21 3 Side Bet

The 21+3 side bet is based around the outcome of the player’s two cards and the dealer’s upturned card. The possible outcomes are a flush, straight, three of a kind, or straight flush. 21+3 Blackjack 21+3 Blackjack is a very popular side bets blackjack variation, invented and patented by Derek J. The game is a combination of blackjack and three card poker, where your first 2 cards and the dealer’s face up card are used to combine a three card hand. Side bets at blackjack come and side bets at blackjack go. Mostly they go when players discover their money is disappearing a little too rapidly. One that’s lasted, though, is 21+3, which combine blackjack with a three-card poker hand. One reason it’s lasted is that the house edge is 3.24 percent, on the low side among side bets. The house edge for the 21+3 side bet will vary depending on the number of decks used, standing at 8.78% for four decks, 7.81% for five decks, 7.14% for six decks and 6.29% for seven decks. As for side bets, the payouts go from 9:1 on the 21+3 side bet all the way up to 5,000:1 on the Triple 7s bet when you get three suited 7s. When compared with the prizes that the Ante can earn you, the side bets seem quite tempting. However, when you see the house margin they come with, you can understand how risky they are.

1. 21 + 3 Side Bet
2. 21+3 Blackjack Side Bet

Of all the table games on offer in Las Vegas casinos, blackjack is by far the most popular among both recreational gamblers and seasoned strategists alike.

For one thing, blackjack’s status as a skill-based game allows players with knowledge of basic strategy to play every hand perfectly. Sure, you’ll still win some and lose some even with basic strategy on your side, but playing an optimal game shaves the house edge on blackjack down under 0.50 percent using standard Sin City rules.

Even better, blackjack is relatively easy to learn for beginners, allowing anybody with a few bucks and a basic knowledge of the 52-card deck to take a shot. You don’t need to know byzantine rules and exotic bets a la craps, making blackjack the perfect entry point for rookie gamblers just trying to have a good time.

But when you sit down to play this classic card game in most Las Vegas casino resorts nowadays, you’ll have much more than standard 21 to choose from.

Thanks to the addition of various side bets – or optional wagers that are played alongside your standard hand – modern blackjack manages to spice things up in more ways than one. Along with the usual even money payouts for beating the dealer, and those sweet 3 to 2 bonuses – or 6 to 5 in most venues on The Strip – for landing a natural blackjack, side bets offer an opportunity to reap massive returns on minimal wagers.

I’m talking about “jackpot” payouts that can reach 1,000 to 1 on your money, making blackjack side betting a potentially lucrative gamble for players who don’t mind backing the occasional longshot.

And to be fair, blackjack side bets aren’t always extravagant longshots that only hit once in a blue moon. Depending on the side bet you prefer, adding an extra chip on top of your base bet can easily produce a winner or two during every shoe dealt.

Many self-styled blackjack experts scoff at the folks who enjoy side bets, labeling them as “suckers” who don’t know what they’re getting into. True enough, if gambling like a robot programmed to play optimal strategy at all times is your bag, I can definitely understand that perspective.

21 + 3 Side Bet

With that said, I gamble to have fun and enjoy myself at the table, with entertainment and camaraderie the priority more so than purely perfect play. Don’t get me wrong, I still employ basic strategy guidelines when playing my base hand, but I have no hesitation whatsoever when it comes to splashing around on a side bet when the mood strikes.

If you’re like me, side betting when you’re wagering on blackjack is something you enjoy, this page is for you. Below you’ll find detailed guides on the rules, payouts, odds, and probabilities associated with several of the most commonly spread blackjack side bets found in Las Vegas.

Introduction to the 21 + 3 Side Bet

The granddaddy of all blackjack side bets, 21 + 3 was rolled out at the Las Vegas Hilton (now known as the Westgate) way back in 2001.

As the “+3” portion of the title suggests, 21 + 3 is a side bet based solely on combining your two-card starting hand with the dealer’s lone up card. When those three cards come together to create qualifying three-card poker hands, you’ll earn a juicy payout of 9 to 1 on your money.

Here’s how it works…

After putting up your ante bet for the base game, you can also add a second bet on the special 21 + 3 logo emblazoned on the felt. From there, the base game plays out identically to normal blackjack, so you don’t have to worry about any deviations from the standard rules and gameplay.

After the dealer doles out your two cards to start the hand, along with their own two cards – one face down and the other face up – you’ll immediately know whether or not your 21 + 3 side bet has scored a winner.

