Under Pennsylvania’s regulated Perfect Pairs wager, any same-rank initial two cards can qualify. The categories are mixed pair, colored pair and perfect pair; eligibility is not restricted to face cards.
The three pair categories
- Mixed pair: same rank, different colors.
- Colored pair: same rank and color, different suits.
- Perfect pair: same rank, color and suit.
Because a single deck cannot contain two identical cards of the same suit, a perfect pair requires a multi-deck game. The wager is settled from the player’s initial two cards before additional cards are dealt.
Keep the side bet separate from the main blackjack wager.
Identify a pair before reading the payment
Two queens of hearts from different decks form a perfect pair. A queen of hearts with a queen of diamonds forms a colored pair. A queen of hearts with a queen of clubs forms a mixed pair. A king and a queen do not form any of these pairs, even though both cards count as ten in the main hand.
Two paytables listed in Pennsylvania’s rule
The certificate holder selects a paytable in its rules submission. The cited Pennsylvania provision lists the following two schedules. Read each row in the order shown; a higher perfect-pair prize can accompany lower payments for more common pairs.
| Pair category | Pennsylvania A | Pennsylvania B |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect pair | 25 to 1 | 30 to 1 |
| Colored pair | 12 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Mixed pair | 6 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
A different 25/15/5 schedule is documented in Michael Shackleford’s Perfect Pairs analysis, where he labels it table D. That source documents a comparison schedule; it does not establish its approval under the Pennsylvania provision. Table letters from different sources are not interchangeable.
Those are payout odds on a winning side wager, not a statement of profit after a session. Do not mix “to 1” winnings with total-return arithmetic, and do not subtract an unrelated blackjack stake when explaining the side-bet payout.
The main hand and side bet settle separately
A qualifying pair can win the Perfect Pairs wager while the main blackjack hand later loses, or the side bet can lose while the main hand wins. Basic strategy for the main hand does not change the two cards that already determined the side bet.
Worked settlement: profit on one wager and on the round
Suppose you place $20 on blackjack and $5 on Perfect Pairs under Pennsylvania table A. A perfect pair pays $125 in side-bet profit plus the $5 stake, returning $130. If the main hand later loses $20, the combined round profit is $105: $125 minus $20. The side bet still paid 25 to 1; the separate main-hand loss changes your combined result.
If instead the side bet loses $5 and the main hand wins an ordinary even-money $20 profit, the combined round profit is $15. Keep those two settlements separate in your records, then add their net results.
Deck count changes the pair probability
For a fresh six-deck shoe dealt without replacement, after any first card there are five identical rank-and-suit copies among 311 remaining cards. Six cards share its rank and color but have the other suit; twelve share its rank and have the other color. Those counts give perfect, colored and mixed-pair probabilities of 5/311, 6/311 and 12/311. The remaining 288/311 outcomes do not pair.
Using the 25/12/6 schedule, the expected net return per $1 side wager is (25 × 5 + 12 × 6 + 6 × 12 − 288) / 311 = −19/311, about −6.11%. This fresh-shoe example matches Shackleford’s six-deck calculation. Different deck counts, payouts or remaining cards change the estimate. A large top prize alone cannot tell you the house edge.
Do not transfer the paytable blindly
Other jurisdictions or products may use different categories, decks or payouts. Verify the displayed paytable, operator and rules submission rather than assuming that a familiar name guarantees Pennsylvania’s figures.
Further reading
Side bets add variance and cost. Compare the exact paytable with the amount at risk before playing.
