Players who often play blackjack in casinos would know that a side bet more popularly known as an insurance bet is offered to players. Unfortunately, many players especially the new ones take the insurance bet thinking its a good way of minimizing losses in the card game. They fail to realize that insurance for blackjack is quite the opposite since it’s a bad bet.
What is Insurance in Blackjack?
An insurance bet is only available after players have already dealt with their first two cards and if the dealer is showing an ace. Players then must decide whether they would have their bets insured or not before playing their hand. Insurance in a blackjack game means placing a side wager outside of the primary bet. The value of the side bet is usually equal to half of the amount of the main wager. Essentially, a player is wagering on the probability that the dealer has a natural blackjack. This means that a player wins the insurance bet if the dealer has either a picture card or a ten for the second card. Naturally, the player loses the side bet if the dealer has any other card.
What Happens When You Place an Insurance Bet?
There are only six possibilities when one places an insurance bet. These six are the following.
- Both player and the dealer do not have a blackjack, and the dealer wins the hand
- Both player and the dealer do not have a blackjack and the player wins the hand
- Both player and dealer do not have a blackjack and the hand is a tie or a push
- Both player and dealer have blackjacks
- The player has a blackjack and the dealer does not
- The dealer has a blackjack and the player does not
Why Players Should Not Get Insurance
Insurance bets are placed on a smaller table. Many players, however, think about breaking even and could make more by having insurance. What lures many players into getting an insurance bet is its payout of 2:1. This means a player can get 150 rupees if 50 rupees are spent on the insurance. To win the side bet, the dealer must have a blackjack. This means that the dealer’s second card must either be a picture card or a ten. What players, however, fail to realize is that there is approximately 30 percent of the dealer having a ten or a picture card. So, mathematically speaking, there is a greater chance of losing the insurance bet. In the end, are players really saving or making money when placing an insurance bet or are they just falling for some false sense of security? Unfortunately, it’s the latter as the odds of losing the insurance bets are higher than winning them.
