Blackjack has several variations along with various side bets where perfect pairs are one of the standard additional bets. Blackjack Perfect Pairs enable the players to place a separate wager on the two cards dealt initially, essentially required to be a pair. The pair options are Blackjack perfect pairs, a mixed pair and a coloured pair. Naturally, the probability of acquiring any kind of pair on the two initial cards are extremely low but can yield a higher reward. Higher risks may offer higher payoff in all the side bets of Blackjack.
Blackjack Perfect Pairs – General Rules
a) Simple Additional bet: Perfect pair rules are easy to grasp and apply in the game. The wager lost or won in perfect pairs is separate from the main Blackjack wager.
b) Bets to be placed at the start: Perfect pair wagers must be placed prior to the dealing of cards. Hence, it should be put forward along with the main Blackjack bet in the respective denoted boxes on the table.
c) Minimum bet amount: A perfect pair bet need not be equivalent to the wager of the regular Blackjack game, nonetheless, it must be the minimum bet of the table. Players can also bet on other players’ hand of cards.
d) Ends when the game begins: Once the bets are placed and the first two cards are given, all perfect pair bets are settled instantly. Further, the original game of Blackjack continues normally.
Types of Blackjack Perfect Pairs and a Typical Payout
There are three types of pairs that sanction a payout: a perfect pair, a coloured pair and a mixed pair. Players only win by getting any one of these pairs but the payout is based on how exceptional the pair is dealt. Further, the three types of perfect pairs are as follows:
1) Pair of mixed red & black cards (a pair): The first two drawn cards have the same face value with the exception of colour and suit. An appropriate example to explain the mixed pair is a six of clubs and a six of spades.
2) Coloured Pairs: The two cards dealt would have the same face value as well as the colour, with the exception of a suit. An appropriate example would be the kings of hearts and the king of diamonds.
3) Dealing with perfect pairs: The two cards, in the beginning, are exactly the same including the face value, suit and colour. An appropriate example would be 2 jacks of clubs.
Blackjack Perfect Pairs – Probability and House Edge
Blackjack Perfect Pairs provide a very low probability of winning especially because a standard game is played with eight decks. So, the probability of a perfect pair is 1.7% and the payout would be 25:1. Whereas the probability of picking a coloured pair is 1.9% and for a mixed pair is 3.9%. A very low percentage of a perfect pair results in a high house edge, therefore, players must wisely bet over a longer period of time in order to incur good payouts.