Introduction

21+3 is a popular blackjack side bet that combines your two cards and the dealer’s up card to form a three-card poker hand, similar to other blackjack side bets like Lucky Ladies. In this guide, you’ll learn how 21+3 works, how payouts are calculated, and what you should know before betting it.

Playing the Game

Before the cards are dealt the player has two choices as to where they can place their bet. The first bet is mandatory and it is the blackjack bet. The second choice is optional and this is the 3 card poker side bet. The 3 card poker side bet cannot be played by itself. The player must have a minimum blackjack bet in order to play the 3 card poker side bet.

The 3 card poker side bet is played first and once the hand is determined and the bet is paid the game will continue as a normal blackjack game.

The initial cards are out and the dealer is determining the hand

The player will receive two cards. Combine these initial two cards with the dealer’s up card to see if you won the 3 card side bet. If the combination of the three cards equals a straight flush, 3 of a kind, straight or flush then the side bet will be paid immediately. After all of the side bets have been paid, the hand will continue as a normal blackjack hand.

Tipping the Dealer

If the Player wishes to tip the Dealer with a 3 card side bet tip, then the player will place that tip to the right of the 3 card side bet. If the Player wishes to tip the dealer with a blackjack bet tip then the player will place that tip in front of the blackjack betting circle.

Different Versions

There are different versions of this game that affect the payout of a winning side bet. Every house is different, so different casinos might have different payoffs.

The normal version pays 9 to 1 for each winning combination regardless of the ranking. In order to figure out the payout, take the amount of the side bet and times it by 9.

The “21+3 Extreme” version offers a gradual pay scale based on the rank of the hand.

Poker Rankings

A Straight flush is any 3 consecutive numbers that all share the same suit. An example would be a 5, 6 and 7 of hearts. A Straight Flush pays 30 to 1. Times the bet by 3 and then add a zero.

A 3 of a kind is any 3 cards of the same rank. An example would be a 5 of clubs, 5 of spades and a 5 of hearts. The ten value cards must be all the same rank as well. This means that J, J, J is a winning hand while 10, K, J is not a winning hand. 3 of a kind pays 20 to 1. Times the bet by 2 and add a zero.

A Straight is any 3 consecutive numbers of a different suit. An example is a 10 of diamonds, a Jack of spades, and a Queen of clubs. A Straight pays 10 to 1. Take the amount of the bet and add a zero.

A Flush is any 3 cards with the same suit. An example of this is a K of clubs, an 8 of clubs and a 4 of clubs. A Flush pays 5 to 1. Times the bet by 5 or, a second way to do the math is you could add a zero to the bet and then divide the bet by 2 or half it.