Blackjack Poker Side Bet
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Blackjack With Poker Side Bet
I spotted the Poker bet at some blackjack tables in the Zurich casino on March 12, 2018. It is the same thing as the 21+3, except it pays 8.5 to 1, instead of 9. Following are the full rules. The Poker bet pays based on the poker value of the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card. Found as a side bet for traditional games of blackjack, this is one of the better side bets that you’ll find. The goal is to get a pair with the first two cards, and a suited pair offers an even larger payout. Multiple decks are to be preferred, as this increases the opportunity for pairs.
Introduction
I spotted the Poker bet at some blackjack tables in the Zurich casino on March 12, 2018. It is the same thing as the 21+3, except it pays 8.5 to 1, instead of 9. Following are the full rules.
Rules
The Poker bet pays based on the poker value of the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card. If the three cards form a straight, flush, straight flush, or three of a kind, the bet pays 8.5 to 1.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis for six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 8.08%.
Poker Bet — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 8.5 | 11,408 | 0.002276 | 0.019342 |
| Three of a kind | 8.5 | 25,272 | 0.005041 | 0.042848 |
| Straight | 8.5 | 155,520 | 0.031021 | 0.263682 |
| Flush | 8.5 | 292,896 | 0.058424 | 0.496600 |
| Pair | -1 | 977,184 | 0.194918 | -0.194918 |
| Loser | -1 | 3,551,040 | 0.708321 | -0.708321 |
| Total | 5,013,320 | 1.000000 | -0.080766 |
The house edge with four decks is 9.03% and with eight decks is 7.60%.