Blackjack beats all other house-banked card games in terms of popularity by a large margin, mainly due to its simple rules, straightforward strategy, and low house edge. In addition to these merits, there is a proliferation of side bets players can make to add more excitement to their blackjack sessions.
Some of these wagers have the potential to return substantial payouts for relatively small stakes which further increases their appeal. However, the extra excitement comes at a cost since side bets have significantly higher house edges than those in the main game.
Casino operators constantly invent new side wagers in an effort to attract more action to their blackjack tables, but most of these additional betting options are of little to no value to players. Our objective in this article is to sift out the blackjack side bets with the highest theoretical return and explain how they work.
We wrote this article on the premise that readers understand the basic objective and
rules of the game. We recommend rookies take a step back and
explore our detailed guide to blackjack before they start experimenting with any side wagers.
Blackjack Side Bets Basics
Side bets are additional betting options available in some blackjack games. They are optional and players can make them in addition to their bets in the main game. Most side wagers generally require a small stake and offer considerably larger returns than the standard blackjack payouts.
They typically involve guessing what combination of cards will be dealt to the player or the dealer, or sometimes both. The chips for side bets are posted in designated betting boxes on the table layout located next to the betting spots reserved for the main wagers. Side bets must be posted at the very beginning of a round before any cards are dealt at the table.
In the majority of cases, players must place a wager in the main blackjack game before they become eligible for making side bets. Separate minimums and maximums apply to side bets. The limits are normally posted on special plaques or printed straight on the table layout.
Side bets are settled immediately after the initial deal before patrons make any playing decisions. Their outcomes are irrelevant to the main game and the round proceeds as usual, with players hitting, standing, splitting, or doubling down on their hands.
You can win the side bet but lose your main wager, and vice versa.
Blackjack Players Love Side Bets, Here Is Why
Side bets are quite inexpensive to make, although the limits generally vary based on the game you play. Side betting in most blackjack variants released by Felt Gaming starts at ¢0,10, while the maximum reaches $250. By means of comparison, All Bets Blackjack by Playtech has a less flexible betting range with a $100 ceiling on side wagers.
Despite their low minimums, side bets can quickly drain your bankroll if you post them consistently. We recommend you experiment with them in moderation because of their lower win rates and higher house edges.
High payouts are the main attraction when it comes to side bets. The most you can win in the main game is a payout of 3 to 2 when you are dealt a blackjack, although few variants pay better at odds of 2 to 1. All other winning hands in the main game return even-money payouts.
By contrast, side bets offer significantly higher rewards, giving you the chance to win as much as 1,000 times your bet in some cases. On the downside, the casino advantage increases significantly with side bets and rarely drops below 4%. Some of these additional betting options carry house edges as high as 11%.
Finally, the vast majority of side bets require little to no involvement on behalf of players. No skill is involved for the most part since winning or losing both come down to sheer chance. All players must do is decide how much money they want to put at stake and then post the corresponding amount in chips on the layout.
Some side bets like Lucky Ladies and Kings Bounty are beatable and can become advantageous but only on condition you implement advantage-play techniques like card counting.
The Most Player-Friendly Side Bets in Blackjack
Blackjack has established itself as a player-favorite because it comes with a very low house edge compared to most other games on the casino floor. Players who have brought their basic strategy to perfection face house edges under 0.50% in blackjack variants with favorable rules.
Even if you play terribly and rely solely on hunches, you are still battling a relatively tolerable house edge that increases to approximately 2% without basic strategy. This is not the case with side bets where you are playing at a huge disadvantage in hopes of pocketing a big payout.
Yet, if you are looking to take your chances of winning a higher payout, we recommend you do it with the side bets that yield the lowest house edges. The list below comprises the blackjack side wagers that put players at the smallest disadvantage. There is a slew of other options but their house edges are so appalling that we recommend against playing them.
Suit ‘Em Up Side Bets
Perfect Pairs Side Bets
Buster Side Bets
Royal Match Side Bets
Lucky Lucky Side Bets
Suit ‘Em Up Side Bets
Blackjack variants that feature this range of extra betting options enable players to win bonus payouts of up to fifty or sixty times their side wagers. As you can probably tell by the name, here the objective of side bettors is to obtain two cards of the same suit after the initial deal.
The exact payouts depend on the cards’ denomination and the probability of obtaining the combination. We are aware of two payout structures, the second of which is more common.
| Two-Card Combination |
Paytable #1 |
Paytable #2 |
| Suited aces |
60 to 1 |
50 to 1 |
| Suited blackjacks |
10 to 1 |
10 to 1 |
| Suited pairs |
5 to 1 |
5 to 1 |
| Suited 11 |
3 to 1 |
3 to 1 |
| Any other suited two-card combination |
2 to 1 |
2 to 1 |
You will find the entire group of Suit ‘Em Up side bets in Felt Gaming’s online blackjack release of the same name. The latter uses six full decks and awards winnings according to the second paytable. With six decks, side bettors are up against a house advantage of 3.41% under the first payout schedule and 4.65% under the second pay structure.
Interesting Fact! The more decks are implemented in a given blackjack variation, the lower the house edge on side bets gets. The opposite is true in the main game where the house edge increases with each extra deck that comes into play. Thus, the house edge of two-deck variants of Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack is more than twice as high at 9.41% (Paytable #1) or 10.16% (Paytable #2).
