Lucky Ladies Blackjack
The side-bets in Blackjack: Lucky Ladies certainly are, since your odds are decent of landing face cards and 10s. The house edge in Lucky Ladies is just 0.37%, which is tiny. The only real shame is that Lucky Ladies hasn’t gathered as much attention as this blackjack variant surely deserves.
Lucky Ladies blackjack is named by many as the most popular side bet in history. To be honest, we are not sure that this statement is somewhat correct, but it’s not that important. Lucky Ladies is indeed a very popular game, not as Perfect Pairs or 21+3 Blackjack, but not far behind. The twist here is that on top of the basic blackjack game, the casinos added the special Lucky Ladies side bet. The game is relatively new, first introduced less than a decade ago, but it spread quickly across the globe and now can be found in many land based casinos.
Two contradicting/complementing factors fueled Lucky Ladies success. First, many players got hooked on Lucky Ladies due to huge payouts that can be won. Second, due to the high house edge it carries, this game is extremely lucrative for the casinos as well.
Such is the case in Lucky Ladies Blackjack, a game created by NYX Gaming. To be certain, there are a handful of other factors that make this version of the timeless table classic a bit different than most of the competition, including a sort of hybrid ruleset that. A simple but incredibly popular sidebet for traditional Blackjack, where the player can bet on whether their first two cards total 20! This sidebet pays out up to 1000-1!
Play for Real
The main attraction of Lucky Ladies blackjack, besides the progressive jackpot which is available in some casinos and we’ll explain later on, is that if you get 20 with your first two cards, you always win. How much you will win depends on the the rank and the suit of your cards and the value of the dealer’s cards (whether dealer has blackjack or not).
Free Blackjack Games to Play
Lucky Ladies Blackjack Rules
Rules for casino games are not written in stone and may vary from one gambling establishment to the next, especially when it comes to the basic game rules: when you can double, if you can re-split Aces, and so on; but they do tend to become standardized over time. That is the case with the Lucky Ladies that can be found with almost similar rules in various casinos. Online is a different story, but we will get to it later.
Basic Rules
- Usually played with 6 standard decks.
- Dealer hits soft 17.
- Dealer checks for blackjack on 10 value cards and offers insurance on Ace up card.
- Player can double on any initial cards.
- Split once.
- Double after split is allowed.
- Some allow late surrender.
Side Bet Payouts
In order to qualify for the Lucky Ladies side bet, you need to place your standard blackjack bet first. If the value of your first two cards does not total 20, your side bet is lost. On the other hand, if your first two cards total 20, you will win and your prize will be awarded according to the pay table.
- Player’s first two cards are both Queen of Hearts and the dealer has a blackjack – 1000:1
- Player’s first two cards are both Queen of Hearts – 125:1 or 200:1
- Player’s first two cards are exact matches and total 20 – 19:1 or 20:1
- Player’s first two cards are the same suit and total 20 – 9:1 or 10:1
- Player’s first two cards are different suit and total 20 – 4:1
- Player’s first two cards do not total 20 – you loose the side bet.
Lucky Ladies Blackjack Odds
We know that some of you were born under a lucky star, but, for the rest of us, laws of probability work mercilessly. While Lucky Ladies side bet gives you the chance to hit it big and leave the casino with newly printed bills inside your wallet, it will most likely sweep your account in the long run.
Lucky Ladies Blackjack Payouts
Let us be clear: this side bet, although they claim to be exceptionally popular, raises the profits of the casinos significantly on account of the players’ losses. With the house edge of 24.7% (counted for the six-deck blackjack) the Lucky Ladies side bet will cost you more than any casino game. For every $1,000 placed on this bet, players will lose $247. These figures, of course, are average values, meaning some players will be lucky enough to win and collect their prizes after all.
The conclusion comes by itself: if you want to ensure you never lose with cards that total 20, Lucky Ladies give you that privilege, but at a high cost. No one would reasonably recommend you to use this bet on a regular basis. However, if you think it is your lucky day, you may give it a shot here and there.
Lucky Ladies in Online Casinos
Lucky Ladies blackjack is yet to make its breakthrough into the online world. So far we found only one software provider to offer this game and that’s Felt Gaming. The basic rules of the game remain the same, but the side bets payouts are a bit different. The top payout for Queen of Hearts pair plus dealer’s blackjack is taken off, but the payout for other combination is increased, including 1:1 return if you have just one queen.
The bottom line is that the highest winning combination is much lower, x100 instead of x1000, but the overall expected return in online version is much higher, 93.78% vs. 75.3% according to land based casino rules. You can check our full review of Lucky Ladies Blackjack online for more details.
