Played with basic strategy, blackjack offers one of the lowest house edges in a casino. Side bets appear next to the main circle and promise payouts of up to 100:1 on the first cards dealt.
Those payouts come at a price. Perfect Pairs and 21+3 cost several times more per dollar than the main hand, and the difference adds up quickly over a session.
Below: where side bets fit at the table, how Perfect Pairs and 21+3 pay, the house edge on each, a cost comparison over 100 hands, and what to check at a live table.
Where Side Bets Fit at the Table
Side bets are separate wagers placed before the deal. They settle on the first cards, usually the player’s first two and sometimes the dealer’s upcard, regardless of how the main hand ends.
Once the cards fall, strategy has zero effect. The main hand rewards good decisions, while a side bet’s return depends only on the paytable and the number of decks.
Perfect Pairs
Perfect Pairs pays when the player’s first two cards share a rank. Payouts climb with how closely the two cards match, as the table below shows for a common eight-deck paytable.
|
Pair type
|
Example
|
Payout
|
Chance with eight decks
|
|
Perfect pair
|
Two kings of hearts
|
25:1
|
1.69%
|
|
Coloured pair
|
King of hearts and king of diamonds
|
12:1
|
1.93%
|
|
Mixed pair
|
King of hearts and king of spades
|
6:1
|
3.86%
|
Last verified: October 2026
Pairs of any kind appear about 7.5% of the time. Combined with those payouts, the bet holds a house edge of about 4.10%, which matches the 95.90% return Evolution publishes for a similar paytable.
21+3
21+3 treats the player’s two cards and the dealer’s upcard as a three-card poker hand. Modern five-tier paytables reward rarer hands with bigger payouts, as set out below.
|
Hand
|
Example
|
Payout
|
Chance with eight decks
|
|
Suited trips
|
Three sevens of clubs
|
100:1
|
0.02%
|
|
Straight flush
|
5, 6, 7 of hearts
|
40:1
|
0.21%
|
|
Three of a kind
|
Three sevens, mixed suits
|
30:1
|
0.52%
|
|
Straight
|
5, 6, 7, mixed suits
|
10:1
|
3.10%
|
|
Flush
|
Three hearts, no sequence
|
5:1
|
5.88%
|
Last verified: October 2026
That paytable holds a house edge of about 3.70%, a 96.30% return. Older tables that pay a flat 9:1 on any of these hands come in at roughly 2.74% with eight decks, so the flashier paytable costs slightly more.
Comparing the Cost Over 100 Hands
Side bets look small next to the main stake, yet their edge works on every hand. The comparison below uses a $10 main bet and a $5 side bet, with a main-game edge of about 0.5% under typical rules and basic strategy.
|
Bet
|
Stake per hand
|
House edge
|
Expected cost over 100 hands
|
|
Main hand
|
$10
|
About 0.5%
|
About $5
|
|
21+3
|
$5
|
About 3.70%
|
About $18.50
|
|
Perfect Pairs
|
$5
|
About 4.10%
|
About $20.50
|
Illustrative figures; actual results vary widely.
Half the stake on the side bet produces roughly four times the expected cost of the main hand. Results swing far more in the short run, which explains why side bets feel generous on a lucky night.
Other Side Bets on Live Tables
Live studios add further side bets. Evolution’s Infinite Blackjack, for instance, offers Hot 3 and Bust It alongside pairs and 21+3 bets, and other studios run Lucky Ladies or progressive jackpots.
Paytables vary by table, so open the help panel and look for the return figure before any side bet. Our explainer on live blackjack lobbies covers why blackjack tables dominate live sections.
Side Bets at Dexsport
Dexsport tags 648 live blackjack tables, the largest live category in its lobby. Studios on the platform include Evolution, Playtech Live, Ezugi and Pragmatic Play Live, so side bet menus and paytables differ from table to table.
Blackjack hands, side bets among them, feed the casino turnover Dexsport requires before a withdrawal: two times the deposit. Dexapp LTD trades under an Anjouan licence.
For a wider look at game costs, see our house edge figures across crypto casinos.
Conclusion
Blackjack side bets trade the main game’s low edge for bigger, rarer payouts. Perfect Pairs pays when the first two cards share a rank and costs about 4.10% on a common paytable, while 21+3 turns three cards into a poker hand and costs about 3.70%.
Over 100 hands, a $5 side bet can cost around four times as much as a $10 main hand. Paytables change those figures, so the help panel deserves a look at every table.
Treat side bets as entertainment with a clear price. Check the law where you live, play only at legal age, and expect that KYC or AML checks may apply. Responsible gambling starts with a session limit.
Disclaimer: The information here is provided for general purposes only and is not legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Paytables, deck counts and house edge figures vary by table and studio and change over time, so check each table’s rules before you play. Casino games involve risk, and rules vary by country, so check the law where you live. Please play responsibly, within your means, and only if you are of legal age.
