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Pair Blackjack Side Bet
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Introduction
The "Pair" is a simple side bet based on the player's first two cards and the dealer's up card. The object is to have a pair, or better yet a three of a kind, among these three cards. I saw the side bet at the Venetian in Las Vegas on October 8, 2024.
Rules
The following are the rules for the Pair side bet.
- Any number of decks may be used, but I highly suspect the pay table at the Venetian is meant for double-deck games only.
- All wins are based on the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card.
- If the three cards from rule 2 form a three of a kind, the Pair bet pays 30 to 1.
- Otherwise, if the player's two initial cards form a pair, the Pair bet pays 5 to 1.
- Otherwise, if one of the player's initial two cards forms a pair with the dealer's up card, the Pair pays 2 to 1.
- All other outcomes lose.
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Analysis
The following table shows my analysis for a two-deck game. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 10.85%.
Two-Deck Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind | 30 | 2184 | 0.003998 | 0.119931 |
| Player pair | 5 | 34944 | 0.063963 | 0.319817 |
| Any pair | 2 | 69888 | 0.127927 | 0.255854 |
| Loss | -1 | 439296 | 0.804112 | -0.804112 |
| Total | 0 | 546312 | 1.000000 | -0.108509 |
The following table shows the house edge for 1, 2, 6 and 8 decks.
House Edge Summary
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 8 | 0.08% |
| 6 | 1.28% |
| 2 | 10.85% |
| 1 | 24.94% |
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