Blackjack Side Bets Explained

The perfect way to enhance your online blackjack experience is to make use of the blackjack side bets.

Side bets will allow you to expand the potential of the game by introducing more winning potential.

Some online blackjack side bets payout based on a combination of your cards and the dealer’s cards, while others only focus on what you or the dealer has on the hand.

Try a Blackjack Game with Side Bets

100

100 - Bonus

100 - Game Selection

100 - User Friendliness

100% up to 125.000 ₹ Bonus
225 Free spins
  • EXCLUSIVE Welcome bonus!
  • ₹300 minimum deposit
  • 40x wagering requirement
paytm
upi
g-pay
phonepe
99

99 - Bonus

99 - Game Selection

99 - User Friendliness

100% up to 100.000 ₹ Bonus

Popular Crash Games

  • Quiz and win FOR FREE!
  • NEW: Android app & Rewards!
  • 35x wagering requirement
paytm
upi
phonepe
g-pay
93

95 - Bonus

100 - Game Selection

85 - User Friendliness

100% up to 134.774 ₹ Bonus
150 Free spins
  • Withdrawals in 15 minutes!
  • ₹100 min. deposit!
  • Website in Hindi & English
paytm
imps
phonepe
upi
100

100 - Bonus

100 - Game Selection

100 - User Friendliness

120% up to 450.000 ₹ Bonus
250 Free spins
  • Weekly 10% Cashback!
  • Gift Boxes!
  • 20x Wagering Requirement
paytm
g-pay
upi
imps
89

85 - Bonus

83 - Game Selection

100 - User Friendliness

20% up to 1.400.000 ₹ Bonus

With Ambassador Snoop Dogg!

  • Over 6300 casino games
  • Roowards Loyalty Program
  • One-of-a-kind Snoop Dogg promotions
visa
mastercard
astropay
muchbetter
90

90 - Bonus

90 - Game Selection

90 - User Friendliness

100% up to 500.000 ₹ Bonus
300 Free spins
  • Weekly Tournaments
  • Crypto friendly casino
  • 40x wagering requirement
visa
skrill
neteller
bitcoin
97

95 - Bonus

95 - Game Selection

100 - User Friendliness

200% up to 25.000 ₹ Bonus
200 Free spins
  • Weekly Cashback
  • Live Tournaments!
  • 35x Wagering Requirement
upi
paytm
g-pay
phonepe
90

100 - Bonus

80 - Game Selection

90 - User Friendliness

100% up to 100.000 ₹ Bonus

Best Desi Games

  • Up to 20% Weekly Cashback!
  • Play with as little as ₹1
  • 35x wagering requirement
paytm
upi
visa
g-pay
65

70 - Bonus

50 - Game Selection

75 - User Friendliness

200% up to 75.000 ₹ Bonus
180 Free spins
  • Innovative Casino Promotions
  • Unique Game of the Week spins!
  • 40x wagering requirement
visa
mastercard
skrill
astropay

What is a Blackjack side bet?

Blackjack side bets are unique bets that you can place in addition to your main hand bet.

It is required of you to place a main bet for you to be able to place one or more side bets, except for the Bet Behind bet.

These “special” bets will pay regardless of if your main hand wins or not. In other words, you can lose your hand but still win a side bet.

Side bets markings on the felt of a blackjack table.

Why should you place blackjack side bets?

Side bets are a lot of fun! They are highly entertaining to play as they allow you to be on the lookout for different cards than you would usually want when playing the main blackjack bet.

The majority of the Indian blackjack casino sites that we list offer blackjack tables with side bet blackjack rules and options.

Side bets can payout up to 2000 times your bet, which makes for the potential of huge wins!

All the side bets available in online blackjack

The most common side bets you’ll find at real money blackjack tables are Perfect Pairs and 21+3.

Different casino game providers will have different betting options available. Live casino blackjack side bets can also differ from the ones available in RNG games. From all the tables we’ve tried out, those from Evolution and Playtech provide the largest selection of side bets. Side bets work the same in low and high-limit blackjack, but the amount you need to bet to qualify might differ.

We’ve collected some of the most popular side bets in blackjack bets here below.

Perfect pairs

This online blackjack side bet focuses on the first two cards dealt to you or the dealer. And, as the name suggests, we are looking for pairs here.

The payout varies depending on the type of pair revealed:

Mixed Pair – Cards have different colors and different suits.

Colored Pair – Cards have the same color but different suits.

Perfect Pair – Cards have the same color and the same suit.

21+3

21+3 is the most popular side bet in blackjack and delivers the most entertainment.

It introduces poker hands into the mix, paying you if your hand combined with the dealer’s creates a five-card poker hand.

The valid hands are:

Flush – All cards in the same suit.

Straight – Five cards in sequence.

Three of a kind – Three cards of the same kind.

Straight Flush – Five cards in sequence in the same suit.

Suited triple – Three cards of the same kind in the same suit.

Bust It

The Evolution Infinite Blackjack table offers this side bet. The bet is placed on the dealer busting their hand by going over 21.

The payout is determined by the number of cards needed for the dealer to go bust. Three cards will pay 1:1, while eight cards will pay 250:1!

Buster

Exclusive to Playtech’s AllBets Blackjack Live table, this side bet offers significant rewards.

The bet will pay when the dealer busts their hand, just like the Bust It bet, but there’s also an additional kicker to this side bet in the form of two top payouts where the player has a blackjack and the dealer busts.

If the dealer busts with 8 cards and you’ve got a Blackjack, the payout is a whopping 2000:1!

Hot 3

Yet another side bet available on the Infinite Blackjack table is the Hot 3. This side bet is based on card totals, combining your first two cards and the dealer’s up card.

Qualifying combinations are:
7-7-7 (unsuited)
A suited hand valued 21
An unsuited hand with value of 21.
A suited hand with a value of 20.
A suited hand of 19.

Bet Behind

Bet Behind is the only side bet where you don’t need to place a main bet first. This bet allows you to bet on another player’s hand as if it’s your own.

The difference here is that you have no say in the other player’s actions, so you’ll want to make sure that you are betting on a player using a decent blackjack strategy!

Betting behind another player can often be done at a lower bet level than a standard bet, allowing you to win with a smaller bet amount.

Blackjack side bets payout

Perfect Pairs

Side Bet Payout
Perfect Pair 25:1
Colored Pair 12:1
Mixed Pair 6:1

21+3

Side Bet Payout
Suited Trips 100:1
Straight Flush 40:1
3 of a Kind 30:1
Straight 10:1
Flush 5:1

Bust it

Side Bet Payout
Busts with 8 or more 250:1
Busts with 7 100:1
Busts with 6 50:1
Busts with 5 9:1
Busts with 4 2:1
Busts with 3 1:1

Hot 3

Side Bet Payout
7-7-7 100:1
Suited 21 20:1
Unsuited 21 4:1
Suited 20 2:1
Suited 19 1:1

What is insurance in blackjack?

You’ve probably seen it written on the blackjack table; “Insurance pays 2:1”, but what is it, and should you take insurance when offered?

You’ll have the option of the Insurance side bet when the dealer’s up card is an Ace. With Insurance, you place a bet half of your main bet, and it pays 2:1 if the dealer reveals a blackjack with their second card.

The general rule is to NEVER TAKE INSURANCE, as the risk of losing versus the low payout is not worth it.

More Blackjack Guides