Photo: Sarah Chai

What is hot 3 side bet?

The Hot 3 side bet pays out if the combined total of your first 2 cards and the dealer's up card is 19, 20 or 21. So for example if you are dealt Jack-2 and the dealer has a 7, your total is 19 and you would win. The RTP for this bet, which you'll find in many Live Blackjack tables by Evolution Gaming, is 96.21%. Hand.

playojo.com - Blackjack side bets explained by OJO | PlayOJO Blog

Do you double soft 19?

MULTI-CARD SOFT 19 You hit and draw an Ace giving you a soft 19. The playing rules in most land-based and online casinos prohibit you from doubling...

Last updated Jul 31, 2020

What is a 2 3 4 5 6 in poker?

The cards are ranked thus, from low to high: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. An ace is the highest card, but it can also...

Last updated Jul 6, 2019

Make Your Bookie Cry And Pull The Hair By Generating $23,187

Promotion

Blackjack side bets offer extra action on the side while you play, with the chance to win up to 100 times your stake. But what Blackjack side bets are available these days, how do they work and are they worth it? Those are the $64 million questions I’m about to answer!

Blackjack side bets explained

Side bets in Blackjack are totally separate wagers that have nothing to do with the outcome of your hand. They are essentially mini games that happen to use certain cards from your hand or the dealer’s hand. They don’t affect the result of your hand, and they have no bearing on the perfect Blackjack strategy. If you’re looking for blackjack tables with side bets, you can usually find them displayed on the table near the betting zone where you place your chips. In online Blackjack, you can read the rules for each side bet, and find out the house edge or RTP too, in the help files. If you’re playing in a land-based casino, you’ll have to ask the dealer for help. You must play a regular hand of Blackjack in order to be able to make side bets too. You make your side bet at the same time, and get paid independently. Side bets are interesting because they offer bigger odds than Blackjack itself, give you an extra bit of excitement during your hand, and you can lose your Blackjack hand but still win your side bet. Let’s check out the best Blackjack side bets and figure out which offer the biggest odds and best value.

Popular Blackjack side bets

Most offline and online Blackjack tables will offer at least 2 side bets, but the innovation in online Blackjack has given birth to 4 new side bets, so our comprehensive list of Blackjack side bets is now 6 games long. Let’s start with one of the seminal side bets, 21+3.

21+3

The aim of the 21+3 Blackjack side bet is to make the best 3 card poker hand from your 2 starting cards and the dealer’s up card. If you complete any of these hands, you’re quids in. The RTP for the 21+3 side bet is usually around 96.30%. Here what a typical 21+3 payout table looks like, although the odds can differ from provider to provider. Hand Payout odds Suited Three of a Kind 100 to 1 Straight Flush 35 to 1 Three of a Kind 25 to 1 Straight 8 to 1 Flush 5 to 1

Any Pair

Any Pair is one of the simpler Blackjack side bets, as it focuses on your 2 starting cards and has only 2 possible winning outcomes. If your starting hand is a pair, you win at least 7 times your wager. So what is the pair probability? In an 8 deck game, you’ll make a pair in Blackjack every 1 in 13 hands on average. If you make a suited pair, you’ll get a bigger payout. The Return To Player for the Any Pair side bet is 96.58%.

How many times a week should you play golf to improve?

2 - Times Per Week - A beginner golfer will see a large improvement in their skills practicing/playing 2 times per week. For a beginner, we LOVE to...

Last updated Aug 4, 2021

Why is C++ harder than Python?

Is C++ Harder Than Python? Yes, C++ is harder to learn and work with than Python . The biggest difference is that C++ has a more complex syntax to...

Last updated Jun 1, 2019

Promotion

Hand Payout odds Suited Pair 20 to 1 Any Pair 7 to 1

Bust It

Bust It is a new and interesting take on Blackjack side bets that only relates to the dealer’s hand. It was created by Evolution Gaming, is available in games like Power Blackjack and Infinite Blackjack and offers the best Blackjack side bets odds of 250 to 1. In Bust It, you are betting not just on whether they bust, but how many cards they deal themselves before they bust! A dealer can’t bust with 2 cards, so if the dealer does bust, you are guaranteed to win at least double your bet. The longer it takes the dealer to bust, the more you win. Some trivia for you: The dealer will bust about 1 in 3.5 hands (28% of the time). The RTP for Bust It is 94.71%, the lowest among UK Blackjack side bets, so be aware that if you like this type of bet, it comes at a slightly higher price. Outcome Payout odds Bust in 8 cards or more 250 to 1 Bust in 7 cards 100 to 1 Bust in 6 cards 25 to 1 Bust in 5 cards 8 to 1 Bust in 4 cards 2 to 1 Bust in 3 cards 1 to 1

