I recently met a friend for dinner at The Mirage and decided to look around since I was a few minutes early. (Unrelated, Heritage Steakhouse is great) Las Vegas casinos are still pretty mellow during the week. This makes walking through the massive properties pretty quick since there aren’t many people milling about.
The majority of table games were closed since it was midweek. However, one thing really stood out at the blackjack tables – open and closed. Every blackjack game has a Super 4 Progressive side bet.
Yeah, yeah. Almost every casino game has a side bet nowadays but this one stood out. The Super 4 Progressive meter is colorful and bright. Side bets don’t interest me as a player but this is so striking that I became curious about it.
Learn To Play The Super 4 Progressive
Side bets usually aren’t complicated because they typically appeal to less sophisticated gamblers. These side bets rarely need more than a 30-second explanation. The creator of the Super 4 Progressive side bet, AGS, takes a minute to detail how this four card poker style blackjack side bet works.
The payouts are simple and players can win $10 (2-1 on the $5 bet) if the dealer has an Ace showing without being dealt blackjack. The player will win $25 (5-1 on the $5 bet) if the dealer has a blackjack.
This may sound counter-intuitive but the side bet gets fun when the dealer has a blackjack. This is when the game turns into a four card poker hand using the first two cards for the player and the dealer. This is where the possibility of a big jackpot win comes.
Here are the potential winning hand payouts for the $5 Super 4 Progressive bet:
- Pair: $50
- Same color: $100
- Two pair: $200
- Flush: $250
The remaining hands will win progressive jackpots:
- Straight: Minor jackpot
- Three of a kind: Major jackpot
- Royal Flush (Spades, Hearts, Clubs): 10% of Mega jackpot
- Royal Flush (Diamonds): 100% of Mega jackpot
Super 4 Progressive Blackjack wager loses if the dealer doesn’t have an Ace showing or a blackjack. The regular hand with house rules will continue if the hand doesn’t qualify for the side bet.
Huge Side Bet Winners
The biggest shocker for some might be that this blackjack side bet costs $5 extra per hand. Many casinos offer side bets for just $1. The large buy-in is what can make the jackpots grow quickly. In fact, a blackjack player at Maryland Live! casino won $1 million playing the Super 4 Progressive a couple of years ago.
Las Vegas blackjack side bets vary in jackpot size depending on location. The typical side bet buy-in on the Vegas Strip is usually $5 per hand. This grows the jackpot quicker than say a $1 side bet at casinos in downtown Las Vegas and elsewhere around town.
Side bet jackpots on the Vegas Strip can grow quicker than progressives in other markets. For example, Caesars links its progressive system to all of its Las Vegas casinos.
In July, when casinos weren’t very busy, a player at Caesars Palace won nearly $2 million playing Pai Gow Poker. That same day a Flamingo a player won nearly $500,000 on a side bet playing Texas Hold-Em Bonus Poker.
Not all jackpots build up very long to grow so large. A player more recently won over $150,000 from the Blazing 7’s Blackjack Mega Progressive Bally’s in August.
Side bets might not be good bets but the progressives can at least make the experience fun for those who play.
