Blackjack side bets you should know about

Blackjack is one of the oldest and most well-known casino card games around. As the gambling industry has gotten competitive over time, various side bets are created with their own different functions, RTP and payouts.

Side bets are additional betting options apart from your actual wager. Depending on the rules of the game you’re playing, you can place them anytime or on specific betting windows throughout the round for your or the dealer’s hand.

This addition to betting makes casino games more thrilling and rewarding to play since your chances of getting a payout increase. That’s why it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the different blackjack side bets you can try!

So if you’re ready to try your luck with some side bet action, Bitcasino has listed down the major blackjack side bets to know about below!

Insurance

The insurance bet is one of the most commonly known side bets in blackjack. It’s when a player wagers on the dealer’s card in hopes of getting a blackjack.

This side bet is offered before the dealer checks the hole card. Players can place an insurance bet of up to half of their initial wager. Once the dealer gets a blackjack, the insurance bets are paid out.

Insurance side bet has a payout of 2:1 so if you wager €10, you’ll get €20 for the side bet alone. For its house edge, it can vary depending on the number of decks used. For example, a one-deck game has a house edge of 5.8 per cent while an 8-deck game has 7.5 per cent.

21+3

The 21+3 side bet is when a player wagers on their first two cards and the dealer’s face-up card. With the three cards, they can either come up with a flush, three-of-a-kind, straight, straight flush or a suited trip. Since there are five ways to win with this side bet, payouts and RTPs vary. So to know more about the five ways to win with this side bet, here’s a list:

Flush – This is when the three cards are of the same suit. With this hand, a player can get a 5:1 payout.
Straight – This is when all cards are in consecutive rank but not of the same suit. It has a payout of 10:1.
Three-of-a-kind – This is when three cards are of the same rank and has a payout of 30:1.
Straight flush – This is when the three cards that are in a consecutive sequence also match up in suits. This pays out 40:1.
Suited trips – It has the highest payout among the hands with a whopping 100:1.

Perfect pairs

The perfect pair is also among the popularly used blackjack side bets because of its simplicity. This is when a player wagers on their first two cards in hopes of getting a pair. This side bet pays out depending on the pair made by your first two cards. Here’s a list to better understand its payouts:

Mixed pairs – For mixed pairs, you get a payout of 5:1.
Coloured pairs – This pair gets a payout of 10:1.
Perfect pair – For a perfect pair, you get a payout of a whopping 30:1.

It has a house edge that ranges from 2 per cent to 11 per cent but its odds and RTP is pretty doable with 1.69 per cent and 89 per cent respectively still making it a reliable choice among beginners and veterans.

Royal match

As its name suggests, the royal match side bet is placed when a player bets on their first two cards to be of the same suit or a suited king and queen pair. Both have different house edge payouts depending on the number of decks used. For a multi-deck, it is 5.64 per cent and for a single deck, it is 0.03 per cent.

Its payout also depends on the number of decks used in the game. Check below to see how much each royal match side bet variation pays for multi and single decks:

Multideck:

Easy match – This is any two cards with the same suit and has a payout of 2.5:1.
Royal match – This is when your first two cards are a suited king and a queen. This has a payout of an impressing 25:1
Bonus pair – You can also get a bonus that pays out 5:1 if you happen to get a suited blackjack.

Single Deck:

Easy match – Has a payout of 3:1
Royal match – Has a payout of 10:1

Over/under 13

This blackjack side bet involves a player wagering on their first two cards to either be under or over 13. But remember that if your cards total to exactly 13, you lose the bet. The over/under 13 has one of the lowest house edges among the others with an exciting 6.5 per cent for ‘over 13’ bets. But of the ‘under 13’, on the other hand, you’re met with a striking 10 per cent.

Winning the side bet gets you a payout of 1:1 and a good thing to keep in mind is that for this side bet, aces are valued at one. This side bet is usually offered in six and eight-deck games. It also compliments tons of blackjack strategies, especially the counting card system.

Put theory to practice at Bitcasino

Now that you know the different kinds of side bets you can make in blackjack, you can have more chances of winning the next time you play! Figure out which one is your favourite when you choose among the loads of stellar blackjack games Bitcasino has to offer. Whether you prefer RNG table games or their live dealer version, you can try them all here!