Royal Match (Blackjack Side Bet)

Royal Match (Blackjack Side Bet)

Learn about the royal match blackjack side bet and how to profit from it effectively. We cover the odds, payouts, traps, house edge, and more.

Royal Match is an optional side bet in a standard game of blackjack. Here is everything that you need to know about this interesting wager that can increase your chances of winning an extra amount.

What Is Royal Match In Blackjack

The Royal Match, a popular and also one of the oldest side bets in blackjack, is based on the first two cards dealt to the player. The expected outcome is that these two cards will belong to the same suit or be a royal match, that is, a King and a Queen of the same suit.

A Royal Match bet pays out 25:1 while the payout for a suited pair is 5:2. The winning amount is paid out immediately. If the player loses, he loses the bet amount with the blackjack game progressing as usual.

Rules of Royal Match

Royal Match is an optional side bet that considers the first two cards dealt to the player. The player wins if the cards are either of the same suit, or a Royal Match (suited King and Queen). The rules of the bet are pretty simple.

The game begins with the player placing a standard blackjack wager and an optional Royal Match wager if he wishes. The dealer follows the house procedures and deals two cards to each player. Once the player has the two cards in hand, the Royal Match wager is settled.

HandDescriptionExample
Royal MatchKing and Queen suited Q K
Suited Cardstwo cards suited 5 9
Royal Match Definitions

The Royal Match side bet is mostly a part of blackjack with 6 decks of cards. The other rules remain the same such as the dealer stands or hits on soft 17 and doubling down or doubling down after split is allowed for the players.

What is royal match in blackjack?

Royal Match Pay Table

The Royal Match side bet typically offers three options for the players to win. Accordingly, he can get two cards of the same suit, a Royal Match with a King and Queen of the same suit, or a Crown Treasure that is when both the player and the dealer have a Royal Match.

The payouts vary accordingly as delineated in the table below.

Royal Match TypePayout
Royal Match (King and Queen Suited)25:1
Two Cards Suited (Easy Match)2.5:1
Crown Treasure King and Queen Suited$1000
No Match-1
Pay table for the Royal Match Blackjack Side Bet

Crown Treasure

Crown Treasure is when both the player and the dealer have a Royal Match. Although the chances of both the cards of both the player and dealer being King and Queen of the same suit are extremely rare, it has a probability in the Royal Match side bet. The payout is the highest, which is $1000.

In some online casinos, there is a version of the Royal Match that pays a progressive jackpot for a Crown Treasure. In such a game, the payout for a Crown Treasure can be as high

as $10,000.

Royal Match Blackjack Odds

The probability and odds in a game of blackjack with the Royal Match side bet will vary depending on the number of decks and the combination of cards the player has in hand. The following table gives an overview of the important statistics of the Royal Match blackjack in a standard game with 6 decks of cards.

EventOddsCombinationsProbabilityRTP
Crown Treasure1,000:119,1520.0000080.008242
Royal Match25:16,877,7280.002960.073996
Suited2.5:1568,417,8600.244620.611551
Royal Match Odds

Royal Match FAQ

Here are the answers to the most common questions about the Royal Match side bet in the game of Blackjack.

What is the house edge in blackjack s royal match?

In a standard game of blackjack with 6 decks of cards, the house edge of Royal Match is 5.64%.

How does blackjack royal match work?

The Blackjack Royal Match is based on the first two cards dealt to the player. The player wins the bet if these two cards are of the same suit or a Royal Match, that is, King and Queen of the same suit.

Should you play the royal match in blackjack?

Players should play Royal Match in blackjack games with more number of decks such as 6 or 8. The more the cards, the better are the odds of winning for the player.

How likely are you to win the royal match side bet?

Players are more likely to win the Royal Match side bet in games with higher number of decks. The probability of getting two cards from the same suit are even higher in such games.

Where to play online Royal Match blackjack?

Peatix, SG Gaming, Blackjack 21 Royale among a few others are some of the prominent providers of online Royal Match blackjack.

What are the odds of hitting the royal match in single deck blackjack?

The odds of hitting the Royal Match in a single deck blackjack are extremely low for the player as the house edge would be a whooping 10.86% in such a game.

Where to play royal match blackjack in Las Vegas?

El Cortez and Golden Gate are two of the popular Las Vegas casinos where blackjack players can place the Royal Match side bet.

Royal Match is interesting and often a worthwhile side bet in blackjack for players who can trust their intuitions and are also keen on following the basic strategy.

Royal Match Blackjack

The Royal Match is a side bet in blackjack that is based on the first two cards that are dealt to the players. The rules are pretty simple to understand and follow, if the players first two cards are suited, then the player is paid 5 to 2. If the player has a royal match (a king and queen of the same suit) then the bet pays out at 25 to 1. It doesnt matter if you win or lose your hand since you are paid out on your side bet as soon as the first two cards are dealt.

