Baccpo

Introduction

 

Baccpo is a game I first saw at the Global Gaming Expo in 2012. I was told it was played at the Crown Casino in Australia. By the time I finished analyzing the game, though, I was informed the casino had removed it. However, I understand there are plans to bring it back, with more liberal rules, to Australia, Canada and the United States.

Baccpo is a cross between blackjack and baccarat. Every player plays against the dealer, as in blackjack. However, the cards are valued as in baccarat, and the hands are scored in a similar way.

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Rules

1. Cards are scored as in baccarat. In particular:
   • Aces = 1 point
   • 2's to 9's = Pip value
   • 10's, face cards = 0 points
2. All players play against the dealer, as in blackjack.
3. Play starts with the player and dealer receiving two cards each. As in blackjack, one dealer card is turned face up and the other face down.
4. The player shall have the option to stand or take one more card.
5. After all players have acted, the dealer turns over his other card. Then the dealer takes a third card if he has five or less points, or two threes.
6. Hand scoring is generally the same as in baccarat, where the score is the terminal digit of the total number of points.
7. In the event of a tie, the hand with three cards shall outrank a hand with two cards. Otherwise, two hands of the same number of points and cards shall tie.
8. The highest ranking hand is a 3-card 9 composed of three 3's.
9. A player 3-3-3 hand shall automatically win, and pay 3 to 1.
10. Any winning player 7-point hand shall pay 1 to 2.
11. All other player wins shall pay 1 to 1.
12. Any 9-point tie, with the same number of cards in both hands, will go to the player. All other ties shall push.
13. If the dealer has the higher hand, then the player shall lose.
14. Side bets are available on a tie and a Bonus Bet, which are explained below.

Strategy

The following table is the optimal strategy for the Melbourne variant of the rules. To use the strategy, look up the player's hand along the left column by the dealer's up card along the top row.

The next table shows the probability and return of the tie bet, assuming the player follows optimal tie bet strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.38% (ouch!).

Analysis

The following table shows the probability and return for all possible outcomes of the Melbourne variant of the game, assuming optimal strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 3.02%.

 

 

The next table shows the probability and return of the tie bet, assuming the player following optimal tie bet strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.38% (ouch!).

 

 

 

Bonus Bet

The next table shows the probability and return for all the possible outcomes of the Bonus Bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 9.85%.

External Links

Baccpo video by game maker John Huxley.

Written by: Michael Shackleford