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Lucky 8

Introduction

Lucky 8 is a pair of baccarat side bets based on a total of eight points. There is one for the Player hand and one for the Banker hand.

I saw the bet at the Palace Casino in La Center, Washington, on June 5, 2015.

Rules

Following is the pay table for both bets. All wins are on a "to one" basis, meaning the original wager is also returned on a win. The highest qualifying win only is paid. A description of each win follows the table.

Pay Table

Event Pays
Double suited 3-card 8 200
Suited 3-card 8 25
Double 8 15
Unlucky 8 8
Lucky 8 4
 

Explanation of paying events.

  • Double suited 3-card 8: Both Player and Banker have a suited 3-card total of 8. The Player suit may be different from the Banker suit.
  • Suited 3-card 8: Only the chosen hand (Player or Banker) has a suited 3-card total of 8.
  • Double 8: Both Player and Banker have 8 points.
  • Unlucky 8: The chosen hand (Player or Banker) has a losing total of 8 points.
  • Lucky 8: The chosen hand (Player or Banker) has a winning total of 8 points.
 

Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return based on the Player Lucky 8 bet, based on an eight-deck game. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.65%.

Player Return Table

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Double suited 3-card 8 200 38,708,182,784 0.000008 0.001549
Suited 3-card 8 25 8,230,060,380,160 0.001647 0.041163
Double 8 15 53,649,934,949,376 0.010733 0.161001
Unlucky 8 8 54,643,925,237,760 0.010932 0.087458
Lucky 8 4 548,824,514,488,320 0.109800 0.439200
Loser -1 4,333,011,132,264,960 0.866880 -0.866880
Total   4,998,398,275,503,360 1.000000 -0.136508
 

The following table shows the probability and return based on the Banker Lucky 8 bet, based on an eight-deck game. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 16.60%.

Banker Return Table

Event Pays Combinations Probability Return
Double suited 3-card 8 200 38,708,182,784 0.000008 0.001549
Suited 3-card 8 25 7,432,192,329,728 0.001487 0.037173
Double 8 15 53,649,934,949,376 0.010733 0.161001
Unlucky 8 8 54,536,438,759,424 0.010911 0.087286
Lucky 8 4 523,707,108,888,576 0.104775 0.419100
Loser -1 4,359,033,892,393,470 0.872086 -0.872086
Total   4,998,398,275,503,360 1.000000 -0.165977