Are Side Bets Good in Blackjack?

Most blackjack games offer side bets, which are bets that can be made in addition to the main bet. These side bets usually have a higher house edge than the main bet, so they are not generally considered to be good bets.

However, there are some side bets that can be profitable if the player knows what they are doing.

The most common side bet in blackjack is the insurance bet. This bet is made when the dealer shows an Ace as their upcard. The insurance bet pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a blackjack. While this bet seems like a good idea, it actually has a high house edge of 7.

5%. This means that for every $1 you bet on insurance, you can expect to lose 7.5 cents over the long run.

Another common side bet is the “perfect pairs” bet. This bet pays off if the player is dealt a pair as their first two cards.

The odds of this happening are about 3%, so the perfect pairs bet has a house edge of about 7%. This means that for every $1 you bet on perfect pairs, you can expect to lose 7 cents over the long run.

There are also some side bets that are specific to certain variants of blackjack. For example, in Spanish 21, there is a “match the dealer” side bet. This bet pays off if the player’s first two cards match the rank of the dealer’s upcard.

The odds of this happening are about 5%, so the house edge on this bet is about 4%. This means that for every $1 you bet on match the dealer, you can expect to lose 4 cents over the long run.

In general, side bets are not good bets because they have a high house edge. However, there are some side bets that can be profitable if the player knows what they are doing.

Insurance and perfect pairs are two common side bets that should be avoided because of their high house edges. However, there are some side bets that have lower house edges and can be profitable for players who know what they are doing.