When playing blackjack, just as it is in every other card game, there are a bunch of rules that as a player you will be required to follow. As part of knowing and understanding your blackjack rules, you need to understand how insurance works in blackjack in addition to what it means to. There is also no harm in learning just how insurance in a game of blackjack affects the way in which you play your hands as an individual and the dynamics of the entire game.
So what exactly is Insurance? Picture a situation where the dealer gets an ace as an upcard before they check the hole card. As a player, in this case, you have the choice to take up insurance before the dealer checks the hole card.
In essence, insurance is a bet that is made aside from the main bet. In this new bet, the dealer might have a blackjack. The bet is also a stand-alone bet such that it can be won independent from the main bet. Simply put, you put up half the amount of money of your regular bet and if you win you are paid 2:1. This means that for every dollar that is placed on the bet, the player receives 2 dollars.
The bet is referred to as insurance because the player is given an opportunity to insure against the dealer’s blackjack and somehow make up for any loss that may come through the initial bet. By opting to place their chips in the insurance portion of the table that is normally well marked, the player gets to win some money regardless of the outcome of that game round.
How exactly does a player incorporate insurance in their blackjack strategy? There has been a raging debate for the longest time now about whether or not taking this insurance bet is a wise move. While there are mixed results which are normal when it comes to card games, having insurance in a blackjack game should be used when you have staked high on the regular bet. High here means higher than what you normally stake.
When you have a high stake on the main bet, in case you lose that hand to the dealer’s blackjack, you still win your side bet, effectively recouping some of your money if not most of it. In the lucky event that you win the main wager, you still win both bets. Most gamblers that choose to take insurance do so just so they can have a safety net to fall onto should they lose their main wager.
As a player, new or seasoned, gambling on whether or not the dealer has a blackjack can be very risky. This is because if the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, then the player loses both the main and side bets. Considering the fact that insurance bets are usually made to be at least half of the initial wager, if you think about it, it may not really be a safety net. Instead, it could be false ground on which you might step and start sinking; losing more money than you thought you would. Should you take it? You be the judge.