The number you are looking for is printed on the table
Walk up to any table game with a branded side bet and the first thing to do is not to ask the dealer, but to look down. The felt in front of you carries the answer: the bonus pays when a hand, roll, or spin contains a stated number of matching symbols, a stated total, or a stated combination. The table layout and the paytable card beside it list every winning count, the payout attached to each, and the minimum wager that qualifies. If the layout says the bonus pays on five matching symbols, then five is the number. If it pays on totals of 20, 21, and 22, then those three totals are the numbers. There is no hidden figure.
The reason the question feels harder than it is comes from how side bets are marketed. A name like Big Sky Bonus tells you the theme, not the trigger. The trigger is a mechanical condition, and mechanical conditions have to be disclosed in writing. Casino gaming regulations require that the rules of any wager be available to the player, and on a live table that disclosure takes the form of the printed layout and the paytable card. Read those two surfaces before you put a chip down, and you will know exactly how many numbers, symbols, or totals win.
What a bonus bet is
A bonus bet, sometimes called a side bet or a progressive wager, is a separate wager placed alongside the main bet on a table game. It does not change how the main game plays. Your blackjack hand still tries to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding it. Your craps pass line bet still wins or loses on the come-out roll and the point. The bonus bet settles on its own condition, using the same cards, dice, or wheel result.
Because the bonus bet is separate, it has its own paytable, its own probability distribution, and its own house edge. The main bet and the bonus bet are two different wagers that happen to share a felt. A player can win one and lose the other, lose both, or win both. The bonus bet never improves the main bet, and the main bet never improves the bonus bet.
What makes a bonus bet attractive is the payout shape. A main bet often pays close to even money. A bonus bet pays on rare combinations, so the listed payouts look large. That difference in shape is exactly what the table below compares.
| Feature | Main bet | Bonus or side bet |
|---|---|---|
| What it settles on | The core game outcome | A separate stated condition, such as a set of matching numbers or a total |
| Payout style | Usually near even money | Usually a ladder of larger payouts for rarer outcomes |
| House edge | Specific to the game and rule set | Specific to the side bet's own paytable, typically higher |
| Effect on the other bet | None | None |
| Where the rules appear | Table rules and game documentation | The side bet's own paytable card or layout section |
The sequence of a round from buy-in to settlement
Understanding the bonus number is easier when you see where the bonus bet sits in the round. The exact order differs by game, but the structure is consistent.
First, you buy in. You place cash on the table, never into the dealer's hand, and the dealer exchanges it for chips. Those chips are the only thing that wagers can be made with. Second, you place the main bet in its marked circle or area. Third, if you want the bonus, you place the bonus bet in its own marked area. That area is usually a separate circle, a separate box, or a clearly labelled strip. If you put chips in the wrong spot, you have made a different wager than you intended.
Fourth, the round plays out. Cards are dealt, dice are thrown, or the wheel spins. Fifth, the main bet settles. Sixth, the bonus bet settles on its own condition. The dealer pays winning bonus bets according to the paytable and takes losing ones. Seventh, you either leave your winnings on the table, add to them, or colour up and cash out at the cage.
One procedural point matters more than beginners expect: the bonus bet does not ride on the main bet's outcome. If your main hand loses but the bonus condition is met, the bonus still pays. If the main hand wins but the bonus condition is not met, the bonus loses. They are settled independently, and the dealer will treat them as independent.
How to read the winning numbers on a paytable
A bonus paytable is a list of conditions and payouts. The condition column is where the winning numbers live. It may say something like "6 matching symbols pays 100 to 1" or "total of 21 pays 15 to 1". The number that wins is the number in the condition, not the payout figure. New players sometimes confuse the two, reading a payout of 100 as a requirement to hit 100. The payout is what you receive per unit wagered; the condition is what the result must contain.
Paytables also carry a minimum qualifying stake. Some bonus bets pay the top tier only when the bonus wager is at or above a stated amount. That amount is printed on the layout or the card. If you bet below it, you may still win a lower tier but not the top one. Read the stake requirement as carefully as the condition column.
When a bonus is progressive, the top payout is not a fixed number. It grows from a share of qualifying wagers and resets after a win. The paytable will show the fixed tiers and mark the progressive tier separately, often with a display above the table. The winning condition for the progressive tier is still printed; only the payout amount changes.
