Every mark on Big Eye Boy (and on Small Road and Cockroach Pig) is decided by choosing between just two rules based on where the latest hand landed on the Big Road:
- Rule 1 (New Column — Row 1): Fires whenever a hand changes sides and starts a brand-new column at Row 1.
- Rule 2 (Continuing Down — Row 2+): Fires whenever the same side wins again and continues downward in the current column (Row 2, Row 3, Row 4, and so on).
Most mistakes happen on Rule 2 because players learn only two of its outcomes and forget its third case (both comparison cells blank = Red). Below is the complete, engine-verified breakdown of Rule 1 (2 cases) and Rule 2 (all 3 cases) using a single 12-hand shoe you can test in our free Baccarat Calculator & Road Decoder.
Quick reference: Rule 1 (2 cases) vs Rule 2 (3 cases)
| Rule & Trigger | What Big Eye Boy Compares (L=1) | Case & Resulting Color |
|---|---|---|
| Rule 1 — New Column (Row 1 of Col c) | Compare finished depth of Col (c−1) with Col (c−2) | Case 1A (Same depth): RED (pattern repeats) Case 1B (Different depth): BLUE (pattern breaks) |
| Rule 2 — Continuing Down (Row r ≥ 2 of Col c) | Inspect Col (c−1) at Row r and Row (r−1) | Case 2A (Both cells filled): RED (Col c−1 reached Row r) Case 2B (One filled, one blank): BLUE (Col c−1 ended at Row r−1; transition point) Case 2C (Both cells blank): RED (Col c−1 ended above Row r−1; consistent absence) |
Worked 12-hand trace: every case in one shoe (BBPBBBBPPBBP)
Look at this 12-hand shoe (8 Banker wins, 4 Player wins), which forms 6 Big Road columns of depths 2, 1, 4, 2, 2, 1:
BBPBBBBPPBBP
Bead Plate
Big Road
Big Eye Boy
Small Road
Cockroach Pig
Mark-by-mark walkthrough of all 9 Big Eye Boy entries
Hands 1–3 build Column 1 (BB, depth 2) and the top of Column 2 (P, Row 1). Starting on Hand 4, Big Eye Boy records one mark per hand:
- Hand 4 — Column 3, Row 1 (Rule 1, Case 1B → BLUE): Banker starts Column 3 at Row 1. Rule 1 compares Column 2's finished depth (
1) with Column 1's depth (2). Different depths = Blue. - Hand 5 — Column 3, Row 2 (Rule 2, Case 2B: One Filled, One Blank → BLUE): Banker continues down Column 3 to Row 2. Rule 2 looks 1 column left at Column 2 (Rows 2 and 1). Column 2 has a circle at Row 1 but is blank at Row 2 (it ended at Row 1). Because Row 2 is the exact transition row where Column 3 outgrows Column 2, one cell is filled and one is blank = Blue.
- Hand 6 — Column 3, Row 3 (Rule 2, Case 2C: Both Blank → RED): Banker continues down Column 3 to Row 3. Rule 2 looks 1 column left at Column 2 (Rows 3 and 2). Because Column 2 ended back at Row 1, both Row 2 and Row 3 in Column 2 are blank. Two empty cells mean consistent absence = Red.
- Hand 7 — Column 3, Row 4 (Rule 2, Case 2C: Both Blank → RED): Banker continues down Column 3 to Row 4. In Column 2, both Row 3 and Row 4 are blank → Red again.
- Hand 8 — Column 4, Row 1 (Rule 1, Case 1B → BLUE): Player starts Column 4 at Row 1. Rule 1 compares Column 3's finished depth (
4) with Column 2's depth (1). Different depths = Blue. - Hand 9 — Column 4, Row 2 (Rule 2, Case 2A: Both Filled → RED): Player continues down Column 4 to Row 2. Rule 2 looks 1 column left at Column 3 (Rows 2 and 1). Because Column 3 had depth 4, both Row 1 and Row 2 in Column 3 are filled → Red.
- Hand 10 — Column 5, Row 1 (Rule 1, Case 1B → BLUE): Banker starts Column 5 at Row 1. Rule 1 compares Column 4's finished depth (
2) with Column 3's depth (4). Different depths = Blue. - Hand 11 — Column 5, Row 2 (Rule 2, Case 2A: Both Filled → RED): Banker continues down Column 5 to Row 2. Column 4 (depth 2) has circles at both Row 1 and Row 2 → Red.
- Hand 12 — Column 6, Row 1 (Rule 1, Case 1A → RED): Player starts Column 6 at Row 1. Rule 1 compares Column 5's finished depth (
2) with Column 4's depth (2). Same depth (2 = 2) = Red!
Practice Rule 1 and Rule 2 in the free Baccarat Calculator
Click Continue this shoe in the free Road Decoder below to inspect BBPBBBBPPBBP hand by hand, or jump into our 13 free derived-road practice drills to test your speed on Rule Recognition and Depth Counting.