Table Of Contents
This is where you bet half your stake more (so 50p extra on a £1 hand), and then, if the dealer has blackjack, you win back 2x the insurance amount. Taking insurance is a losing strategy, and it should never be taken. Apr 23, 2018 With can you be good at blackjack free roulette online, you can try no deposit games and: Test new strategies and try new bets Practice roulette without fear of losing money Try new casinos to see if you like the software and the feel of the games Play roulette online free and instantly, no registration required. The amount you can win at blackjack depends on your bankroll, the betting limits on the tables you play, and your betting strategy. Given this, there is no exact answer to how much you can win at blackjack. According to the Wizard of Odds Micheal Shackleford: “With today’s rules. Constant and never-ending improvement should be your goal playing blackjack. The basic principles and math behind the game of blackjack don't really change much, but your skills as a player can and do change. If you want to become really good at blackjack, then. Can you be good at blackjack There are various styles of multi-player slot machines, and their main features are outlined below:Multi-Player basic slot machine games is a global Slot Bank game where gamblers play with others on the web.
If you are looking for a good Blackjack Casino site to play with real money online, you won't find anything better than the ones on this list. Remember: you can play online Blackjack for free. 12 Hard Core Blackjack Tips. If you want to become really good at blackjack, then you need to focus on changing and improving. You're either getting better at blackjack or getting worse. Focus on getting better at the game. That's how to win at blackjack.
- There are more than 14,000 Blackjack sites for real money on the internet
- Finding an excellent online Blackjack table to start playing isn't easy
- The updated version of this PokerNews classic guide lists the best online Blackjack games for money in 2020
Online Blackjack Reviews: the 2020 Update
During the past two years, the PokerNews guide to the best online Blackjack sites on the internet has been one of the most popular pages of our entire website.
Beginners see it as the ideal starting point to find good Casinos to play Blackjack online for money. For the pros, it's a useful resource to find their next Blackjack bonus and earn some extra money to play.
In this 2020 update, we decided to go the extra mile and add a few steps to our process.
Get Free €88 to Play Online!There's a new MASSIVE no deposit bonus to play Blackjack online.
Check if it's available in your country and play real money games..for free!
Play NowIncreasing regulatory changes and new Casinos popping up all the time pushed us to reconsider our approach to finding the best Blackjack Casino. That's why this year's list included:
- A thorough review of the real money Blackjack games available at 100+ licensed Casinos online
- An evaluation of the top 25 made by a focus group of Blackjack players
- A series of Q&A rounds on Reddit to understand what the players' community think about Blackjack sites that offer real money games online.
Most of the sites that claim to be home to the best online Blackjack for money are OK-ish at best. And rogue Blackjack sites at worst.
There are more than 14,000 sites that offer real money online Blackjack in 2020.
Most of them don't see you as a player. They see you as a cash cow they want to milk.
Those Blackjack sites are only after your deposits and precious personal details — as they can sell them online for good money.
Data protection regulation or GDPR, anyone?
That's why it's so important to choose an excellent online Blackjack Casino from the start. All the Blackjack strategies you have studied are useless if the games are rigged. And it's devastating to notice that the games aren't fair only when you try to cash out your winnings.
You should play any version of Blackjack, like all other Casino games, only on a real money Casino that is:
- Easy to use
- safe
- secure
- regulated by an international gaming authority
- operated by a company you trust with your money
Here you find a list of the top online Blackjack real money Casino sites where you can play with a dealer and win real money safe and secure.
Pick any on these sites to play all the recommended Blackjack games and have a wide range of deposit options.
This way, you can hit the Blackjack table safe in the knowledge that you have easy and fast withdrawals to cash out any amounts of money you win online.
If you are looking for a good Blackjack Casino site to play with real money online, you won't find anything better than the ones on this list.
What's in this article?
This isn't a short read. Use the list here to navigate to the section you need and find the best real money Blackjack sites of 2020.
Best Blackjack Sites | Tips to Play for Real Money | Top Blackjack Bonuses |
---|---|---|
Best Live Dealer Games | Mobile Blackjack | Blackjack with PayPal |
Best Sites to Play Blackjack for Real Money in 2020
After thorough research, I've prepared an updated list of the best online Casinos to play Blackjack for real money in 2020.
