On this page
Natural Hand Side Bets
On this page
Introduction
There are various baccarat side bets based on a Banker or Player obtaining a natural hand. This page lists those I have heard of.
Natural 8
The Natural 8 bet pays if the chosen side, Banker or Player, has a natural total of 8. Wins can pay either 8 or 9 to 1. The odds are the same on both the Banker and Player side.
I have never actually seen these side bets but believe they were popular in the 1960's, when Ed Thorp wrote a paper for the Journal of the American Statistical Association on how to beat this bet, and the Natural 9, by card counting. Perhaps that explains why it seems to be no longer around.
The following table shows the odds for a win of 9 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.47%.
Natural 8 — Win Pays 9 to 1
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9 | 472,508,456,071,680 | 0.094532 | 0.850788 |
| Loss | -1 | 4,525,889,819,431,680 | 0.905468 | -0.905468 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.054680 |
The following table shows the odds for the Natural 8 bet at a win of 8 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 14.92%.
Natural 8 — Win Pays 8 to 1
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8 | 472,508,456,071,680 | 0.094532 | 0.756256 |
| Loss | -1 | 4,525,889,819,431,680 | 0.905468 | -0.905468 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.149212 |
Obviously, this bet, and the Natural 9, would be highly vulnerable to card counters. There are some links below in the External Links section for more information on that.
Virginia Recommended Online Casinos
View All
UP TO $11,000 BONUS
All US players welcome
Over 200 casino games
Play on PC or Mobile
UP TO $3000 BONUS
Casino & Sportsbook
American players only
Play on desktop or mobile
UP TO 777$ BONUS
Large welcome bonus
Daily casino tournaments
Popular games
250% Welcome Bonus
Welcome US Players
BJ Allowed on Bonus
RTG slots & ViG Live Tables
Natural 9
The Natural 9 bet pays if the chosen side, Banker or Player, has a natural total of 9. Wins can pay either 8 or 9 to 1. The odds are the same on both the Banker and Player side.
The following table shows the odds for a win of 9 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.10%.
Natural 9 — Win Pays 9 to 1
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9 | 474,361,430,409,216 | 0.094903 | 0.854124 |
| Loss | -1 | 4,524,036,845,094,140 | 0.905097 | -0.905097 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.050973 |
The following table shows the odds for the Natural 8 bet at a win of 8 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 14.59%.
Natural 9 — Win Pays 8 to 1
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8 | 474,361,430,409,216 | 0.094903 | 0.759222 |
| Loss | -1 | 4,524,036,845,094,140 | 0.905097 | -0.905097 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.145876 |
Natural 8 or 9
The Natural 8 or 9 is a pair of side bets on the Banker and Player hands that the chosen side will have a natural two-card total of 8 or 9. The bets can be found at Internet casinos using Ezugi software in their Knockout Baccarat game.
The following table shows the odds for both at a win of 9 to 1. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.28%.
Natural 8 or 9
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 4 | 946,869,886,480,896 | 0.189435 | 0.757739 |
| Loss | -1 | 4,051,528,389,022,460 | 0.810565 | -0.810565 |
| Total | 4,998,398,275,503,360 | 1.000000 | -0.052827 |
Live gaming casinos by SA Gaming offer this pair of bets, but wins pay only 3.5. This increases the house edge to 14.75%.
Online Baccarat Bonuses View All
A lot of sites tend to overlook baccarat bonuses, but we know there is a strong and dedicated following that love the game, and we set out to form the following table for the best baccarat bonuses. This table is sorted using the bonus amount, wagering requirement, and quality of casino, among other factors.
External Links
- A Favorable Side Bet in Nevada Baccarat by Edward O. Thorp and William E. Walden, first published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Vol. 61, No. 314, Part 1 (Jun., 1966), pp. 313-328.