What is a Side Bet in Blackjack? | Best Blackjack Side Bets

Have you tried playing with a side bet in blackjack? There are multiple side bets in blackjack for you to use and then span all sorts of games, from RNG (random number generator) and live casino games to bitcoin blackjack titles.

If you haven’t, you needn’t worry. We’ll walk you through playing online blackjack with side bets right here. If you’re asking, “what is a side bet in blackjack?” or want to understand how live blackjack side bets work, we’ve got the answers.

Join us as we explore this topic in-depth with our guide to these often simplistic, risky, but arguably prosperous options to try and beat the online casinos.

The most commonly found side bet in blackjack is known as 21+3. It has some of the most prosperous blackjack side bet payouts and is commonly found in European blackjack games. The bet utilises your two cards and the dealer’s upturned card. You’re looking for poker hands in that three-card combo.

You can receive:

The number of decks featured in the blackjack game will determine the odds of success, and these can range from a low of 6.29% with seven decks up to a high of 8.78% when only four decks are used. The fewer the decks, the more likely you are to land a side bet. 

One of the best blackjack side bets is Perfect Pairs. This only utilises your cards, with Mixed Pairs, Coloured Pairs and Perfect Pairs all options. It can be found in all sorts of games, ranging from European Blackjack to Multi-Hand Blackjack and beyond. Here’s how it works:

Note that because you need at least two decks to have a “Perfect Pair”, this side bet doesn’t exist in games that use a single deck, such as Single Deck Blackjack. Again, the odds vary depending on the number of decks used, with probabilities of 3% up to 11% possible.

Royal Match is a slightly less common blackjack side bet. This can only be found in a handful of blackjack games at selected casinos, so you might have to scout around to find a game offering this side bet.

In a nutshell, Royal Matches see you looking for suited cards. You’ll receive a payout of 5:2 for any suited cards you happen to be holding. If you were to hold a suited King and Queen, the payout would rise to 25:1.

Super Sevens bets naturally revolve around landing sevens and plenty of them. This is much more common to find in online blackjack games than Royal Match side bets and can result in the most profitable payouts of any blackjack side bet.

Over/Under 13 is a simplistic side bet that you can expect to see in some but not all blackjack games. With this bet, you’re looking to try and predict whether your two-card hand will be worth more or less than thirteen points. It doesn’t matter which cards form the hand, be that a face and a three, or a seven and a six, and so on. 

If you bet on your hand being greater or less than thirteen, and you’re correct, you’ll pocket an even money (1:1) prize. Some casino games permit wins on exactly thirteen, and some consider it a losing tally.

One of the newer blackjack side bets around, Lucky Ladies, allows you to bet on twenties. If your cards add up to a basic twenty (unsuited), then you’ll receive a straightforward 4:1 cash prize on your hand.

Does the insurance bet really count as a blackjack side-bet? We’d say so. Insurance can be taken whenever the dealer’s upturned card looks as though it could contribute to a blackjack hand. In most RNG games, the option will come up automatically and typically costs 1.00, although some games may demand the same side bet as your stake.

• If the dealer goes on to hold a blackjack hand (in their first two cards), your insurance bet will see you pick up prizes of 2:1, even if you lose the hand.
• However, if the dealer doesn’t have twenty-one, then you lose your side bet, even if you win the hand.

Professional blackjack players do not typically favour insurance bets. The main reason for this is that the house edge is 5.8%, even with just a single deck of cards. When six to eight decks are used, the house edge rises to 7.5%, which is certainly not ideal. We explain more in our “Do you take insurance in blackjack” guide.

Now that you’ve had side bets in blackjack explained to you, you may fancy having a crack at them. Before placing a blackjack side bet, read our guide on how to make money playing blackjack and familiarise yourself with the games. At the same time, read our game guides to learn how the rules of each blackjack game vary and which side bets they feature before betting online.

Other related articles:

• EZ Bust Blackjack