how does insurance and surrender work in blackjack?

Answer 1

if the dealer gets an ace as face up card then you can buy insurance. with insurance if the dealer has a black jack then all you lose is your insurance but if you dont then you lose automaticly.

Answer 2

Insurance is offered only if the dealer's upcard is an Ace. You may place a side bet up to half of your original bet that the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, you lose your original bet (assuming you don't have blackjack yourself) and you win 2:1 on your insurance bet. If you insure for the whole amount, you would essentially push the hand. This bet is generally regarded as a sucker bet.

Surrender is only offered at some tables. There are two options, Early and Late. Both surrender options allow you to concede the hand and only lose half of your bet. Early surrender, which isn't offered in the US as far as I know, but is still offered in Europe at some places, allows you to surrender before the dealer peeks at their card if the upcard is a 10 or A. Late Surrender only allows surrenders after the dealer peeks at the hole card.

Answer 3

If the dealer is showing an ace then you will be offered the option of insurance it can be up to half your stake. If the dealer makes a blackjack then your bet loses and the insurance is paid out at 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn't make a blackjack then the insurance loses and the hand is played out as normal. Surrender allows you to take back half of your original stake if you have bad cards and think that the dealer will win.

Answer 4

Don’t waste your money on Insurance when playing Blackjack. This raises the house edge from anywhere between 6 and 8 percent.

Remember, your chance of winning and the size of the house advantage all depend on the variations of Blackjack offered and the number of decks used to play.


There are many places online and books written where you can find Basic Strategy tables and charts that tell you when to stand, hit, double, or split based on the dealer’s hand. These tables and charts give you a definite edge during play, but the most important part and probably the most difficult is memorizing the charts themselves. You can have them printed out, but if you have to refer to them and take time scanning them, you may time out your play or miss out on the advantages of speed play. The charts and tables will serve you better than the so-called card counting, which most of the time will not apply as the decks are shuffled after each hand.

Blackjack variations can alter the house advantage and make for exciting play. If a casino offers more than 20 Blackjack games, you have an excellent chance of winning serious money.

Blackjack Switch You play two hands simultaneously with the option of switching the second cards dealt each hand Played with 6 decks Players may double on any two cards Players may double after a split Dealer must hit on a soft 17 Players may not resplit Pays even money Dealer total of 22 ties against player’s total of 21 or less but player’s Blackjack beats Dealer 22.

Caribbean 21 8 Deck Blackjack game Ace counted only as one Player receives two cards face up, dealer receives one card face, no hole card Player can hit, split, double, stand and surrender If player has an ace and two 10-point cards, he has Caribbean 21 which pays 3 to 2, other winning hands only pay 1 to 1 Dealer wins all ties

Pontoon Blackjack dealt from 8 decks. First two dealer cards are face down, no up card. Any 10-value card and ace is a Pontoon and a win. Dealer wins all ties. If you have been dealt 5 cards (5-Card Charlie) and still have not busted, you win, regardless of the card total value as long as it’s less than 21.

Answer 5

Insurance is a sucker bet because any time you bet more money, they love it. Any time I've played Black Jack, I've never taken insurance, and I would say a good 7 out of 10 times, would not have needed it anyway.

Answer 6

Insurance is for the house. Don't do it.

Answer 7

as said in one of the above
insurance never do it