You’re sitting at a blackjack table, chips in hand, ready to bet. You know the drill—get to 21 without going over, beat the dealer, rake in your winnings. But then there’s that extra circle on the felt: 21+3. It’s not part of your main hand, and it looks like something you should ignore if you don’t know what you’re doing.
However, this side bet can be a lot of fun. But, it can also burn through your stack faster than you think. So let’s break it down properly, so you know what you’re doing before you go throwing your chips at it.
Contents
- 1 What is 21+3 in blackjack?
- 2 How to place the 21+3 side bet
- 3 What wins and how often?
- 4 Does 21+3 change anything about how you play blackjack?
- 5 What is the Top 3 bet and how does it work?
- 6 What about progressive versions of 21+3?
- 7 Is there a strategy for 21+3?
- 8 Should you play 21+3?
- 9 FAQs about 21+3 side bets
- 10 Final word about 21 + 3
What is 21+3 in blackjack?
21+3 is a side bet in blackjack that mixes in a mini game of Three Card Poker. It uses your first two cards plus the dealer’s face-up card. If they form a poker-style hand (like a flush or straight), you win the side bet. If not, your chips vanish. The blackjack hand keeps going either way.
Yes, it’s that simple. It has nothing to do with hitting or standing or whether the dealer busts. It’s just a quick hit-or-miss bet based on how those three cards line up.
How to place the 21+3 side bet
You can’t play 21+3 on its own. It only exists alongside the main game. If you haven’t placed a standard blackjack bet, your 21+3 chips don’t count for anything. The dealer will ignore them. So your first move is always the base game.
Once you’ve done that, you can place your 21+3 side bet. It’s often limited to a portion of your main bet—usually the same amount or half, depending on house rules. Online, it’s even easier. Put down your main bet and a second chip spot will light up for the side bet.
1. The deal starts
You get two cards, both face up. The dealer gives themselves one face-up card. Their second card stays face down, but you can ignore it. It doesn’t matter here.
Only three cards matter—your first card, your second card, and the dealer’s upcard.
Forget everything else. Forget the running count, what the other players are holding, or whether your hand adds up to 12 or 20. You’re not playing blackjack for a moment—you’re playing a three-card poker hand.
2. The hand is evaluated
The system or the dealer checks your three cards in order of poker strength. That order is suited three of a kind, straight flush, three of a kind, straight, then flush. If you somehow get three sevens of the same suit, that’s the best outcome. Don’t worry about arguing whether that’s a straight flush or just trips. It’s always paid at the highest level.
If you miss all five combinations, your chips are gone. No drama. The dealer slides them away and moves on.
If you hit, you get paid straight away. Payouts depend on the version of the game. Some online tables simplify everything and pay 9 to 1 on any win, which is trash value: This usually carries a much higher house edge (~10%+), and is a trap for recreational players. Proper tables pay based on hand strength—100 to 1 for suited trips, 40 to 1 for a straight flush, 5 to 1 for a basic flush.
All of this happens before you even decide what to do with your actual blackjack hand.
3. Back to blackjack
Once the side bet is sorted, you’re back to the main game. Your hand is the same. Dealer rules are the same. The side bet doesn’t influence how the rest of the round plays out—it’s over and done with before you even think about hitting or standing.
What wins and how often?
The 21+3 side bet isn’t about beating the dealer. Instead, you’re focused on landing a strong three-card poker hand made from your two cards and the dealer’s upcard. That’s it. No suits to beat, no strategy to outplay. Just a straight-up gamble that your three cards line up into something good.
You don’t need a full poker hand here though, just three cards. The five possible winners are easy to remember. They follow poker logic, just stripped down for speed.
| Hand | Description | Payout | Chance of hitting (based on 6 decks) |
| Flush | Three cards of the same suit | 5 to 1 | 5.88% |
| Straight | Three cards in sequence, any suits | 10 to 1 | 3.26% |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same rank, mixed suits | 30 to 1 | 0.24% |
| Straight Flush | Three cards in sequence, same suit | 40 to 1 | 0.22% |
| Suited Three of a Kind | Three identical cards — same rank, same suit | 100 to 1 | 0.01% |
Add it all up and your total hit rate is roughly 1 in 10 hands. Not bad for a side bet, but still something you don’t want to hammer with every hand.
As for house edge? That depends on the table and how stingy the payouts are. The best versions hover around 2.74%. Some can go over 13%, which is basically daylight robbery when you compare it to the base blackjack edge—which drops below 0.5% if you play correctly.
Does 21+3 change anything about how you play blackjack?
Nope. It’s completely separate. You still hit when you should hit, you still stand when you should stand. Don’t go soft just because you hit a side bet. The 21+3 payout has already happened. It has zero impact on what happens next.
This is where people mess up—they let the high from a 40:1 win mess with their head. You’re still playing blackjack. Get back in the zone.
What is the Top 3 bet and how does it work?
