Betting in Blackjack: Placing Side Bets
Just like Poker has derived into many variations (Stud, Draw, Texas Hold Em’, and seemingly a million others), so has Blackjack. And while there are plenty of official variants of Blackjack being played, in many cases, the variation is nothing more than plain old Blackjack, with a few optional side bets thrown in.
“Side bets” are bets placed in addition to your regular bet in hopes of additional payouts. Think of it as an extra bet on something happening (besides beating the dealer) for that hand. Side bets are bets on drawing card combinations, getting the same suit, winning streaks, matching the dealer, having the same card color or any other unlikely outcome. Common side bets are “21 Madness”, “21 plus 3”, “Over/Under 13”, “Progressive”, and “Royal Match”.
So why side bets? Due to the tiny house edge in blackjack, card counters, and gamblers using basic strategy, casinos need to increase their profits. Casinos can’t remove the game itself, because blackjack is too popular for casinos to drop like a bad piece of fish at the 99 cent buffet. So side bets allow casinos to keep a popular game while allowing them to make a reasonable profit. Side bets increase the house edge significantly, yet they are fun, so people play them. The house edge depends on the side bet offered but it can range from 3 percent to 53 percent. That helps to create a better moneymaker for the casinos.
Let’s look at a few:
21 Madness is the king of blackjack side bets. Payout depends on you getting blackjack (an ace and a 10-value card), and the dealer getting anything but blackjack. It’s also “fun”, because to see your winnings, you press a lighted display with a random number generator. The amount ranges from $5.00 to $1000.00 and it’s all up to Lady Luck to decide how much she’s going to give you.
21 plus 3 is a newcomer side bet that combines blackjack and three-card poker. Take your two cards and the dealer’s face-up card and make a hand out of it. If you make a flush, straight, or three of a kind then you win!
Over/Under 13 is betting whether your two cards will be over or under 13. Aces count as one for this side bet. A Royal Match side bet pays if you can get a King and a Queen from the same suit (like the King and Queen of Diamonds.) Progressive pays you progressively increasing jackpots on the amount of aces drawn. Payouts can be affected by having aces in the same suit, unsuited, or of a different color.
People tend to like side bets because they give blackjack another level of variety. They also ensure that everyone’s favorite game stays because it’s now more profitable for the casino. Remember, you don’t have to make side bets, but once in a while it’s a thrill to go for the long shot because you never know…. Good luck!
