Blackjack Payouts: What to Expect at the Casino Table

Today’s article is going to explore blackjack payouts, including the payouts for a natural blackjack, and why there are two different payouts, plus what Insurance pays, and the various pay tables listing the payouts for the most popular side bets.

Once you’ve finished the article, you will know all about blackjack payouts, the House Edge and payouts of the various side bets, what I think about betting the side bets, and what Insurance pays, and why it pays those odds.

Let’s jump in...

What are blackjack payouts?

Blackjack payouts refer to the odds that a player receives when playing blackjack. 

There are usually four payouts on any blackjack game:

Standard (1:1)

The first is even money, often expressed as 1:1.  This means that if you bet $10 and win your hand with any hand except a blackjack, the dealer will pay you $10, and you get to retain your $10 bet, for a total of $20.

Insurance (2:1)

Insurance is a bet that the player can make when the dealer has an Ace as their up card. He is betting that the dealer has a 10-value card in the hole.  This means the player is betting that the dealer has a blackjack.  The bet pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack and loses if the dealer does not.  The player is allowed to bet up to half of their original bet – which means he can ‘insure’ his original bet.  If the dealer has an Ace as their up card, she will offer the players Insurance.

Natural Blackjack (3:2 or 6:5)

The third payout includes a bonus if the player gets a natural blackjack. For a couple of centuries, blackjack paid 3:2 – or 1.5 to 1.  A bet of $10 would win $15, and the player keeps the original $10 bet. $10 x 1.5 = $15

The other easy way to calculate what a blackjack pays at 3:2 is to divide the bet by 2, then add the answer to the original bet.  Thus $10/2 = $5, and $5 + $10 = $15.

In the last 20 years or so, the casinos have changed the standard odds of a blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5.  At first, it was just a speculative move on the casinos’ part, but as the players didn’t object and continued to play the game, it became the ‘new normal’.

Nowadays, 6:5 is a common payout on the retail floor in many land-based casinos. 

What’s good for the players is that some casinos have retained the 3:2 payout as a marketing tool to increase their play if they are in a less-than ideal location or want to drive more play for whatever reason. 

The knowledgeable players know what a plus the 3:2 payout is and seek out the casinos that offer it.

It is certainly the best option for the players as changing from a 3:2 payout to a 6:5 payout increases the House Edge by 1.39% - and on a game that has an average House Edge of approximately 0.65% against a knowledgeable player, a 1.39% increase is rightly seen as insurmountable by the players.

Side bets

The fourth payout(s) may be available if the casino offers side bets on their blackjack games. 

What is a side bet? It’s an additional bet on the game, generally not dependent upon the main game, but tied to it by the cards the player (and sometimes the dealer) has been dealt.

Many folks think that Insurance is a side bet.  It’s not.

Why not, I hear you thinking? 

Because a side bet is available to any player who wants to bet it for any hand.  It must be bet before the first card is pulled out of the shoe or pitched in the air and it doesn’t require the dealer or players to have any cards before the bet is made.

Insurance, on the other hand, cannot be bet before the cards are out.  It requires the dealer to have an Ace as their up card, and the players to have two cards already dealt to them. 

It is an integral part of the blackjack game, unlike the true side bets.  

Blackjack Payout Charts

Blackjack 3:2 Payout Charts

Blackjack has paid 3 to 2 in legitimate casinos since the beginning of the 20th century.  It is only recently that the 6 to 5 payout has raised its ugly head. 6 to 5 is a bad thing for the players, so I recommend that you never play it.  Find a 3 to 2 game if you can – it’s worth the extra effort.

Bet	Payout	Bet	Payout
$1	$1.50	$85	$127.50
$2	$3	$90	$135
$3	$4.50	$95	$142.50
$4	$6	$100	$150
$5	$7.50	$125	$187.50
$10	$15	$150	$225
$15	$22.50	$175	$262.50
$20	$30	$200	$300
$25	$37.50	$225	$337.50
$40	$60	$250	$375
$45	$67.50	$275	$412.50
$50	$75	$300	$450
$55	$82.50	$325	$487.50
$60	$90	$350	$525
$65	$97.50	$375	$562.50
$70	$105	$400	$600
$75	$112.50	$450	$675
$80	$120	$500	$750

Blackjack 6:5 Payout Charts

A 6 to 5 blackjack game is not the player’s friend.  By changing the House Edge to 6 to 5, the casino has increased their HE by almost 300%, even against a good player.  Which makes it too strong to overcome, even for a really good player.  

