Match the Dealer in Blackjack

Match the dealer is a side wager that can be placed at certain blackjack tables. It’s also used to describe a strategy that some blackjack players lose.

This post will explain the basics of the match the dealer bet, how it works and what your return percentage can be when you place a bet. The match the dealer blackjack strategy is explained and why it should not be used.

The match the dealer side bet is not as good as other blackjack bets. It’s still a good side bet, and you won’t have to spend too much money on it. This post will cover everything you need about the match the dealer side wager.

Match the Dealer Blackjack Side Bet

First, I will discuss the match the dealer side betting. This is the most popular usage of the phrase. Match the dealer is a side wager you can make with any blackjack game, even Spanish 21.

How the Match the Dealer Side bet works

You can place a wager on the main game or the match when you play at a blackjack table. The amount of the bet is determined by the casino. It can be either a fixed amount or a range.

Take this example:

A standard bet can be made for $10 to $100 on the base game of blackjack, or as high as $100 on the match the dealer bet. In this example, you could either bet $50 on base and $10 on match the dealer, or $20 on each.

Match the dealer side bets are won when one of your cards ranks the same as the dealer’s. If the dealer has seven cards and you have seven cards, you will win the amount in the paytable.

You win more if you have more sevens than the dealer. If one or both your sevens is the same suit as the dealer’s seven you will win more. The number of decks in play in blackjack will determine the paytable.

Double-deck blackjack games offer a 4 to 1 payout for every card that matches the dealer’s card rank. If you match the rank and suit, the payout is 19 to 1. It is impossible to match the rank and suit of both your cards in double-deck blackjack games because only two cards are available.

You can win 4 to 1 for matching ranks and 12 to 1, for matching ranks and suits when you play a four-decker game. A six-deck game pays 4:1 for a match rank, and 11 to1 for a suit and matched rank. A eight-deck game pays 3:1 for a match rank, and 14 to 1 to a suit and matched rank.

For your convenience, here’s the same information as a table:

Number of Decks	Rank Match	Suited Rank Match
2	4	19
4	4	12
6	4	11
8	3	14

The match the dealer side bet can be used on certain Spanish 21 games, as I already mentioned. A Spanish 21 game with eight decks pays a ranked match 3 to 1 and a ranked suited matches 12 to 1. If the game has 6 decks, however, a rank match will pay 4 to 1 and a ranked match with suited matches 12 to 1.

Match the dealer is also available on blackjack variations that have a 52-card standard deck. The paytable for all these games is the same as that shown above. I have never seen a paytable which didn’t match this post’s. You can quickly determine if a paytable has different payouts by looking at it.

If the paytable is higher than the numbers in this post, it is a better paytable which offers a higher return. Conversely, if the numbers below are lower, the return will be lower.

If you play an eight-deck game, and a suited rank match is paid 15 to 1, your return will be higher. Your return will be lower if you play in a ranked match that is suited. It pays 13 to 1. In the next section, you will find out more about the return percentages of the paytable.

Also Read: Differences Between American Blackjack and European Blackjack

Match the Dealer Return to Player Percentages

The match the dealer side bet’s return to player percentage varies depending on the paytable and the number of playing decks. As a percentage, the return percentage is the percentage of money that you win back from any bet you place.

If you place a bet with a 96% rate of return, then for every $1,000 you stake, you will win $960 back. You should therefore compare the return percentage numbers of every bet that you make to ensure you are making more bets with higher profits. Higher return bets will give you more chances of winning and decrease your long-term losses.

These are the return percentages of each combination.

• Double-deck game – 96.7% return
• Four deck game – 95.2% return
• Six deck game – 96% return
• Eight deck game – 96.3% return
• Six deck Spanish 21 game – 97% return
• Eight deck Spanish 21 game – 97% return

While the return percentages for match the dealer are not bad when compared with other blackjack side bets you will notice that they are lower than the return for base blackjack.

There is usually at least one blackjack table in most casinos. These tables have rules that allow you to get a return of over 99%. You can achieve a return of at least 99.7% if you follow the basic Blackjack strategy and find the right rules. Because I get a higher overall return on the base blackjack game, I don’t make match the dealer wagers.

Blackjack Strategy: Match the Dealer

This section isn’t as comprehensive as the others in this post. This section isn’t as extensive as the rest because most people searching for information on match the blackjack dealer want details about the side wager. This section contains all the information you need about the side bet match the dealer.

There is a strategy some blackjack players use called match the dealer. The match the dealer strategy for blackjack is not a good strategy. However, I wanted to mention it in case anyone is interested.

First, I need to clarify that there is no strategy for match the dealer side betting as discussed earlier in this article. One could count cards in order to find a way of changing the house edge slightly on the side bet. However, it is not profitable.

Long-term returns will be higher if you only count cards in the regular blackjack game, and not the match the dealer sidebet.

Let’s now move on to the match-the-dealer strategy that I briefly mentioned at the beginning of this section.

Match the dealer blackjack strategy follows the same rules as the dealer when they play their hand. These rules basically say that you must hit until your hand reaches 17 or more and then stand on any number of 17 or greater.

This strategy has a higher house edge than the standard blackjack strategy. Your return on investment is therefore lower.

Conclusion

You can forget about the match the dealer bet. This is the best strategy. The match the dealer side bet is not worth the risk. You will get a higher return if you do not use it.

You don’t want to use the match-the-dealer blackjack strategy.

You have the best chance of winning if you choose to place a match the dealer bet at a Spanish 21 table. Remember that Spanish 21 strategy is not the same as regular blackjack strategy.