What Do Blackjack Side Bets Payout?

Side bets are interesting parts of blackjack and they often promise the player with improved odds of winning and the scope to earn an extra amount. Here are some of the popular and commonly played side bets and their respective payouts for the players to know and play strategically.

Insurance Payout

The Insurance side bet in blackjack is much debated. It is a wager that is placed on the assumption that the dealer has a ten-value card, apart from an ace that gives him a blackjack. The Insurance bet is asked for from the players by the dealer once the cards are dealt and right before the first one plays. A player who decides to place this bet will then place chips equal to the maximum of half of his current bet on the 'insurance bar' on the blackjack table.

The exact odds of winning an insurance bet for the player vary and depend on the number of decks used in the game along with the number of ten-value cards already dealt in the game. The probability of the dealer making blackjack in a standard game is 9:4. The payout of a blackjack insurance side bet, when the dealer's face-down card is a 10, is 1:1. On the other hand, if the player has a blackjack, the payout is 3:2.

21+3 Payout

The 21+3 side bet in blackjack is a wager placed on the assumption that the player's two original cards combined with the dealer's up card will make a winning poker hand. The three cards can lead to five possible combinations such as:

• Flush (three cards of the same suit)
• Straight (three cards of consecutive values)
• Three of a Kind (three cards of the same denominations)
• Straight Flush (three cards of the same suit and with consecutive values)
• Suited Three of a Kind (three cards of the same denomination and from the same suit too)

Since there are multiple ways of winning the 21+3 side bet, the odds and payouts vary. If the player gets a Flush, he is paid 5, with a Straight, the payout is 10, a Three of a Kind promises a payout of 33, a Straight Flush comes with a payout of 35 while Suited Three of a Kind has the highest payout of 100. The following table lays down the odds of each of the combinations.

Perfect Pairs Payout

The Perfect Pairs is another interesting side bet in blackjack. It is based on the expected outcome that the first two cards of the player will lead to a pair and the possible pairs can be one of the following:

• A Perfect Pair (two cards of the same value and from the same suit)
• A Colored Pair (two cards of the same value and same color but from different suits)
• A Mixed Pair (two cards of the same value but different suits)

As a rule, the Perfect Pairs bet amount should at least be the minimum wager of the table though it need not match the regular bet amount. The payout for a Perfect Pair is 25, for a Colored Pair is 15 and a Mixed Pair is 5. The following table shows the payouts and probabilities for all three combinations of a 21+3 side bet.

Royal Match Payout

One of the oldest side bets in blackjack, the Royal Match side bet is a wager based on the first two cards dealt to the player. The assumed outcome is that these two cards will be from the Same Suit or be a Royal Match that is a Suited King and Queen. There is another possibility of a Crown Treasure, which is when both the player and the dealer have a Royal Match.

The payout for a Suited Pair is 5:2 while the same for a Royal Match is 25:1. The payout for a Crown Treasure is a jackpot of $1000. A no match, on the other hand, means a -1. The winning amount is paid out immediately and the game progresses in the usual manner.

Super 7's Payout

The Super 7's side bet in blackjack is based on the outcome that the player will get sevens of the same color or suit. Different combinations of 7♠ come into play with respect to this side bet. To begin with, the players who want to place this bet must put the chip in the special spot on the blackjack table. The maximum bet on the Super Sevens is usually $5. The bet pays out if the first card dealt to the player is a seven.

The payouts vary depending on the number and combinations of 7♠ that the player receives and eventually wins the bet. The following table puts the payouts in detail:

Over/Under 13 Payout

The Over/Under 13 is a pair of blackjack side bets, simpler to be played than most other side bets in blackjack. The bet is placed on whether the player's first two cards dealt will be a total of either under 13 or over 13. The bet is basically on the sum of the two cards in the hands of the player. In this, the aces count as one, and the bet amount should not exceed the original bet amount.

The payout is 1:1 when the player wins the bet. In some casinos, an Exactly 13 bet is also allowed, for which the payout is 10:1. If the player's two-card sum total is 13, the dealer wins, on the other hand.

Lucky Ladies Payout

The Lucky Ladies side bet is placed on the first two cards of the player's hand equaling 20. The probable combinations in a Lucky Ladies side bet are as follows:

• Lucky Ladies (Queen of Hearts pair in which the payout is premium if the pair is accompanied by a dealer's blackjack)
• Matched 20 (two cards of the same rank and suit totaling to 20)
• Paired 20 (two cards of the same rank totaling to 20, applicable only for single-deck games)
• Suited 20 (two cards of the same suit totaling to 20)
• Any 20 (any two cards totaling to 20)

The payouts vary depending on the hand, as shown in the table below for a multi-deck game:

Knowing about the payouts of the different side bets and their probable combinations puts the blackjack players in a better place of understanding the risks and benefits associated with each of the blackjack side bets.