Blackjack Side Bets Explained
Blackjack is among the top casino games played in almost every part of the world. The best thing about this game is the house edge is just 0.5%. Online Blackjack also provides additional bets along with the main bets to enhance your gambling experience. Side bets are the additional wagers placed before the start of the game to enlarge the winning amount. They can get you a far better payout of up to 2000 times your regular bet.
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How to place blackjack side bets?
Side bets add a fun element to the blackjack game. They are interesting and entertaining at the same time. Once you become familiar with the blackjack rules, gambling environment, and blackjack strategy, you’ll enjoy placing side bets. Below are some steps:
- Place a regular bet on the circle or box on the blackjack table.
- Now select the side bet as per your bet limit.
- Place your bet on the side bet areas around the box
- If you win, the payout will be credited to your account.
Side bets allow you to get a huge payout of 2:1 with a slight increase in a house edge of about 2%. If you can play like a pro, your odds of winning become higher than a normal player. Side bets are more about chances rather than skills. Let’s read out the blackjack’s common side bets!
Common Side bets
There are several game providers in India, but as per our analysis Evolution gaming and Playtech’s online version of blackjack are the best. They provide dedicated, unique blackjack tables along with flexible table limit and HD video streaming. The 3 commonly used side bets in blackjack are:
- Perfect pairs
- 21+3
- Insurance
Perfect Pairs
As the name suggests, this bet deals with the different pairs. Only the player’s first two cards are used in this bet. RTP (Return to player) can vary from casino to casino, blackjack table’s layout, the number of decks used in-game. It can vary from 2% to 11%. Winning payout depends on the kind of pair that a player possesses. Let’s see!
Mixed Pair – Same value cards with different color and suits; Payout: 5:1
Colored Pair – Same value cards with the same color and different suits; Payout: 12:1
Perfect Pair – Exactly two same cards; payout: 25:1
21+3 Side Bet
The most entertaining and popular side bet of blackjack. Here 21 indicate the blackjack whereas 3 means; first two cards of the player and dealer’s face-up card. In the original version of the 21+3; the payout was 9:1 and the house edge was quite low as 3.24%. But, with time and advanced technology, new blackjack tables have high payouts and validity.
The house edge nowadays is kept different for all the decks; 8.78% for four decks, 7.81% for five decks, 7.14% for six decks, and 6.29% for seven decks. Winning Payout depends on the different combinations of 3 cards.
Flush: 3 cards from the same suit, eg: Jack, King and ace of hearts. Pays-5:1
Straight: 3 consecutive cards, eg: 6 of the diamond, 7 of heart, and 8 of the club. Pays-10:1
Three of a kind: 3 same cards with the different suit, eg: the king of heart, king of spade, and king of the club. Pays-30:1.
Straight flush: 3 consecutive cards from the same suit, eg: king, queen, jack of diamond. Pays- 40:1.
Suited triple: 3 same cards of the same suit, eg: three jacks of hearts. Pays-100:1.
Insurance bet
This bet is placed against the dealer’s ace face-up card to protect the player from the dealer’s blackjack. It uses half of your initial stake. Probably there are very less chances that you’ll win this bet. But luckily if the dealer has the blackjack and you won, you’ll get an instant payout of 2:1. It reduces the house edge.
The objective of this bet is to provide an opportunity for players to earn some money despite losing the game. You can place this bet only after the dealer has dealt with all the cards.
So it is always advised to never make an insurance bet where the risk of losing is high and the payout is low.
Other side bets in Blackjack
Royal match – This bet is meant for both single deck and multi deck blackjack game. In case the player’s first two cards are suited(also known as an easy match), the payout is 5:2 and 25:1 for suited king and queen (called as Royal Match).
Hot 3: An exclusive bet by an infinite blackjack table. As the name suggests, 3 indicates the first two cards of player plus dealer’s upturned card.
Bust It: This side bet is offered by evolution gaming’s infinite blackjack table. It is placed on dealers and payout depends on the number of the card that goes bust.
Buster: This is offered by Playtech gaming’s and is similar to Bust it bet with an addition of two top payouts when the player has a blackjack and dealer busts.
Over/under 13 –This bet works on your prediction. You have to predict whether the sum of cards is over or under 13. In case the sum of cards is exact 13, you’ll lose the bet.
Super sevens – More the cards of 7’s, more will be the payout. If a player has a single 7 in the first two dealt cards, the payout will be 3:1, for two 7’s payout is 100. In case, if the third card also happens to be a 7, the payout will be 500:1(unsuited) and 5000:1 (suited).
Lucky ladies – you’ll get the payout if the total hand value of the first two dealt cards is 20, ideally two queens. The top payout is 1000:1 for two queens of hearts along with the dealer’s blackjack. Another payout is 200:1 for just two queens of hearts. For a matched 20(same rank and suit), the payout is 25:1, a suited 20 gets a payout of 10:1 and an unsuited 20 gets a payout of 4:1.
Bet Behind
This is the only side bet in blackjack where you don’t have to make a regular bet first to place this bet. You can place this bet while waiting for a vacant seat on the blackjack table.
Without being part of the game, this bet allows you to bet on other player’s hand value. It is advised to start with a low stake bet as the chances of losing are high. One needs to be strategic and smart as you don’t have any control over the player’s action.
Side bet’s Payout
Perfect Pairs
| Side Bet | Payout |
| Perfect Pair | 25:1 |
| Coloured Pair | 12:1 |
| Mixed Pair | 6:1 |
21+3
| Side Bet | Payout |
| Suited Trips | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
Bust it
| Side Bet | Payout |
| Busts with 8 or more | 250:1 |
| Busts with 7 | 100:1 |
| Busts with 6 | 50:1 |
| Busts with 5 | 9:1 |
| Busts with 4 | 2:1 |
| Busts with 3 | 1:1 |
Hot 3
| Side Bet | Payout |
| 7-7-7 | 100:1 |
| Suited 21 | 20:1 |
| Unsuited 21 | 4:1 |
| Suited 20 | 2:1 |
| Suited 19 | 1:1 |
Are blackjack side bets worth it?
The best part of side bets is the wagering requirement that’s quite low but the payouts are huge as compared to regular bets. Side bets gives you the opportunity to even out your money losses in the game. Moreover, you don’t need to have a winning hand to make extra bets.
No doubt side bets offer high payouts but the risk of losing is also high. But if you have the confidence that you can play like a pro, it can benefit you. Side bets are more about luck than skills. The main purpose of these additional bets is to engage and encourage the customers to play and hold players on their portal for a longer period of time.
But we suggest you play responsibly with self-control and don’t get carried away with attractive bonuses and promotions. Blackjack is all about your action. So think practically and logically before you make any move!
