Do Casinos Rig Blackjack Tables
King’s Bounty Blackjack. Before each round of Blackjack play, you can place a King’s Bounty side bet on the designated spot on the table at the same time you make your regular bet. Once the first two cards have been dealt to each Player, the Dealer determines if any Players who made King’s Bounty wagers have two cards totalling 20.
Table Of Contents
With simple rules and easy to learn strategies, the game of blackjack is one of the most popular card games in both Las Vegas Casinos and online around the world.
Blackjack side bets add a layer of complexity to the game, though at much greater risk.
- The casino management - who are always very superstitious - decided I was 'unlucky' and put me on the blackjack tables. Before long I noticed that a few players seemed to frequently get a blackjack - two cards with a face value of 21 - after placing large bets.
- Roulette games are easier to rig offline than online, but when they exist online it is most often that the entire casino system is rigged, rather than the roulette game specifically.
In this article we’ll take a look at the different side bet options, how they are structured and what side bets pay.
- What are Blackjack side bets?
- Why play Blackjack side bets?
- Common side bets at most Casinos
- Other side bets to look out for
- Are Blackjack side bets worth playing?
What are Blackjack side bets?
Blackjack side bets are additional bets placed during a standard game of Blackjack. They involve predicting which cards the player, and sometimes the dealer, will receive.
Wagers are made before any cards are dealt and each side bet is based on chance rather than skill, although you can count cards to help you choose the most likely combinations for your best side bets.
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Why play side bets?
One of the most attractive features of the game of Blackjack is the low house edge compared to other games on the casino floor.
Good players will face a house edge of around 0.5%, and even if you play quite badly, that edge only rises to around 2%.
However, while the odds of losing big are low, the odds of winning are also poor.
Blackjack is mostly an even money game, rising to 2:1 at best if you are dealt a Blackjack.
Side bets offer you the chance to play much longer odds for higher player wins – as much as 5,000:1 in one case.
However, it must be noted that the house edge rises significantly for Blackjack side bets, with most bets carrying a house edge of 10% or more.
In other words, side bets make it a lot easier to lose money on blackjack.
Common side bets at most Casinos
There are a number of common side bets that you will find at most Blackjack tables.
These are clearly marked with the odds either printed on the Blackjack tables or available as a hand out or a side menu in the online version.
You should check the pay outs carefully before placing your bets as they can vary considerably between different Casinos or online sites.
The three main Blackjack side bets are:
- Insurance
- Perfect Pairs
- 21+3
Insurance – this is the most common Blackjack side bet and allows you to cover yourself against Blackjack if the dealer has an ace face up.
This bet involves half of your original stake and pays out at 2:1 if the dealer has Blackjack. The insurance bet reduces the overall house edge.
Perfect Pairs – this side bet uses the player’s cards only, and pays out if you are dealt two of a kind as follows:
- Mixed pair (two of the same value but different suit and colour) – pays 5:1
- Coloured pair (two of the same value and the same colour) – pays 12:1
- Perfect pair (two of the same card) – pays 25:1
The returns can vary between different Casinos and different pay tables and the house edge will depend on both the pay out and the number of decks used and can range from just 2 or 3% up to 11% or more.
21+3 – this side bet involves the player’s two cards and the upturned card of the dealer. It will pay out for a number of different combinations:
- Flush – (all cards are suited) – pays 5:1
- Straight – (all cards consecutive) – pays 10:1
- Three of a kind – (not the same suit) – pays 30:1
- Straight flush – (consecutive cards same suit) – pays 40:1
- Suited triple – (three of the same card) – pays 100:1
The house edge for the 21+3 side bet will vary depending on the number of decks used, standing at 8.78% for four decks, 7.81% for five decks, 7.14% for six decks and 6.29% for seven decks.
Other side bets to look out for
The Casino industry is highly competitive, and so new side bets are being invented all the time to try and attract new Blackjack players.
Some of these will flourish and become widely available, while others remain niche and can only be found in selected Casinos. Here are a few examples:
- Royal match – pays 5:2 for any suited player’s cards and 25:1 for suited king and queen
- Over/under 13 – pays even money for correctly predicting the sum of the player’s cards as less than or greater than 13. In most cases, exactly 13 will lose, but some Casinos will allow bets on exactly 13.
- Super sevens – this bet pays out if one or more sevens are dealt in the player’s cards. One seven pays 3:1, two unsuited sevens pays 50:1, two suited sevens pays 100:1. If the third card dealt is also a seven, then the bet will pay 500:1 unsuited and 5000:1 suited. However it is important to make sure that the Casino will still deal a third card if the dealer has a Blackjack, as some Casinos will not do this.
