Blackjack Perfect Pairs — Payouts, Odds & House Edge

Perfect Pairs is a blackjack side bet that pays when your first two cards form a pair — and pays more the better the pair matches. It is settled on the deal, independently of how you play the hand.

The three pair types and common payouts

• Mixed pair — same rank, different colour (e.g. 8♥ 8♠): 5:1 (sometimes 6:1)
• Coloured pair — same rank and colour, different suit (8♥ 8♦): 12:1
• Perfect pair — same rank and suit (8♥ 8♥, from different decks): 25:1 (sometimes 30:1)

Paytables vary by casino and deck count, so check the table.

Odds and house edge

Any pair shows up roughly once every 13 hands, but perfect pairs are rare. On the common 6-deck paytable above, the house edge is about 4.1% — and it swings a lot with deck count (single-deck Perfect Pairs can exceed 11% because perfect pairs become almost impossible). That is far worse than the ~0.5% of the base game with basic strategy.

It doesn't affect basic strategy

Like every side bet, Perfect Pairs is resolved before your decisions, so the correct play of your hand — and the EV of each action — is unchanged whether you place it or not:

It is entertainment with a steep price. Compare it with 21+3 and the full side bets rundown, and keep your bankroll on the base hand where the edge is smallest.