Side Bet Blackjack Payout
House Money BJ Side Bet @ Pala Casino
Hooray, another game that I did the math for hits the floor! House Money is a blackjack side bet created by Roger Snow of ShuffleMaster. It’s unique because it allows the player to cap his main blackjack bet with his side bet winnings. The side bet pays when your first two cards make a pair, straight, or straight flush. So, if you’re dealt a suited A-K, the side bet pays 9:1. You always have the option of taking the proceeds (10 units in this case), and adding it to your main blackjack bet. In this case, your BJ nets you a profit of (3:2)(10) + 9 = 24 units on the side bet. (If this reads too much like a paid advertisement, skip to the section on counting for this bet.)
Blackjack Payout Table
For a 6-deck shoe game with good rules, and the correct capping strategy, the house edge for this side bet is only 2.6%. The basic strategy of when to cap your main bet with your side bet proceeds is presented below.
Simple Blackjack Side Bets Illustration Let’s say the dealer snags a blackjack. He’ll take your $5, but he’ll pay you 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. The dealer will then return your insurance bet of $2.50 as well as your $5. Per my closest casino, it varies per table. I've personally hit a 270:1 off a 2 dollar side bet for 3 of a kind suited. There is one variation of a royal flush that pays 2400:1, sorry but I don't remember what the requirements are. 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.
In blackjack, insurance is a side bet which is separate to your original stake. Offered only when the dealer's upcard is an ace, it acts as a safety net against an opposing blackjack. An insurance bet is usually half your original wager and pays 2 to 1. The side bet is completed when the dealer's second card is revealed. More Common Side Bets in Blackjack. Those are the most common side bets in blackjack, but you’re not limited to those. Various casinos offer various other side bets. Here are some of the more common of those: 4- Lucky Ladies. The lucky ladies side bet is a bet that you’ll have a total of 20. If the cards are unsuited, the hand pays out 4 to 1.
The game is currently available at my nearby Pala Casino, the Siena in Reno, and the Drift On Inn in WA.
Rules
The rules for the House Money side bet are as follows:
- The player makes the optional side bet wager before the hand is dealt.
- The side bet pays for the initial 2-card player hands according to the paytable below.
- The player has the late (after dealer peeks for BJ) option of capping his main blackjack bet with an amount up to the entire side bet proceeds.
- The player completes the main hand following normal blackjack rules.
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| AK suited | 9-to-1 |
| Straight Flush | 4-to-1 |
| Pair | 3-to-1 |
| Straight | 1-to-1 |
| Nothing | lose |
Basic Strategy
The table below tells you when you should cap your main bet with the winning proceeds of your side bet. “Y” means to cap the bet with the proceeds, because the EV of the hand (after the dealer peeks for BJ) is positive. “N” means not to cap the bet, but just to collect your winnings, because the post-peek EV of the hand is negative. After the capping decision, play your hand according to blackjack basic strategy.
| Hand | Dealer Upcard | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| Straights and Straight Flushes | ||||||||||
| AK | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| KQ, QJ, JT | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| T9 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 98, 87, 76 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| 65 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 54 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| 43 | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 32 | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| A2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Pairs | ||||||||||
| A-A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 10-10 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 9-9 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| 8-8 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 7-7 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 6-6 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 5-5 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 4-4 | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 3-3 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 2-2 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
Countability
This side bet is only slightly countable, using the counting coefficients (2 => +1, 3 => +1, 4 => +1, 5 => 0, 6 => 1, 7 => 1, 8 => 1, 9 => 1, T => -1, J => -1, Q => -1, K => -2, A => -2) and a true count threshold of 3.1. From a 6-deck shoe with 1 deck behind cut card, you’ll have +EV betting opportunities about 13.4% of the time, with an average edge of +3.4%/bet. So betting $25 when the count is good will yield a profit rate (13.4%)($25)(+3.4%) = $0.11/hand. At 100 hands per hour, this yields $11/hr, which isn’t worth anyone’s time or effort.
House Money BJ Side Bet @ Pala Casino
Hooray, another game that I did the math for hits the floor! House Money is a blackjack side bet created by Roger Snow of ShuffleMaster. It’s unique because it allows the player to cap his main blackjack bet with his side bet winnings. The side bet pays when your first two cards make a pair, straight, or straight flush. So, if you’re dealt a suited A-K, the side bet pays 9:1. You always have the option of taking the proceeds (10 units in this case), and adding it to your main blackjack bet. In this case, your BJ nets you a profit of (3:2)(10) + 9 = 24 units on the side bet. (If this reads too much like a paid advertisement, skip to the section on counting for this bet.)
For a 6-deck shoe game with good rules, and the correct capping strategy, the house edge for this side bet is only 2.6%. The basic strategy of when to cap your main bet with your side bet proceeds is presented below.
The game is currently available at my nearby Pala Casino, the Siena in Reno, and the Drift On Inn in WA.
Rules
The rules for the House Money side bet are as follows:
- The player makes the optional side bet wager before the hand is dealt.
- The side bet pays for the initial 2-card player hands according to the paytable below.
- The player has the late (after dealer peeks for BJ) option of capping his main blackjack bet with an amount up to the entire side bet proceeds.
- The player completes the main hand following normal blackjack rules.
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| AK suited | 9-to-1 |
| Straight Flush | 4-to-1 |
| Pair | 3-to-1 |
| Straight | 1-to-1 |
| Nothing | lose |
Basic Strategy
The table below tells you when you should cap your main bet with the winning proceeds of your side bet. “Y” means to cap the bet with the proceeds, because the EV of the hand (after the dealer peeks for BJ) is positive. “N” means not to cap the bet, but just to collect your winnings, because the post-peek EV of the hand is negative. After the capping decision, play your hand according to blackjack basic strategy.
| Hand | Dealer Upcard | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| Straights and Straight Flushes | ||||||||||
| AK | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| KQ, QJ, JT | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| T9 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 98, 87, 76 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| 65 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 54 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| 43 | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 32 | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| A2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| Pairs | ||||||||||
| A-A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 10-10 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 9-9 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N |
| 8-8 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 7-7 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 6-6 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 5-5 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 4-4 | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 3-3 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 2-2 | N | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
Countability
Blackjack Payout Chart
This side bet is only slightly countable, using the counting coefficients (2 => +1, 3 => +1, 4 => +1, 5 => 0, 6 => 1, 7 => 1, 8 => 1, 9 => 1, T => -1, J => -1, Q => -1, K => -2, A => -2) and a true count threshold of 3.1. From a 6-deck shoe with 1 deck behind cut card, you’ll have +EV betting opportunities about 13.4% of the time, with an average edge of +3.4%/bet. So betting $25 when the count is good will yield a profit rate (13.4%)($25)(+3.4%) = $0.11/hand. At 100 hands per hour, this yields $11/hr, which isn’t worth anyone’s time or effort.