Blackjack
Side Bets
by
Henry Tamburin
In this lesson,
there is a summary of Blackjack Side Bets, part of the Learn
to
Play Blackjack Program.
Blackjack
Side Bet: Over/Under
This side bet
allows a player to wager that the likelihood of his two initial cards
will
total either over 13 or under 13 (if the total is exactly 13 the player
loses
both the over and under bet). The house has an edge of 6.6% for the
over bet
and 10% for the under bet (typical 6 deck game).
This side
bet is not
recommended if you are a basic strategy player.
Blackjack
Side Bet: Super 7’s
Here the player
makes a side bet in the hopes he is dealt one or more 7’s.
For example, if his first
card is a 7, the
payoff is 3 to 1. If his first two cards are unsuited 7’s, it’s a 50 to
1
payoff and if both 7’s are suited the payoff skyrockets to 100 to1.
Finally,
if
the player is dealt three 7’s the payoff is 500 to 1 if unsuited and a
whopping
5,000 to 1 if suited.
Although the high
payoffs are inviting when you do the math the casino’s edge is around
11%. That’s
a suckers bet in anybody’s book.
Blackjack
Side Bet: Royal
Match
A player makes a
side bet and gets paid a bonus if the first two cards are suited (3 to
1) and a
10 to 1 bonus if the two suited cards are a king and queen (royal
match). These
payoffs are for single deck games and the house edge is around 4%. The
payoffs
can vary from the above and the odds change if more decks of cards are
used.
But no matter, I’ve yet to see an established payoff high enough that
reduces
the house edge to a respectable level.
Avoid this side bet.
Pair
Square
A player wins this
side bet if his first two cards are of the same rank. For a 6-deck
game, the
payoff for an unmatched pair is 10 to 1 and if matched the payoff
increases to
15 to 1. The payoffs vary for different number of decks of cards but
the
casino’s edge in all cases is around 6% or more. This is another side
bet that
should be avoided.
21+3
This game combines
a Three Card Poker side bet with blackjack. Essentially the player
makes a side
bet that his first two dealt cards plus the dealer’s upcard will be a
flush,
straight, straight flush or three of a kind.
If so, the side bet pays 9 to 1.
In a six-deck
game, the casino’s edge
is 3% more respectable then most side bets but still higher then the
casino’s
edge.
5
Card
21
This side bet pays
2 to 1 if the player gets a winning 5-card hand totaling 21. There are
about 20
deviations from basic strategy for any player who wants to try for the
5 card
21 and the house edge is only 0.2%.
Streak
Here the player
bets on how many hands he will win in succession (from 2 to 5). The
house edge
is anywhere from 8 to 14%. Ouch.
Suited
6-7-8
Players win this
side bet if the first three cards dealt are 6-7-8 of the same suit and
the player wins the
hand. Only in the case if you hold a suited 6-7 against a dealer’s 2
should you
violate basic strategy and hit. The basic strategy player actually has
the very
slight edge on this side bet (0.01% or about a penny for every $100
bet).
Red/Black
This is a simple
side bet. You bet on the color of the dealer’s upcard. If the dealer’s
card is
a deuce of the color you bet on then you push. This gives the house a
3.8%
edge.
Progressive
Blackjack Side Bet
You
bet a dollar
and get paid if are dealt aces. The more aces the higher the payoff.
Payoffs
start at 3 to 1 if a player gets an ace as his first card. Get two aces
on
first two cards and the payoff is 15 to 1 (if their suited it’s 50 to
1). The
payoffs keep increasing for 3 aces (suited and non-suited) and finally
4 aces.
If you achieve the latter and all aces are either red or
black, you win the
amount on the progressive meter. The casino’s edge varies depending
upon the
amount of the progressive jackpot but in general it’s >15%.
The
bottom line
with side bets is that this is a way for casinos to try to increase
their
profits on the game. The side bets usually cost only a buck and many
offer more
than a 1 to 1 payoff.
But the casino’s edge is high and in
the long run, you
will lose a lot more than you will win.
It’s best to ignore
the side bets if
they are offered on your table and stick to just playing blackjack.
Blackjack Side Bets is
followed by Two Spots
OR
Return
to Learn to Play Blackjack Program
Gambling
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