Some blackjack tables (especially online or in live dealer games) offer a Top 3 side bet alongside 21+3. It’s not a replacement. It’s a separate, optional bet that’s only focused on the absolute top-tier hands in 21+3.
The Top 3 bet only wins if your three-card combo is one of the following:
- Suited Three of a Kind (e.g. three King of Hearts)
- Straight Flush (e.g. 7–8–9 of Diamonds)
- Three of a Kind (any suit mix)
That’s it. Flushes and regular straights don’t count. It’s strictly the strongest hands. But if you hit one, the payouts can be massive. Most tables pay:
- 270 to 1 for suited trips
- 180 to 1 for a straight flush
- 90 to 1 for regular three of a kind
Basically, it’s a jackpot-style gamble that gives you a huge reward for an ultra-rare combo. For context, the chance of hitting suited three of a kind is around 0.01%, or one in ten thousand hands. This is a long-shot bet, plain and simple. It’s worth noting how rare it is to find this bet outside of certain online providers. It’s a very niche offering.
What about progressive versions of 21+3?
Some casinos also run progressive jackpot versions of 21+3. These look similar on the surface, but the setup is different. Instead of fixed payouts, you’re buying into a jackpot pool that grows over time until someone hits the right combo.
To win the jackpot, you usually need a hand like three suited 7.. Smaller prizes might be paid for lower-tier hands (like straight flushes or trips), depending on the version.
Progressive versions usually have a separate betting spot and a fixed cost per round—often $1 or $5, depending on the table. That means even if your main bet is $10, the progressive is a completely separate wager you opt into. The payout potential is huge, but so is the variance.
Is there a strategy for 21+3?
Not really. This isn’t a bet you can outplay. You’re not making decisions after the cards come out. You’re placing a wager and waiting to see what the dealer flips. That’s it.
Traditional blackjack strategy doesn’t apply. And unlike the main game, you can’t use card counting to gain an edge here. There are no decisions to optimise. You either hit a hand or you don’t.
Technically, yes, you could attempt suit tracking — monitoring which suits have already been played to try and predict the likelihood of flushes or suited combos. But you’d need to do that across six to eight decks, and track suits in real time while also playing your main hand and staying under the radar. It’s not practical. Not unless you’ve got a photographic memory, zero distractions, and a lifetime supply of patience.
This is a pure gamble. Treat it like one. Anyone claiming they’ve figured out how to beat 21+3 is either lying or trying to sell you something.
Should you play 21+3?
Depends on what kind of player you are.
If you’re here to grind, keep your edge sharp, and stretch your bankroll over hundreds of hands — skip it. The house edge is higher, and in the long run, it will eat into your winnings.
But if you’re here for some entertainment, and you like the idea of a side shot at a 30 to 1 or 100 to 1 payout without needing to do anything extra — then yeah, give it a go. Just treat it for what it is.
Don’t start matching your main bet on the side circle. Don’t start tilting when it misses five hands in a row. And don’t chase it like it owes you something.
FAQs about 21+3 side bets
No. The 21+3 side bet only exists alongside a standard blackjack hand. If you don’t place a main game bet, you can’t access the side bet at all. It’s not a standalone mini-game. You’re either all in or not in at all.
Absolutely. The side bet is resolved the moment those first three cards hit the table. If they make a qualifying poker hand, you get paid immediately—even if your actual blackjack hand crashes and burns right after. Same goes the other way around. You can lose the side bet and still win the hand. They’re two completely separate outcomes.
No. The only card that matters from the dealer is the upcard. Their second, face-down card doesn’t come into play. There’s no room for manipulation, advantage, or interference here. The result comes down to the shuffle and nothing more.
It depends what you value. Online games tend to be faster and more consistent in how payouts are handled. But live dealer games often have better paytables, with proper hand-by-hand payouts instead of flat 9 to 1 wins. You’ll want to compare payout structures before deciding.
Not in the traditional sense. This isn’t a game of decisions, it’s a game of outcomes. You can’t influence the cards. You can’t make strategic moves mid-hand. Your only edge comes from table selection and choosing versions of the game with tiered payouts and lower house edge percentages. That’s the only part of this you can control.
Depends on why you’re playing. If your goal is to play perfect strategy and squeeze out the best possible return over time, side bets aren’t worth it. They carry a higher house edge and no strategic flexibility. But if you’re here for entertainment and don’t mind trading a bit of edge for some fun and the occasional big payout, then yes, they can absolutely be worth it. Just know what you’re buying into.
Final word about 21 + 3
21+3 is what side bets should be: quick, simple, and occasionally satisfying. You won’t beat the house long term, but that 100:1 hit on a suited trips hand? Yeah, it feels good.
If you’re playing at Cloudbet, you’ve got a huge selection of blackjack tables. And, as a new user, you’ll be able to unlock the $2,500 Welcome Package, which gives you extra breathing room to enjoy the side action without sweating every chip.
Stick to smart stakes, know when to walk, and remember, blackjack is the main event. 21+3 is just your side hustle.
