Gambling GuidePerfect Pairs (Version 1)
Introduction
Version 1 of the Perfect Pair side bet wins if either the Player or Banker hand have an identical pair, in both rank and suit, in the first two cards. This bet can be found at Internet casinos using live dealer software by Playtech or BetConstruct.
Rules
- Baccarat is generally played with eight decks, but sometimes six.
- The Perfect Pairs bet shall win if at least one hand, between the Player and Banker, form a "Perfect Pair" in the first two cards dealt to that hand. A "Perfect Pair" is two identical cards, in both rank and suit.
The difference between this version 1 and version 2 is that version 2 pays more if both the Player and Banker hands form a Perfect Pair.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis with eight decks and a win of 25 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.03%.
Win Pays 25 to 1 — Eight Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 25 | 246,848,784 | 0.033450 | 0.836256 |
| Loss | -1 | 7,132,734,336 | 0.966550 | -0.966550 |
| Total | 7,379,583,120 | 1.000000 | -0.130294 |
The following table shows my analysis with eight decks and a win of 26 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 9.68%.
Win Pays 26 to 1 — Eight Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 26 | 246,848,784 | 0.033450 | 0.869706 |
| Loss | -1 | 7,132,734,336 | 0.966550 | -0.966550 |
| Total | 7,379,583,120 | 1.000000 | -0.096844 |
The following table shows my analysis with six decks and a win of 25 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 17.07%.
Win Pays 25 to 1 — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 25 | 74,114,820 | 0.031896 | 0.797388 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,249,559,000 | 0.968104 | -0.968104 |
| Total | 2,323,673,820 | 1.000000 | -0.170716 |
The following table shows my analysis with six decks and a win of 26 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.88%.
Win Pays 26 to 1 — Eight Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 26 | 74,114,820 | 0.031896 | 0.829284 |
| Loss | -1 | 2,249,559,000 | 0.968104 | -0.968104 |
| Total | 2,323,673,820 | 1.000000 | -0.138821 |
The following table shows the house edge for six and eight decks for wins of 25, 26, 27, and 28 to 1.
House Edge Summary
| Pays | 6 Decks | 8 Decks |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 17.07% | 13.03% |
| 26 | 13.88% | 9.68% |
| 27 | 10.69% | 6.34% |
| 28 | 7.50% | 2.99% |
Internal Links
- Version 2 of Perfect Pairs
- Full list of Baccarat side bets
Written by: Michael Shackleford
