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 available any time the dealer has an ace showing, but even money is only available when the dealer has an ace showing and you have a blackjack. There’s An Exception to Every Rule. Not every blackjack game in every casino offers 3:2 payouts for a blackjack. In some games in some casinos, the payout for a blackjack is only 6:5.

Insurance Blackjack Odds

Blackjack insurance is one of those game rules you’ll find in almost every version of twenty-one you’ll play, whether you play online or in live casinos. The main reason blackjack insurance is offered is that many players take insurance. Almost 100% of the time, this is a mistake. Insurance in blackjack is a sucker bet–you should never take it. A few exceptions to that rule exist.

Insurance In Blackjack Strategy

One gambling expert wrote “insurance is for cars and card counters”. While I can think of a few other cases where insuring oneself is a good idea, that’s a good quote to remember when you enter a casino. When you’re counting cards, you’ll encounter the rare occasion when the numbers indicate taking insurance is a good bet. Other than those cases, blackjack insurance is always a bad idea. Here’s why.