“Match the Dealer” is a type of a blackjack side bet that players can make to make more money. It paves the way for an exciting blackjack betting strategy, but it also comes with a view of pitfalls that would make you want to avoid it. Therefore, let’s take a look at this unique bet and whether it is a helpful idea to be matching the dealer.
Blackjack Match the Dealer Bet – How Does it Work?
The winning conditions for this side bet are quite straightforward – if the rank of your initial cards matches dealer’s cards, you win the gamble. Therefore with this view, all you have to do is make this side bet and expect the best possible outcome at the beginning of every hand. Moreover, if your cards both match in rank and suit, you will receive even bigger rewards.
This type of wager is available in most variants of blackjack, including Spanish 21 and Down Under Blackjack. The chances of getting an unsuited or suited match vary a lot, depending on the deck number employed in the game. Getting suited matches can be basic and risky though in the hunt for pairs.
How Does Blackjack Match the Dealer Bet Pay?
Apart from the number of decks, the payouts differ depending on the type of game. However, we will focus only on blackjack in this article.
Two Decks : If you play the game with two decks, an unsuited match will pay 4:1. In other words, if you bet $50, you would get $200 once your cards’ rank matches the dealer’s. If you manage to create a suited match, meaning that both you and your dealer get identical cards both rank-wise and suit-wise, the bet will pay 19:1. That is the highest possible single card payout you can get when making this type of side bet.
Four Decks : An unsuited match also pays 4:1 in blackjack games that use four decks. However, a suited match is decreased to 12:1.
Five Decks : Blackjack types that use five decks will pay only 3:1 in an unsuited match. However, the suited match is a bit more challenging to achieve in comparison to four-deck blackjack, so the odds are set to 15:1.
Six Decks : An unsuited match would also pay 4:1 in six-deck blackjack. Incidentally, the probability of making a suited match is the highest with six decks, so the payout for it is set to 11:1.
Eight Decks : Finally, all blackjack types that use eight decks will pay 3:1 for an unsuited match and 14:1 for a suited match.
Other Possibilities
All the probabilities and payouts above are for one card only. However, your rewards can be higher if both of your cards are unsuited or suited matches. In fact, many blackjack games that allow this type of side bet will pay for the following possibilities:
- One non-suited match
- Two non-suited matches
- One suited match
- One non-suited and one suited match
- Two suited matches
You should take into view that two suited matches are tough to get. In reality, it is possible only when played with more than two decks. The highest pay for two suited matches that you can get is 30:1 for five-deck blackjacks. However, the probability of winning that bet is 0.000180, so you have to be extremely lucky.
Is Match the Dealer a Good Blackjack Betting Strategy?
You probably already know that blackjack is a casino game with the lowest house edge. Therefore, casinos first introduced these side bets as a way to increase the edge on their end and earn more money from players.. These bets add a new layer of entertainment when playing blackjack, resulting in two different schools of thought about this side bet.
Professionals’ Advice – Stick to the Original Bet
Every professional blackjack player would advise you to stay out of any kind of additional bet, including insurance bets and match the dealer bets. The underlying reason is that they can affect your overall gains in the long run. All betting strategies do not include placing side bets simply because they are not profitable.
It’s Not Always about Blackjack Betting Systems
However, many blackjack enthusiasts would disagree with the statement that players should always avoid a blackjack side bet. The game of blackjack is a game of chance above all, and it is still exciting to test your luck with a couple of side bets. You can win a lot of money if you are fortunate enough, and no strategy can help you with that.
Therefore, if you are a type of person who likes playing card and table games just for fun and for the “thrill,” then “match the dealer” bet is something you should consider trying, but make sure not to overdo it, it won’t make you a wizard.
There are many basic blackjack side bets, and their primary purpose is to spice up the game and offer players to test their luck. Many blackjack variants include other types of side bets such as an insurance bet and perfect pairs bet.
If you plan to stick to basic blackjack strategies, you should avoid placing this kind of wager as it will only increase the house edge in the long run. On the other hand, if you only want to have fun, feel free to place these bets occasionally.
