Lucky Ladies is a blackjack side bet that wins when you are dealt a 20 (paying differently according to the exact make-up of your hand). The guest contributor for this question is Michael "The Wizard of Odds" Shackleford:
The long answer is that the house edge depends on the particular paytable and number of decks used. In most games where I've seen Lucky Ladies, 6 decks are used and a suited 20 pays 9-1. Under these rules, the house edge is 24.71%. A few casinos have a more generous paytable, most noted by paying 10-1 for a suited 20. In a 6-deck game, this more liberal paytable has a house edge of 17.64%. There's also a third paytable for a single-deck game with a house edge of 29.89%, but I've yet to see it on a casino floor.
The short answer is that Lucky Ladies is a sucker bet and should be avoided. With very rare exceptions, all side bets are sucker bets. For more information about Lucky Ladies and many other blackjack side bets please visit my Web site at: www.wizardofodds.com/blackjack/bjapx8.html
Michael Shackleford is the author of Gambling 102: The Best Strategies for All Casino Games, which lists the house edge for more than a dozen blackjack side bets, not to mention the easiest learning curves for mastering everything from baccarat to video poker, from sic bo to sports betting.