Blackjack Site | Blackjack Games | UK Players | New Bonus (Max) | Get Offer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jackpot City | 36 | No | $1,600 | Get Offer |
888Casino | 9 | Yes | Free €88 | Get Offer |
Casino.com | 30 | Yes | 20 Golden Chips | Get Offer |
PartyCasino | 14 | Yes | €500 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Betway Casino | 68 | Yes | £1,000 | Get Offer |
William Hill Casino | 14 | Yes | £300 | Get Offer |
Mr Green Casino | 13 | Yes | €100 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
King Billy | 56 | No | €1,000 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
All the Blackjack sites on the list above are safe and secure.
They are audited and licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Government of Curaçao, or other reputable and independent gambling authorities.
Browsing through the article, you find the details of all the official licenses held by each of the online Blackjack Casino sites in the list.
If you have doubts, use these two tools and search for any of the real money online Casinos on the Authorities' website.
These Casino licenses guarantee that the games are safe and that you will be able to withdraw the money you win.
If you play to win, that matters.
What's the point of playing a table game like Blackjack at a real money online Casino site if you are not able to cash out any amounts won?
And also: what's the point of choosing an online Blackjack Casino where the payment options available and the withdrawals are so complicated that make Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' feel like a walk in a park?
Always make sure you check out a Casino's withdrawal and deposit options before you begin to play Blackjack for real money.
Some deposit options might not be available at all Blackjack sites. It's always good to check if your favourite one works on the website you picked.
Some websites let you play real money online Blackjack with PayPal while others offer instant bank wires.
Pick the right one for you. Being able to cash out any amounts won is as important as the game's basic strategy!
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at Jackpot City
Named 'the best site to play online Blackjack in 2018 and 2019', Jackpot City is still our recommended Blackjack site and top choice for real money games also in 2020.
This is an excellent online Blackjack Casino for both beginners and pro players. It features nearly every version of Blackjack out there, and you can go from deposit to play in less than three minutes.
❤️ Why beginners like it: the $1,600 massive welcome bonus (claim it here) is a huge advantage. This is the largest amount of free cash available to play online Blackjack in 2020.
Also, you find here all the most popular Blackjack variants. If you want to try some new games for real money, Jackpot City is a perfect choice.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at 888Casino
888Casino is a name that needs no introduction on a site like PokerNews. Part of the same group that runs 888poker, this is one of the best gambling sites in the world and a safe and secure platform to play real money online Blackjack.
❤️ Why beginners like it: 888Casino is one of the most celebrated names in online gambling. It's considered to be one of the most reliable real money online Casino operators in the world. No funny business here.
As an online Blackjack Casino, it gives you everything you need to explore the ins and outs of the game. There's a comprehensive tutorial to learn how to play Blackjack online, and there's a free €88 no deposit bonus available to some players. Check if you qualify for it.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at Casino.com
Casino.com one of the most famous online Casino sites in the world. All the 30 real money Blackjack games on the site are of the highest quality.
This site is known to be one of the best in the industry because of its easy deposits and the truly impressive number of deposit options available.
Also, the fact that they doubled the number of real money Blackjack games available is a significant improvement. They moved from 15 games (2019) to 30 (2020.)
❤️ Why beginners like it: Casino.com's reputation is sound and recognised at an international level. All the top Casino forums and Reddit agree this is the best site to get into the world of online gambling.
If you are looking for a site to start with the world of Blackjack Casinos, this is the one. And if you enjoy online Slots, there's no reason you shouldn't pick this one.
Not only you find an exciting collection of real money games, but you also start with a no deposit Casino bonus if you sign up via this page.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at PartyCasino
The gambling brother of the widely-celebrated PartyPoker online poker website is another one you should keep under your radar.
An all-new gaming platform and stupendous Casino bonus promotions make PartyCasino a top site to play online Blackjack games for real money.
❤️ Why beginners like it: All the 14 variants of online Blackjack available at PartyCasino are great and top quality.
