At Narrow Win Baccarat the score bets pay when the round is decided by a single point: 9 over 8, or 8 over 7. The main game has no commission. Banker pays even money, except when it wins with a three-card 7. Then the Banker bet is returned instead. The table follows Infinite Fortune, a Nevada-approved game first called Bad Beat Baccarat.
How to play
Main bets. Player pays 1 to 1. Banker pays 1 to 1 with no commission, but if Banker wins with a three-card total of 7, Banker bets push. Tie pays 8 to 1. If the hands tie, Player and Banker bets come back.
One-point bets. Each line is its own bet, and it doesn’t matter whether Player or Banker holds the higher hand.
| Bet | Wins when | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| 3-Card 9 over 8 | a three-card 9 beats a three-card 8 | 200 to 1 |
| Natural 9 over 8 | a two-card 9 beats a two-card 8 | 50 to 1 |
| 8 over 7 | an 8 beats a 7, any number of cards | 25 to 1 |
A 9 over 8 is always either two naturals or two three-card hands. A two-card 8 or 9 is a natural, and after a natural nobody draws.
Hand bets.
| Bet | Wins when | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Banker 3-Card 7 | Banker wins with a three-card 7 | 40 to 1 |
| Player 3-Card 8 | Player wins with a three-card 8 | 25 to 1 |
The Banker 3-Card 7 bet wins in exactly the rounds where a Banker bet pushes. Putting a little on it is a way to get paid when your Banker bet gets stuck.
Chips come in 10, 50, 100 and 500. Every spot takes up to 1,000 credits, in steps of 10.
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. Two cards each go to Player and Banker. 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.
What each bet costs
House edge, counted exactly over every possible deal from an eight-deck shoe:
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Banker | 1.02% |
| Player | 1.24% |
| Banker 3-Card 7 | 7.61% |
| Natural 9 over 8 | 8.46% |
| Player 3-Card 8 | 10.19% |
| Tie | 14.36% |
| 3-Card 9 over 8 | 16.65% |
| 8 over 7 | 18.35% |
Strategy
Banker is still the best bet. The push on a three-card 7 costs Banker players about as much as a 5% commission would. It happens about once every 44 rounds, and the edge ends up at 1.02%, slightly better than the 1.06% at a commission table.
Of the side bets, Banker 3-Card 7 and Natural 9 over 8 are the cheapest, at 7.61% and 8.46%. That is still about eight times what a Banker bet costs.
8 over 7 is the expensive one. It wins about 3 rounds in 100, more often than any side bet here except Player 3-Card 8, but 25 to 1 doesn’t cover it. At 18.35% it costs more than the Tie.
200 to 1 doesn’t make the 3-Card 9 over 8 a bargain. A three-card 9 over a three-card 8 comes up about once in 240 rounds, and the house keeps 16.65%.
Compared with Final Score Baccarat: the Banker 3-Card 7 and Player 3-Card 8 bets are the same bets with the same edges. The difference is the main game: Final Score charges a 5% commission on Banker wins, while this table pays even money and returns the bet on a three-card 7. The score bets also differ. Here they pay one-point wins, 9 over 8 and 8 over 7. Final Score’s lines pay two-point gaps such as 9 over 7 and 8 over 6.
If you enjoy Narrow Win Baccarat, try Natural Eight Baccarat or Nebula Wilds next.
