More known in the Atlantic City casinos than in Vegas or abroad, streak is an easy side bet to make and forget about, since you don’t have to do any separate identification of your hand, nor does the dealer. You just have to keep track of how many hands in a row you win, and depending on how high that number gets, the payoff continues to increase. I like this bet because each time you can stand to increase your total winnings while not having to put up any more money.

Here are some general odds that you face if you take this side bet. The overall probability of winning a hand is around 43%, while the odds of losing are higher at 47%. And the accepted general odds of a tie come in at just under 9%. So taking that into account and factoring in basic math, the odds of hitting the first level of a streak (2) is 22.5%. This pays 3:1 on your wager. The odds of your streak reaching three is about 10.7% with the payoff on this one at 8:1. The odds of four in a row drops more than half to about 5% and offers an 18:1 payoff. And the odds of winning five hands in a row (which is generally the top streak bet you’ll want to make, although many casinos allow you to go higher) is 2.4%, with a 38:1 payoff.

As opposed to royal match which can be found on most US online casinos, where the odds don’t justify the payoff, I find streak well worth the gamble if you can find a casino that offers it. Winning five hands in a row is certainly not unheard of, and if you hit that number on a $10 bet, that $380 return could easily wipe out any real-game losses you’ve experienced thus far.

Usually, it comes from a lack of confidence. Does the order your Ace appears in your hand affect your decision making? Oftentimes, the dilemma of whether to hit or stand on a soft hand doesn’t come on your first two cards. Instead, it’s three, four or even five cards in. Of course, you know how to add, and if your hand is at 19 or 20 on the deal or first hit, etc., you’re going to stand. But what about that gray area?

By gray area, I’m talking about 12-17. The question isn’t whether to hit, it’s when to stop, right? The enticement and allure of having a card that can change it’s value can greatly skew your judgment, and can also be somewhat deceiving if you’re not focused on the mathematics involved.

A major stumbling block for people when using basic blackjack strategy is that they continue to cling to this allure of the soft hand, and play their hand as such, even after it has become hard. Once your hand is high enough, you can’t flip that Ace back to 11, and thus must play only one way. By that time, though, you’ve seen enough low cards to get yourself into somewhat of a trap, and you’ll think you can bring yourself from a 16 up to a 19 with just one more hit. You must resist this temptation, though, and treat your hand as though it were a K, 6 right off the deal at this point.

It’s really just a matter of basic multi-tasking in your head. You have to keep a running account of the low version of your hand, the high version of your hand, and then play both alongside each other until you either stand or the low option is taken away from you.

Just promise me you’ll still remember to split those Aces if you get them off the deal.