Buying Insurance In Blackjack

 
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Insurance is a word that most people are familiar with. You buy insurance just in case you get in a car accident with an uninsured driver, just in case you die and just in case you break your arm after falling off your ladder while hanging Christmas lights. You pay a premium up front and if or when the inevitable happens, the insurance companies takes care of (most of) the cost.

  1. What Is Buying Insurance In Blackjack
  2. Buying Insurance In Blackjack
  3. Buying Insurance In Blackjack Real Money
  4. Buying Insurance In Blackjack For Dummies
  5. Buying Insurance In Blackjack Poker

With traditional insurance in mind, I think a lot of players confuse what insurance is as a side-bet in blackjack. Insurance (in blackjack) is not as good as it appears. My goal for this article is to explain exactly what blackjack insurance is, and why you should avoid it like the plague.

Insurance

Oct 03, 2019 Insurance costs half of your original wager and pays 2 to 1 when the dealer has a natural blackjack. The only way the dealer has a natural blackjack is when his or her down card is worth 10 points. The odds of the face down card being worth 10 points are 9 to 4 against. This is a percentage chance of 30.77% that the dealer has a blackjack. You lose $5 on insurance and win $15 on your original bet, $10 net gain. 3) You don't have blackjack but the dealer does. You win $10 on insurance and lose your original $10 bet, a push. 4) Neither you nor the dealer have blackjack and you win the hand. You lose the $5 insurance but win $10 on your original bet, $5 net gain.

  1. Hey guys, I want to just go into the insurance bet in blackjack and when to buy it. Basically, here on the layout, you see insurance pays two to one. What it is, it is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack. You’ll get offered that only when the dealer is showing an ace. The dealer will go around the table,”Would you like insurance?”.
  2. When you get 1-to-1 insurance on your bets, you’re essentially saying you’ll get a paid back if the dealer hits a blackjack. If you take insurance every time, then you’re always paying in. If insurance paid off at 2:1, this might be a good idea. If a natural twenty-one happened 50% of the time, insurance also might be a good idea.

Insurance is a side-bet that dealers offer to players whenever they have an ace showing. The idea behind insurance is to protect your bet just in case the dealer has a blackjack.

How Does Insurance in Blackjack Work?

Insurance

When a dealer has an ace showing they’ll ask you if you want insurance. This is before they check for a (natural) 21. If you take the insurance you can wager as much as half of your original bet. For example, if your original bet was $10 you can pay as much as $5 for insurance.

Once the insurance bet has been placed the dealer will then check for a blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack you’ll be paid 2-1 on your money (insurance bet). If you wagered $5 you’d receive $10. However, unless you have a blackjack, too, you will still lose your original bet, breaking even overall. If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, you’ll lose your insurance bet and will still have the opportunity to play your hand like normal.

Another insurance-like situation you may find yourself in is if you have a natural blackjack and the dealer has an ace showing. The dealer will offer you even money on your bet. In other words, if you bet the maximum of $5 insurance on a $10 bet and the dealer has a 21, you’ll push on the blackjack, but win 2-1 on your insurance. So you’d be up $10. However, if you take the insurance and the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, you’ll lose your $5 bet and win 2-1 on your blackjack ($15) for a total of $10. Either way, you walk away with an even money win.

Winnings

So… Should You Take Insurance or Even Money Side-Bets?

No. Experts recommend that you pass on insurance bets.

The reason why passing on insurance in blackjack is recommended is because the dealer will only show up with a blackjack 30.87% of the time. However, to breakeven on the insurance bet you need a 10-point card to show up 1 out of 3 times (33%). So every time you take this bet you’re taking a minor loss over the long run, assuming you max your insurance bet (half the original).

What Is Buying Insurance In Blackjack

There are exceptions, of course. For example, if you’re a card counter than you would know how many 10-point cards are left in the deck. So if the deck is rich with 10-point cards it would make sense to take the insurance bet. If the deck is poor with 10-point cards you’d pass on insurance.

You could even make the argument that you don’t have to be a card counter. In fact, if you simply pay attention to the cards dealt and notice that there are more 10-point cards then you could pass on insurance, or vice versa. The difference here (from counting cards) is that you’re not as accurate, and would likely be making a breakeven play, or at best a slight win/loss.

Buying Insurance In Blackjack

Insurance

At the end of the day, though, taking insurance is going to be a -EV bet for the majority of players. To give you a better idea of how insurance affects the house edge, just look at these numbers:

Buying Insurance In Blackjack Real Money

Insurance

Buying Insurance In Blackjack For Dummies

  • 1 Deck – 5.88%
  • 2 Decks – 6.8%
  • 4 Decks – 7.25%
  • 6 Decks – 7.4%
  • 8 Decks – 7.47%

Buying Insurance In Blackjack Poker

Not very appealing, right? So unless you know how to count cards you should avoid taking the insurance bet in blackjack like the plague. Unless you like losing, of course.