But what sets this site apart is the promotions they run. Today, for example, you can play to win a real money jackpot every hour.
The combined value of great Blackjack variants and spicy promotions will make you enjoy the games even more, especially if you download their mobile app to play any version of Blackjack from mobile.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at Betway Casino
On Betway Casino you find the most extensive collection of speciality games and versions of Blackjack on this 2020 list. And some players would argue that these are the best ones, too.
Use Betway to play every possible version of Blackjack you can imagine. From the classic single-deck Blackjack game to Double Deck Blackjack, European Blackjack, and Blackjack Zappit, you are always in for something new.
Traditionally, Betway is known to be home to the most entertaining games of video Poker online. This might not be relevant for this article, but it helps put things into a proper context. If Blackjack is not the only Casino game you play, Betway is an excellent option for you.
❤️ Why beginners like it: What make Betway a unique site for Blackjack players is that it's not only about quantity. The quality of their games is outstanding.
Also, you don't need to go broke to play live games! Live Blackjack games start at £0.5, making Betway one of the most affordable sites for real money Blackjack online in 2020. Visit this page to see all the games available.
If you are looking for a Vegas Casino experience or you want to feel as if you were on a trip to Atlantic City, have a look at Betway's Live Dealer section. This way, you won't need to spend an outrageous amount of money on your next games.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at William Hill Casino
Here's another company that excels at everything they do. Their sportsbook, their online poker site, and their top-quality Casino platform make William Hill one of the best choices for those who want to play more than just online Blackjack.
❤️ Why beginners like it: William Hill features the best Live Casino in the industry, hands down.
To understand why so many people love these real money Live Dealer games, you need to play the real money Blackjack games at William Hill Casino.
Can You Be Good At Blackjack Play
The traditional 'solo' games where you play real money Blackjack online against an AI dealer aren't on par with the ones of the other Casinos in the list. They look a bit too 'old' for my taste.
But you won't find better Live Dealer games money can buy. Not in 2020, at least.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at Mr Green Casino
This is one of the most popular online Casino sites in the world - and not only for the online Blackjack games.
Players from all over the world love the Casino games at Mr Green. Their Casino site is gorgeous, the promotions are mind-blowing, and there are so many exclusive games on the platform that you'll always be jumping on something new that you have never played before.
❤️ Why beginners like it: Everything on this site is designed to give you the best bang for your bucks.
From the welcome bonus (€100 and 200 free spins) to the games' limits, Mr Green is a great online Blackjack Casino site to pick if you want to play online on a budget. Check out this page to know more about their offer and the Blackjack bonus available today.
♠️ The Online Blackjack Games at King Billy
King Billy Casino is suitable for all sort of real money games, primarily if you use your credit card for quick and instant deposits.
It's not only an excellent Blackjack Casino, but it's also an award-winning gaming platform with an astonishing offer of real money games.
This is also one of the few real money Casinos on this page where you can play the European Blackjack variant. It's also the only one on the list where you can handle all your real money games with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
❤️ Why beginners like it: This Blackjack and Casino website offers a lot you don't find at any of the others on this list.
Besides their nearly endless collection of excellent games, this is the only Blackjack Casino on this list where you playCasino games for Bitcoin.
With 56 different Blackjack games, King Billy offers more variants of online Blackjack than most other online real money Casinos online. All the games are listed here.
Tips on How to Play Blackjack Online for Real Money
There's one difference between people who play Blackjack online and players who play this popular game at land-based Casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Venice, Macau, and more.
If you play online, you mean business.
Download the PDF Blackjack Cheat Sheet, practice free Blackjack games online, and pick a real money Blackjack site to start your adventure.
That's what smart players do.
If you play online Blackjack for real money, you don't log into a top online Casino after the fifth beer or after a long night out with your friends.
When you play at a brick-and-mortar Casino, however…sometime it happens.
The last time this happened to me was a couple of weeks ago, in Vilnius, Lithuania.
I entered the Casino around midnight and I left at 4 am - with far less money then I had when I went in.
The only right side of the evening is that I did not lose as much as the Polish guy next to me. He kept spreading piles of €100 chips over two tables like those were candies.
