Side Bets: Calculating the House Edge of the Tie, Pair Bets and Insurance
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We calculated the house edge of side bets from the official payouts and compared them with the main bets: the baccarat Tie, pair bet and no-commission Banker; blackjack insurance, even money and pair bet; and Pair Plus in Three Card Poker.
Besides the main bets, casino tables offer "side bets" (optional bets) such as the Tie, pair bets and insurance. Many of them pay large amounts, so they are easy to be curious about. In this article, the CASINO PASSPORT editorial team calculated the house edge of these side bets (the percentage of your bet you lose on average) from the payouts listed in the casino's official game guide, and compared them with the main bets.
This article is not a way to win. Every bet loses money on average. The payouts are taken from Paradise Casino's official game guide (confirmed in October 2026) and may differ at other casinos or tables. Check the sign on the table before you sit down.
The short answer
| Game | Bet | House edge | Compared with (house edge) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | Tie (8 to 1) | approx. 14.4% | More than 10 times the main Banker bet (approx. 1.06%) |
| Baccarat | Pair bet (11 to 1) | approx. 10.4% | More than 10 times the main Banker bet (approx. 1.06%) |
| Blackjack | Insurance / even money | approx. 7.5% | More than 15 times the main bet played by the strategy chart (approx. 0.5%) |
| Blackjack | Pair bet (11 to 1) | approx. 10.4% | More than 15 times the main bet played by the strategy chart (approx. 0.5%) |
| Three Card Poker | Pair Plus | approx. 2.3% | Smaller than the main Ante + Play (approx. 3.0%) (an exception) |
| Baccarat (no commission) | Banker | approx. 1.46% | Larger than the regular Banker bet with commission (approx. 1.06%) |
No-commission baccarat charges no commission, but when the Banker wins with a total of 6, only half is paid, so the house edge is larger. Every bet loses money on average.
Baccarat side bets
| Bet | Payout | Probability of winning | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tie | 8 to 1 | approx. 9.5% | approx. 14.4% |
| Pair bet (the first two cards have the same rank; separate bets for the Player side and the Banker side) | 11 to 1 | approx. 7.5% | approx. 10.4% (approx. 11.3% with 6 decks) |
| No-commission Banker | Half pay only when the Banker wins with 6; otherwise even money | Probability that the Banker wins with 6: approx. 5.4% | approx. 1.46% |
The pair bet was calculated with 8 decks. The official guide states that cards with different ranks, such as a 10 and a J, do not count as a pair.
The probabilities of the main bets and how different betting methods compare are covered in Baccarat by the numbers.
Blackjack side bets
- Insurance (offered when the dealer's face-up card is an A; pays 2 to 1): the chance that the dealer has a blackjack is about 31%, and the house edge is about 7.5% (calculated with 8 decks)
- Even money (when you have a blackjack and the dealer's face-up card is an A, you take an even-money payout right away): this choice gives the same result as taking insurance, so on average you lose less by not taking even money
- Pair bet (the first two cards have the same rank; pays 11 to 1): the probability of winning is about 7.5%, and the house edge is about 10.4% (calculated with 8 decks)
The main strategy chart and the probabilities for tricky hands are covered in Blackjack by the numbers.
Pair Plus in Three Card Poker
- Pair Plus (the payout depends only on your own hand: straight flush 40 to 1, three of a kind 30 to 1, straight 6 to 1, flush 4 to 1, one pair even money): the chance of making any paying hand is about 25.6%. The house edge is about 2.3%
- Main Ante + Play: if you choose to fold or play in the way that gives the higher expected value (play with Q-6-4 or better), the house edge is about 3.0% of the total amount bet (about 5.0% per Ante). As described in the official guide, we assumed the Ante bonus is paid when the dealer has Queen-high or better
The rules are explained in Three Card Poker rules and how to play.
Why side bets tend to have a larger house edge
Side bets are set up with a low probability of winning and a large payout. For example, the baccarat Tie comes up with a probability of about 9.5% (about 1 in 10.5), but it pays 8 to 1 (you get back 9 times your bet, including your stake). To break even on average, you would need to get back about 10.5 times your bet, and that gap becomes the casino's share. The key is to compare bets by "the gap between probability and payout," not by the size of the payout.
Summary
Side bets pay large amounts and can be fun, but most of them lose money faster on average than the main bets. Know how big the difference is, and enjoy them within the amount you have decided to spend (how to plan your budget for a Korean casino). The 8 casinos covered on this site are for foreign visitors only (Korean nationals are not admitted) and are open to visitors aged 19 and over.
How we calculated: baccarat was calculated by counting every combination in 8 decks (also calculated with 6 decks). For blackjack, the pair bet and insurance were calculated with 8 decks, and the main bet with an approximation that treats the deck as never running out of cards. Three Card Poker was calculated by counting every hand (22,100 combinations) together with the dealer's hands (CASINO PASSPORT editorial team, October 2026).
CASINO PASSPORT editorial team
The CASINO PASSPORT editorial team presents travel information that includes legal, real-world casinos abroad, explained clearly for travelers from Japan. We check facility information against official websites, operating companies and public tourism information, and update it with a focus on accuracy and freshness. We do not introduce or recommend online casinos.
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