The Best Match Play Bets on Blackjack in Vegas

Who doesn’t like a good old match play bet? After all, it’s not every that you can bet against the house and have the upper hand, even if it only is for one hand/round/spin.

While online casinos are giving away blackjack bonuses left and right, the Vegas casinos have a trick of their own up their sleeves. Matchplay coupons serve as a powerful incentive to visit a casino while in Vegas. They essentially work the same way as a deposit bonus. I’ll explain more about that momentarily.

I’ve only been to Sin City a couple of times, but when I was there, I noticed lots of match play bet coupons in circulation. Some hotels were giving them away, they were attached to show tickets, and a ‘Fun Book’ I found in the hotel I was staying at has a whole bunch of them.

If you’re looking for the best match play bets on blackjack in Vegas, I’m going to show you what they are, how they work, where you can find them, and what the best bets are to make using them.

If you’re already well versed in match play coupons and how they work, feel free to skip ahead to the ‘Match Play Bets – How to Use Them for Maximum Advantage’ section below.

What are Match Play Bet Coupons?

Match play bets are coupons which give you a free bet at the casino, but as the name suggests, you’ll have to make a bet, and the casino will match it.

For example, let’s say you have a match play coupon for blackjack worth $20. That means you can make a bet on a hand of blackjack worth up to $20 and you can use the match play coupon to double it, giving you a total bet of $40 for risking only $20 of your own cash.

Some things to keep in mind about match play coupons are:

• They come in different denominations, but normally the maximum is $20.
• You’ll only be able to use them once. If you chose not to maximize them, say by only betting $10 on a hand, the coupon will only be worth the size of your bet. The denomination of the coupon is the maximum you can claim a match for.
• Match play bet coupons aren’t always a 100% match. For example, you could get a $7/$5 coupon. This would mean if you bet $5 you could potentially win $7 from that hand.
• You can use match play coupons for other games, too. You could use them on craps or roulette, for example. It all depends on the casino giving them out.
• At most casinos, the coupons can only be used on even money bets. Most players do not feel blackjack is the best game to use match coupons on, especially if you lose the coupon on pushes. More on that later.

How to Claim Match Play Coupons in Vegas

Claiming match play coupons is a fairly easy process. It can be done in three steps:

Find a Coupon Source

As mentioned above, there are numerous sources for match play coupons. You can find them in ‘Fun Books’, some hotels and tour companies will give you them, and you can find them in magazines like the American Casino Guide alongside two-for-one drinks vouchers and the like.

Join the Player’s Club

At most casinos, if you want to claim match play bets, you’ll have to join the player’s club associated with that casino. You should do this anyway as it comes with multiple benefits such as accumulating comp points. You should definitely do this if you gamble in Vegas regularly.

You’ll then take your coupons to the player’s club desk or kiosk in the casino and will redeem them for an exclusive chip or coupon. Again, you can only use this once, so think about how you want to do it.

Place Your Match Play Bet

While you can use the chip on even money bets in most games, such as colors in roulette or the Pass Line bet in a game of craps.

If you win, you’ll be paid the value of your bet + the coupon. For example, if you bet $10 of your own cash + a $10 match play coupon on blackjack and win the hand, you’ll be paid $40. That’s a tidy sum, considering your risk was only half what it normally would have been to win that amount thanks to the match play coupon.

Match Play Blackjack Bets – How to Bet for Maximum Advantage

There are a few different things to consider when using match play coupons at the blackjack tables.

• Check whether the casino lets you keep the coupon if you win using it. Normally they do, but some casinos have been known to pay out on the coupon then take the chip away.
• Do not use them on blackjack if you lose the coupon on a push. Statistically, 9% of your bets will be pushes, and 48% of your hands will lose. That’s too much of an advantage for the house. If that the case, consider using them on another game like roulette.
• Lots of expert blackjack players choose to stand on 16 when using match play coupons, whereas they would normally hit. Since 16 is a fair hand, the extra advantage the match play coupon gives you makes it worth standing on 16 versus the risk of going bust.
• If the casino allows you to keep the coupon when you surrender, it makes sense to do so more often. In a case like this where you make a $10 bet and surrender, you’ll lose $5 of your own cash and still get to keep your $10 coupon. If in doubt, surrender.
• Concerning whether or not to double up, the match play coupon is irrelevant in this situation. You should make your decision according to basic strategy regardless of whether or not you’re playing with a match play coupon.
• You should also consider splitting when possible if playing blackjack with a match play coupon. Splits are generally considered advantageous to the player, but if you only had to risk $10 for your initial $20 hand (thanks to the $10 value of the coupon) and you get to bet $20 on every split, that could mean you walk away with much more money than you would if you were only able to bet another $10 on each split (absent the match play coupon).

Closing Thoughts

Before using match play coupons to bet on blackjack, make sure you understand the conditions of the coupon fully. For example, make sure you get to keep your coupon in the event of a push. If not, it’s probably best to use your coupon on another game such as craps or roulette.

Ultimately, the casino always has an edge, but match play coupons do lessen your risk on the whole. Keep in mind the above tips about maximizing the advantages of splits, doubling up, and surrendering when using making match play bets on blackjack.

I wish you the best of luck!