Baccarat card counting: Dragon Bonus side bet

The Dragon Bonus (not EZ Baccarat’s Dragon 7) is the most popular side bet at baccarat and is offered at casinos all over the world. Card counting this baccarat side bet can be done and this is how to do it. Use the JSTAT Count (2 – 9 = +1, 10 – K = -2) to beat the Dragon Bonus baccarat side bet at card counting. Make the Dragon Bonus side bet on the Player side with a JSTAT true count of +4 (divide the running count by the decks remaining to get the true count) and a surplus of 8′s or 9′s to be played. An 8 or 9 should appear every 6.5 cards. The count won’t be positive on all shoes, so we can take a break until the next shoe, or slow down our betting by not playing every hand.

We look for casinos that offer these Dragon Bonus side bet payouts: A winning natural 8 or 9 pays 1 to 1 and a natural tie pushes. If a Dragon Bonus bet wins by 9, we are paid 30 to 1. Win by 8, pays 10 to 1. Win by 7, pays 6 to 1. Win by 6, pays 4 to 1, Win by 5, pays 2 to 1. Win by 4, pays 1 to 1. Win by 3 or less, you lose. With these payouts (according to the Wizard of Odds), the Player Dragon Bonus side bet has an house edge of 2.65% and the Banker Dragon Bonus side bet house edge is a dramatic 9.37%! That’s why it is recommended to bet the Player Dragon Bonus side bet, when we have the JSTAT card counting advantage.

Dragon Bonus Baccarat was developed by Shuffle Master or SHFL Entertainment, as it is called today.

In the video below, mini/midi baccarat is being played at the best casino to play baccarat in Las Vegas, the Rio in Las Vegas. Minimum bet is $10, a bargain for gamblers with the small house percentage. 1.06% house edge for the Banker and 1.24% for the Player. All baccarat tables at the Rio include the Dragon Bonus side bet.

EDIT: I deleted the original video on 12/10/15 due to a mistake and replaced it with this one which includes how to use a scorecard for the Dragon Bonus baccarat side bet and how to beat 8 deck blackjack with the same 8/9 side count along with the JSTAT Count. The clarity isn't great, but the quality of the lesson will make the game profitable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w2OCGv2ki0

So could this game be played as +EV using this side bet, or is the house edge still too much overall?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Druff

So could this game be played as +EV using this side bet, or is the house edge still too much overall?

We must bet on Player/Banker while making the Dragon Bonus side bet. Some of the mini baccarat games in Las Vegas are $10 minimums such as those at the Rio and Flamingo. We bet $10 on the Player and make $25 Dragon Bonus bets (Player side) when we have the Dragon advantage. It is +EV when avoiding negative shoes and not playing every hand when we don't have the Dragon Bonus edge. Baccarat players are usually allowed to sit out three hands.