Blackjack is a fun game. This is especially true when you are winning. However, in the long run, most of the side bets at your local casino come with a cost that limits the amount you can win. In fact, these side bets are primarily designed to help you make your initial bet, but will eventually force you to lose the game. At voslot, we encourage all players to avoid such blackjack side bets whenever possible and focus on the main goal: to beat the blackjack dealer and win as much as possible in the process.
Voslot is a portable blackjack table for iPhone (including iPhone 6+), iPad and Android. voslot not only allows you to play casino blackjack anywhere, but also offers several new side bets for this game. Blackjack is the most popular casino card game. There is a good reason for this – if you apply what is called “basic strategy”, you can reduce your casino edge to less than 1%, making blackjack the most profitable of all casino games. On top of that, it’s a pretty exciting game, especially when you get into the swing of things. In recent years, many land-based casinos (and live dealer blackjack developers such as Evolution) have begun to introduce various side bets into the game of 21. They claim that these side bets make the game more exciting.
Side bets, also known as side bets, are a great way to enhance your enjoyment of your favorite games. Very popular in land-based casinos, side bets are exciting and enjoyable for players. They provide another level of interaction for players who are interested in increasing the excitement level of their betting experience. But like everything else in the casino world, it’s good to know what you’re getting into before you dive in.
When you look at the popularity of these side bets – and you have to say they do add entertainment for casino patrons, but that’s the thing about blackjack side bets – while they are certainly exciting, they can distract you from the best blackjack strategy. They can distract you from the best blackjack strategy. If you do use side bets regularly, then you’re just adding to the casino advantage. That is, you don’t have to avoid side bets all the time. If you’re feeling lucky, it may be a reasonable idea to bet from time to time, even if that’s the kind of side bet we’ll be talking about in this article. But don’t overdo it – in the long run, side bets can help a casino win.
So, with all that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the worst blackjack side bets currently offered by online casinos.
Strategies to Avoid
Although this method has not been banned, it is still popular with casinos. If the casino notices that you are counting cards, the casino reserves the right to stop your game and you may be permanently banned from the online casino for this strategy. Therefore, do not attempt to count cards unless you want to build your reputation as a blackjack player. Once the casino marks you as a card counter, they may restrict you from using the blackjack option, which you do not want.
Another strategy to avoid is betting. Side bets only take into account the chance factor, which means there is no strategy or way to increase your success rate. They are there to increase the overall low house advantage of blackjack. This advice is mainly for players who want to minimize the luck factor as much as possible. However, if you want to take risks, betting from time to time will not affect you much.
More information on basic blackjack strategy
We have already mentioned that blackjack is a game of skill, which means that you can actually learn some strategies to improve your chances. Game experts have managed to develop an optimal strategy that tells you exactly what to do with each card combination you get. In other words, there are strict rules for when to hit, stand, double down, split pairs or surrender when possible.
These rules are actually written in the blackjack strategy chart. When you play, all you have to do is look at this chart and know exactly what to do in each situation. We recommend that you memorize the chart, because you can maximize your success this way.
Lucky Ladies
Named after a pair of queens, the Lady Luck side note is definitely not worth it. If you get a pair of Queens of Hearts and the dealer hits a Blackjack, this is a side bet that pays 1000 to 1. The chances of this happening are very slim, and only a 1000 to 1 payout is something you should not settle for.
The good news is that this side bet also pays 4 to 1 for a non-flush 20, or 10 to 1 for a flush 20. If you get a matching 20, you will get 25 to 1 or 200 to 1 for two queens of hearts. Even so, the payout is still much smaller than the odds of it actually occurring.
Insurance Bets
The insurance bet is probably the most common side bet in online blackjack, but it is also one you should avoid for a number of reasons.
Whenever the dealer gets an ace as their heads-up card, you can make an insurance bet that will help you hedge your original bet if the dealer gets a blackjack. In other words, if the dealer does get a blackjack, you will lose the original bet, but the insurance bet will pay 2 to 1.
Instead of giving the exact math behind the insurance bet, we’ll say this: In a standard blackjack box, if the dealer gets an ace, there will be 96 winning cards and 215 losing cards, which works out to roughly 7.40% of the dealer’s advantage against this bet. That’s not too bad, but if you stick to the best basic blackjack strategy, it’s still well above the 0.5% average.
It’s better to lose the occasional game to the house than to waste your money on insurance.
Bonus Bets
Microgaming’s bonus blackjack game is a lot of fun, but the bonus feature that comes with it isn’t great for your account balance. As tempting as it may seem, the math shows that it’s actually not that profitable.
The maximum payout is 50 to 1, and you can only win if you get an ace and a jack of spades. But if you calculate the actual casino edge on this bet, you’ll find it’s around 6.46%. This is another bet you should avoid.
