Quick Facts
| Type | Total of 20 on first 2 cards |
| Also known as | Lucky Ladies |
| Cards used | Player's first 2 cards (with dealer BJ bonus) |
| Top payout | Q♥ pair + Dealer BJ → 1000:1 (multi-deck) |
| House edge range | 24.05% – 30.05% |
| Best deck count | 8 decks (24.05%) |
| Worst deck count | 2 decks (30.05%) |
| Verdict | Sucker bet. Worst-edge side bet in common circulation. Skip. |
What it is
Queens Reward (most casinos market it as Lucky Ladies) wins when the total of your first two cards is 20. That includes pairs of tens, jacks, queens, or kings — but also unrelated combinations like J-Q, J-K, Q-K, etc., as long as the two-card total is 20.
Higher tiers reward specific 20s: same suit, same rank, both queens, both Queens of Hearts — with the top jackpot reserved for a Queen of Hearts pair landing on a hand where the dealer also has a natural blackjack.
Paytable
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Queen of Hearts Pair + Dealer BJ | 1000:1 |
| Queen of Hearts Pair | 125:1 |
| Matched 20 (same rank AND suit) | 19:1 |
| Suited 20 (same suit, different rank) | 9:1 |
| Any 20 | 4:1 |
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Pair of Queens + Dealer BJ | 250:1 |
| Pair of Queens | 25:1 |
| Paired 20 (same rank) | 9:1 |
| Suited 20 (same suit) | 6:1 |
| Any 20 | 3:1 |
House edge by deck count
| Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 1 deck | 29.89% |
| 2 decks | 30.05% |
| 4 decks | 26.04% |
| 6 decks | 24.71% |
| 8 decks | 24.05% |
Source: Wizard of Odds — Lucky Ladies
Verdict
Queens Reward is the textbook sucker bet. Even at the best deck count (8 decks), the casino keeps ~24% of every dollar wagered — roughly 50× worse than the main blackjack game. There is no rule set or strategy that makes this bet reasonable.
The 1000:1 Queen of Hearts pair + dealer BJ jackpot is the marketing hook. It's an enormous payout for an enormous house take. The math doesn't pay for itself even if you happen to hit it.
If you enjoy the thrill of low-probability jackpot hunting, fine — treat it as a lottery ticket and place the minimum. Don't repeat-bet it. Don't increase the stake when you're "due."
Practice in BJNP
Queens Reward is unlocked in the premium tier of Blackjack Navigator Pro. The app uses the correct paytable for your selected deck count and shows the brutal house edge live in the side bet picker — useful for seeing how much you're paying for the jackpot chase before you make it.
See also