I only had one pile of €10 chips - and I didn't multi-table. In other words: I survived.
But — I digress!
Since your goal is to play smart, be wise, and win money, I have prepared a few Blackjack tips that will help you to get better when you play online.
If you are a beginner and you are about to play your first real money Blackjack games online, consider these tips a must.
You need to read them. And you need to follow them.
Before You Play Blackjack Online
Never played online Blackjack in your life?
Don't bet real money on your first hand of Blackjack.
Blackjack is a table game that requires some research beforehand. Before your first bet, you have to know:
- The Blackjack rules
- The basic terminology of Blackjack
- The basic Blackjack strategy
- The different types of Blackjack games you can play
This beginner's guide to Blackjack is a great place to start if you start from zero.
Those who are a little more experienced can skip the intro guide to this popular game and move straight to the basics of the best Blackjack strategy.
That should be enough to get you a bit more action.
Remember: you can play online Blackjack for free at most of the sites on the list above.
Many games are available in demo mode and you can (or should) keep playing new ones until you find your favourite variation of the game.
Getting the basics right helps you defy the house edge and make money.
Once you are done with the two articles and you have used the PDF Cheat Sheet to practice your games for at least 100 hands of free Blackjack online - then you are ready to play Blackjack online for real money.
You can now try to beat the dealer.
Blackjack Bonuses to Play Online
You want to win as much as possible… and spend as little as possible.
When you play a card game online like Blackjack, this isn't always possible.
Unless you decide to take the bonus route and make finding the best bonuses for Blackjack the first step of your gaming experience.
Blackjack bonuses help you build your bankroll and get extra funds for your games. If you don't have a lot of money to play Blackjack, you better look at what are the best bonuses to get you started.
There are two kinds of bonuses to play real money Blackjack games:
- The deposit bonuses
- The no deposit bonuses
With a deposit bonus you get free money when you deposit real money into your account. You get a cash match of a certain percentage and play with more money than you deposited.
Casinos might double, triple, or even quadruple your deposits, giving you a lot of extra cash to play for real money.
Best Blackjack Deposit Bonuses (2020 Updated List)
Blackjack Site | Blackjack Games | UK Players | New Bonus (Max) | Get Offer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jackpot City | 36 | No | $1,600 | Get Offer |
Casino.com | 30 | Yes | 20 Golden Chips | Get Offer |
PartyCasino | 14 | Yes | €500 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Betway Casino | 68 | Yes | £1,000 | Get Offer |
William Hill Casino | 14 | Yes | £300 | Get Offer |
Mr Green Casino | 13 | Yes | €100 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
King Billy | 56 | No | €1,000 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Before we move onto the no deposit side of things (aka. the free money we all like), let me spend a few more words on the Blackjack bonus available at Betway Casino.
If you plan to play more than just a few hands of Blackjack online for real money, you ought to consider this bonus. And not only because Betway is one of the top online Blackjack sites at the start of 2020.
Their £1,000 welcome bonus is spread onto your first three deposits, meaning you are in for a long-term deal.
Why is this important?
Playing Blackjack online for real money involves a long-term learning process.
You'll need time and practice to master the art of making money at Blackjack online and a long term bonus like Betway's os perfect for that.
You find more info about the bonus on this page.
You don't need to spend your own money to get a no deposit bonus. Create an account on the platform that offers one and choose the games to play for free
888Casino is the only site to offer a no deposit bonus to play real money Blackjack games online in 2020. Click here to claim the free €88 offer and play.
Keep in mind that deposit bonuses come with a few strings attaches.
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You can use the free £88 at 888Casino to play online and live Blackjack for real money. There's a 30x wagering required applied to the bonus winnings that are always capped at £500.
Also, the bonus is not available to all countries. Check the 888Casino website to know more about this offer and if you can use it, too.
Best Live Dealer Blackjack Games
Playing Blackjack online in 2020 is nothing like it used to be five or six years ago. That's when the free and real money versions of the game looked like this:
Today, the best Casino game providers and real money Blackjack sites found out how to use the latest technologies (and fast internet connection) to innovate a classic table game like Blackjack and give you a lot more.
