Blackjack insurance is a side bet you can take when the dealer reveals an ace up front. You never have to take it, and when you do the payout is typically 2 to 1. But winning it doesn't make you a profit on the round – it just lets you break even.
As a side bet, blackjack insurance is simple in theory. When the dealer shows an ace, they may have blackjack – and taking a 2 to 1 bet on them having it might seem like hedging that risk.
What is Blackjack Insurance?
Blackjack insurance is straightforward: when the dealer has an ace as the up-card, eligible players can take a side bet that the dealer has blackjack.
The insurance bet can be up to half the size of your main bet.
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Why Does Insurance Look Attractive?
As a side bet, insurance is an option you only have when the dealer shows an ace.
When that happens, an insurance bet seems like an attractive option: if the dealer finishes with blackjack, the insurance pays 2 to 1 – so if your main bet was £10 and you placed the full £5 insurance bet, you'd win £10 to match the £10 main bet you'd lose. You'd break even on the round.
If the dealer doesn't make blackjack, you lose your £5 insurance bet, but the main game still goes on.
Why Do Most Players Pass?
But the problem with blackjack insurance is that even in these best-case scenarios, it's rarely a good bet – and a majority of serious players know it and pass.
There are 52 cards in a standard deck, 16 of which are ten-value cards (tens and face cards). So fewer than one card in three completes the dealer's blackjack, while a bet paying 2 to 1 needs one in three just to break even.
Taking Even Money
A version of this bet applies when you have a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace.
When that happens, the dealer will offer "even money" on your hand: a guaranteed 1 to 1 instead of the usual 3 to 2 for a blackjack. This isn't different from the regular insurance bet, just another name for the same bet, with the same poor odds.
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