The Royal Match is a side bet in blackjack that is based on the first two cards dealt to the player.

The rules of this side bet are quite simple. If the player's first two cards are suited, such as a queen and five of hearts, the player is paid 5 to 2.

If the player has a royal match, (a suited king and queen) the bet pays 25 to 1. The final outcome of your hand has no influence, since the player with a matched hand is paid immediately, before the hand is played out.

The casino's advantage on a Royal Match bet depends on the number of decks used. The more decks in play, surprisingly, the better the odds for the player.

If playing on a six-deck shoe game, the casino advantage is 6.67%. On an eight-deck game, the house edge is slightly lower at 6.46%.

For the player, things get progressively worse the fewer decks there in the game.

For four decks, the house advantage is 7.08%, for two decks it climbs to 8.33%, and to a whopping 10.86% on a single deck game.

One exception is a paytable I occasionally see on some single deck blackjack games, where a non-royal match pays 4 to 1, and a royal match pays 10 to 1. The house edge with these rules is 3.77%.

Here's the real skinny. I have never seen a side bet offered by the casino that was a better wager than the basic game it was on.

Gimmicky side bets typically carry a house edge of at least 3%, and run as high as 76%. And although the Royal Match wager is a healthier side bet than most of the side bets offered by the casino, it's still a bad deal, being over this columnist's mandated two percent tops casino advantage.

By ignoring the Royal Match offering, you keep more of your hard-earned money in your wallet for a longer time.

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