How blackjack side bets have evolved – trends and changes over time

Blackjack has long been considered a classic in both real and at the online casino.

A hugely social game to play, Blackjack is an easy game to understand. Needing to get a score as close to 21 as possible, the beauty of online blackjack is that you can play it if you are an experienced player or brand new to the game.

For decades, the bets you could place for Blackjack rarely changed. However, in today’s fast paced casino environment that has completely changed and there are many different side bets that now exist.

You may already know plenty about what these different bets are, but here we will explore how, and when these side bets came into existence and how Blackjack has changed over time.

When did Blackjack introduce side bets?

Blackjack has been a game that has largely remained unchanged, but as online gambling has become more sophisticated, changes to the different types of blackjack bets that could be placed started to be introduced in the 1990’s. Side bets were largely introduced to try and give those playing Blackjack more choice when it came to their staking options.

Staking options

At the start of every Blackjack hand, players are required to place their stake into the middle of the table.

The staking area is a bigger circle which is flanked on either side by two other smaller circles. To the left of the main staking area is the option to bet on Perfect Pairs and to the right you can bet on 21+3.

Perfect Pairs

It could be argued that out of all of the different side bets you can place when playing Blackjack, the most popular is Perfect Pairs. 

Perfect Pairs is a bet you place that involves the first two cards that you are dealt. The key to winning this bet is hoping you are dealt two cards of the same value – i.e. a pair of Kings or a pair of 4’s. Every combination in a deck of cards counts towards a winning Perfect Pairs hand. It doesn’t matter if you are dealt a pair of 2’s or a pair of Aces. If you receive two of the same cards, a Perfect Pair bet will be a winning one.

Perfect Pair Odds

The beauty of Perfect Pairs is that depending on what you hit – different payouts are made.

• If you hit two 6’s but one is the 6 of clubs and the other is the 6 of hearts, the payout will be 5/1.
  If you were to hit the 6 of clubs and the 6 of spades as both cards are black cards, the odds for this would go up to 12/1.
• If you were to hit the 6 of clubs and the 6 of spades as both cards are black cards, the odds for this would go up to 12/1.
• Due to a blackjack game containing numerous decks being in play, the possibility of hitting two cards that are exactly the same – i.e. the six of clubs, the payouts are 25/1.

As Perfect Pairs centres around the two cards that you are dealt with, the bet will be settled before you play the hand. You will then play the hand out as normal. It gives those playing Blackjack the opportunity to bet and potentially win twice.

21 + 3

The other side bet that can be placed before the cards are dealt is 21 + 3. This bet came in a little after the launch of Perfect Pairs and is an interesting side bet for those that like to play three card poker. As a 21 + 3 bet combines a little bit of both Blackjack and three card poker into one hand.

Whereas Perfect Pairs uses just the players two cards, a 21 + 3 bet uses the two players cards as well as the one dealer card that is dealt at the start of each hand.

21 + 3 Odds

Using those three cards, the idea is to try and make a poker hand, and just like in real poker, the rarer the hand the higher the payout.

• Flush: 5/1
• Straight: 10/1
• Three of a Kind: 30/1
• Straight Flush: 40/1
• Suited Three of a Kind: 100/1

Just like Perfect Pairs, 21 + 3 fits into the ethos of Blackjack as it is quite an easy side bet to understand. The bet will be settled before the main Blackjack hand begins, so two bets will be in play if played.

Of course these side bets require additional money to be staked, so when placing either Perfect Pairs or 21 +3 bets make sure these won’t take you outside of your budgets.

Post dealt hand options

Insurance 

If you are an experienced Blackjack player we have all been there. You look like you have a potential winning hand, only for that hand to be gazumped by the dealer hitting Blackjack. 

With both real and online casinos picking up on that feeling, it was decided that if the dealer dealt themselves an Ace or a card worth ten, players would have an opportunity to limit a loss by taking up the option of insurance.

Insurance was actually the first evolution of the traditional Blackjack rules and many welcomed its addition as it put more control in the hands of the players. Just like when insuring something valuable, there is a cost involved when asking to be protected by insurance. You will be required to match the initial stake, so you are essentially doubling your bet.

If you take up the option of Insurance and the dealer then deals themselves another card to make up Blackjack, the insurance part of the blackjack bet will pay out at 2:1. The initial stake you made will still be lost.

However, if you take out insurance but the dealer doesn’t deal themselves blackjack, the insurance part of the bet will be a losing one.

If you go on to win the hand, the insurance bet won’t result in any winnings. Therefore, if you go on to lose the hand and the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, you would have two losing bets. so there is some real risk involved.

Insurance is the most debated side bet. There are some players who would take it up as an option, whereas there are others who never choose to use it. It’s very much a buyer’s choice whether Insurance is taken or not.

Double

Alongside Perfect Pairs, one of the most recognised Blackjack side bets is the option to double. However, doubling was an option that was born a long time before Perfect Pairs came into existence.

Doubling is viewed as the most aggressive side bet that comes with Blackjack. Having the option to play the double comes once the player has been dealt their two cards and the dealer has been dealt their one card.

It’s sometimes a strategy used if the player has the option to make 19, 20 or 2. whether a double is taken up depends on whether the dealer has a high or low card. Often the dream scenario for those wanting to place a double is when the player has two cards that total either ten or eleven and the dealer has a five or a six.

There is a risk that comes with choosing to double. As the name of the bet indicates, if you decide to take up the double you will be required to double your stake and you are only ever dealt one card.

Therefore let’s say you have been dealt an eleven. If you double and the card that you end up with is a 5, that good hand can all of a sudden look like a rocky one.

If you double and win, any winnings will be doubled. But just like when taking out insurance, it is very much up to the type of player you are, whether you view doubling as a good thing to do or not.

Bet Behind

The latest option that Blackjack players have been able to bet on is the ability to Bet Behind.

Bet Behind allows you to place chips behind one of the other players at the table. If you choose to bet behind it is essential you realise that the actions of the hand belong to the player you have bet behind, not you! So there is actually very little you can do to control the outcome. 

The rules are the same if you bet behind, with payouts being the same as if you were the main player.

More bets could be on the way

As you can hopefully see, for such a simple game, there are so many different bets that can be placed when playing Blackjack and it wouldn’t be a surprise if even more bets were to be developed in the future.

The one element that can’t be argued is how these side bets have helped modernise a casino classic such as Blackjack. 

If you look at some of the newer types of game show games, there are often layers to those games and the fact that the games take some time to develop is something that is enjoyed by a huge majority of live casino players.

When playing Blackjack a player has several options to consider at many different stages. Blackjack has now become a multi-faceted game that should continue to stand the test of time.