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Blackjack Side Bets: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs Pay Tables
Blackjack side bets, such as 21+3, Perfect Pairs and insurance, are optional extra bets that sit next to your main bet and are settled on their own. They pay large amounts on rare hands, but every pay table on this page has a house edge several times higher than the main game's 0.62% with basic strategy.
- What a blackjack side bet is
- 21+3 side bet: the hands that pay
- 21+3 pay tables and house edge
- Perfect Pairs blackjack: mixed, colored and perfect pairs
- Perfect Pairs pay tables and house edge
- Insurance and even money as side bets
- Are blackjack side bets worth it? Main game vs side bets
01What a blackjack side bet is
A side bet is an extra bet in its own circle, next to your main bet. It is settled on its own and does not change how you play your main hand.
- 21+3 – uses your first two cards and the dealer's up card (the dealer's face-up card). You place it before the cards are dealt.
- Perfect Pairs – uses only your first two cards. You place it before the cards are dealt.
- Insurance – offered only after the deal, when the dealer's up card is an ace.
Each side bet has a pay table – the list of what each paying hand pays. The pay table sets the house edge – the share of each bet the game keeps on average over many hands.
Open the game's help screen and compare its pay table with the tables on this page. The same side bet with different payouts has a different house edge.
0221+3 side bet: the hands that pay
21+3 looks at three cards: your first two cards and the dealer's up card. The three cards are read as a three-card poker hand.
This is a straight: 7, 8, 9 in a row. The 21+3 bet pays on it, whatever happens in your main hand.
| Hand | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Flush | All three cards are the same suit | K, 4, 9, all hearts |
| Straight | Three ranks in a row, mixed suits; the ace can be high (Q, K, A) or low (A, 2, 3) | 7, 8, 9 |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of the same rank, mixed suits | 6, 6, 6 |
| Straight flush | Three ranks in a row, all the same suit | 9, 10, J, all spades |
| Suited trips | Three cards of the same rank and the same suit | Q, Q, Q, all hearts |
This is three of a kind. If all three 6s are the same suit, it is suited trips, which is only possible when the game uses more than one deck.
0321+3 pay tables and house edge
This page covers three 21+3 pay tables: Classic 9 to 1, Five-tier and Four-tier. Classic pays the same amount for every hand; Five-tier and Four-tier pay more for the rarer hands.
The chart below shows every outcome, what each pay table pays for it, how often it happens and the house edge.
| Outcome | Chance (6 decks) | Classic 9 to 1 | Five-tier | Four-tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited three of a kind | 0.021% | 9:1 | 100:1 | 30:1 |
| Straight flush | 0.207% | 9:1 | 40:1 | 40:1 |
| Three of a kind (not suited) | 0.504% | 9:1 | 30:1 | 30:1 |
| Straight | 3.102% | 9:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
| Flush | 5.842% | 9:1 | 5:1 | 5:1 |
| House edge, 6 decks | 3.24% | 4.62% | 6.07% | |
| House edge, 8 decks | 2.74% | 3.70% | 5.42% |
The number of decks changes the house edge too. Here it is next to the main game with the same number of decks.
| Bet | 6 decks | 8 decks |
|---|---|---|
| 21+3, Classic 9 to 1 | 3.24% | 2.74% |
| 21+3, Five-tier | 4.62% | 3.70% |
| 21+3, Four-tier | 6.07% | 5.42% |
| Main game, basic strategy | 0.62% | 0.65% |
Of these three, Classic 9 to 1 has the lowest house edge. Every 21+3 pay table here keeps more of each bet than the main game.
Your game shows a different 21+3 pay table? Try your own pay table in the side bet calculator and see its house edge.
04Perfect Pairs blackjack: mixed, colored and perfect pairs
Perfect Pairs pays when your first two cards are a pair. The dealer's cards do not matter for this bet.
What this pair pays depends on the suits of the two 8s.
| Pair type | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed pair | Same rank, one red card and one black card | 8 of hearts and 8 of spades |
| Colored pair | Same rank, same color, different suits | 8 of hearts and 8 of diamonds |
| Perfect pair | Same rank and same suit | 8 of hearts and 8 of hearts |
A perfect pair needs two identical cards, so it is only possible with more than one deck.
In the main game, a pair is two cards of the same value, and K and Q both count as 10. For Perfect Pairs, the ranks must also match, so K and Q do not pay.
