What is Natural?

A natural is the best possible hand achieved immediately from the first cards dealt, before any further drawing. The term appears in two casino games with different specifics. In blackjack, a natural — also simply called a blackjack — is an ace paired with any ten-value card (10, jack, queen or king) in the opening two cards, and it traditionally pays 3-to-2. In baccarat, a natural is a two-card total of 8 or 9 for either the Player or the Banker. Worked example: in blackjack you are dealt an ace and a king for an instant 21. If the table pays the standard 3-to-2, a 10 stake returns 15 in profit, provided the dealer does not also hold a natural, in which case the hand pushes. In baccarat, suppose the Player is dealt a 9 and a king; the king counts as zero, so the total is 9 — a natural. No further cards are drawn, and this hand can only be tied or beaten by an opposing natural of equal or higher value; against any non-natural total it wins outright. Why it matters: in blackjack the payout on a natural is one of the most important rules to check, because some tables quietly pay only 6-to-5, which sharply increases the house edge and should be avoided. In baccarat, the natural rule is what halts further drawing and underpins the game's fixed third-card logic. A common mistake is sitting at a 6-to-5 blackjack table without realising the worse payout erodes the game's normally low edge. See also blackjack, baccarat and house edge.