How to Land a Winner On the 21 + 3 Side Bet

Here are the five qualifying three-card poker hands that trigger a 9 to 1 payout on this fun side bet:

21 + 3 Side Bet Qualifying Hands

Whenever you match up your two-card starting hand with the dealer’s up card to create one of the combinations shown above, you’ll be rewarded with a 9 to 1 payout.

And the best part is, the outcome of your base blackjack bet has no bearing on the 21 + 3 side bet. That is to say, you could land a lowly 14 and proceed to go bust, or watch the dealer flip up a natural 21, and those losing situations won’t affect your 21 + 3 winner.

Probabilities and House Edge Rates for the 21 + 3 Side Bet

At this point you’re probably wondering just how likely – or unlikely if you’re a pessimist by nature – landing one of those qualifying three-card poker hands happens to be. That’s a great question, so check out the table below to find the answers:

21 + 3 Side Bet Combos, Probabilities, and Expected Return Rates

As you can see by scanning the data above, the most likely scenario when placing a 21 + 3 side bet is to land a non-qualifying hand. You’ll make nothing at all just under 71 percent of the time, with slightly under 20 percent of deals resulting in one pair, but not enough to trigger a winner.

With that said, roughly 10 percent of all hands will result in a 9 to 1 payout, with a flush being the most likely winner at a 4.72 percent clip.

From there, hitting a straight is the next most likely outcome (3.10 percent), followed by a one pair + flush combo (1.12 percent), then three of a kind (0.52 percent), and finally the straight flush (0.20 percent).

When you add it all up, the lower right-hand entry in the table above shows a house edge rate of 3.24 percent on every 21 + 3 side bet placed. That’s a tad higher than the 0.50 percent average house edge faced by basic strategy blackjack play, but it’s still well within the realm of respectability when it comes to casino table games.

Consider this… when you spin a double-zero roulette wheel in Sin City, the game offers a house edge of 5.26 percent across the board. Double-zero roulette, like the 21 + 3 side bet, is a pure game of chance, but gamblers from all walks of life still enjoy taking a flier on their number or color coming in. Same goes for the slots, which run an average house edge rate of between 5-9 percent depending on the game and its various features.

All things considered, adding a little bit of intrigue to your regular blackjack session at a cost of only 3.24 percent house edge is well worth it when fun is the name of your game.

Traps to Watch Out for When Playing the 21 + 3 Side Bet

All of the information provided thus far on this page pertains to the standard version of 21 + 3 as produced by Galaxy Gaming.

That means 9 to 1 payouts on all winners, and a six-deck shoe used by the dealer.

Unfortunately, the casino industry loves to tinker with reasonable side bets in order to tilt the odds even further in the house’s favor. For that reason, you should remain wary whenever you see the 21 + 3 side bet spread in ways that deviate from the 9 to 1, six-deck shoe model.

For example, you might find the casino’s house rules for blackjack use a differently sized shoe. Some venues prefer to use a four-deck shoe, while others opt for an eight-deck alternative.

As a general rule of thumb, whenever the shoe contains fewer decks, you’ll find the house edge on 21 + 3 side bets goes up – which is bad news for the player.

21+3 Blackjack Side Bet

Another way the casinos look to trick unsuspecting players who like to wager on 21 + 3 action involves an offshoot known as “Xtreme.” In this case, the house is hoping a slightly modified pay table hooks players in, only to punish them with exorbitant house edge rates in the process.

Xtreme 21 + 3 Side Bet Combos, Probabilities, and Expected Return Rates

As you can see, the allure of an Xtreme 21 + 3 side bet is seemingly that sweet 30 to 1 payout up top on the straight flush. Of course, you’ll only land the elusive straight flush on one-fifth of one percent of all deals, making it a nonstarter to say the least.

But when you make the most attainable of the 21 + 3 qualifying hands, the basic flush, you’ll see your payout drop from 9 to 1 down to 5 to 1.

All things considered, betting on the Xtreme 21 + 3 side bet swells the house edge working against you all the way up to 13.39 percent. That’s more than four times as high as the regular 21 + 3 side bet, making the Xtreme version of the worst options on any table game floor.

Conclusion

Now that you know the ins and outs of blackjack’s most popular side bet, it’s up to you to decide whether or not the added gamble is up your alley. Personally, I don’t mind dabbling on the additional wager when I’m feeling lucky, because a 3.24 percent house edge is perfectly reasonable within the context of longshot gambling. The next time you visit Las Vegas for some blackjack action, budget a few bucks on the side to try the 21 + 3 side bet for yourself.