A new online blackjack variant titled Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack has gone live at Realtime Gaming online casinos. This blackjack variant offers a side bet that pays as high as 60 to 1. In all blackjack variants with independent side bets, the house edge for the side bet is higher than that for the main game. The philosophy is simple. If you want to try for the higher returns, then you have to take higher risks. The same applies to Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack.

You need to be more aware than this while playing Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack at your favorite Realtime Gaming online casino, because there is a lure for the unsuspecting. You can choose from 2, 6 or 8 decks. In normal blackjack games the house edge, or the percent of each bet that the online casino expects to retain in the long run, decreases with the number of decks. So you would be tempted to play with two decks. That would be disastrous because the house edge on the side bet is 9.4%, which is much higher than for online slots. The house edge for six decks is 3.4% and for two decks it is 2.7%. The advantage you will gain on the side bet with 8 decks will more than offset the miniscule disadvantage in the main game. So if you play Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack always opt for 8 decks and play the side bet.

The rules of Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack are simple. You place the side bet up along with the ante bet for the main game. If the first two cards dealt to you are of the same suit the side bet wins. If get two aces of the same suit then you win 60 to 1. If you get a blackjack with both cards from the same suit then you win 10 to 1. Two suited cards of the same rank, other than aces, win 5 to 1. Two cards from the same suit totaling to 11 as per the normal blackjack rules pay 3 to 1. Any other two cards of the same suit pay you 2 to 1. If the side bet wins then you receive your payout immediately. If the side bet loses then you forfeit it. After that you play the main game in the usual manner. TopCasinos.com recommends Club World, Slot Jungle and Win Palace for playing Suit ‘Em Up Blackjack.