Because today's online Blackjack games look like this:
In 2020 you can play live dealer Blackjack games and bring the real feel of an exciting visit to a Casino right to your screen.
When you play live Blackjack online, you interact with professional dealers via live stream.
You chat with them and comment on your hands exactly as you would do if you were playing live at a regular Casino.
Editor's tip for beginners: Use the chat!
Don't just study the theory of Blackjack — as a beginner, you are bound to make mistakes. Use the chat in the live games to talk to the other players and comment on the hands. You'll get excellent free tips!
Not all the sites have great live games. The list of the top Blackjack sites below tells you more about their strength in the live dealer side of things.
If live dealer Blackjack games are what you are after, these are the best sites to play live dealer Blackjack games for real money in 2020.
Best Live Blackjack Site | Blackjack Games | UK Players | New Bonus (Max) | Get Offer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Betway Casino | 68 | Yes | £1,000 | Get Offer |
Casino.com | 15 | Yes | 20 Golden Chips | Get Offer |
888Casino | 5 | Yes | Free €88 | Get Offer |
Jackpot City | 36 | No | $1,600 | Get Offer |
William Hill Casino | 14 | Yes | £300 | Get Offer |
PartyCasino | 14 | Yes | €500 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Mr Green Casino | 13 | Yes | €100 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
King Billy | 56 | No | €1,000 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
If you don't know where to start, choose a Casino with live dealer games by Evolution Gaming (e.g. Betway Casino or Casino.com).
The games are exceptional, and you can play from as little as £0.50!
Mobile Blackjack: Apps to Play Blackjack Online from Android and iPhone
In 2020, most online Casinos offer great free apps to play real money Blackjack games from smartphones and tablets.
You only need to have an Android or an iOS device to treat yourself to some of the best mobile Blackjack games for real money the internet has to offer.
So, how to find the best games to play? Easy, you can use my 2020 Blackjack list.
All the Blackjack sites featured on this page work on mobile and let you play amazing real money games from the palm of your hand.
Some Casinos have free apps you can download to play. Others have worked hard to make their web platform so good that it works just fine even if you access it via your mobile browser.
Either way, here is where you find the best mobile Blackjack games to play with real money this year:
Blackjack Site | Blackjack Games | UK Players | New Bonus (Max) | Get Offer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jackpot City | 36 | No | $1,600 | Get Offer |
888Casino | 9 | Yes | Free €88 | Get Offer |
Casino.com | 30 | Yes | 20 Golden Chips | Get Offer |
PartyCasino | 14 | Yes | €500 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Betway Casino | 68 | Yes | £1,000 | Get Offer |
William Hill Casino | 14 | Yes | £300 | Get Offer |
Mr Green Casino | 13 | Yes | €100 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
King Billy | 56 | No | €1,000 + 200 Free Spins | Get Offer |
Sites to Play Real Money Blackjack with PayPal
PayPal is probably the most famous and popular e-wallets service available today.
PayPal is not a gambling service. There are many Blackjack sites that include this service in the list of the payments methods the players can use to upload and withdraw funds.
Not all sites offer PayPal to play real money Blackjack. If you use PayPal already and you want to play at a Blackjack site that allows you to fund your real money games with this service, just pick one of these operators:
To know more about all the operators that feature this payment method or understand what are the best alternatives to PayPal to gamble online for real money you canvisit this article published on our sister Casino site, CasinoSmash.com.
Got Questions? Check the FAQ!
Making money playing Blackjack online isn't easy - and I know that online games for real money can be quite intimidating sometimes.
If you don't know where to start, you want more info about any of the Blackjack sites on this article, or you want some tips on more articles (and books) that can help you make money playing Blackjack online..continue reading!
What is Online Blackjack?
Online Blackjack is the virtual reproduction of the classic card game played at Casinos around the world. When you play online Blackjack you can choose between a large number of AI-powered Blackjack games or play with other players and live dealers who stream the Casino-like action in real-time.
How to Play Blackjack Online?
The goal of Blackjack is to beat the dealer by going as close as possible to 21 points with your cards. You find all the details about the gameplay on this guide titled 'How to Play Blackjack for beginners.' Use it to learn the rules before you begin to play for real money online.
