Blackjack side bets and game variants
The extra circles on the felt and the games with new names. What each one pays, what it costs you, and which are worth knowing.
On this page
Why side bets cost so much
Standard blackjack, played by the book, costs you about 0.4% of what you bet: 40 cents per $100. A side bet is a separate wager on the same deal, usually on whether your first cards, or yours and the dealer’s together, make a particular combination. They pay big multiples, 9 to 1 or 100 to 1, which makes them fun. But no decision you make changes the odds, and the payouts are set well below the true odds. Most cost 3% to 10% of every bet, and some cost far more.
A $5 side bet every hand at a 6% edge costs about as much as a $75 main bet played by the book.
The common side bets
| Bet | What wins | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | The dealer has blackjack when showing an ace. Pays 2 to 1. | About 7.4% with six decks |
| 21+3 | Your two cards and the dealer’s upcard make a three-card poker hand: flush, straight, three of a kind or straight flush. | 3.2% (six decks, all pay 9 to 1) to 13.4% (“Xtreme” paytable) |
| TriLux | The same three cards make a flush, straight, three of a kind or straight flush. Common at Seminole Hard Rock casinos. | 3.2% to 23.3% (six decks), by paytable. A flat 7 to 1 on two decks costs about 7.3% |
| Perfect Pairs | Your first two cards are a pair. Pays most for an identical pair, less for same color, least for mixed. | 2.2% to 8.1%, by paytable |
| Match the Dealer | One of your first two cards matches the dealer’s upcard. More if the suit matches too. | 3.3% to 4.8% |
| Lucky Lucky | Your two cards and the dealer’s upcard total 19, 20 or 21, with bonuses for 7-7-7 and 6-7-8. | 2.7% (six decks) |
| Royal Match | Your first two cards are suited. Pays most for king and queen of the same suit. | 6.7% (six decks) |
| Buster Blackjack | The dealer busts. Pays more the more cards the dealer took. | 6.2% (six decks, dealer hits soft 17) |
| Lucky Ladies | Your first two cards total 20. Pays most for two queens of hearts with a dealer blackjack. | 17.6% to 24.7% |
| Super 4 Progressive | The dealer shows an ace, and the four cards (yours and the dealer’s) make a poker hand. A flat $5 bet with jackpots. | Returns 53% to 65% before the jackpot meters, so 35% to 47% before jackpots |
| Progressives (Blazing 7s, Blackjack Match Progressive and others) | Big jackpots for rare hands, such as three suited 7s. | Depends on the jackpot’s current size; usually high |
The poker side bets, 21+3 and TriLux, are the ones where you win when your cards and the dealer’s make a poker hand. They’re the most popular, and their best paytables are among the cheaper side bets. Still, even their cheapest paytables cost six to eight times what the main game does. Vegas Advantage calls two newer games, Bonus Spin and Lucky Cat, the worst blackjack games in Las Vegas: both make a side bet part of the price of playing.
Blackjack variants
Variants change the main game itself, usually giving you something and taking something back. The basic strategy on this site is for standard blackjack; each variant has its own.
| Game | What’s different | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Standard blackjack | Six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, 3 to 2, double after split. What the trainer deals. | About 0.4% |
| Double Up | If the dealer finishes on 16, bets push (except a player 21). You can “double up” on two cards, even after a split. Pays 3 to 2. | 0.32% (dealer hits soft 17) |
| Spanish 21 | All four 10s are removed from each deck, which hurts you. In return: a player 21 always wins, bonuses for five-card 21s and 6-7-8, late surrender, and surrender after doubling. | 0.40% (stands on soft 17) to 0.76% (hits soft 17, no redoubling) |
| Blackjack Switch | You play two hands and may swap their second cards. Blackjack pays only even money, and a dealer 22 pushes. | 0.58% (dealer hits soft 17) |
| Free Bet | Free doubles on hard 9, 10 and 11 and free splits on most pairs: the house puts up the extra bet. A dealer 22 pushes, which takes it back. | 1.04% (six decks, dealer hits soft 17) |
| 6-to-5 blackjack | Standard rules, but a blackjack pays 6 to 5. Often dealt as single-deck, which sounds better than it is. | About 1.4% more than the same game paying 3 to 2 |
Double Up beats a typical shoe game, and Spanish 21 with good rules about matches one, if you learn their strategies. Free Bet feels generous and costs more than double a standard game.
Before you play one
- Read the paytable. The name tells you nothing about the price. 21+3 alone has at least ten paytables, which cost from 3.2% to 13.4% with six decks.
- Size it as fun money. If you enjoy the poker bets, play the smallest amount the table allows, and count it as the cost of entertainment, not part of your strategy.
- Don’t chase a progressive unless the jackpot is unusually large. The fixed part of the bet returns as little as half your money.
- Never take insurance by basic strategy. Counters are the exception: at a high enough count, enough 10s are left that it pays. See Card counting.
- New variant, new strategy. Playing a variant with standard basic strategy usually costs more than the house edge listed here.
Think you could turn them down at the table? The trainer’s count drills include a side bets quiz: what each bet costs, which costs more, and what that adds up to in an hour.
Quick answers
Are blackjack side bets worth it?
Not by the math. Most cost 3% to 10% of every bet, against about 0.4% for the main game played by the book, and no play you make changes their odds.
What is the house edge on 21+3?
It depends on the paytable: from 3.2% to 13.4% with six decks, according to the Wizard of Odds. Read the paytable printed on the felt.
What is the house edge on Perfect Pairs?
2.2% to 8.1%, depending on the paytable.
Is Free Bet blackjack better than regular blackjack?
No. It feels generous, but at about 1.04% (six decks, dealer hits soft 17) it costs more than double a standard game.