Legal Law

Blackjack Side Bets Are Bad Bets – You Avoided Them While Playing

Most blackjack games in casinos today offer optional bonuses or side bets. Once rare on a basic blackjack table, they are becoming more and more common. The rational is simple because they have a huge house edge. Anywhere from 3% to 20% or more compared to the 0.5% advantage when playing straight blackjack with the correct basic strategy. The higher the edge, the more money the house makes.

Side bets have an advantage for the player in that all winning bonus bets will be paid out even if the player loses the original hand, and the big payouts are tempting. If you want to venture out, here are some of the most popular:

twenty one + 3

This side bet adds a bit of 3-card poker excitement into the mix, as your first two cards and the dealer’s up card are the determining factors. After you have made your BJ and your optional Twenty-one + 3 bets, the combination of the three cards must equal a flush, a straight flush, any straight, or three of a kind. The bet wins 9 to 1 on a six or eight deck game. The house edge is around 3%.

royal party 21

This is based on your first two cards dealt:

Any two cards of the same suit pay 2.5 to 1

A King and Queen of the same suit (Royal Match) pays 25 to 1

A Royal Match player and Royal Match dealer in any suit pays 1000 to 1

The maximum bet allowed will vary between casinos. With the outcome based on your first two cards, the house edge is around 6%.

Bet on Set 21

This side bet focuses on your first two cards after you have placed your blackjack bet and a Bet the Set bet. In some jurisdictions, this bet is also known as Pair Square. If you are dealt a pair, you are paid according to a predetermined paytable based on the number of decks in play:

Single deck – country pair 15 to 1

Double deck: even country 10 to 1, even suited country 25 to 1

Four, six or eight decks: pair pays 10 to 1, suited pair pays 15 to 1

Depending on the number of decks in play and the paytable that varies between jurisdictions, the house edge varies between 5 and 6%.

dealer bust 21

The player wins if the dealer busts by showing multiple cards face up. Winning payouts are paid according to the following table:

Bust with Ace up – Pays 10 to 1

Bust with 10 to K – Pays 4 to 1

Bust with 7 to 9 – Country 2 to 1

Bust with 2 to 6 – Country 1 to 1

The house edge is around 10% if the dealer stands on soft seventeen, around 8% if the dealer hits soft seventeen.

Over/Under 13

A player may bet whether the total of their first two cards will be greater than or less than 13. An exact total of 13 always loses and the Ace always counts as 1. The house edge for the Over 13 bet is 6.5 %, and for children under 13, it is 10%. The side bet is usually offered on six and eight deck games.

squared pair

A player wins if their first two cards are of the same value (such as a pair of 8s). An unmatched pair (such as an 8 of clubs and an 8 of hearts) pays 10 to 1. A matched pair (such as a pair of 8 of clubs) pays 15 to 1. The house edge is 10.6%.

super seven

In addition to your bet on the blackjack game, bet $1 that you will be dealt one to three sevens, resulting in the following payouts:

One seven countries 3 to 1

Two unsuited sevens pay 50 to 1

Two suited sevens pay 100 to 1

Three unsuited sevens pay 500 to 1

Three suited sevens pay 5000 to 1

The house edge is around 12% without a third card being dealt and around 11% when a third card is dealt.

lucky ladies

Here’s a bet that any hand that totals 20 wins something. If you are lucky enough to have a pair of queens, you will win more, as the paytable below shows:

Pair of Queens with a Blackjack dealer – pays 250 to 1

Pair of Queens – Pays 25 to 1

Any 20 of the same suit – country 9 to 1

Any 20 unsuitable – country 4 to 1

The house edge is between 17 and 20% depending on the jurisdictions paytable.

Always keep in mind that your bankroll is at greater risk of depleting faster while playing blackjack games and making these tempting side bets.

Good luck!

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