Blackjack is a popular card game played in casinos. It is common among players who love exploring the live casino option. Unlike slot games, which solely depend on luck, blackjack has strategies you can follow to increase your chances of winning.
With side bets, your chances of winning and your experience with the game can even improve. In this article, we will discuss the best blackjack side bets to watch out for.
For players looking to practice these side bets in a risk-free environment, GameTwist Casino offers an excellent platform with its welcome package of 30,000 Bonus-Twists and 15 free spins. Their blackjack selection includes multiple variants featuring the side bets discussed here, allowing you to experiment with different strategies using their virtual currency system before moving to real-money play.
What Are Blackjack Side Bets?
Blackjack side bets are additional wagers you can place alongside your main bet. These bets are independent of the original bets on the blackjack game but are used to predict the cards received by a dealer during the game.
You do not have to learn new strategies to make these bets, as they rely solely on chance. With side bets, you can receive higher payouts than the main game, but the odds of winning are lower.
What Top Blackjack Side Bets Should You Try?
There are tons of blackjack side bets for you to explore. If you are a first-timer, selecting the side bet to use might be difficult. Let’s check some of these side bets and discuss their features.
Insurance
This is the most common blackjack side bet among players. It lets you protect yourself when the dealer’s face-up card is an ace and you think they might get a blackjack. To play, you have to stake half of your original bet. When the dealer gets a blackjack, you lose your original bet but win the insurance side bet with a payout of 2:1. You lose the insurance bet if the dealer does not get a blackjack and the game continues.
21+3 Side Bet
This side bet requires two of the player’s cards and an upturned dealer card. These three cards are compared to a standard table containing three cards each. If the cards match any cards in the standard table, you get the designated payout. The three-card hands in the standard and their payout include the following.
- Flush: Here, the three cards have the same suit. It has a payout of 5:1.
- Straight: The cards follow a sequence regardless of the suit. Payout is 10:1
- Suited three of a kind: The three cards are the same. It has a payout of 100:1
- Three of a kind: The cards have the same value irrespective of the suit. It has a payout of 30:1
- Straight flush: The cards follow a sequence with the same suit. The payout is 40:1
Perfect Pair Side Bet
Here, you predict whether the outcome of your first two cards will be mixed, colored, or perfect. Your payout depends on the type of pair you end up with.
- Mixed: Both cards have the same value, but the suits and colors differ. The payout is 5:1.
- Colored: Both cards have the same value and color. The payout is 12:1.
- Perfect: Here, the two cards are the same. It has a payout of 25:1.
Royal Match
Before starting the blackjack game, you can predict if your first two cards will be the king and queen of the same suit. The payout depends on whether you play a single or a multi-deck game. A single-deck card game pays up to 10:1, while a multi-deck card game pays 25:1.
Match The Dealer
You can bet on matching the rank of the dealer’s face-up card with any of your first two cards. If you match the suit as well as the rank, you get a payout of 11:1. However, if you do not match the suit, you get a pay of 4:1.
777 Side Bet
The 777 Side Bet, also known as the Super Sevens side bet, pays based on the number of sevens you deal with in the game. If you get one seven, you win 3:1. Two sevens in different suits pay 50:1, while two suited sevens pay 100:1.
It gets even better when you have three sevens. Three suited sevens pay 5000:1 while three unsuited sevens pay 500:1. You should know that some casinos will not deal with a third card if the dealer already has a blackjack.
While blackjack side bets add excitement to table games, many players alternate between blackjack sessions and other casino games for variety. For example, video poker serves as an excellent complement to blackjack because it similarly combines luck with strategic decision-making.
Conclusion
Skilled players most often have the edge when playing blackjack games. You can explore blackjack side bets to increase the chance of making more money. Take the time to study each side bet and select the one that suits you best. ‘
However, keep in mind that side bets rely purely on luck, so they won’t always go your way. The good news is that losing the side bet won’t change the overall dynamics of your game.