All About Blackjack Side Bets
When talking about house edge, blackjack happens to be the best game you can play, with the correct strategy making an average as low as 0.36% possible.
The way in which casino makes their money happens in one of two ways - either the player makes a mistake and the other is when players participate in side bets.
This is largely because of the fact that side bets generally come with a higher house edge, which is why it is vital to understand side bets and the odds involved if you're looking to win at blackjack.
Insurance Against the Dealer
One of the most common optional side bets in blackjack is the insurance against the dealer bet, despite many players that don't consider insurance to be a side bet. It is also one that happens to have odds that heavily favour the house.
The way it works is by players betting half their original stake as soon as the dealer displays an ace. Should the dealer then turn a ten over to make blackjack, the payout will be two to one - and that would effectively rescue the original stake. If not, the insurance side bet will be lost and the hand continues as per usual.
Perfect Pairs
This type of blackjack side bet actually has games named after it, purely because it has proved so popular in the past. Perfect pairs side bets allow you to place a bet that the first two cards dealt to you will be a pair, and will also pay out even more if they are of the same suit or colour.
The odds obviously differ from casino to casino, as much as the exact probability of being dealt a particular pair combination depends on the amount of decks that are in play.
Bonus Blackjack
Bonus blackjack is another popular side bet and it works is by paying out extra for those that get blackjack hands once the side bet has been taken. This is mostly available for player blackjack but can be for dealer blackjack as well.
The payouts here start at around fifteen to one and then increase for spades blackjacks and the blackjacks that are composed of an ace and the king of spades. Much like all side bets, bonus blackjack side bets are also stacked in the house's favour, with the usual minimum negative expected at -6.36%.
