Side bets a side show that will not go away

The one table game that has the most side bets associated with it is blackjack.

It seems as if inventors and gaming companies are always coming up with new, gimmicky ideas about how to relieve players of their money.

The reason for this is simple. Blackjack just happens to be the most popular of all table games, and it also has the lowest house edge among all games when you play correctly using basic strategy.

Casino owners know this, which is why they are constantly looking for blackjack side bets to entice casual players, and sometimes even serious ones, into throwing extra money on the table in pursuit of a bonus win.

The casino "hold," or the money the house wins at blackjack, is something gaming executives are always looking to beef up.

The base game sometimes does not generate the revenue they want, so the carnival games come into play, often with obscene house advantages.

Here's a letter from reader Jack T. who inquired about one blackjack side bet in particular that has a big following:

"Casinos in northwest Indiana have a side three-card poker wager that pays 9 to 1. It seems to pay off much and is very popular.

The side bet to which Jack is referring is called "21 + 3," which has been around for a good number of years and attests to its popularity and revenue generating might.

Although some bets of this type have only fleeting fame in casinos before they disappear, "21 + 3" has staying power mainly because players are attracted to it, and the wager successfully inflates the hold on the blackjack tables on which the bet appears.

The payoff is based upon the player's first two dealt cards and the dealer's up card. If the three cards combined make a flush, straight, straight flush or three-of-a-kind, the return is 9 to 1.

That's an enticing lure on the surface of things, but the house edge has been calculated at 3.24 percent, which is more than three times greater than the edge on the blackjack game alone when playing basic strategy.

Making a side bet on "21 + 3" occasionally can add a degree of fun and intrigue to the game, but a consistent diet of these bets on every hand takes away whatever advantage you are deriving from playing blackjack alone.

If you want to play blackjack and you play it well, always stick to the base game.

Side bets are not only a distraction, but they will eat into your profits even though they look on the surface like a fun way to rake in a little extra cash.

There are so many other table-game varieties other than blackjack to get you in the "carnival" mood such as Caribbean stud poker, Let it Ride, three-card poker, Texas Hold'em bonus poker and Mississippi Stud.

All those games pack a house edge much higher than blackjack, but they are what they are.

Blackjack is really in a class all by itself because of the fluctuating mathematical probabilities and the player's ability to use skill.

Casino news

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John G. Brokopp is a freelance casino columnist and author.

He can be reached at jbrokopp@comcast.net