Why the bonus bet's house edge differs from the main game
House edge is the mathematical advantage the operator holds on a given wager, expressed as a percentage of each wager. Return to Player, or RTP, is the complement: the theoretical percentage of total wagered money a game returns to players over a very large number of rounds. For the same bet under the same rule set, house edge and RTP sum to 100%. A bonus bet is its own bet under its own rule set, so it carries its own pair of figures.
The main game and the bonus bet do not share an edge. A blackjack main bet under a published rule set has one house edge. A blackjack side bet on matching ranks has another, and it is usually larger. The reason is structural: side bets are built around rare events with large advertised payouts, and the gap between the true probability of those events and the payout offered is where the house edge lives. The paytable tells you the payouts; it does not tell you the probability. Working out the probability requires the full distribution of outcomes, which is why the paytable alone cannot tell you the edge.
What you can read from the paytable is the payout ladder. A bonus bet that pays a large amount for a very rare condition is a high-volatility wager: payouts are rarer but larger. Volatility does not change the RTP. A high-volatility bonus bet can have the same theoretical return as a low-volatility one and simply distribute it differently over time. What it does change is how long your bonus-bet bankroll lasts and how the session feels.
Decision points you control
On a table game with a bonus bet, you face a decision at every round: whether to place the bonus wager at all, and at what size. That decision is yours. The game does not require the bonus bet unless the table rules state otherwise, and on most layouts it is optional. Choosing not to play it is a complete and valid way to play the main game.
What you cannot control is the condition that triggers the bonus. No betting pattern changes the probability that the next hand, roll, or spin contains the winning numbers. The outcome is produced by the game's random process, and the bonus condition is a fixed property of the paytable. A bonus that has not hit in a while is not due to hit. The probability of the winning condition on the next round is the same as it was on the previous one.
What you can control is how much of your session bankroll goes to the bonus bet. Because the bonus bet generally carries a higher house edge than the main bet, the expected loss per unit wagered is higher on the bonus. A player who wants the occasional large payout can size the bonus bet as a small portion of the total wager. A player who wants the lowest expected loss per round can decline it. Neither choice changes the main game's edge.
Procedural mistakes new players make with bonus bets
The first mistake is placing chips in the bonus area without intending to. On a busy table, the bonus circle sits close to the main bet circle, and a chip that lands on the line can be read as a bonus wager. Point to the area and state the bet clearly when you place it. If you are unsure where a chip went, ask before the round begins. Once the cards are dealt or the dice are thrown, the bet stands.
The second mistake is assuming the bonus bet pays on the main game's outcome. A player who wins the main hand and sees the dealer take the bonus chips may think an error occurred. The bonus lost because its own condition was not met. The two bets settle separately, and the dealer is following the paytable.
The third mistake is reading the top payout as the likely outcome. The top tier is listed first or in the largest type because it is the most attractive, not because it is the most common. The winning numbers for the top tier are the rarest condition on the card. The lower tiers, with smaller payouts, are the ones that hit more often. Read the whole ladder before you decide whether the bet is worth making.
Where the exact number for your game is stated
The specific number of matching symbols or the specific totals that win the Big Sky Bonus, or any named bonus, is a property of that game's paytable. It is not a universal casino constant. Different operators can configure a side bet with different paytables, and the same name can appear with different conditions in different venues. The only reliable source for the number you need is the table in front of you.
On a live table, look at the printed layout and the paytable card. If the bonus is progressive, the display above the table shows the current top payout, but the winning condition remains on the printed card. If you are playing an online table game, open the game's information panel or rules screen before you wager. That screen carries the same paytable information the felt carries in a physical venue. If anything on the paytable is unclear, ask the dealer or the table supervisor before the round starts. Once the round is live, the printed condition governs.
FAQ
Does the bonus bet change how the main game is played?
No. The bonus bet is a separate wager that settles on its own condition using the same cards, dice, or wheel result. The main game plays exactly as it would without the bonus bet, and the two bets are paid or taken independently.
Can I win the bonus if my main bet loses?
Yes. The bonus condition and the main game outcome are separate. If the result contains the winning numbers or symbols listed on the bonus paytable, the bonus pays even when the main bet loses. The reverse is also true: a winning main bet does not make a losing bonus bet pay.
How do I know if a bonus bet is worth playing?
Read the full paytable, including the minimum qualifying stake and every tier, not just the top payout. The bonus bet carries its own house edge, which is generally higher than the main game's edge. The paytable shows the payouts but not the probabilities, so the decision is about the payout shape and the expected loss per unit wagered, not about finding a way to beat the game.
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