This got me thinking about the overall game, (1) how likely is it that a player would have to split his hand if dealt a pair? (in my play it happens seemingly often), (2) the correlation between this side bet and House Money 21 (similar in that if you have pair and need to split you use the side bet money to pay for the split), and (3) was the fact that you can use the side bet win to pay for the split included in the analysis of determining the house edge for this game or does it even matter?įirstly, the usual correct strategy is not to play side-bets (but you probably already know that). At this point my bankroll wasn't that large and if I had not been betting the side bet, paying for the split and double down would have put most of my bankroll at risk. I get paid $50 on the pair bet, split, 8/3 double 10 (21), 8/10 (18) stand and dealer busts. I was dealt a pair of 8s against dealer's 5. So last night I was on a nice streak starting at $10 (w/$5 pair side bet) and was up to $40 (w/$5 pair side bet).
As I have stated before, when I play blackjack I always increase my bet after each consecutive winning hand and then back to table minimum after a loss.
