It’s no secret that Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. It has a low house edge, it’s easy to learn and requires a really basic playing strategy. But to encourage more players to the tables, or the web if you’re playing at Betfair online casino, variations of the classic game and additional side bets have been introduced to make Blackjack more exciting.
First of all, you may be asking: what are Blackjack side bets? Well they are an additional wager you place before the hand is dealt. You’ll place this bet at the same time as your main one – at the beginning of the round. There are different kinds of side bet, some may involve the cards in your hand, while the others may be the dealer’s – or maybe even a combination of the two. The money you wager and the amount the casino will pay out may vary from establishment to establishment, but the rules for each side bet are the same. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.
Insurance
Insurance is the most common side bet which is employed to protect players against the dealer having a natural Blackjack (that is 21 points from their two dealt cards). It can only be offered if the dealer’s up-card is an ace, as most players believe in this instance the dealer’s hole card will be a 10. Placing an insurance bet is beneficial to the player as it reduces the house edge and gives the player a better chance of receiving a pay-out, despite not having a winning hand. Most insurance bets pay-out at 2:1.
Perfect Pairs
As the name suggests, this side bet is all about wagering on the two cards you are dealt being pairs. There are three different options available. A mixed pair is a pair of two different colour cards of the same value: one red and one black. This has the lowest pay-out of 5:1. A coloured pair is two cards of the same colour but different suits, for example the 5 of clubs and 5 of spades. This gives a pay-out of 10:1. As you’d expect, a perfect pair offers the best pay-out at 30:1 and is the most valuable pair. A perfect pair is two matching cards in suit and value, for example two Kings of Hearts.
21+3
This side bet involves the player’s two cards as well as the dealer’s up-card. The wager is based on the outcome of the three cards making one of the following combinations: a flush, straight, three-of-a-kind or straight flush.
In case you aren’t familiar with the Poker-style rankings, a flush is a sequence of cards of the same suit and it offers the lowest pay-out at 5:1. A straight is a consecutive run of cards (e.g. 2, 3, 4), with odds of 10:1. Three-of-a-kind, as you’d expect, is three cards of the same rank (e.g. three Jacks), while a suited three-of-a-kind is harder to find but is three cards of the same rank and suit (e.g. three Jacks of spades). Both bets offer pay-outs of 30:1 and 100:1 respectively. The second-highest side bet is a straight flush, which is three cards in numerical order and of identical suits (e.g. 9 of diamonds, 10 of diamonds, Jack of diamonds). The pay-out for a straight flush is 40:1.
Royal Match
The Royal Match side bet is offered both online and offline at both single and multi-deck tables and it’s based on the cards you are dealt. If your pair of cards are suited, it’s known as an Easy Match and pays out at 5:2 (3:1 for a single deck). But if you have a suited King and Queen, it’s a Royal Match and pays out at a tastier 25:1 (10:1 for a single deck).
