Blackpot is a progressive two-handed side bet which has gained significant popularity in recent times at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. For just a $1, you can play for up to AUD $20,000 – one of the biggest single payouts on any blackjack bet in the world.
How to play Blackpot blackjack
Like all side bets in 21, the Blackpot game is an additional wager made over and above your initial bet. That means whatever the result of your blackjack hand, or whatever happens with the Blackpot bet, each is unaffected by the other. You can win the side game but lose the hand, and vice versa.
To play Blackpot, there must first be a standard wager in the corresponding betting area. You don’t have to be an active player to take up the side bet, however, as each Blackpot box can accommodate up to five wagers apiece through back betting.
When you play the side wager, you win at 10 to 1 odds immediately if you draw one of these two-card combinations on the initial deal (any order, any suits):
- Six and Seven
- Seven and Eight
- Six and Eight
If you then decide to stand, the house takes your initial Blackpot wager (you still get to keep your $10+ win, though). But if you opt to hit and the third card completes a Six-Seven-Eight combo, you win 100 to 1. Again, order and suit don’t matter – so you could salute with Eight and Six followed by a Seven, for instance.
Now, this is where things get interesting. When you take out the $100+ Blackpot prize, your side bet carries over into the next hand. If you then score a Six-Seven, Six-Eight, or Seven-Eight on the deal, you win a very tidy 1000 to 1 payout.
Just like the previous hand, you can choose to stay at this point and give up your one-unit side bet; but if you take another card and snare the magic Six + Seven + Eight combination again, your payout skyrockets to a massive 20,000 to 1.
The nature of the winning Blackpot hands means you cannot collect through splitting pairs. For example: if you have Eights on the initial deal, the Blackpot wager is lost even if you then split and get a Six or Seven to either new hand.
Blackpot side bets at Crown Casino
For better or worse, Melbourne’s Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a noted trend-setter in Australian blackjack. Unlike the deplorable Blackjack Plus tables, however, the Blackpot side wager has proven to be one of the operator’s more successful innovations.
Having started with just a dozen trial tables, BP is now available on more than 60 blackjack games at Crown’s Southbank site. Punters love it because it offers huge payouts for minimal risk, as most Blackpot 21 games can be played for as little as $1 per side bet.
Blackpot odds and maximum payouts
Below is a summary of the payout odds for Crown Casino’s Blackpot side wagers. Note that the maximum payout depends entirely on the table; a $1 bet will pay $20,000 everywhere, but games where $10 side bets are allowed might limit the largest possible win to $100,000 (i.e. half the full $200,000 return).
| Round of play | Winning hand | Return odds | Maximum payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial deal, first hand | 6+7, 6+8, 7+8 | 10 to 1 | See table rules |
| Subsequent deal, first hand | 6+7+8 | 100 to 1 | See table rules |
| Initial deal, second hand | 6+7, 6+8, 7+8 | 1000 to 1 | See table rules |
| Subsequent deal, second hand | 6+7+8 | 20,000 to 1 | See table rules |
Is Blackpot good value?
Not really, is the quick answer. Compared to other blackjack sidebets, however, Blackpot offers big rewards for very little cost. As we said earlier, you won’t find many bonus bets that offer 20,000 to 1 odds. Just make sure you understand the table limits and payout rules before you put any chips on the line, and remember that all side bets should be played for pure fun.
I would like to point out what seems like a huge flaw with blackpot, even if no one is reading this…the problem arises when a player (player B) bets blackpot on another player’s hand (player A), and player A has not wagered on his own hand’s blackpot (because Player A does not like the odds on blackpot). If player A receives, for example, a 7 & 8 versus a dealer 6, the trouble begins. Player A is put in the dubious position of either standing (the appropriate blackjack strategy versus dealer 6), which will make him a villain at the table for not giving player B a 100-1 shot if they drew a 6. Or Player A can hit, which Player B appreciates, but goes against Player A’s own self interest. So Player A has to choose between trying to win their own wager or being a jerk for not allowing Player B the chance at blackpot. This creates a very strange social situation, one that I experienced. I was Player A and after choosing to stand initially, I felt guilted by both Player B and even the dealer, and changed my decision to hit to be a good sport. Of course I drew a king and busted. Very uncomfortable position to find oneself in.