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Introduction
Lucky Ladies is one of the most popular blackjack side bets ever. It started in Washington state and now can be found in casinos all over the place. The idea is that any player 20-point hand wins something. Certain twenties, especially those involving two queens pay more. I've seen various versions through the years, which I label as A, B, C, D, and E. There is also a progressive version called Bonus Lucky Ladies.
A word about terminology. A 'matched pair' means the same card in both rank and suit.
Lucky Ladies — Pay Tables A and B
| Hand | Table A | Table B |
|---|---|---|
| Q of hearts pair & dealer has BJ | 1000 to 1 | 1000 to 1 |
| Q of hearts pair | 125 to 1 | 200 to 1 |
| Matched 20 | 19 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
| Suited 20 | 9 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Unsuited 20 | 4 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
Lucky Ladies — Pay Table C
| Hand | Table C |
|---|---|
| Pair of queens with dealer BJ | 250 to 1 |
| Pair of queens | 25 to 1 |
| Ranked 20 | 9 to 1 |
| Suited 20 | 6 to 1 |
| Any 20 | 3 to 1 |
Lucky Ladies — Pay Table D
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | 100 to 1 |
| Matched 20 | 30 to 1 |
| Suited 20 | 10 to 1 |
| Any 20 | 3 to 1 |
| One queen | 1 to 1 |
Lucky Ladies — Pay Table E
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | 100 |
| Matched 20 | 25 |
| Suited 20 | 10 |
| Any 20 | 3 |
| Queen of hearts | 2 |
| Any other queen | 1 |
Following is the pay table for the progressive Pay Table F.
Lucky Ladies — Pay Table F
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair + dealer BJ | Jackpot |
| Queen of hearts pair | 25 |
| Suited 20 | 10 |
| Unsuited 20 | 2 |
Analysis of Pay Table A
The next table is an analysis of pay table A with six decks. The lower right cell shows a return of 75.29%, or a house edge of 24.71%.
Lucky Ladies Pay Table A — 6 decks
| Hand | Permutations | Probability | Pays | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q of hearts pair & dealer has BJ | 135360 | 0.000015 | 1000 to 1 | 0.014563 |
| Q of hearts pair | 2738340 | 0.000295 | 125 to 1 | 0.036827 |
| Matched 20 (same rank and suit) | 43105500 | 0.004638 | 19 to 1 | 0.088115 |
| Suited 20 | 193112640 | 0.020777 | 9 to 1 | 0.186990 |
| Unsuited 20 | 744863040 | 0.080139 | 4 to 1 | 0.320554 |
| Non-20 | 8310740400 | 0.894138 | Loss | -0.894138 |
| Total | 9294695280 | 1.000000 | -0.247089 |
Analysis of Pay Table B
The next table is an analysis of pay table B with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 17.64%.
Lucky Ladies Pay Table B — 6 decks
| Hand | Permutations | Probability | Pays | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q of hearts pair & dealer has BJ | 1,000 | 135,360 | 0.000015 | 0.014563 |
| Q of hearts pair | 200 | 2,738,340 | 0.000295 | 0.058923 |
| Matched 20 (same rank and suit) | 25 | 43,105,500 | 0.004638 | 0.115941 |
| Suited 20 | 10 | 193,112,640 | 0.020777 | 0.207767 |
| Unsuited 20 | 4 | 744,863,040 | 0.080139 | 0.320554 |
| Non-20 | -1 | 8,310,740,400 | 0.894138 | -0.894138 |
| Total | 9,294,695,280 | 1.000000 | -0.176391 |
Analysis of Pay Table C
The next table is an analysis of pay table C with one deck, which is what pay table C was designed for. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 29.89% (ouch!).
Lucky Ladies Pay Table C — 1 deck
| Hand | Permutations | Probability | Pays | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pair of queens with dealer BJ | 1344 | 0.000207 | 250 to 1 | 0.051713 |
| Pair of queens | 28056 | 0.004318 | 25 to 1 | 0.107951 |
| Ranked 20 | 88200 | 0.013575 | 9 to 1 | 0.122172 |
| Suited 20 | 137200 | 0.021116 | 6 to 1 | 0.126697 |
| Any 20 | 411600 | 0.063348 | 3 to 1 | 0.190045 |
| Non-20 | 5831000 | 0.897436 | Loss | -0.897436 |
| Total | 6497400 | 1 | -0.298858 |
Analysis of Pay Table D
The next table is an analysis of pay table D with six decks. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.34%.
