How to play
Dealer Bust 21 is classic six-deck blackjack with three optional side bets that all involve the dealer’s cards. Two are settled on the deal; Dealer Bust waits for the dealer to finish.
- Choose a chip and tap Bet for your main blackjack bet.
- Optionally tap Dealer Bust, Dealer Match or Lucky Three (10 to 100 each).
- Press Deal, then play the main hand: Hit, Stand, Double or Split.
Blackjack rules. Six decks. The dealer stands on all 17s and checks for blackjack under an ace or a 10. Blackjack pays 3 to 2. Double on any first two cards, double after split, split up to four hands. Insurance is offered against an ace.
Dealer Bust
Dealer Bust wins when the dealer goes over 21. The more cards the dealer needed to bust, the more it pays:
| Dealer busts with | Pays |
|---|---|
| 3 or 4 cards | 2 to 1 |
| 5 cards | 4 to 1 |
| 6 cards | 15 to 1 |
| 7 cards | 50 to 1 |
| 8 or more cards | 250 to 1 |
A dealer blackjack loses it. With a Dealer Bust bet on the table, the dealer always finishes the hand, even if you bust or have a blackjack, so the bet is always decided. It’s paid when the dealer’s cards are all turned over.
Dealer Match
Dealer Match looks at your first two cards and the dealer’s face-up card. Each of your cards with the same rank as the up card pays:
| Your card | Pays |
|---|---|
| Same rank and same suit (the identical card) | 11 to 1 |
| Same rank, different suit | 4 to 1 |
If both your cards match, both pay. 7♠ 7♥ against a dealer 7♠ pays 11 + 4 = 15 to 1.
Lucky Three
Lucky Three adds your first two cards to the dealer’s face-up card (aces 1 or 11):
| The three cards | Pays |
|---|---|
| 7-7-7, all one suit | 200 to 1 |
| 6-7-8, all one suit | 100 to 1 |
| 7-7-7 | 50 to 1 |
| 6-7-8 | 30 to 1 |
| 21, all one suit | 15 to 1 |
| 21 | 3 to 1 |
| 20 | 2 to 1 |
| 19 | 2 to 1 |
The odds
We calculated Dealer Match and Lucky Three exactly, counting every combination of three cards from the six-deck shoe. Dealer Bust has no single exact figure: the cards you draw change what the dealer draws. We measured it with the hint’s play in two runs of 1,000,000 hands.
| Bet | Return to player | House edge |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky Three | 97.34% | 2.66% |
| Dealer Match | 95.94% | 4.06% |
| Dealer Bust | 92.39% and 92.74% | about 7.4% |
Tips
- Lucky Three is the best of the three, and it wins often: a 19, 20 or 21 shows up in about one deal in four.
- Dealer Bust is a bet on a weak dealer card, but you place it before you see it. The dealer busts about 28% of the time with these rules.
- The side bets don’t change how to play. The hint only looks at the main hand, even with Dealer Bust on the table.
For other side bets, try Side Bet 21, Royal Queens 21 or Over/Under 21.
If you enjoy Dealer Bust 21, try Dealer’s Choice Poker or Desert Gems next.
