Why is Insurance Never a Good Bet in Blackjack?

Blackjack is one of the simplest card games to learn, and a few high-level techniques can help you make money. However, one of the not-so-high-level strategies we can all easily apply to your game is to stop taking Insurance Bet in Blackjack. When first playing Blackjack, you learn to hit, stand, and split as a basic technique. 

In addition, an insurance bet is the most popular and straightforward side bets available. However, taking insurance in Blackjack initially looks like a good idea. Every player specifically asked if they wished to take it when they could, and the terms are even printed on the layout to ensure you do not forget. Taking the insurance side bets is, in most cases, one of the worst bets you can make in Blackjack. This article will teach you why taking insurance in Blackjack is a mistake. 

Insurance Bet in Blackjack:

It could be a side bet that you can make if the dealer has an ace up. It will allow you to bet on the dealer that has the Blackjack. However, the Insurance Bet in Blackjack is effectively another wager, and usually, it is half the value of your initial bet. It pays out 2:1 if the dealer reveals his second card is ten or picture card, which makes Blackjack. 

For instance, if you bet $10 on the first hand and the dealer’s up card is an ace, you can take the blackjack insurance for $5. While if the dealer has Blackjack, you win $10 from the insurance, and you will get your $5 insurance bet back. Therefore, if you lose your first $10 bet, you come out of the hand even. If the dealer doesn’t have the Blackjack that he won’t most of the time, you lose your $5 insurance bet, and the hand continues as normal. 

Reason Why Blackjack Insurance Is a Bad Bet:

Understanding how insurance bet works in Blackjack is crucial to realize why it is never a good bet. Most players assume insurance, by its name that will protect their hand if the dealer has Blackjack. However, the truth is Insurance Bet in Blackjack is just a side bet paid out when the dealer has a natural blackjack; you still lose your initial bet. 

To break down the numbers in a general way, in any isolated hand using 6 and 8 decks. The dealer’s odds of getting Blackjack is roughly 9:4 for every four 10-value cards in the deck. There are 9 of the other ranks. It will slightly depend on what cards the display is. It is close enough for this example. Although, the more 10s show, the odds for the blackjack insurance bet becomes even worse.

Remember that when you take insurance, you will win an average of 4x out of 13 and lose 9x out of 1. It means that if you were to take $5 insurance over 130 hands. You would win $400 and lose $450, which results in a net loss of $50. However, many people argue that when the Insurance Bet is lost, you can still win the initial bet to make up for it. 

It is technically true, but there is no guarantee of this happening, and the 2 bets should not look at together. The outcome of the hand will be the same whether an insurance bet is taken or not. 

When Insurance in Blackjack is a Good Bet:

Never take an insurance bet; you are not making a mistake. Instead, you must focus on not making errors and breaks from basic techniques, such as doubling down in those spots. However, there are some spots where it can be worth taking Insurance Bet in Blackjack. If you are card counting, you know when the shoe is rich in 10-value cards. It is the time when insurance is at least a fair bet. 

Even non-card counters can justify taking insurance when they have noticed an unusually high proportion of 10 value cards showing. This tactic is impossible to do with a continuous shuffler or online, where the distribution of cards is always random.

Conclusion:

Truly, an insurance bet is a trap that many blackjack players who think they are smart and savvy fall into. Before deciding to take Insurance Bet, you have to think, why the house would even give you this option if it didn’t favor them? Of course. This tactic is impossible to do with a continuous shuffler or online, where the distribution of cards is.