The casinos advantage on a Royal Match depends on how many decks the casino is using. The more decks that are being used, the better the odds for the player. If you are playing in an eight-deck game then the house edge is lowest at 6.46%, but if you drop to a six-deck game then the edge increases to 6.67%. Things get worse as the decks are dropped, with four decks raising the advantage to 7.08%, two decks bringing it to 8.33% and worst of all is the single deck game, which stands at a 10.86% house advantage. I have however seen a single deck blackjack game with a 4 to 1 pay table, which would drop the house edge down to 3.77%.

In all my days at the casino though, I have never had the chance to see a side bet offered by the casino that was better than the odds on the game it is based on. Gimmicky side bets normally have a house edge of at least 3%, but can go as high as 76%.

If you want to maximize your time, then stick to the regular games and leave the side bets for someone else who doesnt value money.

CSM/Royal match question for wizard

Been to site after site after site and they all say that CSM's help you lower the house edge, but you need to stay away. so stay away i do. But could anyone who actually knows or the wizard anwser whats the reasoning to stay away.

Plus, its been debated on here and maybe one or two sites but does anyone know 99.9% certain that the electronic royal match 21 blackjack games are actually Fair and not something you should avoid like the plague, its a machine therefore can be programmed and im a bit suspecious of them given that fact.
and do we all use the same shoe for royal match 21 or separate one's. Some sites say separate others say same. so which one is it. and i need to know whether or not to avoid this machine just like those damn csm's.

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I don't pretend to be an "expert," just someone who has played blackjack for twenty years and still studies the game. The reason why the CSM's (continuous shuffle machines) are to be avoided is because it increases the hands played per hour since there's no "shuffle break." In a negative expectation game, this means you will simply lose your money faster. Advantage players don't like them because they're obviously impossible for "counting" purposes. The reason why the house edge is slightly lower with a CSM is because it tends to eliminate the phenomenon of "card clumping" in a shoe.

Royal Match bets have a house of ranging from about 6.50 percent to over 10 percent. The house edge is actually lowered by more decks being played. I avoid it.

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Another thing to remember is the risk a casino would take on by installing a cheating blackjack game. Not only could it be discovered by the players, but all it would take is one employee of either the manufacturer (shufflemaster in this case) or the casino to blow the whistle on the whole thing. The level of secrecy would be huge, and you can bet the casino/shufflemaster could never fire anyone who knew about it.

Really, this all comes down to the same reason the casino does not deal from a short deck in blackjack: It already has the advantage, and has no reason to cheat using illegal methods, which could risk the complete ruination of the casino and its parent company. Its just not worth it.

As the wizard said, if someone wishes to prove otherwise, it would not be hard to set up a hypothesis and test.

I also find it interesting that these machines are questioned but VP is left alone, despite using identical technology.

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and do we all use the same shoe for royal match 21 or separate one's. Some sites say separate others say same. so which one is it. and i need to know whether or not to avoid this machine just like those damn csm's.

If your state has regular table games, you will all be using the same shoe. If it does not, it is very likely you will be using separate shoes.

If you wish to avoid CSMs, you should avoid this machine as well as they have the same effect. It does not have a break for shuffling, and the cards are either shuffled every round or at a non-announced point 2/3 in the virtual shoe. Counting is impossible in both cases.

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I can't imagine they will have as many units in there with real table games on the other side of the room.

Don't be so sure.

When I was in Vegas at the Sahara in September, I saw that machine. It was a $1 minimum paying, I believe, 6:5. (Heck, it MIGHT have been 3:2, but I DO know it was $1)

They had two BJ pits. One was $1 minimum paying EVEN MONEY unless the bet was $5, then paying 6:5 - and no comps (they don't take the player's club cards, even when asked). The other pit was $5 minimum paying 3:2, WITH comps. I'm not sure what other rules may have been in effect.

But guess where most of the people were? In the $1 pit!

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Another thing to remember is the risk a casino would take on by installing a cheating blackjack game. Not only could it be discovered by the players, but all it would take is one employee of either the manufacturer (shufflemaster in this case) or the casino to blow the whistle on the whole thing. The level of secrecy would be huge, and you can bet the casino/shufflemaster could never fire anyone who knew about it.

Really, this all comes down to the same reason the casino does not deal from a short deck in blackjack: It already has the advantage, and has no reason to cheat using illegal methods, which could risk the complete ruination of the casino and its parent company. Its just not worth it.

As the wizard said, if someone wishes to prove otherwise, it would not be hard to set up a hypothesis and test.

I also find it interesting that these machines are questioned but VP is left alone, despite using identical technology.

I have dealt with a few of these machines at pari-mutuel casinos in Florida. I noticed a high number of 3, 4, and 5 card draws to 20 and 21, a large amount of the time. I am still stuck with a small sample size (maybe 100 hands).

I want to know: how could I go about setting up a hypothesis and a test for these machines? I'd love to set my own uncertainty to rest.

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