Betting on Casino Games: Are They Worth It?

Online gambling attracts people from all walks of life. Some of them have a limited budget, while others are willing to bet large sums of money. While some play it safe and go for the low risk betting options, others prefer to take risks for a chance of winning big.

In this article, I will discuss side bets in online casino games. They are available in most table games and involve more risk than the main game. Let's learn more about side betting on casino games and see if they are worth playing.

What are Side Bets in Casino Games?

Side bets are offered in card games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Poker, but you can also find them at some roulette tables. To play the game you need to place the main bet, also known as the Ante and optionally you can play a side bet or even more. These additional bets have their own rules and payouts, which are usually higher than what you can win in the main game.

To provide players with a more exciting gaming experience, game developers from time to time offer new side bets. Players can choose between two, four or even six different optional bets. 

Why play side bets?

Side bets are easy to play. Unlike the main bet where you have to make decisions in most card games, when you play one of the side bets the only thing you have to do is decide if you will place it. In most cases, they are based on the first deal of cards, and the player cannot do anything with the cards he gets. The result is automatically determined and you are paid accordingly.

What makes side bets even more appealing are the payouts they can award. They are more massive than the main game prizes, which appeals to players who like to win big on a single bet. Or a side bet, to be precise. Although you have to place an additional bet to win these prizes, you can view them as a bonus rather than a regular payout due to their value which can be up to 2,000 times the stake.

Why not play side bets?

Side bets are very risky. If the main game has a house edge of around 0.50%, side bets can have a house edge of up to 30%. They can be easy to understand, but it's all about luck when you play them. So there is nothing the player can do to improve his odds. If you're more interested in using your skills than relying on luck, side bets won't be your cup of tea.

When playing a casino game that offers side bets, you need to be careful with your bankroll. These optional bets can be tempting with their high payouts, and if you keep placing them and get nothing in return, you could end up spending money that you could otherwise invest in the main bets, which are more likely to fall. to win.

We're not telling you never to play side bets, but we're here to keep you up to date with all the pros and cons that you should consider before using them. If you like to take risks then keep going, but be aware that the odds of winning with an optional bet are much lower than when playing the main game where you can actually use the right strategy and reduce the house advantage.

Side Bets at Online Casino

Playing in an online casino has become very easy. I know that in most games, the player will bet against the casino. Obviously, the casino has the statistics for it. To decrease this statistic, there is what is called side bets. Most of them relate to poker, but they can also be found in blackjack and sometimes roulette.

What is a side bet?

A side bet is added to the range of stakes in a game. Side bets make it possible to enrich the possibilities and add spice. The advantage of these bets is that they do not disturb the normal course of the game. You have to be careful to choose a game table that offers them, because they are not systematic. Online casinos use it to bring novelty and break the hum of a casino game. They thus avoid boring players, but it is also a way of offering more interesting games than in hard-core casinos.

Side Bets in Poker

In online casinos, most side bets can be found, but they are much rarer in pokerooms. This is the reason why they are rather ignored by the players. They can sometimes be found on video poker machines at online casinos. However, before playing on a table, I advise you to ask the support on the live chat, which poker games offer the following side bets:

The Side Pot

This option is only available on a table where one of the players has made carpet, that is to say, he bets his whole pot. An outside pot, the slide pot allows players who are no longer in the game to raise a betting round. Players who have moved all-in cannot participate. The slide pot takes place according to the usual rules of the version of poker being played. It is a way of offering players who are waiting for the end of the hand the possibility of continuing to play in parallel.

The Flop Color in Hold'em Poker

This sideways bet is only played on the Texas Hold'em version of poker. The players will bet on the color that they think will be the most represented on the flop. The flop is after the first betting round when the dealer will discover the first three cards. If only one player uses this option, he will play against the dealer. It is the one who will have chosen the most represented color who will win the setting. It looks a lot like red and black in roulette. It's really bringing poker into a casino mode where only luck will decide the winner. I understand better why this option is not available in online poker rooms, but only in certain casinos and on pokers videos.

Side Bets in Blackjack

Blackjack is a casino classic and it can be found in many versions in online casinos. It is the table game that has the most possibilities when it comes to side bets. Here are two examples, because I could write a book if I wanted to present them all!

The 21 + 3 The 21 + 3

allows an additional bet on a game of blackjack. I find the concept of side bets which is added to the main game without having any influence on it. This bet is a mix between Blackjack and Three card poker. The player will bet on whoever has the best combination of three cards. He will use his two cards and the dealer's turned over card. Depending on the table, the bet can be multiplied by 100 depending on the combination discovered.

Insurance

It is one of the side bets best known to the general public, because it is one of the strategies studied to optimize your blackjack winnings. It is very simple, when the croupier shows an ace in open card the player can take insurance and thus recover part of his stake if the croupier makes a 21.

Side Bets in Roulette

These bets are rather known to experienced players.  It is true that roulette already offers a range of bets that are difficult to understand for a beginner, so I will make the game more complex by adding side bets. And yet, they can be very lucrative.

The Lucky Ball

The betting area is located above the grid. I can see 4 colors which are often: green, blue, orange and purple. Each round, the colors will be assigned a unique number. One of them will be chosen to be the bonus color. Players who bet on the number and color will win between 6 and 25 times the stake. For whoever has the number of the bonus color, the multiplier can reach 125!

