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Insurance in Blackjack gives you extra protection against the dealer in the race to 21.
So here’s how it works. If the dealer reveals their upcard and it’s an Ace, you’ll be offered the insurance side bet to protect against a Natural Blackjack – which occurs if the dealer’s next card is a 10, Jack, Queen or King.
Taking your online blackjack insurance option will cost you half your stake, but if the dealer reveals a Natural Blackjack, you’ll be paid out at odds of 2:1.
Blackjack insurance is only available to you at one point during a game of Blackjack – when the dealer’s upcard is revealed as an Ace. Both your cards will have been revealed before you’re offered the option of an insurance side bet.
When and whether to take insurance in Blackjack is your call. But there are positives and negatives. If you have a high-scoring hand (17 and above) and don’t want to twist and risk going ‘bust’, you might want to insure yourself against the Natural Blackjack.
There are two ways to look at Blackjack insurance if you have a low-scoring hand. If your two cards are 16 or below, your chances of going bust are increased… so that Blackjack insurance payout sure could come in handy. BUT your likelihood of winning the hand when needing more cards is slimmer.
When the dealer has an ace, their odds of holding blackjack are high. Choosing insurance here helps ensure you'll at least break even if the dealer hits blackjack. If they don’t, the insurance bet is lost, but your main hand still has a chance to win.
If your hand totals 16 or lower, taking insurance may be worth considering. With a low total, there’s a higher chance of busting if you draw another card, making insurance a useful way to reduce potential losses.
A Blackjack insurance bet pays 2:1 odds, meaning you don’t just get your insurance bet back… you get double. So let’s put that into practice so you can see exactly how it works.
If you bet $10 on a Blackjack hand and the dealer reveals an Ace with their first card, you’ll be offered Blackjack insurance – which will cost you half your original stake. So in this case, an extra $5 side bet.
If the dealer reveals a Natural Blackjack, you’ll be paid out at odds of 2:1. Meaning you’ll get $10 in insurance winnings plus your $5 insurance bet back. However, your original stake of $10 on the hand will be lost.
So that means you’ll have staked $15 in total ($10 ante, $5 insurance) and received $15 back from your Blackjack insurance. And therefore, you break even!
There are positives to taking insurance in Blackjack. But in Blackjack — and all your favorite casino games — there’s always a choice to make. Some are better than others, so it’s important to weigh up your options before placing an insurance side bet.
First of all, it’s more money you’re staking. You’ve placed your original bet, and now you’ll be putting down an extra 50% to insure against the dealer. And remember, there’s no guarantee you’ll get your insurance bet back. Insurance only pays out if the dealer hits a Natural Blackjack. An Ace, followed by a 10, Jack, Queen or King.
Secondly, you can’t win both bets. If the dealer gets a Natural Blackjack, you’ll be paid out at 2:1 odds due to Blackjack insurance and therefore break even on the whole hand. But if the dealer doesn’t hit Blackjack, that insurance bet is gone.
So if you beat the dealer and win the hand, you’ll have missed out on a percentage of your winnings. And if the dealer wins, you’ll lose your original stake plus 50% on top.
And maybe, most importantly of all, Blackjack insurance increases the house edge. If you’re playing over a longer period, an insurance bet will decrease your chances of profit over time.
Shazam Casino is the place to be if you want to play Blackjack online.
Play your favorite table games and all the casino classics at Shazam Casino, where you’ll also find Live Dealer Blackjack – bringing you this classic card game in real time, with real tables and real dealers.