Game developers are constantly looking for new ways to attract and maintain the attention of gamblers. This ceaseless strive toward originality has led to the reinvention of many classic casino-banked games, including the ever-popular 21. Ante Up 21 is easily one of the most original variants of the classic game launched in recent years.
Patented by LA-based manufacturer FYI Gaming, the game was originally invented by Michael Forster, who also happens to be president of this gaming company. Ante Up 21 Poker Bonus Edition received the seal of approval of the Nevada Gaming Commission back in 2008. The game is available for play at some gaming venues in the Silver State, including the Fremont Hotel and Casino in Sin City.
Ante Up 21 combines elements from conventional blackjack and poker. It offers multiple betting options and extra payouts, allowing for a highly stimulating, dynamic, and challenging gaming experience. If interested in giving this exciting blackjack variant a go, continue reading for an in-depth explanation of Ante Up 21’s rules and its house edge.
Breakdown of the Rules in Ante Up Blackjack
Players new to this variation should not feel intimidated since it follows a relatively simple set of rules. When you approach the table, you will notice there are three betting boxes in front of each seat. One box is for the standard blackjack hand while the other one is for the poker ante bet.
The third box is where the players post the chips for the optional Poker Bonus side bets. The ante bet is equal to the table minimum or higher but cannot exceed the blackjack bet. Once all players seated at the table post their bets, each of them receives two cards face-down while the dealer gets one upcard and one hole card. The round begins with the poker aspect of Ante Up 21. Each participant checks their hole cards and evaluates the strength of their poker hand in relation to the dealer’s face-up card.
The players make an extra side wager equal to their ante bets if they determine they have a strong enough poker hand. If not, they can pass without posting the extra bet but at the expense of losing their antes. The blackjack part of the round starts once everyone has passed or posted the additional poker bet.
Blackjack Rule Set
Poker Rule Set
Blackjack Rule Set
The blackjack aspect of Ante Up 21 plays according to the conventional rules of blackjack, although these might vary from one casino to the next. After everyone has decided how to play their poker hand, the dealer peeks under their hole card to check for a blackjack.
The standard US rules are used with six full decks in play. The dealer is required to draw to soft totals of 17 and peeks for naturals when their upcard is a 10 or an Ace. This peek takes place before players act on their hands. Insurance is offered but only for blackjack hands. Surrendering a hand is not an option in any scenario. Doubling down is allowed on any two-card total and so is doubling after a split.
Players can split pairs but only a single time. Natural hands, i.e. those consisting of an Ace next to a ten-value card (King, Queen, Jack or 10), return the standard payout of 3 to 2, meaning that each blackjack you get will pay one and a half times your initial blackjack bet. You get $15 on top of your $10 bet for a total of $25, for example. When both the dealer and the player have blackjacks, they push, i.e. the player neither loses nor wins the hand.
Your cards remain on the felt if you bust but only if you have a live poker hand in play. Only the chips for your losing blackjack hand are removed from the table in this case. When all participants go over 21 and bust but one or more players have live poker hands, the dealer flips over their hole card to complete their blackjack hand.
Poker Rule Set
After the dealer finishes playing their blackjack hand, they compare it, along with their best two-card poker hand, to the hands of the players. For the poker part of the round, the dealer qualifies with a hand of Queen High or better.
Players earn even-money payouts from their ante bets and push with their poker bet provided that the dealer fails to qualify. If the dealer has obtained a natural, the player pushes with their additional poker bet and wins, loses, or pushes on the ante bet.
Of course, there is no poker round if no one at the table has posted a poker bet. One interesting thing is that flushes and straights do not count as qualifying hands in this meld of poker and blackjack.
Since only the first two cards players receive face-down count toward the poker hand, the players qualify with pairs and high cards only. Extra cards drawn from splits or double downs do not count toward the player’s poker hand.
During the showdown, the dealer compares their hand with the starting poker hand of each player. The dealer then chooses the two cards that give them the highest-ranking poker hand even if their blackjack hand has originally busted.
Provided that the player wins, they collect an even-money payout both from their ante bet and their additional poker bet. However, if the dealer has a stronger poker hand, the player loses both their ante and the poker bet. Poker hands of equal rank push and the player gets their ante and bet back.
The Bonus Side Bet in Ante Up 21
FYI Gaming has decided to add yet another twist to the game. It comes in the form of several optional poker side bets that enable players to earn extra-large payouts. As we said earlier, the chips for these side bets are posted in the designated Poker Bonus betting box on the layout.
FYI Gaming states on its official website that side bets in Ante Up 21 will cost players the nominal amount $1. Only the first two cards players receive count toward the Poker Bonus hand although you can also use the upcard of the dealer to form a set, i.e. three of a kind. Forming a pair with the dealer’s upcard and one of your initial two cards is impossible under the game’s rules.
Also important is to point out that you become eligible for posting the Poker Bonus side bet only on condition you play the poker hand in Ante Up 21. The exact payouts for winning side bets vary from one landbased casino to the next. FYI Gaming shows four different payout structures on its website. Check them out in the table below. These payouts result from winning $1 side bets.
