Blackjack Insurance Betting: What’s it and How Does it Work?

When playing Blackjack, there are several different wagering options to choose from. As a player, you can opt to hit or stand in Blackjack games. Then there’s the chance to double down and surrender.

Many Blackjack games allow players to place side bets along with the standard wagering options. A popular Blackjack side betting option is the Blackjack Insurance bet. Keep reading to know the basics of the Blackjack side wager and whether you should go with it when playing Blackjack online.

What is the Blackjack Insurance bet?

The Blackjack Insurance bet is a side wager that insures you against the dealer having a Blackjack. In most Blackjack games, the Insurance side betting option is offered when the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace. To win this bet, the dealer’s second card must be worth 10. Getting the Blackjack Insurance to bet correctly pays 2:1.

The stake amount for the Blackjack Insurance wager can be up to half of the initial wager. So, if the dealer’s initial two cards hits a Blackjack, the player wins back his initial stake amount and doesn’t lose anything in that Blackjack round.

Blackjack insurance bet examples

Below are two examples that’ll help you in getting a better understanding of the Blackjack insurance bet:

Scenario 1: The dealer has a Blackjack

Let’s say a Blackjack table has two players who’ve wagered £10 each. Here, the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace.

Player one gets an eight and a six as his initial two cards. They opt to go with the Blackjack Insurance wager for £5. The player then chooses to hit and gets five. This makes their total hand value 19, after which he stands.

Player two receives a six and a five as their first two cards. The player doesn’t take the insurance wager but chooses to hit. The player gets a nine as his third card, making their total Blackjack card values 20. After this, they stand.

The dealer then draws a 10-valued card. This means they have the perfect total score of 21 (a Blackjack).

Here, the first player has lost his main bet to the dealer. But as the dealer has a Blackjack, he has won the insurance wager that pays 2:1. So they have returned his initial stake amount here. Player two has lost his initial wager amount of £10 here.

Scenario 2: The dealer doesn’t have a Blackjack

The dealer offers the initial cards to two players who’ve earned £10 each. Here, the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace.

The first Player receives an eight and a five, making their initial hand value 13. They opt to place the insurance wager for £5. Player one then chooses to hit and receives a card whose face value is 5. This makes the player’s total hand value 18. After this, they stand.

The second player receives two sevens, which makes their initial hand value 14. They also opt to place the insurance bet for £5. Hitting here gets them an additional card whose face value is six. Having a total hand value of 20, player 2 stands.

The dealer then draws a card that’s counted as five. Here, the dealer’s initial two cards (an Ace and a five) don’t form a Blackjack. They opt to hit and receive a three, making their total hand value 19.

At this point, player one (with a hand value of 18) has lost the dealer’s main wager of £10. According to the Blackjack dealer rules, the player has also lost their insurance wager of £5. So, their total loss for that round is £15.

Player two has also lost the insurance wager of £5. But as their hand value is higher than the dealer, they win the main round. Here, their potential winning is £10.

Advantages of Blackjack insurance betting

Here’s a look at the good things about Blackjack insurance betting:

• Blackjack insurance can be a good side bet to go with if your chosen Blackjack game involves the use of multiple decks. This is because the higher the number of decks used, the more 10-valued cards you’ll have access to.
• Another good thing about this side wager is that if there are significant 10-valued cards, the dealer has a high chance of getting the perfect score of 21. This, in turn, increases your chances of winning the Blackjack insurance bet.

Disadvantages of Blackjack insurance betting

As with other Blackjack betting options like doubling down and Blackjack split, everything isn’t good about the Blackjack insurance bet. Here are some disadvantages that come with this side wager:

• When choosing to play the Blackjack insurance bet with an initial hand value of 14 or 15, your chances of winning the insurance wager are relatively less. This is because a point total of 14 or 15 has a good chance of winning the main round. 

In such instances, you need to focus on saving your initial stake amount rather than trying to win the Insurance wager. Check out our Blackjack Bankroll management guide to learn how to place more informed Blackjack bets.

• Next, using multiple decks can slightly reduce your chances of winning the Blackjack insurance bet. For example, the potential chances of winning the Insurance side bet in single-deck Blackjack games are 8.5%. 

And they get reduced to 7.5% when many card decks are used. Also, using advantage playing methods such as card counting and Blackjack shuffle tracking may not always help you in online Blackjack games.

Summing Up

Blackjack Insurance can be an interesting side wager option if you make informed decisions and are aware of the common Blackjack myths. If you want to try Blackjack insurance betting, our online casino UK has numerous Blackjack variations that offer this side bet. Check them out today!