05Perfect Pairs pay tables and house edge
This page covers two Perfect Pairs pay tables. The chart below names each one by what it pays for a perfect, a colored and a mixed pair, and shows how often each pair happens and the house edge.
| Outcome | Chance (6 decks) | 25/12/6 | 30/10/5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect pair | 1.608% | 25:1 | 30:1 |
| Coloured pair | 1.929% | 12:1 | 10:1 |
| Mixed pair | 3.859% | 6:1 | 5:1 |
| House edge, 6 decks | 6.11% | 5.79% | |
| House edge, 8 decks | 4.10% | 3.37% |
- One pay table pays more for colored and mixed pairs.
- The other pay table pays more only for the rare perfect pair.
| Bet | 6 decks | 8 decks |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Pairs, bigger colored and mixed pair payouts | 6.11% | 4.10% |
| Perfect Pairs, bigger perfect pair payout | 5.79% | 3.37% |
| Main game, basic strategy | 0.62% | 0.65% |
If your game pays different amounts, try your own pay table in the side bet calculator.
Perfect Pairs and 21+3 do not lower the cost of the main game. Each side bet adds its own house edge on top of it.
06Insurance and even money as side bets
Insurance is a side bet offered only when the dealer's up card is an ace. It costs up to half your original bet and wins if the dealer's hidden card is a 10, J, Q or K.
If the dealer has blackjack, insurance pays 2:1. If not, you lose the insurance bet and the hand goes on.
Even money is the same bet in another form. When you have blackjack and the dealer shows an ace, you can take a 1:1 payout on your main bet right away.
With 6 decks and no other cards known, the hidden card is a ten-value card about 30.9% of the time. At a 2:1 payout, that leaves the house an edge in every case below.
| Situation | 6 decks | 8 decks |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance, dealer shows an ace, nothing else known | 7.40% | 7.47% |
| Insurance, you hold two cards that are not tens | 6.80% | 7.02% |
| Even money (edge on the half-bet insurance it replaces) | 7.77% | 7.75% |
The even money number is per dollar of the insurance bet, which is half your original bet. More detail is on the blackjack insurance page.
07Are blackjack side bets worth it? Main game vs side bets
This table puts every bet from this page next to the main game. All numbers are for 6 decks.
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Main game, basic strategy, blackjack pays 3:2 | 0.62% |
| 21+3, Classic 9 to 1 | 3.24% |
| 21+3, Five-tier | 4.62% |
| 21+3, Four-tier | 6.07% |
| Perfect Pairs, bigger perfect pair payout | 5.79% |
| Perfect Pairs, bigger colored and mixed pair payouts | 6.11% |
| Insurance, nothing else known | 7.40% |
| Even money (edge on the half-bet insurance it replaces) | 7.77% |
Per dollar wagered, every side bet here costs several times more than the main bet. You can play every hand without them.
- Play your main hand with the basic strategy chart. Basic strategy lowers the house edge; it does not remove it.
- Compare rule sets with the house edge calculator.
- See how often each hand happens on the blackjack odds page.
Side bets are optional; skipping them keeps the cost at the main game's 0.62%. The responsible gambling page has more ways to keep control.
Questions people ask
Are blackjack side bets worth it?
In cost terms, no. With 6 decks, 21+3 and Perfect Pairs have a house edge from 3.24% to 6.11% and insurance has 7.40%, while the main game with basic strategy keeps about 0.62%.
What is the 21+3 side bet in blackjack?
21+3 uses your first two cards and the dealer's up card as a three-card poker hand. It pays on a flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush or suited trips, at the amounts in the game's pay table.
What is the house edge on 21+3?
With 6 decks, Classic 9 to 1 has a house edge of 3.24% and Five-tier has 4.62%. With 8 decks, these become 2.74% and 3.70%.
How does Perfect Pairs work in blackjack?
Perfect Pairs pays when your first two cards have the same rank. A mixed pair pays least, a colored pair pays more, and a perfect pair (same suit) pays most. The pay table with bigger colored and mixed pair payouts has a house edge of 6.11% with 6 decks and 4.10% with 8 decks.
Do side bets change how I play my main hand?
No. The side bet is settled on its own, so you play your main hand the same way as without it.
Is insurance a side bet?
Yes. Insurance costs up to half your original bet and pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack. Its house edge is 7.40% with 6 decks when no other cards are known.
Where the numbers come from
Every number on this page is worked out by our blackjack engine for the rules stated next to it, with perfect basic strategy. Unless a rule is named, the rules are 6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split allowed, no surrender, the dealer checks for blackjack, and blackjack pays 3:2.