Seven is the number traditionally associated with luck in many casino games. Most of the time, the Lucky 7 symbol shows up in the slots you find in an online casino, but sevens can also play a special role at the blackjack table in the form of Super 7s. This classic side bet offers players the chance of potential big wins, whether they beat the dealer or not. It’s also theoretically possible to tilt the odds in your favor if you know how to count cards. Let’s take a closer look at how to play Super 7s!
Introducing Super 7s
Also known as Lucky 7s or Crazy 7s, Super 7s is a side bet designed to add interest to blackjack variations by providing an extra betting option. The way it works is that you bet on one or more of the first three cards dealt in the game being a 7. Typically, the cards are dealt from a six-deck shoe. The more 7s dealt, the luckier it is! If the first card the dealer deals you is a 7, it’s a win (the exact amount varies according to the paytable of the specific blackjack game you’re playing). If you receive a second 7 card, you win bigger. You win even more if the dealer’s up card proves to be a 7. If all the cards are suited, the payout is multiplied. But what if the dealer has blackjack? Then the third card guarantee comes into play and the dealer deals you a third card to complete the bet. This means you can win a Super Sevens bet even if you have a losing hand.
Super 7 payouts
So how do these intriguing blackjack side bets pay out? Paytables may vary slightly, but usually, you can expect to be paid 3 to 1 for the first 7 you turn up. This increases to 50 to 1 for two unsuited 7s, 100 to 1 for two suited 7s and 500 to 1 for three unsuited 7s. If you’re already holding two suited 7s and the dealer turns up a third suited 7, you’re in for a handsome payout of 5,000 to 1. The odds of this happening are not great (even online slots offer a better edge), but the possibility of a big win definitely makes this classic side bet worth considering, at least.
How to play Super 7s
If you’ve followed this introduction, you already know how to play Super 7s! Simply place your side bet at the beginning of a session in the dedicated Super 7s betting area on the blackjack table. Your bet is now in play and the dealer can start the session. You’ll find that most tables have a limit on how big a bet you can place on the side, with the maximum bet usually being from $1 to $5. If you’re dealt a pair of 7s and you decide to split your hand, the next card dealt to the first split hand counts for the bet.
House edge and odds
What are the odds of being dealt three suited 7s and receiving that big 5,000 to 1 win? To be perfectly clear, the odds are somewhat stacked against you. If you’re playing a game with six decks and the third card guarantee is in play, the house edge is 11.40%. (This changes to 9.01%, 13.25% and 15.92% for eight, five and four decks, respectively). You have a 14.2% chance of being dealt a single 7, which isn’t bad, but the probability of getting two consecutive 7s in your hand is only 0.005%. For three 7s, it’s 0.0003%, while the chance of getting three suited 7s is a vanishingly small 0.000068%. If the three-card guarantee doesn’t apply to the specific game you’re playing, the odds of receiving a payout are even slimmer.
Counting Super 7s
With odds like that, you know this is a bet you can’t count on winning. In fact, the average player will lose $11.40 on every $100 bet. That’s why the general consensus on side bets is that avoiding insurance bets and Sevens is best. However, it is possible to gain an edge if you know how to count cards. It works like this. You count 7s as -12 and all other cards as +1. A true count of +4 or more is enough to give you an advantage. To work out your true count, divide your running count by the number of decks that remain. Say you have a running count of +12 and three more decks are left to be dealt. This gives you a true count of four (12 divided by 3), in which case it’s worth betting on Super Sevens.
A skillful card counter can achieve an edge of as much as 8.5% over the house in Super 7s. One thing you should be aware of, though, is that this counting strategy only works for live blackjack played with real cards. It’s not much use when it comes to online blackjack because the virtual cards are automatically randomized (shuffled) before each hand.
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