A Complete Guide to Perfect Pairs Blackjack

Written by: Joe Falchetti, Online Casinos, Sports Betting, & Poker Expert

Perfect Pairs is a fun, uncomplicated blackjack variation for beginners and card sharks alike. It’s much like standard blackjack, but it gives you the chance to win a payout before the main game even starts. We will go over everything there is to know about this game, including the rules, the odds, and the best online casinos where you can start playing.

Table of Contents

Everything You Need to Play & Succeed at Perfect Pairs Blackjack

What is Perfect Pairs Blackjack?

So what sets this variation apart from regular blackjack? The rules are the same, but Perfect Pairs has an additional side bet that pays out if the first two cards you get are a pair. You’ll get even bigger prizes if they are matching colors or exact suits. Let’s take a closer look at everything.

Perfect Pair

perfect pair blackjack side bet

In a perfect pair, everything matches. They have the same numerical or face value and the same suit and color. An example would be two black Queens of spades.

Colored Pair

colored pair blackjack side bet

A colored pair have the same numerical or face value and color but different suits—for example, a red 9 of hearts and a red 9 of diamonds.

Mixed Pair

Mixed Pair Blackjack Side Bet

A mixed pair is two of the same numerical or face value but with different colors and suits—for example, a black four of spades and a red four of hearts.

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How to Play Perfect Pairs Blackjack

Perfect Pairs plays very similarly to standard blackjack. Before the dealer hands out cards, you place your main game bet and can opt into the side wager if you want to. The perfect pairs bet gets settled before the rest of the game continues, and then it’s blackjack business as usual.

To better understand how a round goes, we will walk you through the step-by-step process.

  1. Place Your Bets

    If you want to place a perfect pairs bet, you’ll do so at the same time you place your main wager. In an online game, there will be a designated spot on the screen where you can put your chips. Remember that minimums for side bets are usually lower than the minimum game bet, and you can’t place the perfect pairs wager on its own.
  2. The Cards Get Dealt

    Now the cards get dealt, and you find out if you won the perfect pairs bet or not; If you did, lucky you! You’ll get paid accordingly before the game continues. Then you can decide your next move and carry on with a standard blackjack hand. Will you hit, stand, double down, or split?
  3. The Dealer’s Turns

    Lastly, the dealer will play through their hand. Hopefully, you beat the dealer and got closer to 21 or a natural blackjack! The winnings get paid out, and another round is ready to start.

*Minimum bets for blackjack side bets are usually lower than the main game’s minimum bet.

Perfect Pairs Rules

Since Perfect Pairs is just a side bet, all standard blackjack rules still apply. Even if you’re a confident player, reading them before you start is still a good idea, as each table can vary.

As for the Perfect Pairs side bet rules, they are pretty simple. You win the wager if you get a pair of any kind. You can get a perfect pair, a colored pair, or a mixed pair, and each one pays out according to the game’s paytable.

Perfect Pairs Payouts

Perfect Pair

Since the odds of getting a perfect pair are the lowest of the three, the payout is higher, usually 25:1 or 30:1.

Colored Pair

The colored pair is the middle ground, typically paying out 10:1 or 12:1.

Mixed Pair

The chances of getting a mixed pair are the highest, so it pays out the least of the three at 5:1 or 6:1.

Perfect Pairs Winning Strategy

There are a few things you can do to put your best foot forward in Perfect Pairs Blackjack. First, as stated above, avoid games with only two decks. Your chances of hitting a matching pair become much smaller at only 1 in 103. 

Card Counting big icon

One strategy you can use is to set aside a specific bankroll equal to the payout of a perfect pair. So, for example, if you’re playing a game that pays out 30-to-1, and you’re betting $1 per hand, you would allocate $30 for the side bet. Then bet $1 at a time on the side bet until you hit a perfect pair and get your 30-1-payout, or your side bankroll runs out. 

If you hit a perfect pair in only 30 hands, you’ll turn a profit, but at worst, you miss and are only out the money you set aside and already intended to wager.

Perfect Pairs Odds 

The odds of getting each of these hands depends on the number of decks in play. Eight-deck games are common, so let’s use that as an example.

There are 416 total cards in the shoe and 32 of any given rank. If your first card is a Jack, you have 31 other chances to win the side bet out of the remaining 415 cards. That’s about 1 in 13 odds or a 7.47% probability that you’ll win.

Now we can figure out the odds of hitting each type of pair separately.

Perfect Pair

If you’re given a jack of spades, seven other jacks of spades out of the 415 cards remain in the 8-deck shoe. That gives you a 1 in 59 chance of winning or a 1.69% probability.

Colored Pair

Using the same example, to get a matching color jack that is a different suit, you would have to get one of the eight jacks of clubs that remain in the deck of 415. That gives you around a 1 in 51 chance or 1.93% probability.

Mixed Pair

Between the 415 cards left over in an 8-deck shoe that could make a mixed pair, there are 16 red jacks with hearts and diamonds. That means a 1 in 26 or 3.86% chance of winning.

Even though there are many pair options when adding the side bet to your game, every hand will greatly increase the house edge. Standard blackjack hovers around 0.5% house edge with perfect strategy, but including a perfect pair wager increases that to nearly 6%.

Perfect Pairs Blackjack Free Online Demo

Sometimes it’s best to see it yourself. Check out the Perfect Pairs Blackjack demo below.

Best Casinos to Play Online Perfect Pairs Blackjack

Now that you understand the concept of the game, its payouts, and odds, you’re ready to play! So where can you find Perfect Pairs Blackjack? We’ve compiled a list of the best online casinos that offer this variation. Our recommendations below have lucrative sign-up bonuses, fantastic user experience, and quality customer care.

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Why We Recommend Perfect Pairs Blackjack

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Many blackjack variations have popped up over time, and Perfect Pairs is a favorite among players. Who doesn’t want the chance to win cash before the main game even starts? This side bet gives you the unique opportunity to get an instant payout with roughly 1 in 13 odds

Not only that, the prize can be quite generous if you succeed. Although it carries a little more risk, it’s a fun way to change up the standard blackjack routine.

Our Final Thoughts on Perfect Pairs Blackjack

Blackjack has been one of the most popular casino games for hundreds of years. It’s accessible to beginners who want to take a laid-back approach, or it can be a cut-throat test of strategies for those on an expert skill level. 

Perfect Pairs will surely add excitement to your game no matter where you fall on the scale. Are you ready to try this fun side bet in your next blackjack session? Sign up at one of our recommended online casinos and play today!

Joe Falchetti

Joe Falchetti Online Casinos, Sports Betting, & Poker Expert

Joseph Falchetti, also known as Smokey Joe, is an expert online gambler. We've teamed up with him for exclusive OUSC content relevant to USA online casino players. Joe is a former professional poker player and a full-time online betting expert who has been featured in major publications, such as CBS Sports and Forbes.com, and linked to by the New York Times.

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