What Is the Best Bet for Your Matchplay Coupons?

What is the best bet for your matchplay coupons?

Matchplay coupons double the payoff on even-money winners. With a $10 matchplay coupon, for example, you lay down the coupon along with $10 of your own money and if you win, you're paid $20. Your expected value (EV) on a matchplay coupon is slightly less than half of its face value. On a $5 matchplay, your EV is roughly $2.45.

As for the best bet, in a magazine story years ago, advantage player extraordinaire James Grosjean wrote, "The best games are the ones that have high payoff odds, such as the 35-1 from hitting a single number on a roulette wheel. To extract the most value from the coupon, it's best to take a big swing, get paid in full when you win, but give up a worthless coupon when you lose (which is most of the time when betting a single number on the roulette wheel). Betting a color on roulette produces a value of $4.21 (for a $10 bet, so $42.10 for $100), while the longshot number yields $8.68—more than double the expected profit."

So longshots are best, but what about matchplays that stipulate even-money bets only. According to Grosjean, your best even-money bet is a blackjack game dealing specific favorable rules, including late surrender. Since this game will be hard to come by, the most practical bet with the highest return is the player bet in baccarat, followed, in order, by craps, blackjack, and roulette.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

How can casinos call it 6-5 blackjack when it's usually 5-5 blackjack?

Comments

Kevin Lewis May-28-2026

That's simply incorrect

Regardless of whether the payoff is even money, 35 to 1, or sixty kabillion to one, the value of a matchplay is dependent on the EV of the bet you make. A roulette single number bet that pays 35-1 is worse than a baccarat or craps bet that pays even money.

bluepaper May-28-2026

bluepaper

For simplicity (ignoring the zero's) lets say you place 36 $10 red/black bets or player/banker bets, you will win 50% of them for a total return of 180$, now, make 36 single number bets you will lose 35 and win one. for the same out lay you return 180 on even money and 350 on your high variance bet. This is talked about alot on gwae, with these types of coupons, the higher the variance the better.

Anthony Curtis May-28-2026

Correct

The highest EV comes from playing longshots as expressed in the answer, but you'll blank much more often. Most prefer accepting lower EV for the higher probability of winning the bet, which means playing matchplays on even-money wagers.

AZmaddog May-28-2026

Anthony's a man of his word

See the back cover of Peter Griffin's book "Gambling Ramblings", published in the 1990's. It shows Anthony, Blair, Peter, and Mrs. Griffin using match play coupons on roulette.

Artie May-28-2026

Match play coupons

I’m looking forward to using my Las Vegas Advisor coupons next month, well worth the cost of my membership.
I’ll be using them on the Don’t Pass line on the craps table. 😃

Kevin Lewis May-28-2026

To clarify...

I misread the answer. I've actually never seen a matchplay coupon that could be played on anything but an even money bet, so I discounted that possibility. Doubtless, the casinos figured out what Anthony and his buddies did.

A variation on the theme still exists, when you use signup or other promo offers on DraftDump or other online sportsbooks. The best way to use a we-match-your-bet promo is to stick it on a longshot, like the Sheboygan Creampuffs to win the Super Bowl. Which is why they usually limit such bets to +200 or shorter.

Bob Nelson May-29-2026

Hey Kevin

Why are you talking smack about my team?  Go Creampuffs!!!

Question of the Day - 28 May 2026

Comments