Which Online Blackjack is the Best?
From a mathematical standpoint, the game of single-deck Blackjack is the best one to play. The house edge of this game is 0.3%.
How to Win at Blackjack Online?
While there is no guaranteed way to win at Blackjack all the time, you can use many strategy tips to increase your chances to succeed.
The Blackjack basic strategy is an excellent starting point — especially if you use a Blackjack cheat sheet to remember how to play each hand based on yours and the dealer's cards.
How to Play Blackjack for Real Money?
The real money version of the game and the free one are entirely identical and follow the same Blackjack rules.
Lucky seven casino smith river ca. THE FRIENDLIST CASINO ON THE WILD RIVERS COAST. Recent Winners Circle. Used for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons. Congratulations to this winner of $1,225 on Lucky O' Leary Jackpots! See More See Less. November 24th, 2019. Smith River, CA 95567. Casino: 707-487-7777 Hotel: 855-487-3777 Toll Free: 866-777-7170. Oct 04, 2019 Restaurants near Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel; Popular Dishes. Best Salad in Smith River; Best Hamburgers in Smith River; Best Shrimp in Smith River; All things to do in Smith River; Things to do near Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel. XUS Ziplines; Smith River Kayaks; Crescent Trail Rides; Stout Grove; Harris Beach State Park; Lone Ranch Beach; Azalea Park. Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel (Howonquet Lodge) has a restaurant, fitness center, a bar and shared lounge in Smith River. Featuring an ATM, this property also provides guests with a casino. The hotel has an indoor pool and room service and free WiFi throughout the property.
Where to Play Blackjack for Real Money?
There's a large number of websites to play real money Blackjack online in 2020. We recommend you only play on UKGC and MGA licensed Blackjack sites.
These sites are authorised to offer real money games and are audited by the most important gambling authorities in the world. To see what are the best legal Blackjack sites online, have a look at this list.
How to Transfer Money in Online Blackjack?
Different Blackjack sites let you use different payment methods to move your money around. These include credit cards, bank wires, and online services like Skrill and Paypal.
The most popular PayPal Blackjack sites are all collected on this list.
This article was first published in August 2018. Last updated: January 6, 2019.
Finding a trustworthy room to play online poker can be a monumental burden. That's all the more true if you're just looking for a place to play poker for free. We've listed five of the best play-money poker sites to enjoy and help hone your skills.
The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.I’ve written a few articles in the past that included advice that said you should never take insurance when you play blackjack. I stand by this advice because, for over 90% of the players who read my articles, the advice is 100% correct.
But I also need to present the other side of the argument to give you a complete understanding of insurance. The truth is that insurance is the correct play in a few specific situations. Most of these situations only become apparent to professional card counters, and because counting pros spend most of their time beating the casinos and not reading my articles, my advice of never taking insurance is correct for everyone else.
So why am I writing an article about taking insurance?
As you’re getting ready to learn, there are a few situations while playing blackjack when clearly it seems that taking insurance is a good bet. The odds are good that these situations are going to surprise you because they’re not why most players take insurance.
The Argument Against Insurance
The reason why taking insurance is a bad decision most of the time can be explained using simple math. But, as you’re going to see in the next section, this same simple math is used to show in a few situations that insurance is a good bet.
When the dealer has an ace, he or she offers insurance to the payers at the table. Insurance costs half of your original wager and pays 2 to 1 when the dealer has a natural blackjack. The only way the dealer has a natural blackjack is when his or her down card is worth 10 points.
Can You Get Good At Blackjack
The odds of the face down card being worth 10 points are 9 to 4 against. This is a percentage chance of 30.77% that the dealer has a blackjack. The reason why the odds are 9 to 4 is because of the 13 total card ranks, four of them are worth 10 points, and the other nine aren’t. The four 10-point value ranks are the face cards and the 10s.
When you compare 9 to 4 against the payout of 2 to 1, the casino has an edge. For the bet to be fair, the chances of the dealer having a blackjack need to be the same as the payout. The payout of 2 to 1 means that the percentage chance of the dealer having a blackjack needs to be 33.33%.
