What is insurance in blackjack?
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Insurance is a side bet available when the dealer shows an ace as their upcard. It pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack. You can bet up to half your original wager on insurance.
Why insurance is usually a bad bet
Insurance loses money in the long run for most players. For insurance to break even, the dealer would need a 10-value card in the hole one in every three times (roughly 33% of the time). In reality, ten-value cards make up about 30.8% of a standard deck. That gap means insurance has a house edge of around 5.9% in a standard 8-deck game.
Even money
‘Even money’ is what dealers offer when you have a natural blackjack and the dealer shows an ace. Taking even money means you accept a guaranteed 1:1 payout rather than risking a push if the dealer also has blackjack. This is mathematically the same as taking insurance on a blackjack hand. Basic strategy says to decline both insurance and even money in virtually all standard blackjack games — the long-run cost is not worth the short-term certainty.
Ben Barber got into the gambling industry through the poker rooms of London in the early 2000s. After building up a solid grounding in casino, sports betting and poker, he made the move to Malta where he spent close to a decade writing for some of the biggest affiliate networks in the region. A few years ago he relocated to Bali, which shifted his focus toward website strategy and affiliate marketing. The casino side never really left, though. He still writes reviews, how-to guides and in-depth pieces on everything from slots and live dealer tables to crypto casinos and sweepstakes sites. His approach is fact-first: help players understand how online gambling actually works before they deposit a cent.