As a professional gambler who has played Live Blackjack at various online casinos, I aim to shed light on Live Casino Blackjack side bets. Having experienced countless gambling sessions, I understand the importance of comprehending these additional wagers and their potential payouts.
In this article, I will briefly explain the most popular side bets, offering a detailed explanation of what they entail. Furthermore, I will also share a list of the top Live Blackjack casinos where my own gambling experience has been nothing but exceptional.
Top Live Blackjack Casinos To Play Live Blackjack With Side Bets
Not every online casino offers Live Blackjack games, let alone allows for side bets. As a professional casino player, I have tried numerous live gambling sites and hand-picked the best live online casinos that will allow you to place numerous Live Blackjack side bets, employ diverse Blackjack strategies, experience interactive multiplier gaming and generate high payouts. Take your time to review the available bonuses, betting limits and gaming options and choose the proper live dealer casino to play Blackjack at.
What Are Live Blackjack Side Bets Exactly?
Live Casino Blackjack side bets are known as additional bets for specific winning combinations unrelated to the primary real-time gameplay. Considered as a “game within a game”, side bets are separate from the main bet and don’t force you to place additional wagers during every game round. In fact, you can often stick to the basic blackjack strategy and play a standard Live Blackjack game.
However, I must emphasize that while side bets may seem alluring, offering generous payouts, you should be aware of their impact on the game’s RTP. In most cases, the basic game offers the highest RTP, and side bets serve as a fun way to pursue a larger payout while taking more risks.
How To Play Live Blackjack At A Casino With Side Bets?
Gambling is an interesting but not simple field of entertainment, so, based on my years of casino experience, I have developed a simple step-by-step guide on how to play Live Blackjack with side bets:
Popular Live Blackjack Side Bets
Based on my extensive experience in live gambling, I can say that most Blackjack tables feature several common side bets that come with different payout structures. Read on as below I briefly explain typical Live Blackjack side bets, as well as show the availability of side bets at various tables provided by the major casino software developers.
| Side Bet | Lucky Streak | Evolution | Ezugi | Extreme Live Gaming | Playtech |
| Perfect Pairs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| 21+3 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Lucky 7s | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Honey Bonus | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Bet Behind | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
21+3
The 21+3 side bet in Live Blackjack or Rummy involves your hole cards and the dealer’s upcard that form poker hands. If the resulting hand is stronger than a pair, you receive a payout based on the strength of the Poker hand:
| Combination | Payout |
|---|---|
| Suited Trips | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| Three-Of-A-Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Flush | 5:1 |
Considering these payout rates, the house edge for the 21+3 side bet ranges from 3.18% to 3.60%. Certain Live Blackjack variations offer a fixed payout of 9:1 regardless of the combination. I found tables of Live Blackjack Bet Behind (Ezugi) and Live Blackjack (Pragmatic Play) to be the best options to place this side bet.
Perfect Pairs
This type of Live Blackjack side bet wins when the two cards that were initially dealt to you by the croupier have the same rank. You have a chance to get higher payouts if the cards turn out to be of the same suit or colour. The side bet is tied to the RTP of 95.82%. Based on the pair your cards form, you may get the following payouts:
| Mixed pair (different colour but the same rank) | 6:1 |
| Coloured pair | 12:1 |
| Perfect pair (matching suit and rank) | 25:1 |
To test your luck with this side bet, I recommend playing Live Blackjack Silver, Lucky Streak Blackjack, or Mayfair VIP Blackjack.
Honey Bonus
If you have already tried placing the 21+3 bet, Honey Bonus will be an easy side wager for you to place, as its main principle involves forming a 3-card Poker hand.
| Card Combination | Payout Rate |
|---|---|
| Flush | 5:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Three-Of-A-Kind | 20:1 |
In addition, the Honey Bonus bet wins if your 2 cards that were dealt at the beginning of the round form an identical suit Blackjack and pays out 3:1. After placing this side bet on multiple betting tables, I would say that BetConstruct’s Live Blackjack is the finest Blackjack game to practice placing this wager.
Lucky 7s
When you place Lucky 7s Live Casino Blackjack side bet, to get a profit, your first card must be 7. I highly recommend being careful when placing such a bet, as the house edge of 49.88% is quite unfavourable. But if you are confident that you can win, you can do so by playing BetConstruct’s Live Blackjack, as the game comes with high payout rates:
| First Dealt Cards | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 is the first card | 3:1 |
| two 7s sevens of different suits | 25:1 |
| two 7s of distinct suits | 50:1 |
| three 7s without matching suits | 100:1 |
| three 7s with matching suits | 500:1 |
Bet Behind Option
You opened the game, but all the seats around the betting table are taken? No need to worry, you will still get your chance to win, as the availability of the Bet Behind option mean that the betting table accepts an unlimited number of gamblers. This option empowers you and other gamblers to bet behind multiple seats simultaneously. Lucky Streak Blackjack and Platinum VIP Blackjack are the first online card games you should pay attention to if you are looking for tables that accept this Live Blackjack side bet.
Insurance Bet
If during the gameplay you see that the live croupier’s upcard is an Ace and there is a high chance for them to get a Blackjack, you may take the Insurance. The Insurance wager, which is placed in addition to the main bet, amounts to half of its value. If the dealer’s hole card is a picture card, your payout will be 2:1, if it has the lower value, your bet goes to the croupier.
Hot 3
One more Live Casino Blackjack side bet that I find to be similar to the 21+3 bet is Hot 3. However, unlike Honey Bonus or 21 + 3, the objective here is to achieve a total of 19, 20, or 21. The most popular game that allows for Hot 3 bet is Live Infinite Blackjack.
| Total card value | Payout |
|---|---|
| 19 | 1:1 |
| 20 | 2:1 |
| non-suited 21 | 4:1 |
| suited 21 | 20:1 |
| three 7s | 100:1 |
Bust It
If you like gambling with some risks involved, I believe there is no more suitable option. Bust It presents you with the challenge of causing the croupier to exceed the card limit. The greater the number of cards the croupier draws before exceeding the limit, the more substantial your payout becomes. A 3-card bust results in a payout equal to the amount you wagered, while an 8-card bust will pay 250 times your original wager.
Progressive Jackpot Side Bets
I will use Progressive Blackjack to explain this type of Live Blackjack side bet. To qualify, you do not need to do much and can start by placing as much as $1. I need to warn you that the first card you receive must be an Ace. Unlike standard Live Blackjack, if you are playing the side bet and are dealt a pair of Aces as your first two cards, I would advise not to form splitting pairs. Winning the entire progressive jackpot requires being dealt 4 Aces of the same suit in a single hand. The side bet pays according to the formed hand:
| Number of Aces | Payout Coefficient |
|---|---|
| 4 suited | Entire Progressive Jackpot |
| 3 suited | 5000 |
| 4 | 2500 |
| 3 | 250 |
| 2 suited | 100 |
| 2 | 50 |
| 1 | 5 |
Other Blackjack Side Bets At Land Based Casinos
Above I have covered the most typical Live Casino Blackjack side bets, but I still have some Aces up my sleeve. Thus, if you are interested in exploring additional side bet options that are available not only in live online casinos but also in land-based casinos, you may place the following wagers:
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to playing Live Online Blackjack, my recommendation is to employ a careful approach to placing side bets and, in some cases, stick to the standard game of Blackjack. Once you become proficient in card counting, you can seek out tables that accept multiple side bets. Additionally, I suggest considering small wagers on side bets that offer significant potential winnings. With these few winning tips and an extensive list of the leading gambling sites with Live Casino Blackjack side bets available at this page, you can start your gambling journey by being fully prepared.
