Blackjack Side Games

What are your other favorites at the casino?
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Vol
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:39 pm

Blackjack Side Games

Post by Vol »

In the southern Indiana casinos, near Cincinnati and Louisville, most if not all BJ tables have a side bet, either a 3- card poker or a game that pays for player hands totaling 20.
The 3-card poker is based on the two player cards and the dealer 'up' card.  It pays 9-1 for a flush, straight, and 3-oak for these three cards. It is quite popular and the payout seems reasonable.  The side bet must be <= the BJ bet. 
 
The 20's side bet has a more complex pay table. Any 20 pays 4-1, a suited 20 pays 9-1,  an identical pair 20 pays 19-1, 2 QH pay 100-1 and 2 QH with a dealer blackjack pays 1000-1.  This game is found on $25 tables and the side bet can be $1 or $5.  This game seems way undervalued and almost nobody plays it.
 
(Perhaps I am giving way too much detail here, but I did not see these side games on my one trip to Vegas, and am not sure how widespread they are.)
 
Anyone know the house advantage for these side games?
 
Vol       

Vol
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Post by Vol »

Since my Oct 2010 post, I have learned quite a bit about the 3-card poker side bet and done quite well on it. The probabilities say that, for a six deck blackjack game, you should get 10 winning poker hands for every 103 blackjack hands.  While the posted odds say it pays 9-1, you get your bet back, so the odds are really 10-1. So for every 103 coins bet you should win 100.  The house odds are 3%. It is interesting that for a single deck, the house edge is 15.3%.  The difference is almost all in the 3-oak hands which are more than twice as likely with six decks. I think that the most favorable feature of this side-bet is that, while the four different winning hands have very diffferent probabilities, each and every winning hand pays 10-1.  You don't have to wait for a 3-oak or SF to cash in.  Is there a name for this type of payoff?
 
In my original post I also mentioned a 20's side-bet (player's two cards add to 20).  I have since been told that the house edge for this bet is 24%.  Nobody plays it.
 

I hope this is helpful to some of you.
 
Vol

jim18
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Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:55 am

Post by jim18 »

Good Morning VolI have played BJ with the 3 card poker option for years.  I believe that at some casinos it is called 21 + 3.I have a friend in Pittsburgh that tells me that both the three card wager and the 20's side bet are available at $5 tables there.Next time I visit one of the casinos near Cincinnati I will make a point to check out the BJ tables to see if these side bets are available at low denomination.Thank you for pointing out to me the low house advantage of these bets.

Vol
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Post by Vol »

Hi Jim18,
At Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, it's called 21+3 and is mostly available at $10 minimum blackjack tables.  But the poker sidebet can be $5, just not greater than the blackjack bet. The minimum blackjack bet may be $5 at certain times of the day.  The 20's sidebet is available at the $25 blackjack  tables.  But this sidebet can be as low as $1 and usually is just so as not to miss the 500-1 payoff (I think) for two Q-H or 1000-1 for two Q-H plus a dealer BJ.  It is pretty much the same at Belterra in Vevay and Rising Star (formerly Grand Victoria) in Rising Sun (all Indiana).
 
Vol   

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