How do Blackjack Side Bets Work?

Blackjack is one of the most enduring table games in the casino industry. For decades, players all over the world have flocked to the game thanks to its low house edge, straightforward rules and abundant side bets. The latter, in particular, have become player favourites.

Blackjack side bets are additional bets that players can place during a round. That might sound underwhelming, but this kind of bet can add a whole new layer of complexity to the game. More specifically, blackjack side bets sometimes increase the amount of money you win. Keep in mind, however, that some side bets greatly increase your house edge.

Are you interested in starting your side bet journey? If so, check out our blackjack side bets list of top bets to consider.

Blackjack side bets list

• 21+3
• Perfect pairs
• Dealer Goes Bust
• Insurance bets
• Royal match
• Top 3
• Lucky lucky
• Over/under 13
• Pair square
• Super sevens
• Lucky ladies
• Mixed pairs
• Coloured pairs
• Easy match

Blackjack Side Bets Explained

What are side bets in blackjack? Side bets are a simple concept. They are bets that players make in addition to their main wager. This means that after you make your main bet, but before the cards are dealt, you can place one or more side bets. While this is fairly straightforward, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start wagering.

First, remember that side bets are not a guaranteed win! On the contrary, they can be tricky to play successfully. Also, the house edge in side bets is often higher than the house edge in the base game – sometimes significantly so. Players must balance this increased house edge with the total amount they want to bet per hand in order to walk away with any kind of profit – otherwise, you might win your side bet and either lose money or simply break even.

If you decide to play with side bets, remember that your hand will face higher stakes than it otherwise might. Higher risk for higher reward you could say. A loss that might otherwise be negligible can quickly grow in size with every side bet you place. This is especially true if you decide to play with more than one side bet, which is often allowed by casinos. If you win, however, you might increase your payout by quite a bit. It is also possible to lose your main bet and still win a side bet, which is appealing to some players.

Blackjack side bet: 21+3

If you’re familiar with traditional poker, blackjack’s ‘21+3’ side bet will likely come naturally. Like the ‘lucky lucky’ side bet that we’ll discuss a bit later, the 21+3 bonus wager combines the player’s cards with the dealer’s up card to create a three-card hand. Certain combinations of cards net different blackjack side bets payouts. Here are the main hands to look for, in order of least to most likely:

• Straight flush
• Three of a kind
• Straight
• Flush

Of these, the straight flush is the most lucrative, offering players a 30:1 payout. Three of a kind is next (20:1), followed by a straight (10:1) and, finally, a flush (5:1).

Note that the 21+3 side bet can be played with one to eight decks. The house edge changes with the number of decks in play, with the fewest decks yielding the highest percentage:

• Four decks (8.78%)
• Five decks (7.81%)
• Six decks (7.14%)
• Seven decks (6.29%)

Playing with more decks is more beneficial for players making 21+3 side bets due to the quickly diminishing house edge as the number of them increases.

When looking for information about the 21+3 side bet whilst playing Blackjack online at LeoVegas, you may see something like this:

*Example taken from the All Bets Blackjack game and may vary depending on chosen game.

Blackjack side bet: perfect pairs

The ‘perfect pairs’ side bet in blackjack pertains to the first two cards in your hand. More specifically, you wager on what kind of pair those two cards will be. There are three possible combinations in the perfect pairs side bet:

• Mixed
• Coloured
• Perfect

A ‘mixed pair’ refers to cards that are the same rank but have different colours. One example of a mixed pair in this side bet is a pair of fives, with one card being the five of hearts and the other being the five of spades. The typical payout on mixed pair combinations is 5:1, though certain operators might have different rules.

A ‘coloured pair’ refers to cards that are the same rank and colour. This doesn’t mean that they need to be the same suite. A king of spades and a king of clubs, for example, are different suites but the same colour. Two red cards are also possible with the coloured pair side bet. The typical payout for coloured pair combinations is 10:1, but it can vary.