Perfect Pairs Side Bets
This side wager wins whenever the player’s first two cards comprise a pair and loses with all other card combinations. Players can earn payouts for the following three types of pairs:
The lower the probability of obtaining the respective pair, the more it pays. Payouts for the same pair may vary based on which variation of the game you play. The house edge for this side bet depends on the payouts and the number of decks.
| Type of Pair |
Paytable #1 |
Paytable #2 |
Paytable #3 |
| Mixed Pairs |
6 to 1 |
5 to 1 |
5 to 1 |
| Colored Pairs |
12 to 1 |
10 to 1 |
15 to 1 |
| Perfect Pairs |
25 to 1 |
30 to 1 |
25 to 1 |
| House Advantage |
4.10% |
3.40% |
2.20% |
*The house advantage figures above correspond to blackjack games that use eight decks.
The Royal Match side bet is susceptible to advantage play but you must master card counting to beat it. Further information on this topic is available in specialized literature like James Grosjean’s book Beyond Counting.
Buster Side Bets
This category of side bets gives players one more reason to rejoice whenever the dealer breaks a hand. As the name suggests, these side bets win when the dealer busts by going over the maximum total of 21. The following scenarios are possible when buster bets are in action:
- Side bets lose automatically in the event of a dealer blackjack.
- The player obtains a blackjack and wins the main wager provided the dealer does not have a blackjack as well. The buster bet remains in action until the dealer finishes playing their hand.
- The player busts and loses the main bet. The side wager stays in action if the dealer does not have a blackjack.
The dealer must always complete their hand whenever there are active buster wagers on the layout as otherwise it would be impossible to determine the outcome of the optional bets. The rule applies even if all players seated at the table have busted or obtained blackjacks.
The exact amount players can win depends on the number of cards in the dealer’s busted hand. The more cards in the losing hand, the higher the payout for winning side wagers. This category of side bets comes with relatively tolerable house edges but the percentages vary based on paytable, deck number, and the dealer’s fixed rules for standing.
| Number of Cards in the Dealer’s Busted Hand |
Most Common Paytable |
| 8 or more cards |
250 to 1 |
| 7 cards |
50 to 1 |
| 6 cards |
12 to 1 |
| 5 cards |
4 to 1 |
| 4 cards |
2 to 1 |
| 3 cards |
2 to 1 |
| Overall House Edge for Buster Side Bets |
6.21% |
*The specified house advantage applies to six-deck games where the dealer must hit soft 17. The percentage increases to 8.25% in six-deck variants that require the dealer to stand on soft 17.
Royal Match Side Bets
The Royal Match side wager returns a payout whenever the player receives two cards of the same suit after the initial deal. The following two matches award bonus payouts, although some variations pay additionally for suited blackjacks.
The dealer must always complete their hand whenever there are active buster wagers on the layout as otherwise it would be impossible to determine the outcome of the optional bets. The rule applies even if all players seated at the table have busted or obtained blackjacks.
The exact amount players can win depends on the number of cards in the dealer’s busted hand. The more cards in the losing hand, the higher the payout for winning side wagers. This category of side bets comes with relatively tolerable house edges but the percentages vary based on paytable, deck number, and the dealer’s fixed rules for standing.
| Type of Match |
Paytable #1 |
Paytable #2 |
Paytable #3 |
| Royal Match |
25 to 1 |
3 to 1 |
25 to 1 |
| Easy Match |
5 to 2 |
10 to 1 |
5 to 2 |
| Blackjack with Suited Cards |
N/A |
N/A |
5 to 1 |
| House Advantage |
6.70% |
3.80% |
3.70% |
*The house edge figures in the table are accurate for blackjack variants with six decks.
Lucky Lucky Side Bets
Unlike most bets we have discussed so far, this side wager takes into account both the cards in the player’s starting total and the dealer’s exposed card. It wins whenever these three cards form combinations of suited or offsuit 7/7/7 and 6/7/8 or add up to totals of 21, 20, or 19.
The payouts vary across casinos but the paytable below is generally considered the standard for this category of side wagers. As you can see, the bonus payouts decrease proportionately to the number of possible combinations for each winning outcome.
| Winning Side Bet |
Number of Possible Combinations |
Standard Paytable |
| Suited 7/7/7 |
80 |
200 to 1 |
| Suited 6/7/8 |
864 |
100 to 1 |
| Offsuit 7/7/7 |
1,944 |
50 to 1 |
| Offsuit 6/7/8 |
12,96 |
30 to 1 |
| Suited 21 |
26,568 |
15 to 1 |
| Offsuit 21 |
406,296 |
3 to 1 |
| Any 20 |
377,568 |
2 to 1 |
| Any 19 |
634,32 |
2 to 1 |
*The percentages are valid for Lucky Ladies variations that use six decks.
Software supplier Felt Gaming offers a six-deck Lucky Lucky variant with a nearly identical pay structure – the only difference is the payout reduction for offsuit 6/7/8 combinations that pay 25 to 1 instead of 30 to 1. The reduced odds increase the house edge to 3.95%.
The variation commonly plays with multiple decks, most typically six or eight. A six-deck Lucky Lucky game that uses the payout structure listed in the table above gives the house a 2.66% advantage, which is quite tolerable for a side wager. The house edge drops slightly to 2.62% when eight decks are in play.
| Number of DecksHouse Advantage |
| Two Decks* |
2.82% |
| Three Decks |
2.77% |
| Four Decks |
2.72% |
| Five Decks |
2.68% |
| Six Decks |
2.66% |
| Seven Decks |
2.63% |
| Eight Decks |
2.62% |
*Here we should note that single and double-deck versions of Lucky Lucky, if available at all, will have a slightly different pay structure due to the omission of the payout for suited 7/7/7. The combination is impossible in such variations due to the small number of decks.