- Lucky ladies – this bet pays out if the player’s cards add up to 20, with an unsuited 20 paying 4:1, a suited 20 paying 10:1, a matched 20, same rank and suit pays 25:1, two queens of hearts 200:1 and two queens of hearts when dealer has Blackjack 1000:1.
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Play NowAre Blackjack side bets worth playing?
Blackjack side bets do not involve any skill and you are simply betting on the luck of the draw.
What’s more, the returns do not reflect the odds of each bet coming in, which gives the house a significantly larger edge.
Conclusion
Blackjack side bets are best viewed as a bit of extra complexity that adds up to a session at the Blackjack table.
However, you should not make them the main focus of your gameplay or your wagering, and you should be aware of the significantly increased house edge.
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To beat the point value of the Dealer’s hand without going over 21.
How to Play
After the bets are placed, each Player receives two cards and the Dealer receives one card. All cards are dealt face up. If the initial two cards you are dealt total 21, you have a Blackjack, which pays 3 to 2 on your bet. If the Dealer also has a Blackjack, you would push (tie). If you do not have a Blackjack and feel the total of your first two cards can beat the Dealer’s total, you would “stand,” meaning you would not draw any additional cards. If you feel you need additional cards to beat the Dealer, you gesture for each new card (“hit”) with your hand until you are satisfied and decide to stand. Once all Players have played their hands, the Dealer will complete his or her hand. If the Dealer has a soft* 17 or less, he or she must draw additional cards until a hard** 17 or more is reached. If the Dealer exceeds 21, all Players who have 21 (or less) win. Otherwise the Dealer compares his or her point total to each Player’s. All winning bets are paid even money (one to one).
* A soft hand is a hand that includes an Ace and has two totals, neither of which exceeds 21.
** A hard hand is a hand in which there is no Ace or the Ace counts as one.
The Cards
Face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) have a value of 10. Numbered cards are worth their face value except Ace, which can count as 1 or 11.
Doubling Down
Players may double down on the original two cards of a hand once. To double down a Player can wager up to the amount of their original wager. When doubling down the Player receives only one card.
Splitting Pairs
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If you have two cards of equal value in one hand, you may split them into two separate hands. In order to split, simply place an additional bet, equal to your original bet. With split Aces, you receive only one additional card per hand. You may double down after splitting pairs (with the exception of Aces). You may re-split to a maximum of 4 hands with the exception of Aces (which can only be split once).
Surrender
You can surrender on any original two card hand, with the exception of when the Dealer has and Ace or a 10 value card, you may surrender if the Dealer does not have a Blackjack. When you surrender you receive half of your original wager back.
Insurance
If the Dealer’s first card is an Ace, Players are offered the option of insuring their bets against the possibility of the Dealer’s final hand being a Blackjack. Insurance bets are up to one half of your original bet. If the Dealer’s hand is not a Blackjack, the Player loses his or her insurance bet. If the Dealer’s hand is a Blackjack, the insurance bet is paid two times the amount paid for the insurance. When a Player has a Blackjack they may elect to take even money in lieu of making an insurance wager.
Double Deck
The same rules as basic Blackjack however the game is played with 2 decks of cards instead of eight and there is no surrender.
King’s Bounty Blackjack
Before each round of Blackjack play, you can place a King’s Bounty side bet on the designated spot on the table at the same time you make your regular bet. Once the first two cards have been dealt to each Player, the Dealer determines if any Players who made King’s Bounty wagers have two cards totalling 20. This occurs once the first two cards have been dealt and before you act on your hand. After the winners are paid out, the Blackjack game resumes as normal.
Blackjack Tables Near Me
King’s Bounty Payable | |
|---|---|
| Two Kings of Spades + Dealers Blackjack | 1,000 to 1 |
| Two Kings of Spades | 100 to 1 |
| Two Suited Kings | 30 to 1 |
| Two Suited 10s Jacks or Queens | 20 to 1 |
| Suited 20 | 9 to 1 |
| Two Kings | 6 to 1 |
| Non-suited 20 | 4 to 1 |
Payout
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All winning bets are paid even money except for Blackjack, which pays three to two. When a push (tie) occurs, the Player keeps the original bet. A Blackjack, two cards that equal 21, beats all other combinations of cards that equal 21. A two-card 21 on split hands is not a Blackjack.