Offering the longest odds in the classic card game, you’d be hard-pressed to find a blackjack fan who doesn’t like the occasional side bet. Perfect Pairs is without any doubt one of the most popular options. It’s very straightforward, it can pay long before the round is complete, and there are multiple ways to win. Here’s what you need to know about making the most of the Perfect Pairs side bet in blackjack.
While not found at all blackjack tables online, side bets offer players more ways to win beyond the outcome of their hand versus the dealer’s hand. In this case, the Perfect Pairs side bet can pay on your first two cards. If the hand you’re dealt is a pair, you’ll be awarded a payout of up to 30 to 1 if you’ve placed the side bet.
As getting blackjack in the game usually pays 3 to 2, you can see why the Perfect Pairs bet is so sought after in online blackjack these days.
The point of Perfect Pairs for the casino and table is to help the game stand out from other blackjack games. For players, it adds variation to their gameplay. Standard blackjack boasts a limited number of betting options, which contributes to the simplicity of this card game. However, with so many casino games available online, many welcome the additional side bets integrated into some blackjack table games – especially as they pay instantly.
The key to the Perfect Pairs side bet is that there’s more than one way to win. The big one is the Perfect Pair. It can pay up to 30 to 1 but requires two cards of the same value and suit. Next in line is the Colour Pair. Paying up to 12 to 1, you need two cards of the same value and the same colour. The lowest-paying of the side bet is the Mixed Pair, which can be won with two cards of the same value but different suits and colours. This one pays up to 6 to 1.
Each win generated by the Perfect Pairs side bet has several different winning combinations. Some require a very specific double, while others have a bit more wiggle room. What’s true between all of the winning combinations is that the value on the cards needs to be the same.
Perfect Pairs is the ultimate winning combination of this blackjack side bet. Two Queen of Spades cards, two Three of Hearts cards, two Seven of Clubs cards, or any other exact pair allow for this much sought-after hand. Colour Pairs also need two of the same value, but the suit can be different, such as with a Four of Hearts and a Four of Diamonds.
A mixed Pair is the easiest to get. With any two cards of the same value, you’ll win a Perfect Pairs side bet with a Mixed Pair payout. A hand of a Five of Clubs and a Five of Hearts will win the side bet, as would a Jack of Spades with a Jack of Diamonds.
The actual probability of each combo varies a fair bit. Looking at eight-deck blackjack games, which is the standard online for RNG or live games, Perfect Pairs has around a 1 in 600 shot of coming in or around 0.17 percent. For Colour Pairs, the chances increase mildly to 0.19 percent or 1 in 533. Mixed Pairs have a 3 percent chance of coming in or around 1 in 37.5 percent.
Perfect Pairs Blackjack is a type of blackjack table game with the optional side bet called “Perfect Pairs.” You can bet on this before any round and will get paid if you get one of three Perfect Pairs on the deal.
To place a Perfect Pairs side bet, you need to put chips on the side bet position before the cards are dealt. If the first two cards that you’re dealt (your hand) include two cards of the same value, you’ll win the side bet.
The only winning strategy for Perfect Pairs blackjack is to place chips on the side bet. Other than that, it’s all down to the randomised shuffle and deal of the cards.
You can play Perfect Pairs blackjack online. Simply search for RNG blackjack games with side bets or explore the live casino blackjack games featuring side bets.
The odds of getting a perfect pair depend on the number of decks in play. Usually, online blackjack tables come equipped with eight decks in the shoe, which makes the probability of getting a perfect pair around 1 in 600.
Card counting is exceedingly difficult to leverage for Perfect Pairs. Not only do you need to remember all of the values that have come through, you also have to memorise the exact suits to maximise its effect at a perfect pair's blackjack table.
Some who place Perfect Pairs of side bets in blackjack assume that pairs of colours or suits will trigger a win. However, this is a very common mistake. The only way to win with this side bet is to have, at the very least, two cards of the same value on the deal.
You can play Perfect Pairs Blackjack right here at LeoVegas! Celebrated games like Blackjack Party have the Perfect Pairs betting option on the table.