In any situation where the chance the dealer has a blackjack is over 33.33%, the insurance wager is a good bet.
The problem is that most of the time, the dealer doesn’t have a 33.33% or higher chance to have a blackjack. This goes back to how you compute the dealer’s percentage, or odds, based on the normal makeup of a deck of cards.
Determining the odds or percentages based on a normal distribution of cards in the deck sounds correct, but it assumes you don’t know the value of any cards. This is the safe way to do it, especially in a shoe game because a single card doesn’t change the odds or percentages much.
But what happens if you take the knowledge of cards played and remaining available in the deck or shoe into account?
Is there a way to use this information to determine when taking insurance is a good bet?
When You Should Take Insurance
Now that you understand how the math behind the insurance bet works, let’s look at a specific example where the bet changes from bad to good.
You’re playing in a single deck blackjack game.
- On the first round of hands, you see the value of 14 cards. Only one of them is worth 10 points, so the remaining cards have 15 cards valued at 10. With 14 cards played, the deck has a total of 38 cards.
- The second round of hands is dealt, and the dealer has an ace face up. You haven’t seen the value of the other player’s cards at this point, and you have a king in your hand. Now you’ve seen the values of 17 cards when you include the two in your hand and the dealer’s ace.
- The remaining unseen cards total 35 and 14 of them are worth 10 points. This means that the odds of the dealer having a 10-point value down card are 21 to 14 or 3 to 2 against. In other words, 40% of the time the dealer is going to have a natural blackjack.
A winning insurance wager pays 2 to 1, so the odds are better than that in this hand. The 2 to 1 payout means that the chance of a dealer blackjack needs to be at least 33.3%, and in this example, the chance is 40%.
While this example is an extreme one to show when insurance is a good bet, you can also learn something from it. Now that you know that the chances of the dealer having a natural blackjack need to be 33.3% or higher, you can use this information in any single deck blackjack game. You can even use it in a double deck game if you do a good job of tracking cards.
This is much like card counting in that you don’t have to memorize every single card that’s been played. All you need to do is keep track of the ratio of total cards played to 10-point value cards. This even works in shoe games, but the truth is if you’re able to keep track of this ratio in shoe games, you should be counting cards.
How Important Is This Knowledge?
While it’s important to recognize and use every small advantage you can find, the truth is that the opportunity to take insurance with an edge is rare. If you play in single and double deck games often, it’s something that you should watch for.
But you should only concern yourself with profitable insurance opportunities after you do a few other things to lower the house edge. The first thing you should do is find blackjack games with good rules. The next thing every blackjack player should do is use basic strategy. It’s a waste of time and energy to worry about insurance before you do these two things.
Once you learn about the rules and learn how to use perfect strategy, then you can start looking for opportunities to take advantage of insurance. But even in this situation, I recommend looking for insurance opportunities as an introduction to learning more about counting cards.
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When you start tracking card ratios, which is at the heart of determining when taking insurance is a good bet, you’re starting to use the same techniques card counters use. And the fact is that most popular card counting systems include a breakpoint where players start taking insurance.
In other words, a good counting system already has the insurance wager built in, so you know when to take it and when not to take it.
If you’re looking for every possible edge at the blackjack table, understanding how insurance works and when you should take it is important. But if you don’t want to do the extra work, then stick with good rules and proper strategy. By declining insurance every time, you’re not going to make a mistake often. When you do, it’s only going to cost you a small amount over time.
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It’s a much more costly mistake to take insurance when you shouldn’t than to miss an opportunity to take insurance every once in a while, when it’s the correct play.
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Conclusion
Taking insurance at the blackjack table is a bad bet most of the time. If you’re a basic strategy player or a seat of your pants player and don’t count cards, your best play is to always decline blackjack insurance. But as you can see from the numbers included in this article, there are certain situations when insurance goes from a bad bet to a good one.
Once you master basic blackjack strategy, start looking for opportunities where insurance is a good bet. When you start recognizing these opportunities, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to investigate card counting. It’s a small step from understanding and using what you learned above to become a successful card counter.
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