Finally, we arrive at the titular ‘perfect pair’ bet. Perfect pair combinations refer to two of the exact same card. If you are dealt two jacks of hearts, for example, you have a perfect pair in your hand. The typical payout for this side bet is 30:1.

When looking for information about the Perfect Pairs side bet whilst playing Blackjack online at LeoVegas, you may see something like this:

*Example taken from the All Bets Blackjack game and may vary depending on chosen game.

Blackjack Side Bet: Dealer Goes Bust

One of the most popular Blackjack side bets is the Dealer Goes Bust side bet. If you're increasing confident on your chances of success in Online Blackjack, you can activate the 'Buster Blackjack' side bet which all depends on the dealer going bust.

Best utilised when the dealer has low numbers tallying the likes of 4-5 where multiple cards are required to reach the minimum of 16. Players can win up to 2,000x their stake if the dealer ends up with 8+ cards and the player ends up with a Blackjack, albeit significantly unlikely, there are more realistic payouts for the more likely card totals. If the dealer busts with 3 or 4 cards, the payout is typically 2:1.

If you're a player that prefers the game of Blackjack but is looking for Roulette level payouts, this particular Side Bet ups the ante and can do exactly that.

When looking for information about the Buster Blackjack side bet whilst playing Blackjack online at LeoVegas, you may see something like this:

*Example taken from the All Bets Blackjack game and may vary depending on chosen game.

Blackjack side bet: insurance bets

The next side bet in our ‘blackjack side bets explained’ section is the insurance bet. Insurance bets are only available when the dealer’s face-up card is an ace. The goal is to predict if the dealer has a natural 21. If so, players typically receive a 2:1 payout. If the hand is not a natural 21, however, players win nothing and lose their insurance bet. They don’t forfeit the entire hand though – only the side bet.

Insurance bets are relatively common, but they aren’t necessarily the most popular side bet in the game. This is because the odds of the dealer having a natural 21 aren’t great. Think about how long it takes you to land a natural hand. Have you ever been lucky enough to experience that while playing competitively? For many players, the answer is a resounding ‘no’. Dealers have roughly the same odds that you do of landing a natural 21, so the bet is not likely to win. Also, even if you do win, the relatively low payout means that you won’t be cashing out stacks of cash.

With that said, insurance bets are often fairly low stakes and won’t break the bank if lost. This makes them a relatively common side bet.

Blackjack side bet: Top 3

Blackjack meets Three Card Poker in this Blackjack side bet. The concept of the top 3 is based on the players' two cards and the dealer's upcard, these three cards form a hand and if they hit either Three of a Kind, Straight Flush or Suited Three of a Kind, you'll receive an astronomical payout! Suited Three of a Kind is the most difficult to land and this typically pays out at 270:1.

Top 3 can be one of the most lucrative side bets in the world of online casino but it is also one of the most difficult to land. If you're activating side bets such as Top 3, we recommend adding a smaller side bet that has a more likely chance of paying out, so you have the consistency of one side bet but the heightened potential of this particular bet.

When looking for information about the Top 3 side bet whilst playing Blackjack online at LeoVegas, you may see something like this:

*Example taken from the All Bets Blackjack game and may vary depending on chosen game.

Blackjack side bet: lucky lucky

‘Lucky lucky’ is a blackjack side bet that is entirely based on luck. Most of them are, of course, but that is particularly true for this one. The bonus wager combines the dealer’s up card and the player’s first two cards into a three-card hand. Three total paying combinations are available in the lucky lucky side bet:

• 7-7-7
• 6-7-8
• 19, 20, 21

Of these, the most lucrative combinations are the suited 7-7-7 with a payout of 200:1 and a probability of 0.000016%. The suited 6-7-8 combination is next, paying 100:1 and having a 0.000172% likelihood of occurring. The unsuited 7-7-7 takes the third place, offering a payout of 50:1 and having a probability of 0.000388.

