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Bonus Blackjack
Introduction
Throughout the years, I have encountered five distinct versions of a side bet known as Bonus Blackjack. Its connections are unclear to me, but I will describe and dissect each one individually below.
Bonus Blackjack — Version 1
This particular side bet seems to have been a fixture at the Riverside in Laughlin for a long time. It's comprised of two straightforward bets where either the player or the dealer ends up with a blackjack, and successful bets yield a payout of 15 to 1. Players can choose to wager on either a player blackjack or a dealer blackjack. If a player stakes at least $1 on both and both result in a blackjack of ace and jack of spades, they will receive a progressive bonus.
As the quantity of decks increases, the chance of landing a blackjack decreases, which consequently worsens the player’s odds. The table that follows presents relevant information concerning this bet, as elaborated below.
First column: Number of decks
In the second column: The house edge if only a single bet is placed
In the third column: Overall reduction in the house edge for every $100 contributed to the meter when both bets are placed
In the fourth column: The meter value that needs to be hit for the bet to nullify the house edge.
Bonus Blackjack — Version 1
| Decks | House Edge | Reduction in House for each $100 in Meter |
Break-even Meter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22.78% | 3.77% | $604.00 |
| 2 | 23.53% | 3.73% | $630.00 |
| 4 | 23.89% | 3.72% | $643.00 |
| 6 | 24.02% | 3.71% | $647.33 |
| 8 | 24.08% | 3.71% | $649.50 |
Bonus Blackjack — Version 2
Here’s another variant of the side bet titled 'Bonus Blackjack.' I spotted it at the Sycuan casino near San Diego on October 25, 2009, where the only permissible bets were 50 cents or $1. The subsequent table presents the payout structure, probabilities, and expected return for a six-deck game. The house edge outlined in the bottom right corner is an alarming 40.78%. This scenario assumes that players aim for sequences of 678 or 777, irrespective of breaches in basic strategy, a cost associated with such deviations that is not addressed here.
Bonus Blackjack (Sycuan) — Six Decks
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 777 | 500 | 12144 | 0.000404 | 0.201862 |
| 678 | 50 | 82944 | 0.002757 | 0.137873 |
| Suited BJ | 20 | 357120 | 0.011872 | 0.237447 |
| Loser | -1 | 29627712 | 0.984966 | -0.984966 |
| Total | 30079920 | 1 | -0.407784 |
The following table depicts the house edge across varying numbers of decks.
Bonus Blackjack (version 2) — Analysis of the House Edge
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 2 | 45.16% |
| 4 | 41.92% |
| 5 | 41.24% |
| 6 | 40.78% |
| 8 | 40.20% |
Bonus Blackjack — Version 3
I came across this third iteration of Bonus Blackjack at the Riviera casino on November 17, 2012. This version was played with a single deck, and payouts depend on the player’s initial two cards, with the highest payout additionally considering the dealer’s cards. Everything you need to be aware of is detailed in the following table.
Bonus Blackjack — Version 3
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player and dealer blackjack | 25 | 2,880 | 0.001773 | 0.044325 |
| Player suited blackjack | 10 | 18,880 | 0.011623 | 0.116231 |
| Player unsuited blackjack | 3 | 56,640 | 0.034869 | 0.104608 |
| Pair | 2 | 95,550 | 0.058824 | 0.117647 |
| Suited | 1 | 362,600 | 0.223228 | 0.223228 |
| All other | -1 | 1,087,800 | 0.669683 | -0.669683 |
| Total | 1,624,350 | 1.000000 | -0.063644 |
The lower right cell indicates a house edge of 6.36%.
Bonus Blackjack — Version 4
I observed this fourth iteration of Bonus Blackjack at the Golden Gate on October 27, 2016. It bears similarity to version 3 mentioned earlier. The return table below outlines each winning scenario, payout amounts, probabilities, and their contribution to overall returns based on a six-deck setup.
Bonus Blackjack — Version 4
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player and dealer blackjack | 25 | 5,034,240 | 0.002167 | 0.054163 |
| Suited blackjack | 15 | 26,328,960 | 0.011331 | 0.169961 |
| Suited pair | 10 | 37,358,100 | 0.016077 | 0.160772 |
| Unsuited blackjack | 5 | 78,986,880 | 0.033992 | 0.169961 |
| Unsuited pair | 3 | 134,489,160 | 0.057878 | 0.173633 |
| All other | -1 | 2,041,476,480 | 0.878556 | -0.878556 |
| Total | 2,323,673,820 | 1.000000 | -0.150065 |
Should you encounter this bet in a game featuring a different number of decks, the subsequent table will outline the house edge, assuming that all other factors remain unchanged.
Version 4 House Edge
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 8 | 14.16% |
| 6 | 15.01% |
| 5 | 15.69% |
| 4 | 16.71% |
| 2 | 21.87% |
Version 5
I discovered what I refer to as Version 5 of Bonus Blackjack at the Rampart casino in Las Vegas. Winnings are contingent upon the player’s first two cards as well as the dealer’s up card. For my detailed rules and analysis, check out my dedicated page on Version 5 of Bonus Blackjack .
