Aug 19 2026
Card Counting the Tie Max Baccarat Side Bets
A few days back I received an unexpected email from a game developer who asked me to consider two of his new baccarat side bets, Low Tie Max (LTM) and High Tie Max (HTM). These two are part of a collection of side bets collectively called Lucky Max (LM). I believe the developer's intention was to get some publicity for his wagers by having me post favorable card counting results here.
Card Counting the UR Way Egalite Baccarat Side Bet
The Tie bet is among the safest side bets in baccarat. Various approaches have been tried in developing a strategy to defeat the tie (see this post and this post).
Beating the Pair Square (Bet the Set) Blackjack Side Bet
Pair Square (PS) is a simple-minded blackjack side bet that pays if the player’s first two cards are a pair. There is a premium payout if the pair is suited. This bet is also known by the name “Bet the Set,” though I have never understood that name, as a “set” usually refers to Three-of-a-Kind in poker.
Shoe-Shopping the Dragon Bonus Baccarat Side Bet
The Dragon Bonus baccarat side bet (DB) is the most popular proprietary side bet for baccarat on the market. Only the "Pair" side bet is more common, perhaps because it is in the public domain. I describe card counting DB in this post. My conclusion was that DB has at most a minimal vulnerability to card counting.
