What is blackjack Perfect Pairs?

What is blackjack Perfect Pairs? The quick answer

Perfect Pairs is a side bet added to an ordinary game of blackjack. Alongside your main wager, you can put a separate stake on whether your first two cards will be a matching pair. If they are, the side bet pays, and the size of the payout depends on how closely the two cards match.

The side bet resolves the moment the cards are dealt. After that, you play the main hand as usual: hit, stand, double or split against the dealer. RealTime Gaming (RTG) sells the game as Blackjack + Perfect Pairs, and it's one of several blackjack variants covered in our online casino questions hub.

Perfect Pairs side bet: the three pair types

In the common version of the bet, pairs fall into three groups. The table defines each one. Only the perfect pair payout is published in the sources we rely on, so the lower tiers in RTG's game should be checked in its paytable.

A perfect pair is only possible because blackjack is dealt from more than one deck. If the game used a single deck, there would be just one seven of hearts. RTG's deck count for this title isn't published in our sources, so look for it in the game's help screen.

How to play blackjack Perfect Pairs online

1. Open the game's rules or help panel and check the deck count, the side bet's pay table and the table limits.
2. Place your main blackjack bet.
3. Decide whether to add a Perfect Pairs side bet. It's optional, and you can skip it on any hand.
4. Deal. If your first two cards form a qualifying pair, the side bet is paid at once; otherwise it's collected.
5. Play the main hand using blackjack basic strategy. GamesHub reports that RTG's version lets you double on any two cards.
6. The dealer completes their hand and the main bet is settled as normal.

New to the main game? Our how to play blackjack guide covers hand values, soft and hard totals, splitting and doubling before you add any side bet.

RTG's Blackjack + Perfect Pairs: what's reported

Public information on RTG's version is limited. These are the details third-party sources give, with gaps marked.

GamesHub gives a range rather than one RTP figure and doesn't say which bet sits at each end. Treat the top figure as the best case, not the number every bet earns. Our RealTime Gaming software page covers the studio's history, and GamesHub's RTG games list (opens in a new tab) is where these figures come from.

Perfect Pairs odds and house edge in dollars

Expected loss is total amount staked multiplied by the house edge, which equals 100% minus RTP. Because the reported range is wide, here's what each end means for the same session.

The gap between those two lines is $36.90 for every $1,000 you put through the game. That's why the side bet deserves a closer look before you add it to every hand.

On a win, a $5 side bet on a perfect pair at 25:1 pays $125 in winnings. The catch is frequency: perfect pairs are rare, and most side bets lose. The top payout tells you nothing about how often it lands, and no source publishes that rate for RTG's game.

Is there a Perfect Pairs strategy?

For the main hand, yes: basic strategy is the mathematically best play for each total against the dealer's upcard, and it reduces the house edge. For the side bet, no. You make no decisions after placing it, so there's nothing to optimize.

Card counting sometimes comes up in Perfect Pairs discussions, because pairs become more or less likely as cards leave a shoe. That's theory from live, multi-deck games. Online RNG blackjack reshuffles every hand, so earlier cards tell you nothing. Our page on whether you can count cards online explains the history.

Betting systems such as Martingale don't change the house edge on either bet. Doubling stakes after losses only raises the amount at risk.

Perfect Pairs vs other RTG blackjack games

RTG makes several blackjack variants. Here's how the reported figures compare.

Suit 'Em Up Blackjack is the closest cousin: another side bet on your first two cards, but built around suits. For the full RTG lineup, see our Blackjack + Perfect Pairs game page and the house edge on blackjack.

Is Perfect Pairs blackjack legal in the USA?

That depends on your state. Seven states license real-money online casinos: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Players there can find blackjack with state oversight. Elsewhere, no state licenses online casinos.

The RTG casinos that run Blackjack + Perfect Pairs are offshore and not licensed by any US state. Federal law, including UIGEA, targets payment processing rather than making a bet a federal crime for the player, so state law is what decides. Our explainer on whether it's illegal to play at offshore casinos covers what that means in practice: no state regulator, no state-backed protection of balances and terms the casino sets.

Perfect Pairs with a casino bonus: read the table game rules

Welcome bonuses at RTG casinos are built for slots. Blackjack is often excluded or counted at a much higher wagering rate, so check before you play it with bonus funds.

Silver Oak's published terms show the pattern: 40x on slots, keno, bingo and scratch cards, against 60x on table games and video poker, and they exclude Pontoon 21, Baccarat and several other games outright. Its promo page states 30x instead, so the two pages conflict. Our guide to game weighting explains how these rates change the real cost of a bonus.

Keeping side bets in check

Side bets add a second wager to every hand, which can double your spend per hour without much notice. Set a session budget first and decide in advance whether the side bet is part of it.

If play stops feeling like entertainment, call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), or use chat through NCPG's help and treatment page (opens in a new tab). Our gambling budget guide shows how to set limits that hold.

Where to play Perfect Pairs blackjack: offers via our links

These partners run RTG software, but no source confirms Blackjack + Perfect Pairs in any of their lobbies, so check the table games section before you deposit. Silver Oak comes first because it publishes its table game wagering rules. All three are offshore and not licensed by any US state, so check your state's law before you sign up. We earn commission from these links, and the order is commercial.

• Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply).
• Planet 7 Casino: $2,750 Welcome Bonus + 45 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply).
• Decode Casino: $5,000 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply).

Silver Oak's terms and conditions (opens in a new tab) set 40x on slots and 60x on table games and video poker, while its promo page states 30x; it advertises a $10,000 package over ten deposits with no max withdrawal, and deposits start at $30. Its terms name Primrose Media Limited as operator, licensed in Anjouan, though LCB's listing says "No license" and mentions Costa Rica. See the Silver Oak review.

Planet 7's own terms weren't available to check. LCB reports code WELCOME200 at 200%, 30x (bonus + deposit) on slots and a $1,000 max cashout, with a $30 card minimum. More in the Planet 7 review.

Decode's site shows a headline offer without terms. LCB lists code DECODE111 at 111% up to $1,111 with 25x (bonus + deposit) wagering and a $25 minimum, and VegasSlotsOnline reports that Decode doesn't accept players from Maryland, New Jersey, New York or Washington. Codes change, and the terms shown at sign-up apply.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board named Silver Oak and Planet 7 in cease-and-desist letters on April 9, 2025, describing them as illegal offshore operators.

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).