Should you take insurance in blackjack?
No. Insurance is a side bet that loses money over time, whatever you're holding, even a 20.
Why
When the dealer shows an ace, you can put up to half your bet on insurance: a side bet that the dealer has a 10, jack, queen or king underneath, for blackjack. It pays 2 to 1, so it needs to come in better than one time in three to break even.
With six decks, the dealer has a 10 under the ace 30.9% of the time. That's short of one in three, so insurance loses about 7.40% of every dollar you put on it, over time. In the app's words, book says never take insurance. It loses about 7 cents a dollar.
Holding a good hand doesn't change that. The side bet only asks what's under the dealer's ace, and your 20 has nothing to do with it.
When the answer changes
The book turns insurance down at every rule set. Fewer decks make it a little less bad, never good: with one deck it loses about 5.9% of each dollar. Even money, offered when you have blackjack against an ace, is insurance by another name, and the book turns it down too.
The full basic strategy chart for six decks, dealer hits soft 17, with every other rule set a tap away.
Questions
Is insurance ever worth it in blackjack?
Not for a basic-strategy player. The dealer has a 10 under the ace 30.9% of the time with six decks, and insurance pays 2 to 1, so it loses about 7.40% of each dollar over time.
Should you take even money on a blackjack?
No. Even money is insurance on your blackjack, and the book turns it down for the same reason: the side bet loses over time.
More hands
- Should you hit 16 against a dealer's 10?
- Should you hit 12 against a 2?
- Should you hit soft 18 against a 9?
- Should you split 8s against a 10?
- Blackjack hands, one at a time
Guides
Know the book before you sit down.
