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Live Blackjack and Baccarat Side Bets – Worth the Punt?

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Blackjack and baccarat games available in live (online) format have evolved considerably over the last couple of years and today, depending on what casino you are playing at, options other than your vanilla blackjack and baccarat bets exist. They are often referred to as side bets – because you can play then in addition to, or rather than the conventional game bet.

An example of a side bet option starting to pop-up on a few live blackjack and baccarat games is the pairs bet. In this case you are given odds of various combinations of pairs being dealt (to the Player and/or Banker hand in baccarat, or your hand in blackjack).

The payouts look attractive. For example, in blackjack, a game which played conventionally has a maximum payout of 3:2 for hitting a blackjack, you can get 25: 1 on the perfect pair bet at some casinos (perfect pairs means your first 2 cards are identical – same number and suit). You’d be forgiven for thinking this is great value, particularly as blackjack (along with baccarat) is one of the best returning casino games when played optimally.

This of course begs the question – are side bets a good bet?

Conventional wisdom says no. Typically, side bets are designed to be easy to place and look attractive in terms of payouts offered but from a mathematical standpoint their house edge is typically not good. The house edge on a game of blackjack, played optimally (and depending on shoe size and rule variation) is somewhere in the order of 0.5%. The house edge on pairs side bets paying 6:1, 12:1, 25:1 for red/black, colored and perfect pairs respectively are closer to 4%. The clear message – the conventional wisdom holds true in this case, and the pairs side bet should be avoided.

Milton Shaw writes for a number of gambling related portals including http://www.Livedealer.org which offers live blackjack reviews at its live blackjack page.

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