Payout Odds and Theoretical Hold Percentage
The theoretical hold percentage for Perfect Pairs varies with the number of decks being used. It is obviously impossible to achieve a Perfect Pair on a single deck game. A minimum of 2 decks must be used before a Perfect Pair can be achieved and the more decks being used, the easier it becomes.
The payout odds for Perfect Pairs can be adapted to suit the individual casino operator. It is strongly recommended that the payscale does not provide a hold percentage higher than 7% as one of the strengths of Perfect Pairs is that the majority of players perceive it to be a fair and reasonable bet. This in turn helps generate greater turnover.
Burswood Casino in Perth, West Australia operates Perfect Pairs on all their 4 deck perpetual shuffler games. In order that the theoretical hold percentage for Perfect Pairs remains in the 4% to 7% house advantage bracket, the payscale for the 4 deck game was adjusted to 5 to 1 for a “Mixed Pair”, 12 to 1 for a “Coloured Pair” and 30 to 1 for a “Perfect Pair” to maintain the hold percentage at 6.76%.
| Pair Type | Payscale | Payscale | Payscale | Payscale |
| Mixed Pair | 6 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| Coloured Pair | 12 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| Perfect Pair | 25 to 1 | 30 to 1 | 30 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
| Decks | House % | House % | House % | House % |
| 4 | 10.14% | 10.63% | 6.76% | 8.21% |
| 5 | 7.72% | 7.72% | 3.86% | 5.79% |
| 6 | 6.11% | 5.79% | 1.93% | 4.18% |
| 8 | 4.10% | 3.37% | - | 2.17% |
What is the expected return from Perfect Pairs?
Perfect Pairs has been proven to significantly raise the hold percentage at blackjack. The expected return varies with the theoretical hold percentage which is directly related to the number of decks and the payscale. With an eight deck game and a [6 to 1, 12 to 1, 25 to 1] payscale, the theoretical hold percentage for Perfect Pairs is 4.1%. Historically this combination of decks and payout odds has translated to an increase in cash drop hold percentage of around 1.5%.
With a six deck game and a [5 to 1, 10 to 1, 30 to 1] payscale, the theoretical hold percentage for Perfect Pairs is 5.79%. Historically this combination of decks and payout odds has translated to an increase in cash drop hold percentage of around 2.5%. Some players bet as much or more on Perfect Pairs than they do on the actual blackjack hand itself.
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