When you start to play blackjack you will soon come across the insurance bet. Not all casinos offer this but if they do you will have the chance to make an additional bet on the dealer getting a blackjack. This bet could save you money but any real blackjack strategy should give you the advice to stay away from this bet all together. If the insurance bet in blackjack seems tempting to you but you don’t really get what it is, read on!
Blackjack Insurance
When there is an option of blackjack insurance the dealer will announce this if his up card is an Ace. This means that the player can add a bet of half the size of the original bet. You are betting on the hidden card of the dealer to be worth ten which would give him a Blackjack, 21. If you are right you get a pay out of 2:1 of the insurance. You will only win on your original bet if you too got a Blackjack.
Who should take Insurance?
It sounds great to get the bet back if the dealer gets a Blackjack but it is never that simple. To play with insurance you need to be a very skilled player. It is better to stay away from this bet and win with regular hands on the original bet. You will only have real success with the insurance bet if you know how to play with high level card counting. Beginner blackjack players should just forget about the insurance option and intermediate to very skilled players need to practice a lot before they go for it.
Practice the Insurance Bet
There are many ways to practice the insurance bet. Online there are great resources for free for the player that wishes to improve his blackjack skills. Try watching a video where a blackjack game with insurance is played. This is a very easy way to get the hang of this bet. Make sure to consider what the player would have won with his original bet each time the insurance bet failed. Try to see the whole picture when you are not in the game yourself. You can also practice in blackjack schools online. This could be for free or cost money. If you pay for it, make sure to get proper coaching through the games!
Breaking even, not winning!
The perhaps most important thing to understand about the blackjack insurance bet is that is just that, an insurance. You will only make more money if you too have a blackjack which I highly unlikely unless you are a very skilled player. Saving money by getting your original bet back is great but you need to remember that the object is to advance and make money and not just to stand still in the same place. You could also lose money if the dealer doesn’t have a Blackjack!
The insurance bet in blackjack is a good choice for very skilled players and it should be avoided by anyone else.