Blackjack Insurance: Do You Need It?
Those who play blackjack must have heard about blackjack insurance. But if you are new in this field, it may be a new concept for you. The term insurance in casino games sounds like a safe bet to most new players, but what exactly is it? Is it a safe bet, or is it just another way of losing money?
This guide includes everything you need to know about blackjack insurance, how it works, when to take it, whether it is beneficial, etc.
A Brief About Blackjack
In this game, all the players play against the dealer. The dealer deals two cards face up to players and deals himself two cards, one face up and another face down. All the players need to score 21 or as close to 21 as possible. An Ace is 1 or 11. A ten, Jack, King, or queen completes the blackjack. Players have a chance to either stand (not to ask for another card) or hit (ask for another card to make a 21). If the dealer has a blackjack, all the players with cards totalling above 21 immediately lose.
What Is Blackjack Insurance?
You can consider it as just another bet. In blackjack insurance, the players wager half of their initial bet as an insurance bet. Before every bet, the dealer asks if the players want to take insurance. The players can decide then and there whether they want to take insurance. But there is a condition. The players can only take the insurance if the dealer’s up card is an ace.
Why so? When you have seen that one of the cards is an ace, there is a possibility that the face-down card will make up a 21. So, it’s like a safety net for those who want to play on a safer side.
How Does Blackjack Insurance Work?
The dealer asks the players after dealing them two cards whether they want to take insurance. It is only when the upcard is an ace. The players decide and place half of their initial bet in the insurance section. So, if you had placed an initial bet of $20, you need to place $10 in the insurance section. So, your total bet comes out to be $30.
From here, there are several outcomes of the game. The first one is when the dealer gets a blackjack. In this case, your insurance is beneficial as you will be paid 2/1, so your initial bet was $20. You placed an insurance bet of $10, and after the dealer’s blackjack, you received $20. So you are even. You don’t lose any money.
The second outcome is when the player and the dealer both don’t have blackjack. In such a case, the players receive 3/2 of their bet.
The third outcome is when both the player and the dealer get a blackjack. Six deck game is a very popular one, when 60-70 cards are placed aside. The rest are played, and there is a possibility that both the player and the dealer get a natural. In this case, it is a stand-off, and the players make what they had initially wagered.
When Should You Take Insurance In Blackjack?
One needs to be an expert player to place an insurance bet. If you are an expert at counting cards and you can guess with a near-perfect guess that there are not several ten cards that are still to be dealt and you are sure that the dealer will hit a blackjack, you can take insurance.
In case you have only started playing blackjack, place the minimum bet only and do not try to place an insurance bet. There are more chances of losing your initial as well as insurance bet than calling it an even.
Whether One Should Take Blackjack Insurance?
Honestly, the blackjack insurance strategy is a losing strategy in the long run. You need to understand it simply. There are 13 cards that can end up being the whole card for the dealer. If the upcard is an ace, there are nine possibilities of not scoring a blackjack by the dealer, while only four possibilities of your insurance bet being successful. So, there is a 9 to 4 chance. Nine times if the dealer doesn’t hit a blackjack, you lose your initial wager, and you only get 3/2 of the insurance bet.
Again, what if the upcard of the dealer is a 10? You won’t be able to place an insurance bet. In such a case as well, the dealer can hit a blackjack. So, the risk of losing in an insurance bet if you are no expert in counting cards is so much more.
Does Insurance Bet Provide Any Insurance?
No. It is just another marketing hack, which lures you into placing some more money on the table and hope of making your bet even. It ensures nothing whether the dealer has a whole card of 10 or not. You are losing your main bet nonetheless, and the chances of making it even are only 4 to 9. If the dealer doesn’t hit a natural, there is no guarantee that you will get your main wager and get your money back.
There are 16 cards in a deck of 52, which holds a value of ten. The possibility of the dealer hitting a natural is when every 1 of 3 cards dealt is a 10. It is a far-fetched proposition which is good to hear.
Wrap Up
Blackjack is a game of luck and skill. You must be very skillful in counting cards to assess the dealer’s hole card, and if you hit, which card you will be dealt. Play with your basic strategy, forget about insurance and have some fun. You might make some good average profit this way instead of losing money on blackjack insurance.