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Bonus Jackpot -- Version 5
Introduction
What I call version 5 of Bonus Jackpot is a progressive "red light" side bet I noticed on two games, blackjack and Super Three Card, at the Rampart casino on February 2, 2019. A reader submitted a picture of another pay table found elsewhere.
Rules
Bonus Jackpot is a side bet that can be tacked onto any game that uses at least three decks. I believe it was intended for six- and eight-deck games. I believe the bet amount can be $1 or $5. Wins in blackjack, as well as Super Three Card, are based on the player's initial two cards and the dealer's up card. Following are the two known pay tables based on $1 bets.
Pay Table 1
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Suited three of a kind (J-K) | Jackpot |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | $125 |
| Straight flush | $25 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | $20 |
| Straight | $6 |
| Flush | $2 |
Following is pay table 2 based on a $1 bet.
Pay Table 2
| Event | Pays |
|---|---|
| Suited suited aces | Jackpot |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | $125 |
| Straight flush | $25 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | $20 |
| Straight | $6 |
| Flush | $2 |
Pay Table 1 Analysis
The following table shows my analysis for a six-deck game using pay table 1 on a $1 bet.
Pay Table 1 — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited three of a kind (J-K) | Jackpot | 240 | 0.000048 | ? |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | 125 | 800 | 0.000160 | 0.019947 |
| Straight flush | 25 | 10,368 | 0.002068 | 0.051702 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | 20 | 25,272 | 0.005041 | 0.100819 |
| Straight | 6 | 155,520 | 0.031021 | 0.186128 |
| Flush | 2 | 292,896 | 0.058424 | 0.116847 |
| All other | 0 | 4,528,224 | 0.903239 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 5,013,320 | 1.000000 | 0.475444 + ? |
The six-deck table above shows that the fixed wins contribute 47.54% to the return. At a $1 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 4.79%. The break-even meter point for a $1 bet is $10,957.37. At a $5 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 0.96%. The break-even meter point for a $5 bet is $54,786.83.
The following table shows my analysis for an eight-deck game.
Pay Table 1 — Eight Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited three of a kind (J-K) | Jackpot | 672 | 0.000056 | ? |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | 125 | 2,240 | 0.000188 | 0.023505 |
| Straight flush | 25 | 24,576 | 0.002063 | 0.051578 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | 20 | 61,568 | 0.005169 | 0.103370 |
| Straight | 6 | 368,640 | 0.030947 | 0.185679 |
| Flush | 2 | 700,928 | 0.058841 | 0.117683 |
| All other | 0 | 10,753,536 | 0.902736 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 11,912,160 | 1.000000 | 0.481815 + ? |
The eight-deck table above shows that the fixed wins contribute 48.18% to the return. At a $1 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 5.64%. The break-even meter point for a $1 bet is $9,185.57. At a $5 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 1.13%. The break-even meter point for a $5 bet is $45,927.86.
Pay Table 2 Analysis
The following table shows my analysis for a six-deck game using pay table 2 on a $1 bet.
Pay Table 2 — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited suited aces | Jackpot | 60 | 0.000012 | ? |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | 125 | 600 | 0.000120 | 0.014960 |
| Straight flush | 25 | 10,368 | 0.002068 | 0.051702 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | 20 | 25,272 | 0.005041 | 0.100819 |
| Straight | 6 | 155,520 | 0.031021 | 0.186128 |
| Flush | 2 | 293,276 | 0.058499 | 0.116999 |
| All other | 0 | 4,528,224 | 0.903239 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 5,013,320 | 1.000000 | 0.470609 + ? |
The six-deck table above shows that the fixed wins contribute 47.06% to the return. At a $1 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 1.20%. The break-even meter point for a $1 bet is $44,233.47 . At a $5 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 0.24%. The break-even meter point for a $5 bet is $221,167.33.
The following table shows my analysis of pay table 2 for an eight-deck game.
Pay Table 2 — Eight Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suited suited aces | Jackpot | 168 | 0.000014 | ? |
| Suited three of a kind (all other) | 125 | 1,680 | 0.000141 | 0.017629 |
| Straight flush | 25 | 24,576 | 0.002063 | 0.051578 |
| Three of a kind (unsuited) | 20 | 61,568 | 0.005169 | 0.103370 |
| Straight | 6 | 368,640 | 0.030947 | 0.185679 |
| Flush | 2 | 701,992 | 0.058931 | 0.117861 |
| All other | 0 | 10,753,536 | 0.902736 | 0.000000 |
| Total | 11,912,160 | 1.000000 | 0.476117 + ? |
The eight-deck table above shows that the fixed wins contribute 47.61% to the return. At a $1 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 1.41%. The break-even meter point for a $1 bet is $37,146.29. At a $5 bet, for every $1,000 in the jackpot, the return goes up by 0.28%. The break-even meter point for a $5 bet is $185,731.43.
Internal Links
Versions 1 to 4 of Bonus Jackpot.
External Links
Discussion of Bonus Jackpot in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.