Table Games BJ Side Bets - Whose got 'em?

First off, I know, I know...side bets/sucker bets/bad odds - if that is your take I agree - but I still play them . With that being said - I'm in SoCal right now and they have a side bet at the local casino called Bad Beat - it consists of dealer pulling a 21 and you pulling a 20 - depending on the number of cards in his/her 21 - you win - all the way up to the progressive (which is at $100,000 w/ a 7 card 21 against your 20 - I know, impossible but...)

My question is: for all you side bet lovers in BJ - where in Vegas can I find a side bet - I don't care if its "perfect pairs", "buster BJ", "Royal match" - whatever.

And I don't care about the rules of the game - I'm just curious where I can find the side bets.

Thanks!
BnV

 

El Cortez has the Royal Match bet on both their single deck and double deck tables.

 

Like you say, they are "sucker bets". So you can find them everywhere, of course. Casinos Love them.

 

Looking for specifics - I can't seem to find them...maybe I'm not looking hard enough?

 

Lucky Lucky at the Encore, last time I was there.

 

I don't really look for them so I can't be sure but I can't think of a single casino that did not have some sort of side bets available on the BJ tables. I would be surprised to find a single casino on the strip or downtown that did NOT offer a side bet on at least some tables.

If you want a list of exactly which side bet is available at each location, that may be tough to do. There's several sources for information on the games available and their rules but they are all geared to the types of players who avoid these side bets.

 

The BJ tables at Gold Spike have a side bet called "Dealer Bust."
If you bet it and the dealer busts, it pays 2 to 1.

 

Lucky Ladies and Royal Match are common; but my absolute favorite BJ side bet is Lucky Lucky. (Descriptions and odds of these and a zillion other side bets, many I never heard of, may be found at http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/appendix/8) Anyway, Lucky Lucky is a side bet based on the player's first two cards and the dealer's up card, and the Wizard describes it having one of the lowest house edges of any side bet. The Gold Coast has it, which I intend to be playing this time next month. Check it out.

 

Hey Now!
I will be joining you on Friday at GC turtleman..
I've got my MP from ACG at the ready!
Be there by sunrise....

 

Flysrb: How long are you in for at GC? I'll be there solo from Wed. morning, and Ms Gecko shows up around midnight on Thursday. We plan on spending most of Friday downtown, but will be staying at GC 'til Sunday when we move to Suncoast. Maybe we can hook up for a drink.

 

Thanks! May have to check it out!

 

Is that the only condition--that the dealer busts?

 

Another good quality of this side bet, if you are not an advantage player, is that it dramatically slows the game down, as there are several conditions the dealer has to check that they wouldn't have to in a normal game.

 

Dealer Bust is a new one on me and sounded really interesting; that is, until I visited the game's creator at http://barrettgaminginternational.com/dealer-bust-21 There's a big proclamation "Dealer Bust 21© – The number one revenue generating blackjack side wager!" That's food for thought. Do I really want to participate in the "number one revenue generating side bet?" Anyway, the site goes on to list properties that offer it, which in Vegas are only the Gold Spike and Tropicana. There's also a link to a mathematical analysis of the side bet. As I interpret things, a lot depends on the number of decks and pay table the casino chooses to use; but overall, the Turtleman doesn't find it overly appealing.

Yes, Lucky Lucky does slow down the game somewhat, as do all side bets. It can also get confusing at times (mostly when drinking heavily) when you get the side bet total confused with your own cards total.

 

I generally don't put any $ on the side bets (every now and then, just for fun - but not like some who do it EVERY time)!

On a cruise ship (Celebrity) a few months ago they had Luck Ladies. On the last night I was dealt two queens of hearts. Dealer showed an ace. I had something like a $50 bet up at the time and said "go ahead, flip the 10, as I want to say that I actually saw it happen". He had the BJ.... 5,000 to 1 odds...

 

Some side-bets are eminently countable. Lucky Ladies (bet your first two cards add to 20) is a good one, because you don't have to count anything special, just a regular hi-lo type count can tell you when to bet it. One that I haven't seen in a long time is over/under 13, but with a specialized count you can get a huge advantage against this one.

Last trip to Vegas at the CET properties I seemed to see the 21+3 everywhere, where you play 3-card poker with your first 2 cards and the dealer's upcard.

 

The other condition is that you actually bet the side bet. :evillaugh

I was told the dealer bust side bet was developed by the guy who brought the "sexy blackjack" to the Gold Spike. The women who deal at Gold Spike also deal at the Trop, so based on what turtleman mentioned, it's possible what I heard is true. And that's rare!

 

It must be true, as party pit dealers and dealertainers are mentioned on Barrett Gaming's website!

 

Hey Now!
we can meet downtown..
I just get up early every day while Ti sleeps in. I like to make my coupon runs solo in the am. Ellis Island is another fav. Not that far from Sam's to GC...

 

Could be a plan! Sent PM.