How Does Insurance Work in Blackjack?

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If you are new to blackjack, then you may not know about the infamous insurance bet. The insurance bet only comes up if the dealer’s face up card is an Ace. It is essentially a bet that the dealer’s next card will give them blackjack. A player who made the insurance bet is paid out 2 to 1. There are very specific circumstances where the insurance bet would be useful for players. If these factors are not present, then we would suggest refusing the bet and allowing the game to commence.

In this article, we will give you a good understanding of the insurance bet and when the right time is to make an insurance bet. Keep reading below to find out more about this and other useful blackjack tips.

Step-by-Step: What Happens When You Win Blackjack Insurance

Assuming you know a bit about the rules of blackjack from playing at USA online casinos, we will start by setting the scene. You have placed a $20 bet and are dealt a Jack and a 9. The dealer’s face up card is an Ace. Let’s look at a step-by-step illustration of how the insurance bet is won.

Step 1: You take an insurance bet equal to half of your original bet. Therefore, your side bet is $10.

Step 2: The dealer’s second card is dealt and he receives a 10 (or other face card), which means the dealer has blackjack.

Step 3: You have won your insurance bet as the dealer has blackjack. In this example, it means that your insurance bet is paid out 2 to 1, or in other words, you made $30. This leaves you with a net profit of $10 for that round.

How do you Lose Blackjack Insurance?

What happens if an insurance bet lost? Let’s look at another example where you have placed a bet of $20 and are dealt a 10 and an 8, while the dealer is dealt an Ace.

Step 1:  You take out an insurance bet of $10.

Step 2: The dealer’s card is dealt and it is a 4.

Step 3: Your insurance bet has failed and you have lost the $10 side bet. Even though you lost your insurance bet, the round continues as normal where you can either hit, surrender, stand, or split.

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How can you Win Blackjack Insurance?

Using the insurance bet can be to your advantage but only for advanced-level players. They will need to be card counting or finding other probabilities at the table which make this bet advantageous. Card counting is difficult when playing online blackjack for real money but it is very useful when it comes to live dealer or land-based blackjack games.

The best time to play an insurance bet is when the dealer has an Ace and your hand is strong, at least 15 or higher. By using this strategy you can ensure that even if you lose the insurance bet, you still have a good chance of winning the round.

There is no guaranteed method to enable you to win the blackjack insurance bet as there are several factors to consider. The odds vary depending on how many decks are in play, and more importantly, how many times the 10 or face cards have already been dealt. If you can keep track of this, you will significantly improve your chances of making a successful insurance bet.

Math Behind Blackjack Insurance

As is the case with numerous other online casino games for real money, the odds of you winning can be calculated using math. Blackjack is no different. You can calculate the odds of an insurance bet being successful.

The odds of an insurance bet are quite simple.

As we mentioned above, the odds of winning an insurance bet change depending on the factors present at that time. On average, the odds of the dealer hitting blackjack is 9:4. As this bet only pays out 2:1, you are risking more than the odds of the dealer getting blackjack.

For players using a card counting strategy, you will need to keep note of things such as how many decks are being used. The higher number of decks will make card counting less accurate, making the insurance bet harder to predict.

3 Reasons to Avoid Blackjack Insurance

Considering everything we have said above, you may be wondering whether it is worth it to place a blackjack insurance bet. Here are 3 reasons why you should not place an insurance bet:

  1. The insurance bet will only pay out if the dealer has a 10. There is a 30% likelihood of this occurring, making the risk unequal to the reward of a 2:1 payout.
  2. There is a 3% house advantage on insurance bets, meaning that even if you win your bet, the casino takes 3% off the top.
  3. If you are not in tune with card counting, it’s better that you avoid making insurance bets, as it will most likely be a shot in the dark.

However, now that you have the simplified blackjack strategy for insurance bets in your arsenal, go try your luck with our strategy. Even though all the odds on blackjack side bets are not as good as the main game, they are fun to play. Sometimes being right in front of your friends about an insurance bet is worth more than the risk!

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Joseph Ellison

Joseph is a dedicated journalist and horse racing fanatic who has been writing about sports and casinos for over a decade. He has worked with some of the UK's top bookmakers and provides Premier League soccer tips on a regular basis. You'll likely find him watching horse racing or rugby when he isn't writing about sport.

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