Bet	Payout	Bet	Payout
$1	$1.20	$85	$102
$2	$2.40	$90	$108
$3	$3.60	$95	$114
$4	$4.80	$100	$120
$5	$6	$125	$126
$10	$12	$150	$180
$15	$18	$175	$210
$20	$24	$200	$240
$25	$30	$225	$270
$40	$48	$250	$300
$45	$54	$275	$330
$50	$60	$300	$360
$55	$66	$325	$390
$60	$72	$350	$420
$65	$78	$375	$450
$70	$84	$400	$480
$75	$90	$450	$540
$80	$96	$500	$600

Blackjack Side Bets Payout Charts

A side bet is an optional additional bet that the player (and sometimes ‘and dealer’) will be dealt certain cards during the initial deal of the game.

Recently, I wrote an article for the Academy that gives a detailed description of the top blackjack side bets, called Blackjack Side Bets.  The article includes the House Edge, a typical pay table and a detailed description of the bet and how you win it.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular side bets:

1.    Perfect Pairs

There are three levels of the pair.  A Perfect Pair, a Colored Pair, and the Mixed Pair.

Here’s the pay table for this bet:

2.    21 + 3

This side bet wins if the player’s two cards and the dealer’s up card create a defined poker hand.  Here’s the pay table:

Hand	Payout
Suited Three of a Kind	100 to 1
Straight Flush	35 to 1
Three of a Kind	33 to 1
Straight	10 to 1
Flush	5 to 1

3.    Buster Blackjack

Buster Blackjack is a bet that the dealer will bust.  The amount won changes, based on how many cards the dealer has drawn when he busts his hand.

Cards	Payout
8+ cards & player BJ	2000
7 card & player BJ	800
8+ cards & no player BJ	250
7 card & no player BJ	50
6 cards	18
5 cards	4
3 or 4 cards	2

4.    Lucky Ladies

A pair of Queens of Hearts is the strongest hand, with other pairs winning different amounts.  It can pay 1,000 to 1 for a pair of Queens of Hearts with a dealer blackjack.

Hand	Table A	Table B
Q of hearts pair & dealer has BJ	1000 to 1	1000 to 1
Q of hearts pair	125 to 1	200 to 1
Matched 20	19 to 1	25 to 1
Suited 20	9 to 1	10 to 1
Unsuited 20	4 to 1	4 to 1

5.    Lucky Lucky

This was the first side bet I’d ever seen that included the players first two cards and the dealer’s up card.  It has a House Advantage of only 2.66%, which is why I put it on my casino floor.

Event	Pays
Suited 7-7-7	200
Suited 6-7-8	100
Unsuited 7-7-7	50
Unsuited 6-7-8	30
Suited total of 21	15
Unsuited total 21	3
Total of 20	2
Total of 19	2

6.    Super Sevens/Crazy Sevens/Lucky Sevens

This bet is that some or all of the players cards are a seven.  It encourages the player to hit a 14, even if it’s the wrong Basic Strategy move for the blackjack game.

Event	Pays
7-7-7 suited	5000
7-7-7	500
7-7 suited	100
7-7	50
7	3

7.    Royal Match

This bet wins if the player’s first two cards are suited and pays the most if her cards are a suited King and Queen (the Royal Match).

Hand	Pays
Royal match	25
Suited blackjack	5
All other matches	2.5

8.    Over/Under 13

A simple bet, it pays even money if you get it right.  Both the over and the under lose if the player’s first two cards add up to exactly 13.

9.    Match the Dealer

This bet wins if one or more of the player’s cards match the dealer’s up card.  It pays better the more closely the player’s cards match the dealer’s hand.

Event	Pays
Two suited matches	22
One suited and one non-suited match	15
One suited match	11
Two non-suited matches	8
One non-suited match	4

How to Improve Your Blackjack Payouts

There is no wiggle room for what odds the various bets pay, so it’s not possible to increase them. What is possible is to be a better blackjack player, and this will increase the number of hands you win and increase the amount you get paid.

Go to the Blackjack Academy articles, which will expand your knowledge of the game. You can learn to play perfect Basic Strategy, how to count cards, better bankroll management and a few of the other things that make some players great.

Expert’s Advice

There are a few things that you can start doing right now that will immediately improve your game. Don’t take Insurance, Surrender when you have weak hands against a strong dealer’s up card, double down and split when you’re supposed to, and read our article entitled ‘Blackjack Top 10 Tips’.

Conclusion

Blackjack is a fun and exciting game.  Reading our articles in the Academy about how to play will definitely increase your opportunity to win, and your confidence that you are always playing the best way.

Why do you think that casino executives put side bets on their games?  Is it because they are altruistic and philanthropic organizations that want to help you win more money?  No, I don’t think so either. 

And yes, it’s because they want to make more money. 

So don’t bet those side bets – their only function is to separate you from your bankroll faster.

And may Lady Luck have her head on your shoulder the next time you go out to play.