Classic blackjack spiced up with the possibilities of poker — that’s the blackjack side bet 21+3 in a nutshell. Inspired by traditional poker hand rankings, this intriguing wager gives blackjack players an extra betting option that offers a fun second chance to win, even if they lose the main game. You’ll find this popular side wager just about everywhere blackjack is played, from the Vegas Strip to your favorite online casino games, so it’s worth getting to know how it works and whether you can beat it.
Here’s a closer look at this intriguing blackjack side bet.
What Does 21+3 Mean in Blackjack?
If you place a 21+3 side bet in blackjack, you’re betting that the first two cards you’re dealt will combine with the dealer’s up card to form a winning poker hand. There are several different hands that you can make, each with a different payout based on your chance of landing them.
Here are the different combinations, starting with the least difficult.
- Flush: Any three cards of the same suit. For example, the queen, ten and nine of hearts. Pays +500 odds.
- Straight: Any three cards with consecutive values, regardless of suit. For example, 5♥, 6♦, and 7♣. Pays +1,000 odds.
- Three of a kind: Any three cards of the same value. For example, a 7♥, 7♠, and 7♦. Pays +3,000 odds.
- Straight flush: Three cards of the same suit with consecutive values is a straight flush. For example, 5♥, 6♥, and 7♥. Pays +4,000 odds.
- Suited three of a kind: Three cards of the same suit and with the same face value. For example, three 10♠. Pays +10,000 odds.
Please note that payouts may differ depending on which version of blackjack you’re playing.
The straight flush is the strongest hand in poker (otherwise known as the nuts) but not in blackjack. In this scenario, the nuts is the suited triple. In other words, three cards of the same suit and with the same face value. You’ll never see suited three of a kind at a poker table, but it’s possible in blackjack because cards are dealt from multiple decks, with six decks being the standard.
How To Play
There’s nothing complicated about placing this blackjack side bet. The game starts with players placing the minimum stake to play, as well as any bets on the side. If the table you’re at accepts 21+3 bets, there’ll be a designated box for you to put your chips in (a betting limit usually applies).
The hand then commences with the dealer dealing each player two cards. Then, the dealer gets one card face up and another one face down. If your hand and the dealer’s up card make one of the poker hands mentioned above, you get paid out. It doesn’t matter if the dealer eventually beats you or if you go bust; you’ll still win this side bet.
Odds and Payouts
Should you play side bets in blackjack? That’s a question every player has to answer for themselves after carefully weighing up the blackjack side bet odds and the risks. Sometimes, the answer is obvious. For example, most players will avoid insurance because the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the house. This might not be the case with the 21+3 side bet, but this wager still doesn’t offer as good odds as a standard blackjack hand.
That being said, the 21+3 side bet is different when compared to many other side bets. When you look closer at this blackjack side bet, 21+3 has a unique characteristic. The 21+3 winning hands all have different odds, and their payouts vary correspondingly. For example, playing online blackjack with a live dealer means that you’re playing with a six-deck shoe, the probability of landing a flush is 0.058424, and the payout odds are +500. Straights pay out odds of +1,000, and the odds of your making one are 0.031021. Next up, a straight flush will pay you +3,000 odds at a probability of 0.002068. Climbing the payout ladder, three of a kind unsuited will net you 33x your stake on a probability of 0.005041. Finally, three of a kind in the same suit pays out +10,000 odds, but your chances of making it are on the low side, at 0.000207.
Overall, the house edge for this side wager is 3.62%, which is more or less on par with many online slots.
Can You Beat the 21+3 Side Bet?
So, is this bet worth it? The fact is that for most players, placing wagers on the side is purely about adding variety to the game. Considering the different probabilities of winning a poker hand, it’s still a higher risk, and you shouldn’t expect to win this bet very often. That said, it’s theoretically possible for careful players to do better for themselves than the average player. This involves counting the side wager.
According to one school of thought, blackjack players who know how to count cards ought to focus on the flush. That’s any three cards of the same suit, so you’re really focusing on the four possible suits. Observe which suit comes out the least in the first dealing round and start counting it. Say the suit you pick is spades. Whenever a spade is dealt, subtract 1 from your count. For every four cards drawn, add 1. Finally, divide your total by the number of decks that are yet to be dealt. If your count reaches either +4 or -5, the chances of making a flush are good enough to give you a statistical advantage.
Of course, that’s no guarantee that you’ll land your bet, so don’t count on it. In recreational gambling, the focus should always be on fun, not on the expectation of making money.
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