Ante Up 21 Side Bet Payouts
| Winning Hand |
Paytable 1 |
Paytable 2 |
Paytable 3 |
Paytable 4 |
| Offsuit Pairs |
$5 |
$3 |
$3 |
$3 |
| Suited Pairs |
$15 |
$10 |
$5 |
$5 |
| Pairs of Offsuit Aces |
$10 |
$15 |
$10 |
$10 |
| Pairs of Suited Aces |
$30 |
$30 |
$25 |
$25 |
| Offsuit Sets |
$40 |
$50 |
$50 |
$50 |
| Offsuit Sets with Aces |
$100 |
$150 |
$150 |
$200 |
| Suited Sets |
$250 |
$500 |
$500 |
$750 |
| Sets of 3 Suited Aces (Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs) |
$1,000 |
$2,500 |
$5,000 |
$2,500 |
| Sets of 3 Aces of Spades |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
$10,000 |
$5,000 |
Online Blackjack Variations with Poker Elements
As we previously stated, Ante Up 21 blackjack is available in some landbased Nevada casinos only. If you are still interested in playing unique blackjack variations that pose as a meld of 21 and poker, you can do so online from the comfort of your surroundings. Below, we cover four interesting online blackjack variations where elements of poker are incorporated.
21+3 Blackjack by Felt Gaming
Perfect Pairs/21+3 Blackjack by Realistic Games
Caribbean Blackjack by Felt Gaming
Evolution Gaming Live Blackjack with 21+3 Side Bets
21+3 Blackjack by Felt Gaming
Software supplier Felt Gaming is highly recognized for delivering fresh and unique variations of traditional casino table games, blackjack included. This is precisely what Felt did with the release of 21+3 Blackjack, a graphically sophisticated game that merges two of the world’s most popular casino staples into one. You can play it on both desktop and mobile devices, with the option to bet on up to three spots per round.
The game is dealt from a virtual shoe containing six decks of cards, with a dealer that stands on soft totals of 17. Doubling is allowed only on two-card totals of 9 through 11. You can double after splitting pairs and split only once to form two hands. Surrendering a hand is not possible. Blackjacks offer the standard payout of 3 to 2. The main game has a house edge of 0.37%.
And now for the poker aspect of the game. In 21+3 Blackjack, players have the chance to earn additional payout by posting a variety of poker-related optional side bets. These wagers yield a significantly higher house edge of 7.14%. You earn the following payouts if your first two cards and the dealer’s upcard form one of the qualifying poker hands:
- Suited trips pay 100 to 1
- Straight flushes pay 40:1
- Any other three of a kind pays 25 to 1
- Straights pay 10 to 1
- Flushes pay 5 to 1
Perfect Pairs/21+3 Blackjack by Realistic Games
Software developer Realistic Games delivers an enhanced blackjack experience to all fans of 21 with its online variation of Perfect Pairs/21+3 Blackjack. The game supports two sets of side bets, Perfect Pairs and the 21+3 wagers we talked about previously. The desktop version allows you to play up to five betting spots per round as opposed to three spots in the mobile variant.
Perfect Pairs/21+3 blackjack uses six full card decks, which are reshuffled before each round. The payouts for the Perfect Pairs and 21+3 side bets are configurable so they might vary from one online casino to the next. As for the house edge, it ranges from 5.79% to 0.41%, depending on whether you play the side bets or not.
Caribbean Blackjack by Felt Gaming
Felt Gaming delivers yet another refreshing variation of 21 in the form of Caribbean Blackjack. The name pretty much tells you what you can expect from this fresh variant. Yes, you guessed correctly, the game is indeed a cross between conventional blackjack and Caribbean Stud poker, and it comes with a nice progressive jackpot.
The interesting thing here is that you have to play two blackjack hands instead of one each round. If the first cards in each of those two hands and the dealer’s upcard form a qualifying five-card Caribbean Stud hand, the player earns a portion of the progressive jackpot.
The entire pot is awarded for royal flushes. Remember you must play both blackjack hands to qualify for the progressive pot or an extra payout. The payouts for the Five Card Bonus side bets are listed below:
- 250 to 1 for royal flushes
- 150 to 1 for straight flushes
- 25 to 1 for four of a kind
- 50 to 1 for a full house
- 7 to 1 for flushes
- 4 to 1 for straights
- 3 to 1 for trips
- 2 to 1 for two pairs
- Even money for pairs of 10s through aces
- Pairs of deuces through 9s push
Evolution Gaming Live Blackjack with 21+3 Side Bets
Tired of playing blackjack against the RNG software? If so, you should head over to an Evolution Gaming-powered casino where you can join the skilled dealers in a game of live blackjack with the 21+3 set of side bets.
In exchange for a nominal side bet, you get the chance to pocket additional payouts if your first two cards form mixed (eg. [As][Ah] pays 6 to 1), colored (eg. [As][Ac] pays 12 to 1) or suited (perfect) pairs (eg. [As][As] pays 25 to 1). If not, you immediately lose your side bet and proceed to play your blackjack hand as you normally would.
The table layout has an individual betting box for the 21+3 set of side wagers. Similarly to the Felt Gaming variation, these side bets win when your first two cards and the upcard of the dealer form one of the qualifying three-card poker hands. The payouts again vary based on the probability of getting the respective hand and its strength as follows:
- Suited trips (eg. [As][As][As]) offer the highest payout of 100 to 1
- A straight flush (eg. [As][Ks][Qs]) pays 40 to 1
- Three of a kind (eg. [As][Ah][Ac]) pays 30 to 1
- A straight (eg. [As][Kc]Qd]) pays 10 to 1
- A flush (eg. [As][9s][5s] pays 5 to 1
All of these are conspicuously posted on the table layout, along with the corresponding minimum and maximum bet limits. The Evolution Gaming software is compatible with desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones, giving you round-the-clock access to the live-dealer action.