This bonus wager can be used with any number of decks at casinos where side bets are accepted. It can also be used in games with continuous shufflers. The lucky lucky side bet might not be available in games where specialty decks are used. Ask your dealer for more information if you’re not sure whether you can place this particular side bet.

When looking for information about the Lucky Lucky side bet whilst playing Blackjack online at LeoVegas, you may see something like this:

*Example taken from the All Bets Blackjack game and may vary depending on chosen game.

Blackjack side bet: royal match

‘Royal match’ is a side bet that revolves around the suites of your first two cards. If the first two cards are a suited king and queen match, you win your royal match side bet. Note that this is different from an ‘easy match’, a similar but distinct side bet. Easy matches also focus on the first two cards you are dealt but only require them to be suited rather than a king and queen.

The probability of a royal match is roughly 0.002968 and a win typically pays out 25:1. An easy match, on the other hand, pays out roughly 2.5:1. The difference is due to the difference in probability between the two. An easy match has a 0.244620 likelihood of occurring. As you can see, players are a lot more likely to land an easy match than a royal match, hence the difference in payouts.

Less popular blackjack side bets

Are blackjack side bets worth it? It all depends on the one you use! We discussed some of the most popular side bets above, but there are more options. They aren’t quite as common, but they might still be a good fit for your strategy. In this section, we’ll look at:

• Over/under 13
• Pair square
• Super sevens
• Lucky ladies

At first glance, it might seem like the ‘over/under 13’ side bet is a great option. It allows players to bet on whether their first two cards will total over or under 13. If you think that your cards will total over 13, you make an ‘over 13’ wager, with the reverse being true for under 13. The probability of the over/under 13 side bet is roughly 45%, but the house edge is much higher than other bets. This is particularly true for over 13 bets, which have a house edge of roughly 10%.

Also known as the ‘any pair’ and ‘bet the set’, the ‘pair square’ side bet is one of the easiest to win. Players wager if their cards will be a pair, with different ranks returning different amounts to players. Typically, the higher the value of the pair, the higher the payout. This is a less-than-popular side bet because of the relatively low payout for pairs as well as the high house edge, which can be around 35% for some pay tables!

Unlike some of the other side bets we’ve discussed, the ‘super sevens’ wager focuses on the player’s initial three cards. If the first card in their hand is a seven, players win. Payouts increase for additional sevens, especially when they are suited. Once again, the high house edge is the downfall for this side bet, with values ranging from around 49% to 51%, depending on the number of decks used.

The ‘lucky ladies’ side bet originated in the state of Washington and has migrated to casinos all around the world. The wager allows players with a 20-point hand to win. Two suited queens is the best hand here, paying out anywhere from 125 to 25, depending on the casino and the number of decks used. The house edge for this kind of side bet ranges from 11% to 30%.

Why do casinos use blackjack side bets?

Should you play with side bets in blackjack? There are a number of reasons why bonus wagers are popular with players and casinos alike. Operators like side bets because they increase the house edge on one of the games with the lowest inherent house edge in the casino. Players enjoy bonus wagers because they provide additional win opportunities.

How should I strategize blackjack side bets?

The best way to strategically use side bets is to pick the bet that works with your existing knowledge and play style. If you are familiar with three-card poker, for example, the 21+3 bet is an excellent choice. If you prefer a simpler bonus bet, lucky ladies and super sevens might be the right fit. Regardless of which side bet you use, each of them has the potential to provide significant value in your game. Beyond that, blackjack side bets strategy is mostly down to luck.

Should I play blackjack side bets?

Pros:

• Higher payouts
• Improved chances of winning
• Enhanced gameplay

Cons:

• Higher house edge
• Low probability for more lucrative wagers

Are you interested in playing with side bets? The best way to begin is to choose a wager that works for your play style. Whether you want to keep things simple or you don’t mind looking for rarer combinations, there is a bonus wager to suit your needs.