Lucky Ladies Pay Table D — 6 decks
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | 100 | 15 | 0.000309 | 0.030918 |
| Matched 20 | 30 | 225 | 0.004638 | 0.139129 |
| Suited 20 | 10 | 1,008 | 0.020777 | 0.207767 |
| Any 20 | 3 | 3,888 | 0.080139 | 0.240416 |
| One queen | 1 | 5,184 | 0.106851 | 0.106851 |
| Loser | -1 | 38,196 | 0.787287 | -0.787287 |
| Total | 48,516 | 1.000000 | -0.062206 |
Analysis of Pay Table E
Following is my analysis of pay table E, based on six decks.
Lucky Ladies Pay Table E — 6 decks
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | 100 | 15 | 0.000309 | 0.030918 |
| Matched 20 | 25 | 225 | 0.004638 | 0.115941 |
| Suited 20 | 10 | 1,008 | 0.020777 | 0.207767 |
| Any 20 | 3 | 3,888 | 0.080139 | 0.240416 |
| Queen of hearts | 2 | 1,296 | 0.026713 | 0.053426 |
| Any other queen | 1 | 3,888 | 0.080139 | 0.080139 |
| Loser | -1 | 38,196 | 0.787287 | -0.787287 |
| Total | 48,516 | 1.000000 | -0.058682 |
House Edge Summary
The next table summarizes the house edge for versions A through D for one to eight decks.
Lucky Ladies — Summary
| Decks | Pay Table A | Pay Table B | Pay Table C | Pay Table D | Pay Table E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29.89% | ||||
| 2 | 30.05% | 24.94% | 25.51% | 12.66% | 11.37% |
| 4 | 26.04% | 19.46% | 23.35% | 7.82% | 7.24% |
| 5 | 25.24% | 18.37% | 22.92% | 6.86% | 6.42% |
| 6 | 24.71% | 17.64% | 22.64% | 6.22% | 5.87% |
| 8 | 24.05% | 16.73% | 22.28% | 5.42% | 5.19% |
Bonus Lucky Ladies
Bonus Lucky Ladies is a $1 progressive side bet. I first noticed it on June 5, 2015 at the Palace Casino in La Center, Washington. Following is the pay table table. All wins are on a 'for one' basis, meaning the player does not get his original wager returned on a win.
Bonus Lucky Ladies — Pay Table
| Player | Dealer | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer BJ in hearts | 100% of Jackpot |
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer suited BJ (not hearts) | 25% of Jackpot |
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer BJ (not suited) | 5% of Jackpot |
| Queen of hearts pair | Anything else | $125 |
| Matched 20 | Anything | $19 |
| Suited 20 | Anything | $9 |
The next table shows the probability and return of each event, based on six decks. A question mark means a variable win, depending on the jackpot size.
Bonus Lucky Ladies — Return TableExpand
| Player | Dealer | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer BJ in hearts | ? | 1,980 | 0.0000009 | ? |
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer suited BJ (not hearts) | ? | 6,480 | 0.0000028 | ? |
| Queen of hearts pair | Dealer BJ (not suited) | ? | 25,380 | 0.0000109 | ? |
| Queen of hearts pair | Anything else | $125 | 684,585 | 0.0002946 | 0.0368267 |
| Matched 20 | Anything | $19 | 10,776,375 | 0.0046376 | 0.0881153 |
| Suited 20 | Anything | $9 | 48,278,160 | 0.0207767 | 0.1869899 |
| Loser | $0 | 2,263,900,860 | 0.9742765 | 0.0000000 | |
| Total | 2,263,900,860 | 1.0000000 | 0.3119318 |
The table above shows the fixed wins return 31.19%. Each $10,000 in the meter will add 2.13% to the return. To reach break-even the jackpot would need to reach $328,372.59.
Analysis of Pay Table F
Following is my analysis of the progressive pay table F, based on six decks. Wins are on a 'for one' basis.
Pay Table F Analysis ‐ Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of hearts pair + dealer BJ | Jackpot | 33,840 | 0.000015 | ? |
| Queen of hearts pair | 25 | 684,585 | 0.000295 | 0.007365 |
| Suited 20 | 10 | 59,054,535 | 0.025414 | 0.254143 |
| Unsuited 20 | 2 | 186,215,760 | 0.080139 | 0.160277 |
| Loser | 0 | 2,077,685,100 | 0.894138 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 2,323,673,820 | 1.000000 | 0.421785 + ? |
Lucky Ladies Blackjack Payout
The following table shows a return to player of 42.18%, not including the value of the jackpot. For every 10,000 bets units in the jackpot, the return increases by 14.56%.
I saw this as a 'red light' $1 bet at the Rampart on January 29, 2021. At the time, the jackpot was $17,347.43. That would make the return at that time and place 42.18% + 14.56% × $17347/$10000 = 67.44%.