When playing Live Dealer Blackjack in our casino, you get access to the Pairs side bet. This is a fairly common side bet, also known as Pair Play, that pays 11:1 if your initial two-card hand is a pair, say for example, two Jacks. The suits don’t affect the outcome. You’ll see a more complex Pairs side bet available in our Perfect Pairs blackjack game.
So what are the odds of landing a pair right off the bat? With six decks, there are 312 cards. To account for the first card dealt to you, deduct 1 from 312 (311). Out of the 311 cards still in the deck, 23 are capable of completing your pair. That means the odds of your second card creating a pair is 23 in 312, or 7.37%. Combined with the payout, that makes for a meaty house edge of 11.25% when playing with six decks. With this side bet, the more decks in the shoe, the lower the house edge.