When Should You Take Insurance in Blackjack?

When it comes to blackjack, insurance is a type of side bet that is available to players when the dealer is showing an Ace as their upcard. If you have insurance, and the dealer does indeed have a blackjack, you will be paid out at 2-1 odds on your insurance bet.

While this may seem like a good deal, there are actually a few reasons why you should think twice before taking insurance in blackjack.

For starters, the odds of the dealer having a blackjack when they are showing an Ace are only about 9%. This means that for every $100 you bet on insurance, you will only win $9 on average.

In other words, you are giving up a lot of expected value by taking insurance.

Another reason to avoid taking insurance is because it can actually increase the house edge in some situations. This is because if you take insurance and the dealer does not have a blackjack, you lose not only your original bet but also your insurance bet.

This doubles your loss and therefore increases the house edge.

So when should you take insurance in blackjack? The answer is simple – almost never. Unless you are counting cards and have a very strong feeling that the dealer does in fact have a blackjack, it is almost always better to just let your original bet ride and hope for the best.