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As I was playing blackjack at the casino today I encountered a side bet that I thought may be exploitable by counting. Its called Jackpot Blackjack.
You can bet $1-$25 on it.
Payout is as follows using your two cards and the dealers up card.
Three aces suited 250-1
Three aces not suited 100-1
Three Jacks, Queens, or Kings (suited or not) 30-1
If you bet the side bet and lose or push your normal blackjack bet you also lose the side bet. However, if you win your normal blackjack bet you also get paid for the side bet like a normal hand. For example, you put $10 on the normal blackjack bet and $10 on the Jackpot Blackjack side bet and you win your hand. The dealer pays you $10 for your normal bet and $10 for your side bet for a total of $20.
The side bet is just like another normal blackjack bet except you lose on pushes, you cannot double or split, and you get paid 1-1 on blackjacks. But there is always the hope you get 2 aces and the dealer gets one as well. This bet reminded me of the lucky ladies side bet the way the count probably coincides with the normal Hi-Lo strategy.
Is there someone who knows the house edge of this bet or knows how to count this?
Ignoring that for the moment, if you assume a full 5-deck shoe, there are (312)C(3) = 5,013,320 groups of three cards.
For each suit, there are (5)C(3) = 10 groups of three Aces, so there are 40 groups of suited Aces; this is 1 / 125,333 for something with a 250-1 payout, and even then, you have to win your hand.
There are (20)C(3) - 40 = 1100 groups of unsuited Aces; this is about 1 / 4558.
There are (20)C(3) = 1140 groups of Kings, 1140 of Queens, and 1140 of Jacks, for a total of 3420; this is 1 / 1466.
In effect, this is treating your side bet as a normal bet, but increasing the payout for a win by 222600/5013320, or about 4.4% - but you then have to subtract any advantage you could have gained from doubling or splitting, or a blackjack.
You will double less often. You might also split less often, depending upon what the sidebet payout rules are when you split your hand.
In Between Blackjack Side Bet
Also, the rule that your sidebet loses when you hands pushes means that you will tend to stand a little bit more often -because hitting your hand produces less equity. I haven't worked the math, but I am guessing that if the size of the sidebet =your main bet then you will:
Stand on 16 vs 10
Stand on 12 vs 4 (and maybe on 12 vs 5)
Stand on 13 vs 2
You can still lose your regular blackjack bet and win your side bet. If you are dealt two Aces and the dealer gets an ace your side bet would be paid and then the hand would continue to be played out. It's only in the case where you don't win your side bet (right away) then the regular bet determines the side bet payout.
Here's a couple scenarios.
1. You bet $10 on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. You are dealt a 19 and the dealer busts. You win $10 from the regular bet and $10 from the side bet for a total of $20.
2. You bet $10 on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. You are dealt an 18 and the dealer gets an 18. You push your $10 regular bet and you lose your side bet so you lose a total of $10.
3. You bet $10 on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. You bust. You lose both bets for a total of $20.
4. You bet $10 on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. You get AA and the dealer gets an Ace (unsuited). You win $1,000 from the side bet and then you continue to play the hand. Even if the dealer has a BJ you still get your money from the side bet.
The guy next to me had $10 bet on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. He got a pair of 6s. He split and won one and lost one. His side bet got paid as a win so he ended up netting +$10.
So by your math the side bet is worth playing if 4.4% is greater than the % disadvantage of not being able to double, split, or get 3/2 BJ.
The guy next to me had $10 bet on regular blackjack and $10 on the side bet. He got a pair of 6s. He split and won one and lost one. His side bet got paid as a win so he ended up netting +$10.
Do you remember if that was his first or second hand that won? I believe every sidebet I've seen that is based on player hand resolution has gone to the first hand, but if they're paying out if EITHER of them win, that's another factor in the player's favor.
The fact that your sidebet loses when your main bet pushes is a big deal. Normally in BJ you push about 13% of the time. So, ignoring the bonus payouts, I expect that the sidebet will have an EV in the range of -15% to -20%.
Do you remember if that was his first or second hand that won? I believe every sidebet I've seen that is based on player hand resolution has gone to the first hand, but if they're paying out if EITHER of them win, that's another factor in the player's favor.
It was the players first hand that won. And if it would have been the other way around and his first hand lost and second hand won I'm not sure if he would have been paid for the side bet, I'm guessing not.
I have been assuming that the bonuses for AAA and other hands get paid immediately - even before the dealer peeks. Otherwise the sidebet would be a terrible bet - with AAA the dealer will have blackjack with a frequency of 4/13 and player would be claiming his bonus payout less than 40% of the time!
Correct, the bonuses get paid immediately.
AAA suited P= 0.0000188 Return = 0.004701
AAA unsuited P= 0.000398 Return = 0.039758
JJJ or QQQ or KKK P= 0.001249 Return = 0.037474
Top 3 Blackjack Side Bet
Total Return with 8 decks = 0.081933.Blackjack Side Bets Las Vegas
If the first 52 cards out of the 8-deck shoe are all in the range 2-9, then the value of the bonus payouts will rise to 0.122429.Online Blackjack With Side Bets
EDIT: I am now estimating that, ignoring the bonuses, the side-bet will have an EV = - 0.145 to -0.155. So, including the bonuses, the house edge on the side-bet with 8 decks is something in the ballpark of 7%.Blackjack Side Bets Games
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