Blackjack Side Bets: Revealing the Facts

The Top Online Casinos in the Poland with Blackjack Side Bets

While we do not endorse side bets, there are instances where taking a risk may present an opportunity worth considering.

Listed below are the finest online casinos for Polish players that provide side bets. If you choose to use a side bet, we advise exercising caution and discretion.

Unveiling the Truth About Blackjack Side Bets

When inexperienced players like us sit down at a blackjack table, can you guess the house edge working against us? It stands at 0.7%.

In most cases, this percentage may not seem significant. However, in the context of blackjack, it is substantial. By employing a perfect blackjack strategy, players can reduce the house edge to as low as -0.54%.

Naturally, the specific number of decks and the rules employed by the real money blackjack casino will influence these figures. As online blackjack players become more knowledgeable, online casinos offering live casino blackjack must adapt accordingly.

To counteract this growing wave of astute blackjack players, online gambling platforms have come up with an ingenious solution. Can you guess what it is? Take a few seconds to ponder.

If you can’t recall or are unsure, the answer lies in the addition of side bets by blackjack casinos, further enhancing their profit margins.

For instance, when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, the casino may offer you an insurance bet.

Understanding Insurance Bets in Blackjack

Let’s examine the concept of insurance in greater detail. The positive aspect is that players can wager up to half of their initial bets on the insurance line. But is this truly advantageous? Let’s find out.

You might be wondering what the fuss is about insurance. After all, if the dealer obtains a blackjack, you would lose your initial bet, right? Well, insurance is meant to cover the lost bet against the dealer’s blackjack.

How does insurance function in blackjack? If your bet is $5 and the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, you can place a $2.50 insurance bet.

Moreover, experienced blackjack players understand the importance of maintaining emotional composure.

The last thing you want is to leave the casino feeling frustrated. If you’ve had a few unfortunate sessions at the table, it’s best to call it a day and try again another time.

When does the dealer offer insurance to blackjack players? Insurance is offered when the dealer reveals an Ace as their upcard.

Simple Explanation of Blackjack Insurance Side Bet

If the dealer obtains a blackjack, they will collect your $5 bet, but they will pay you 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. The dealer will then return your insurance bet of $2.50 along with your initial $5 bet.

As a result, you won’t lose anything. However, if the dealer does not have a blackjack, you will forfeit the $2.50 wager placed on insurance and continue playing the hand. This raises the question: Is the insurance bet good or bad?

Statistically speaking, insurance is not favorable for the player. If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, they will win the hand approximately 3 times out of 10. To simplify matters for you, the blackjack player:

If your average bet per hand is $5, you will lose 3 out of 10 hands. If you are interested in statistics and analysis, consider learning how to utilize online casino game statistics to your advantage.

If you decline insurance, your loss would be $15. On the other hand, if you opt for insurance at $2.50 it will cost you $17.50 after playing 3 hands.

This is why blackjack experts generally advise against taking insurance bets, as they can become costly. The bottom line is to never take insurance.

The Reality of Blackjack Side Bets

Are side bets in blackjack truly advantageous? Some blackjack casino players firmly believe in insurance as the only way to play when holding a blackjack, especially if the dealer’s up card is an Ace.

Let’s analyze the numbers once again. Remember, the dealer will have a value of 10 when they have an Ace approximately 3 times out of 10.

Considering that blackjack pays 1.5 to 1, your objective should be to win the bet 7 out of 10 times. Assuming your average bet per hand in blackjack is $5, you would win $52.50.

It is preferable to win the hand in this manner, as winning it 10 times would result in a $50 win.

Other Side Bets – First 2 Cards Total 20

To illustrate our point, let’s assume that top live dealer casinos in the Poland offer a side bet on obtaining a total of 20 with your first two cards, allowing for an additional side wager.

The casino will pay out on that wager regardless of the outcome. Many casinos offer a payout of 3 to 1, with odds of 9 to 1 of getting a total of 20 on your first two cards.

If you decide to place a side bet on each hand, you will end up losing. The house edge jumps from a mere -0.54% to a staggering 24.71% in a 6-deck blackjack game.

Buster Blackjack – Additional Side Bets

Buster Blackjack is another side bet offered by casinos, where the player wins money if the dealer goes bust. However, there is a small catch.

The payout the player receives depends on how many cards it took for the dealer to go bust. The more cards it takes for the dealer to bust, the more money the player wins.

If the dealer stands on a soft 17, they will bust 29.1% of the time. On the other hand, if the dealer hits on a soft 17, the bust rate increases to 29.6%.

The odds against the player losing the hand are around 2 or 3 times, making it rather unremarkable.

Push Your Luck

Push Your Luck is a side bet where the player’s hand ties with that of the dealer.

This bet pays 10 to 1 if the player pushes the dealer. Interestingly, compared to the previously discussed side bets, the house edge on this bet is relatively small.

If you bet the maximum amount on this side bet, which is half of your initial bet, the edge increases from 0.51% to 0.76%, assuming you are playing with a deck of 6 cards.

The cost of this bet is 0.25%, resulting in a win approximately 1 out of 10 times, which is not particularly favorable.