Today we are going to take a look at some of the worst bets that you can place onto the table when you are playing Blackjack online, there are quite a number of mug bets as they are known in the industry, and if you enjoy playing this popular card game then to pay attention to what we are about to tell you!
Before you set a game of Blackjack into live play, and also as you are playing in a game you are going to be given the option of placing additional bets in the hope that they prove to be winning ones. It is of course dependent on the variant of Blackjack you are playing as to when and if such bets will be offered to you.
All Blackjack games, by virtue of their payouts and playing rules will have a pre-determined house edge, and this is a theoretical amount that, during the life time of that particular Blackjack game, the casino offering it is likely to win. The lower the house edge the better for the Players of that game, but the only way to get as near to that house edge is by playing each hand perfectly.
With this in mind we will now present to you the worst bets you can place when playing Blackjack online, and all of the following bets will affect the house edge of the Blackjack game variant you are playing, and not in the favor of the Players!
Insurance Side Bet Wager
One of the worst bets you can place when playing virtually all Blackjack game variants is the Insurance wager, this is paid out at odds of 2 to 1 and you will be allowed to place this bet when the Dealer’s up facing card could, once the second card is dealt to the Dealer, be a Blackjack hand.
This particular bet comes with a large house edge attached to it, and as such no matter what Blackjack game variant you are playing, every time the Dealer offers you the Insurance side bet, which will cost you half of your initial staked amount, you should refuse to take the bet, if you do take it then that additional bet will eat away at your bankroll!
Bonus Blackjack Side Bet
One Blackjack game that is found online at casinos powered by Microgaming is called their Bonus Blackjack game, and alongside your initial wager you are given the option of placing a standalone type of wager, which comes with an attached pay table.
On first glance this does look like an attractive type of wager thanks to the additional payouts you will be paid should your initial two cards be one of several different hands, in fact the maximum payout you could win on this side bet is 50 to 1 when dealt an Ace and Jack of Spades.
However, once you have taken the time to actually work out the house edge on that side bet you will discover it is 6.46%, and sadly that means it is a bet you should never place, more so when you learn the base game Bonus Blackjack house edge is a much more modest 0.39%! So if you do choose to play Bonus Blackjack, then never place that side bet option!
Progressive Blackjack
One online Blackjack game that is going to attract a lot of players to give it a try are the progressive Blackjack games such as Triple 7’s Blackjack. Once again when a player first sees this Blackjack game they may find it very appealing for when playing it, should you be dealt out a certain winning hand combination then you are instantly awarded with the progressive jackpot which is displayed at the top of the game screen.
This progressive jackpot can and will grow to some very large amounts, and this is due to you being forced to place an obligatory 1.00 wager alongside your base game bet, and a small proportion of that side bet wager is fed directly into the jackpot prize pool.
When the jackpot has been won it then resets to its seed amount, and when it does the house edge on that wagering opportunity is a massive 37.94%, which is a horrendous house edge to be up against when playing any casino game!
As the progressive jackpot grows as more and more players play this Blackjack game, for each additional 10,000.00 that the jackpot grows by the actual house edge on the progressive jackpot will decrease by some 3.45%, however that will take quite some time as the jackpot only grows at a fast pace of knots when lots of players are playing it!
Exception
For the house edge on Triple 7’s Blackjack to get to a stage where it is negative that progressive jackpot on offer will have to grow in value to an amount just short of 110,000.00, and as such if you demand the maximum winning chances when playing Blackjack this is a variant that is best left well alone.
But should you notice the jackpot is much larger than 110,000.00 then you may be tempted to play it for the house edge on your obligatory 1.00 side bet wager is negative, and no where near as large as it is when the jackpot is below that figure in value!
Conclusion
It is always the case that any additional side or bonus bet that you will be able to place alongside your base game wager on any currently available online Blackjack game variant you end up playing is going to be a bad bet, by virtue of its own house edge.
When you fancy playing a few or even a lot of hands of Blackjack online then stick to playing Blackjack game variants which boast the lowest house edge and games such as Microgaming’s Classic Blackjack game or Playtech’s Blackjack Switch game which have the lowest house edges in the industry!
You do need to play perfect strategy when playing Blackjack as that guarantees you will not be increasing the house edge and lowering your winning chances by making game playing errors!