Hot 3

The Hot 3 side bet pays out if the combined total of your first 2 cards and the dealer’s up card is 19, 20 or 21. So for example if you are dealt Jack-2 and the dealer has a 7, your total is 19 and you would win. The RTP for this bet, which you’ll find in many Live Blackjack tables by Evolution Gaming, is 96.21%. Hand Payout odds 7-7-7 100 to 1 Total 21 Suited 20 to 1 Total 21 Unsuited 4 to 1 Total 20 2 to 1 Total 19 1 to 1

Insurance

Insurance might appear to be a standard option at every Blackjack table, but it’s a side bet nevertheless. Unlike all of the other side bets on this page, Insurance is only available once your hand has started. If the dealer’s up card is an Ace, they will ask if you want to take Insurance. It’s also different to the rest as it costs specifically half of your original bet. We’ve already explained and analysed this bet in our Insurance guide, so for now we’ll just say that you get paid 2 to 1 odds if you win (i.e. the dealer makes Blackjack) and the RTP is around 92.60% RTP.

How often do pros hit a hole in one?

The odds of making a hole in one are 12,500 to 1. For professional golfers, the odds of making a hole in one drop to 2,500 to 1.

Last updated Dec 20, 2019

Why is crypto crashing?

While there are plenty of factors affecting crypto's overall volatility, the main source of this sudden crash is the downfall of FTX, one of the...

Last updated Aug 2, 2021

Promotion

If you’ve read our Blackjack guide, you’ll know that always taking Insurance is one of the most common Blackjack mistakes.

Perfect Pairs

This is the most famous and popular Blackjack side bet in the UK. It’s a lot like Any Pair, except that you get paid more if you hit a Perfect Pair, and you can also hit a coloured – red or black – pair. Bear in mind that you’ll hit a perfect pair about 1 in 59 times in an 8 deck game, and the RTP for Perfect Pairs is around 96%, depending on the provider. Hand Example Payout odds Perfect Pair QhQh 25 to 1 Coloured Pair 9c9s 12 to 1 Mixed Pair AcAh 6 to 1

Pros & Cons

Side bets are an interesting option when you play Blackjack, mostly because Blackjack is an extremely low variance game with no opportunity for big payouts. Side bets also create extra action, even after you’ve busted your hand. Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of playing them.

Pros

Exciting

Easy to play

Unrelated to your main Blackjack hand

Bigger odds and wins available

Cons

Higher house edge

Pure luck

Needs good bankroll management

My verdict: Are they worth it?

Blackjack itself has a house edge of less than 1%. You won’t find another casino game with such a low house edge. If you play well, you can make your money last for hours. As you’ve discovered, casinos aren’t as generous when it comes to side bets in Blackjack. But while they generally have lower RTPs, they do offer Blackjack players much higher odds than you find during a regular hand, so they do have that going for them! I won’t put you off them in general, and I’ve been partial to the odd Perfect Pair punt in my time. Just make sure you read the rules – they’re usually pretty short anyway – and you don’t get sucked into always placing side bets, otherwise your Blackjack session could cost you a lot more than you realise. As always, get as well informed as you can, and when you play Blackjack at PlayOJO, be sure to play safe. Good luck!

playojo.com - Blackjack side bets explained by OJO | PlayOJO Blog

How good is a 5 handicap golfer?

A player with a handicap of 5 means that the average of this player's previous rounds was 5 over par (criteria changed from 5 rounds to 3 rounds...

Last updated Jun 28, 2021

Is blackjack more skill or luck?

Purely based on statistics, some casino gamblers get lucky and win money. Blackjack, however, can be beaten based on skill—no luck involved. Jan...

Last updated Oct 22, 2019

Promotion

How do I get my sportsbook from FanDuel out of state?

In fact, in some cases, a VPN might be your only option to access the FanDuel Sportsbook. For instance, if you're not in a state like New Hampshire...

Last updated Jun 5, 2019

Promotion

Why do Mormons not gamble?

In Mormon theology, gambling is not strictly forbidden, like smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol or beverages with caffeine; it is viewed as a...

Last updated Oct 27, 2019