Gambling Guide
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Lucky 6
Introduction
The Lucky 6 is a side bet on the commission-free version of baccarat that pays 1 to 2 on a winning Banker total of six. The Lucky 6 pays on just that contingency. I first noticed the Lucky 6 at the Venetian in Las Vegas on September 10, 2019. The same side bet goes by the name of the Tiger on some games.
I have an unconfirmed report that the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas offers the same bet, but titles it the Bank 6.
Rules
Following are the rules as played at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
- If the Banker bet wins with a 2-card total of 6, then the Lucky 6 pays 12 to* 1.
- If the Banker bet wins with a 3-card total of 6, then the Lucky 6 pays 23 to* 1.
The rules in Macau are the same, except a 3-card winning total of 6 pays 20 to 1.
Notes:
* The table rules expresses the rules on a "for one" basis, which I converted to "to one," in the interests of consistency with how I write about table games.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis of the Lucky 6 side bet under the Las Vegas pay table. I converted the pays to a "to one" basis. It is interesting that the win with the higher probability also pays more. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 11.70%.
Lucky 6 — Las Vegas Pay Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Card Winning Banker 6 | 12 | 186,173,936,904,192 | 0.037247 | 0.446961 |
| 3-Card Winning Banker 6 | 23 | 83,058,367,551,488 | 0.016617 | 0.382191 |
| All other | -1 | 4,729,165,971,047,680 | 0.946136 | -0.946136 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.116985 |
The next pay table shows my analysis under the Macau rules. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.68%. I have seen this pay table at the Venetian in Las Vegas and I have an unconfirmed report the Cosmopolitan's has it too.
Lucky 6 — Macau Pay Table
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Card Winning Banker 6 | 12 | 186,173,936,904,192 | 0.037247 | 0.446961 |
| 3-Card Winning Banker 6 | 20 | 83,058,367,551,488 | 0.016617 | 0.332340 |
| All other | -1 | 4,729,165,971,047,680 | 0.946136 | -0.946136 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.166836 |
External Links
- Discussion about the Lucky 6 in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
- Macau regulator approves Lucky 6 side bet for baccarat — Article announcing the Macau placement.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
