Blackjack 101: The Basics

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tammy
  • Start date Start date
stil370 said:
Ive been told there is no good time to take insurance. Can someone please clarify when this would be beneficial?
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Hi. Quoting from the first post in this thread:

A Word About Insurance

Insurance is a side bet offered when the dealer’s up-card is an Ace. You’re betting that their face-down card is a 10, meaning they have blackjack.
  • The bet costs half your original wager.
  • If the dealer does have blackjack, insurance pays 2:1, so you break even overall.
  • If not, you lose the insurance bet — even if you win the hand.
Should You Take It?
Almost never. Statistically, insurance is a bad bet for most players. It's only profitable if you're counting cards and know the deck is rich in 10s. Otherwise, it just increases the house edge. Take a line from Professional Blackjack Player Matt Blake's Top 10 Tips on How to Win at Blackjack:

Tip #9: Ignore the Insurance Bet
Online casinos know new blackjack players love side bets, and bank on them taking insurance whenever it’s offered. Unless you can count cards, this is the worst side bet to make. The odds of a dealer making blackjack are 9:4 yet the payout for insurance bet is only 2:1. Combined with a 7.4% house edge in six-deck blackjack games, insurance bets only pay out disappointment. Copy blackjack pros and avoid this side bet at (almost) all costs.
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I’ve played a little blackjack, but honestly I never paid much attention to the table rules. The 6:5 payout and soft 17 rules caught my attention. Definitely worth checking before playing.
 
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