What Is Blackjack Insurance?

Can You Really Cut Your Losses With Blackjack Insurance?

Blackjack is a game of skill. The more you learn the more you earn. It is the only casino game where you play against the dealer. The aim of the game is to get a card total higher than the dealer, by getting as-close-to, but not exceeding 21.

You can read your card’s value as follows:

1. Numbered cards are worth their face value.
2. Jacks, Queens and Kings are each worth ten.
3. Aces can be worth 1 or 11. (1 if it keeps your hand under 21 or 11 if it helps you to get closer to 21!)

Blackjack has the best odds out of any card game at winning and with the option of betting insurance, players can restrict their losses by essentially having a ‘backup’ side bet with the dealer. The rules of online Blackjack may differ slightly from offline Blackjack. It’s the little things like side bets or special payouts that can change how the game can be played. It’s important to know the difference between playing online vs playing in the casino for a number of reasons, but the most important one concerning ‘Blackjack insurance’.

Betting insurance is a side bet. This is you, betting that the dealer has blackjack and is treated independently of the main wager. It pays 2:1 (meaning that for every one pound bet, the player will receive two pounds in return) and is available when the dealer’s exposed card is an ace.

Let’s say that you make a £10 bet, and the dealer shows an ace. You then can opt to take the offered insurance bet by putting another £5 bet on the table. The dealer turns over his second card, which is a king, thus giving him a blackjack. In this case, you get a win of £5 on your insurance bet (£10 total), but lose the original £10 as the dealer had a blackjack.

On the other hand, if the dealer did not have a blackjack, then you would automatically lose your £5 insurance wager; while still in with the chance to win the initial £10 wager if your hand beats the dealer’s!