Roll 8 or the infinite dice

This is a rarer option than only found in live casino games. Roll 8 is a dice game that accompanies roulette. These three dice are not ordinary: five of their faces are empty and only one is marked with the sign of infinity, a lying eight. While the roulette wheel is spinning, the dealer will shake the dice and roll them onto the carpet. For the throw to be validated, the ball must stop on the number 8 of the roulette wheel. Depending on the combination of the dice, a win multiplier will reward the lucky player. Obviously, if the player who bet on a triple 8 and who is lucky enough to see the ball fall on the 8 will see his bet multiplied by 888! Suffice to say that it is extremely rare!

What Are the Side Bets at the Online Casino?

What side bets at the casino?

It has become very easy to play in an online casino. The player will bet against the casino in most games. Indeed, the casino presents the statistics for him. There are what are called side bets to decrease this statistic. Most of them relate to poker, but they can also be found in blackjack and sometimes roulette.

The different side bets in poker

You see, in poker rooms they are much rarer. This is why they are rather unknown by many players. Side bets can sometimes be found on video poker machines at online casinos. However, before playing at a table, it is advisable to ask live chat support for the poker games offered by the following side bets: the Slide Pot and the Flop in Hold'em poker.

The different special bets in blackjack

Blackjack is a classic of casinos. It can be found in multiple versions in online casinos. It is the table game that has the most possibilities when it comes to side bets. 21 + 3 is an example of blackjack. Insurance is also one of the most well-known side bets to the general public. Indeed, it is one of the strategies studied to optimize your blackjack winnings.

The different side bets in roulette

Special Bets are known to experienced players. But roulette today offers a range of bets that are difficult for a beginner to understand. The side bets come in fact to make the game more complex. The Roll 8 is rarer than can be found in live casino games. It's a dice game. It accompanies the roulette.

The casino is an exciting world for lovers of strategy and betting. In addition to the traditional bets around the gaming tables, it is also possible to make side bets.

For those who are not familiar with the concept of side betting, you will find in this article all the answers to your questions.

What is a side bet?

Side bets can be made between players engaged in a game in addition to bets established in the current game.

Side bets are usually very quick and made during the course of a game. I can then enjoy the game more while creating twists that will not affect the game itself.

Mostly used at the pokertables and blackjack, side bets are also practiced in roulette. It is therefore interesting to know if side bets are allowed before taking part in the game.

These bets are most of the time used to add a little more entertainment and thus discover other facets of the games offered by the casinos.

Types of side bets possible in the game of roulette

Less well-known than blackjack and poker bets, side bets in roulette are a spice-up for gambling enthusiasts.

The lucky ball Better

known by its English name "the lucky ball", this side bet gives players the opportunity to bet on the four colors offered.

These colors may vary from one casino to another, but they are always four in number with a profitability between 6: 1 and 120: 1. Once the player has chosen the sections on which he wishes to bet, random numbers will be associated with each of them.

If the ball lands on a number in one of the sections, the section in question wins and the winnings are distributed accordingly.

Roll 8Roll 8

Thebet uses, in addition to the roulette wheel, three dice called "infinite dice". These dice each have five empty sides and one side with the infinite sign. As the roulette wheel spins, the dice are also shaken and rolled.

Different gains can be obtained depending on the results. The ball must imperatively fall on the number 8. Depending on the number of infinite signs obtained, the gains can vary from 0: 1 up to 888: 1.

The most famous side bets in blackjack

Blackjack is one of the games with the higher number of side bets.

Like those performed at roulette tables, they help create even more suspense during the game. The most famous side bets in blackjack are:

The 21 + 3

The idea with this side bet is to bet on the different combinations formed by the cards. I then base our bet on the first two cards dealt to the player as well as on the first card held by the croupier.

Depending on the combination obtained (straight flush, flush, etc.), it is possible to win between 5 and 100 times the stake.

Insurance

Taking insurance when the dealer reveals an Ace has become a common strategy in a game of blackjack, as François Montmirel explains in his book Blackjack: Learn Excellence. This technique is however part of the possible side bets and is surely the most used by players.

When starting a game of blackjack on Betway for example, it is possible to take out insurance, allowing the player to cover himself in the event that the dealer obtains blackjack and thus recover some of his losses.

The Perfect Pair

The player can choose to bet on the first two cards dealt as a pair. At this, it is also possible to multiply the bet if he guesses the color as well as the sign. This type of side bet tends to favor the casino over the player since the odds of hitting a perfect pair are very low.

Side Bets in Poker

Just like in blackjack, there are many side bets that can be made in poker games. If you want to add side bets to your game, you need to check with the various casino brands to find out the bets allowed around the table.

The Side Pot

The “Side Pot” in poker can be translated as an outside pot. This side bet can be made when, in a game with more than two players, one of them decides to move all-in. The remaining players can then decide to bet among themselves sideways. The player having moved all in cannot take part in these additional bets since they are made only between the remaining players.

The Flop Flop in Hold'em Poker

The Flop in Hold'em poker represents the first three cards drawn. The draw is made after the first betting round has been made (also known as the pre-flop). A side bet can then be made before these three cards are drawn with the other players.

Depending on the number of red or black cards on the table (1, 2 or 3), the player who bet on the most represented color wins the side bet.

Side bets can be interesting for players looking for a variation in a traditional game. As stated previously, it is important to check with the casino or the dealer if side bets are allowed during games.