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Perfect pair blackjack offers players the chance to spice up their blackjack experience with an exciting side wager. The perfect pair bet can be challenging to win, but it offers huge payouts when it hits.
This perfect pair blackjack guide will examine the game itself and explore the best strategy for this style of blackjack. I will discuss my experiences playing this game at one of the top blackjack casino sites. Also, I will tell you the strategy I used and how successful it was at beating the casino in perfect pairs blackjack.
What is Perfect Pairs Blackjack?
First and foremost, what is perfect pairs blackjack? The basics of the game are the same as classic blackjack. You want to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 points as possible without going over. What sets this variation apart from standard blackjack is the perfect pairs side wager.
In this optional bet, you want to get a pair of cards in your starting hand. The better, or more perfect, the pair is, the higher your payout odds. At OKBET Casino, for instance, mixed pair offers a 6:1 payout, colored pairs payout at 12:1, and a perfect pair rewards you with 25:1 odds.
This wager is optional, but many players choose to make this bet every hand to take advantage of its high payout odds. The rest of the rules for the game are the same as standard multi-deck blackjack games. So, strategies such as the basic blackjack system and advantage play techniques can still be employed.
Blackjack Perfect Pairs Strategy
I decided to test my luck with the perfect pairs bet by playing Perfect Pairs Blackjack at Ignition Casino. For the purposes of this evaluation, I decided to bet $2 per hand and place a $1 Perfect pairs wager every round.
Perfect Pair Blackjack Rules
Rules for blackjack, even specific variations like perfect pairs, can vary from one casino to another. When playing online, the rules and payout odds can vary from developer to developer. For this test, I played a version of perfect pairs at Ignition with the following rules:
- Dealer must hit on soft 17
- Natural pays 3:2
- Insurance pays 2:1
- Mix pairs pay 6:1
- Colored pairs pay 12:1
- Perfect pairs pay 25:1
The minimum stake amounts for this variation were $1 pet bet, and you could wager up to $500 per bet. Also, this variation allows the player to bet on two hands at once, a feature that I took advantage of. It also allows for surrendering, but I did not need to use this feature.
General Play Strategy
I limited myself to only playing 50 hands of this perfect pairs blackjack game. Since I played two hands per round, I went head-to-head with the dealer 25 times. I also kept my stakes the same every round, betting $2 on each hand and $1 on the perfect pairs bet.
In total, I bet $3 per hand or $6 per round. To ensure I kept the stakes the same, I used the rebet feature after each round.
My overall strategy for this assessment was to stick to a basic blackjack strategy. For instance, I never hit on a hard 17 or higher. Also, I doubled down on hard 11s, soft 17s, and whenever else was deemed appropriate according to basic strategy.
Finally, I did not take the insurance bet when it was offered. Some people are willing to accept the risk of this side wager, but I opted against it this time around. The only side wager I chose to make was the perfect pairs bet.
Results From Perfect Pairs Blackjack
In 50 hands in this blackjack perfect pair game, I was able to make $19 in profit. That may not seem like much, but I was betting just $2 per ante wager and $1 per perfect pair bet.
Check out the table below to see my results from playing 50 hands of this perfect pairs blackjack game.
As you can see, sticking to basic blackjack strategy allowed me to win 23 of the 50 hands I played against the dealer. I also pushed twice and had two naturals, resulting in a 3:2 payout.
No strategy is perfect, and that includes the basic blackjack strategy. Even following this highly praised blackjack method, I still lost via a bust 11 times. I was also penalized at times for playing two hands at once, as both hands would lose if the dealer had 21.
After 50 hands, I was only able to win the perfect pairs bet six times. Four of those wins were for a mixed pair. I also had one colored pair and one perfect pair in 50 tries.
Was the Perfect Pairs Bet Worth It?
After examining my results above, the biggest question that remains is whether it was worth it to make the perfect pairs bet. If you look strictly at the numbers, there is a case to be made for wagering on this side bet.
I wagered $1 per hand on the perfect pairs bet, meaning I risked a total of $50 on the wager throughout my 50 hands played. My four mixed pairs, one colored pair, and the lone perfect pair netted me $61 total. Wagering $50 to win $11 is hardly worth the risk, in my opinion.
If not for the perfect pair I landed during this short playing session, making this wager would have cost me money. It still decreased my winnings, resulting in just $19 in total profit on 23 wins.
How Would I Change My Perfect Pairs Strategy?
If I were to play perfect pairs again, I would keep most of my strategy the same. Making the perfect pairs wager every hand proved beneficial. Also, it is the only way to avoid missing out on potential winning hands in this game.
I would adjust two parts of my strategy, though. First, I would avoid playing two hands against the dealer at once. The handful of times the dealer got 21 proved even more detrimental than usual, as I often lost two good hands instead of just one.
Also, I would consider increasing my ante wager on each hand. My wins in the base game would be able to make up more for my losses on the perfect pairs side bet. A 5:1 ratio, for instance, could make the losses from the side bet less noticeable than the 2:1 ratio I used.
Where to Play Perfect Pairs Online
Perfect pairs variations of blackjack allow you to make one of the easiest side bets in the popular table game. You can try your luck at this style of blackjack at these secure casino sites today.
OKBET Casino
The best option for playing perfect pairs blackjack today is OKBET Casino. I chose this site to test the game specifically because it has a great user interface and offers multiple versions of perfect pairs to choose from.
New members of OKBET can claim an exciting welcome bonus worth up to $1,500 in extra casino funds. The 300% deposit match also rewards you with funds to use in this casino’s top-notch online poker room.
Lucky Cola Casino
Lucky Cola Casino is another great place for playing perfect pair variations of blackjack online today. You can play paid versions or free demos of this card game at this casino. When you do decide to play the paid version, you will have exciting payment methods, such as Bitcoin, at your disposal.
New members of Lucky Cola can also claim great welcome offers to help them fund their blackjack bankrolls. The crypto welcome bonus, for example, offers a 125% deposit match on your first three deposits. You can claim up to $3,750 in bonus blackjack funds with this bonus.
MNL168 Casino
I also recommend MNL168 Casino for people looking to try perfect pairs blackjack. This casino offers traditional perfect pairs and blackjack with other side bets. For instance, you play blackjack with perfect pairs, 21 + 3, and other side wagers in the same game.
MNL168 offers a great 600% welcome bonus worth up to $3,000 in extra funds to qualifying members on their first deposit. It also has a great VIP program that will reward you daily for playing blackjack at this casino.
Is Perfect Pairs a Smart Blackjack Side Bet?
Perfect pair blackjack is one of the easiest variations of the classic table game to master. Most of the game is identical to the original, except for the perfect pairs wager. Check out the blackjack guide above for my experience playing 50 hands with the perfect pairs side bet.
Ultimately, I would recommend perfect pairs blackjack to anyone looking to try table games with side wagers. It is not my favorite kind of blackjack, but a winning strategy can still prevail despite the additional risk of the side bet.
