Do you take insurance in blackjack? As a blackjack player, you will come across this question often from other players. But what does insurance mean in blackjack? If you are not sure in blackjack what is insurance or how to use it to your profit, we will explore all these answers in these rules. In this way, you will better learn how to make money playing blackjack.

Read our detailed guide for blackjack insurance rules and when it is profitable to take them. Keep in mind that they also apply for Canadian Blackjack, too.

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How Blackjack Insurance Work

Frequenting online casinos and curious about what is insurance in blackjack? Blackjack insurance is not exactly what it sounds like. If you have been reading Baccarat Strategy, Keno Strategy and 20 card Keno strategy and High Limit Slots Strategy to win, knowing how blackjack insurance works will help you in the game, especially if you are a high roller.

You don’t get money back when you make a bad bet. But it is a blackjack side bet which you can make on top of the original stake.

The only time you get this in betting sites is when the dealer has an Ace upcard. If you have read the Online Casino Guide, you know that this is safety against any opposing blackjack. This bet is half of your original wager and pays out at 2 to 1 odds.

The side bet gets completed when the dealer shows their second card. If the second card is a king, joker, queen or ten, the dealer makes a blackjack, which means you win the bet. If it’s any other card, you lose the insurance bet. Depending on card counting on your original bet, you can still win the original.

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Do You Take Insurance In Blackjack - The Expected Value Of Returns

Further Information

The main goal of the insurance bet is that you win when the dealer has a blackjack. If the dealer has shown an ace before they have disclosed their hole card, the insurance bet becomes available. Now, normally the dealer will announce this option to all the players on the table. This means, if you are playing in an online casino, you get a button popping up to take or reject the bet.

The side bet is played indecently from the main wager. Even if you lose the side bet, you can still win the main one and payout at a 2 to 1 rate. If the dealer gets a ten making a blackjack, you get €2 for every €1 you have invested. If you won the insurance bet and lost the main hand, you have won more than expected.

On the other hand, when the dealer does not have black jack insurance bet, the play continues as usual, and you can still win the main bet.

If you want to take the insurance bet, you have to bet at least half of the main wager you have placed. So, if your original bet was $20, you have to make an insurance bet of $10.

The player can also choose the insurance bet when they have blackjack, which is called having even money.

When Do You Take Insurance In Blackjack?

If there are fewer decks on the table, you can take a chance. But if you are too bad at card counting (and techniques like the Zen count or Hi Lo are too difficult for you, learn more about Spanish 21 card counting) and playing on an eight-deck table, it’s better that you stay away from insurance bets. The odds against the dealer of making a blackjack around about 9/4. This means you will lose more than half of the money you put on an insurance bet since you have to bet at a 2 to 1 odd.

If you are a card counter, however, and able to keep track of how many ten-point cards are still on the deck, then, by all means, this becomes your forte, and you should try your luck.

Some players love insurance bets, others not so much. In most forms, this kind of bet carries a negative expected return, which means you will lose more money if you keep taking it in the long term.

Do You Take Insurance In Blackjack For Better Odds?

The exact odds of winning the insurance bet won’t always stay equal. It will vary depending on how many decks are on the table, and how many ten cards have been dealt with.

Now, card counters can keep track of this and leverage the situation to make a profit out of this bet. However, for others, the odds are not very good. Especially since the decks get shuffled at every turn when you are playing in an online casino.

How many decks do casinos use in blackjack will also influence the house edge and the odds of winning. The house advantage on a single deck blackjack game is 0.17%, 0.46% for a double deck blackjack game, but that becomes 0.66% when eight decks are being used. The odds are just not worth it to play when there is such a huge house edge unless you know for sure what chance there is of the dealer to make a blackjack, and this is something that only advanced card counters can accomplish.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Insurance Betting

PROS
  • Can boost your winning amount when played strategically.
  • It’s a safety net against other blackjacks.
  • Good when there are fewer decks on the board.
  • Good if there are more faces and ten cards on the deck.
CONS
  • Not worth the trouble if you have too many decks.
  • Has a negative expected return in most cases.
  • High house edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Insurance will cost you half the stakes, but it is an investment that can save you from losing the entire bet.
Being paid even money on blackjack only makes sense if the game offers you other advantages.
You should never split cards with the value of 10 and you shouldn't hit on 15 or 16.
If you use optimal strategy and rely on math rather than intuition the odds increase to more than 99%.

Do You Take Insurance In Blackjack – Verdict

This is a mixed bag. If you are playing for a long time and taking the insurance bet at every chance available, you can end up losing more money than you are expecting, and even at a very small fractional percentage, they still add up.

On the other hand, if you are a high roller and know when your hand is working, not taking the insurance bet might be a mistake. Take the best call, play in casinos that are fair and regulated, and have fun, because blackjack insurance depends on your hand and caliber. Before you start playing you can also read the “ is video blackjack rigged? “article. But wait, this is not all, you can also learn valuable information about live blackjack on mobile if you want to be a professional gambler in 2023.