Blackjack Side Bets – Are They Worth Playing?
Note: This is an advanced blackjack strategy topic that benefits from an understanding of house edge and expected value. If you are new to those concepts, see our House Edge guide first.
Side bets in blackjack are optional wagers placed before the deal that pay out based on specific card combinations — your first two cards forming a pair, your cards and the dealer's up card forming a poker hand, and so on. They are enormously popular with casual players because they offer the possibility of large payouts from small wagers. They are almost universally avoided by serious online blackjack players because the house edge on side bets is dramatically higher than the main game. This page covers the most common side bets, their payouts, and a clear view of whether they are worth your money. For broader context, Wikipedia's blackjack article provides background on game variants and optional features.
The Core Problem With Side Bets In Blackjack
In the main game of blackjack with perfect basic strategy, the house edge is approximately 0.5%. That is already a positive feature — one of the best in the casino. Side bets in blackjack typically carry house edges ranging from 3% to 14% or more. Playing side bets alongside the main game does not improve your overall expected return — it creates a parallel stream of negative-expectation wagers that gradually erode your bankroll faster than the main game alone would.
Think of it this way: every dollar wagered on a side bet with a 5% house edge loses $0.05 on average. Every dollar on the main game with basic strategy loses $0.005. The side bet is ten times more expensive per dollar wagered.
Perfect Pairs Blackjack Side Bets
Perfect Pairs pays out when your first two cards form a pair. There are three tiers of pair quality:
| Pair Type | Definition | Typical Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed Pair | Same value, different color (e.g., 7♥ and 7♠) | 5:1 |
| Colored Pair | Same value, same color, different suit (e.g., 7♥ and 7♦) | 10:1 |
| Perfect Pair | Identical cards (e.g., 7♥ and 7♥ — from different decks in a multi-deck game) | 25:1 to 30:1 |
House edge: Approximately 4–6% in a 6-deck game, depending on the exact payouts offered. Some tables pay less generously on colored and perfect pairs, which can push the edge above 6%.
Card counter opportunity: Perfect Pairs has been the subject of side bet counting research. Because pairs are more common in certain deck compositions, a dedicated side count tracking pairs can identify favorable conditions. This is complex and rarely implemented outside of professional play.
21+3 - Popular Blackjack Side Bet
The 21+3 side bet pays when your two hole cards combined with the dealer's up card form a three-card poker hand. This is one of the more entertaining side bets because the poker hand element adds a different kind of anticipation.
| Hand | Typical Payout |
|---|---|
| Flush (all same suit) | 5:1 |
| Straight (consecutive values) | 10:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| Suited Three of a Kind | 100:1 |
House edge: Approximately 3–4% in a 6-deck game with the payouts above. The edge can rise to 6–7% at tables with reduced payouts on some hands.
Card counter opportunity: 21+3 is one of the more countable side bets. Specific card counting approaches for 21+3 exist in the professional literature, targeting the suited three-of-a-kind at very high counts. Not commonly implemented.
Insurance - The Suckers Side Bet In Blackjack
Insurance is technically a side bet — an optional wager on whether the dealer has a 10-value hole card when showing an Ace. It pays 2:1.
House edge: Approximately 7.4% in a 6-deck game with a neutral deck. This is one of the worst bets in the game at standard deck conditions.
Card counter opportunity: This is the most valuable side bet for card counters. At a true count of +3 or higher (Hi-Lo), insurance becomes a profitable bet because the proportion of 10-value cards remaining in the shoe exceeds the break-even threshold of one-third. This is why "take insurance at TC +3" is the first and most important strategy deviation for card counters. See our Insurance guide for the full breakdown.
Lucky Ladies
Lucky Ladies pays based on the player's first two cards totaling 20. Various combinations of cards that make 20 qualify for different tiers of payout.
| Hand | Typical Payout |
|---|---|
| Any 20 | 4:1 |
| Suited 20 | 9:1 to 10:1 |
| Matched 20 (same rank and suit) | 19:1 to 25:1 |
| Queen of Hearts pair + dealer blackjack | 1000:1 |
House edge: Approximately 24–25% in a 6-deck game without counting. This is one of the highest house edges of any common casino bet.
Card counter opportunity: Lucky Ladies is one of the few side bets where a dedicated side count can create a genuine and substantial player edge. At very high counts (when many 10-value cards remain), the probability of drawing a Lucky Ladies hand increases meaningfully. Some professional counters specifically target Lucky Ladies for large side bets at favorable counts. However, this requires additional mental overhead on top of the main game count.
Other Common Side Bets
| Side Bet | Description | Approx. House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Match | Player's first two cards suited; pays more for suited King-Queen | 3.8–6.7% depending on payouts |
| Super Sevens | One, two, or three 7s in the player's hand, progressively paying more | ~12% |
| In-Between | Player's two cards with value between dealer's up card and 10 | Varies; generally 5–8% |
| Bust It | Bet on whether the dealer will bust | ~6.5% |
When Are Side Bets Worth Considering?
For basic strategy players: rarely or never. The house edges on side bets are substantially higher than the main game, and playing them alongside basic strategy creates a composite game with a worse expected return than blackjack alone.
There are two situations where a player might rationally consider a side bet:
- Entertainment value: If the excitement of the side bet is worth the additional expected cost to you personally — and you have already budgeted for that — then occasionally playing a side bet like 21+3 or Perfect Pairs is a reasonable entertainment choice. Treat it like paying extra for a more exciting experience, not as a strategy.
- Card counting the side bet: For advanced counters who can maintain multiple simultaneous counts, certain side bets (particularly Insurance at high counts and Lucky Ladies) offer countable opportunities. This requires significant skill and preparation but is a legitimate approach at the professional level.
Summary
| Side Bet | House Edge (approx.) | Countable? | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect Pairs | 4–6% | Yes, with effort | Avoid for basic strategy players |
| 21+3 | 3–4% | Yes, with effort | Avoid for basic strategy players |
| Insurance | 7.4% (neutral deck) | Yes — take at TC +3 | Skip unless counting |
| Lucky Ladies | 24–25% | Yes — high value for counters | Never for non-counters |
| Super Sevens | ~12% | No | Avoid entirely |
Continue to: Blackjack Insurance – Full Analysis | Blackjack House Edge | Bankroll Management