Try a Blackjack Game with Side Bets
What is a Blackjack side bet?
Blackjack side bets are unique bets that you can place in addition to your main hand bet.
It is required of you to place a main bet for you to be able to place one or more side bets, except for the Bet Behind bet.
These “special” bets will pay regardless of if your main hand wins or not. In other words, you can lose your hand but still win a side bet.
Why should you place blackjack side bets?
Side bets are a lot of fun! They are highly entertaining to play as they allow you to be on the lookout for different cards than you would usually want when playing the main blackjack bet.
The majority of the Indian blackjack casino sites that we list offer blackjack tables with side bet blackjack rules and options.
Side bets can payout up to 2000 times your bet, which makes for the potential of huge wins!
All the side bets available in online blackjack
The most common side bets you’ll find at real money blackjack tables are Perfect Pairs and 21+3.
Different casino game providers will have different betting options available. Live casino blackjack side bets can also differ from the ones available in RNG games. From all the tables we’ve tried out, those from Evolution and Playtech provide the largest selection of side bets. Side bets work the same in low and high-limit blackjack, but the amount you need to bet to qualify might differ.
We’ve collected some of the most popular side bets in blackjack bets here below.
Perfect pairs
This online blackjack side bet focuses on the first two cards dealt to you or the dealer. And, as the name suggests, we are looking for pairs here.
The payout varies depending on the type of pair revealed:
Mixed Pair – Cards have different colors and different suits.
Colored Pair – Cards have the same color but different suits.
Perfect Pair – Cards have the same color and the same suit.
21+3
21+3 is the most popular side bet in blackjack and delivers the most entertainment.
It introduces poker hands into the mix, paying you if your hand combined with the dealer’s creates a five-card poker hand.
The valid hands are:
Flush – All cards in the same suit.
Straight – Five cards in sequence.
Three of a kind – Three cards of the same kind.
Straight Flush – Five cards in sequence in the same suit.
Suited triple – Three cards of the same kind in the same suit.
Bust It
The Evolution Infinite Blackjack table offers this side bet. The bet is placed on the dealer busting their hand by going over 21.
The payout is determined by the number of cards needed for the dealer to go bust. Three cards will pay 1:1, while eight cards will pay 250:1!
Buster
Exclusive to Playtech’s AllBets Blackjack Live table, this side bet offers significant rewards.
The bet will pay when the dealer busts their hand, just like the Bust It bet, but there’s also an additional kicker to this side bet in the form of two top payouts where the player has a blackjack and the dealer busts.
If the dealer busts with 8 cards and you’ve got a Blackjack, the payout is a whopping 2000:1!
Hot 3
Yet another side bet available on the Infinite Blackjack table is the Hot 3. This side bet is based on card totals, combining your first two cards and the dealer’s up card.
Qualifying combinations are:
7-7-7 (unsuited)
A suited hand valued 21
An unsuited hand with value of 21.
A suited hand with a value of 20.
A suited hand of 19.
Bet Behind
Bet Behind is the only side bet where you don’t need to place a main bet first. This bet allows you to bet on another player’s hand as if it’s your own.
The difference here is that you have no say in the other player’s actions, so you’ll want to make sure that you are betting on a player using a decent blackjack strategy!
Betting behind another player can often be done at a lower bet level than a standard bet, allowing you to win with a smaller bet amount.
Blackjack side bets payout
Perfect Pairs
| Side Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Perfect Pair | 25:1 |
| Colored Pair | 12:1 |
| Mixed Pair | 6:1 |
21+3
| Side Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Suited Trips | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
Bust it
| Side Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| Busts with 8 or more | 250:1 |
| Busts with 7 | 100:1 |
| Busts with 6 | 50:1 |
| Busts with 5 | 9:1 |
| Busts with 4 | 2:1 |
| Busts with 3 | 1:1 |
Hot 3
| Side Bet | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7-7-7 | 100:1 |
| Suited 21 | 20:1 |
| Unsuited 21 | 4:1 |
| Suited 20 | 2:1 |
| Suited 19 | 1:1 |
What is insurance in blackjack?
You’ve probably seen it written on the blackjack table; “Insurance pays 2:1”, but what is it, and should you take insurance when offered?
You’ll have the option of the Insurance side bet when the dealer’s up card is an Ace. With Insurance, you place a bet half of your main bet, and it pays 2:1 if the dealer reveals a blackjack with their second card.
The general rule is to NEVER TAKE INSURANCE, as the risk of losing versus the low payout is not worth it.
