basketball Shot next.
