Insurance in blackjack, defined
Insurance is a side bet that a blackjack table offers when the dealer's face-up card is an ace; it wins only if the dealer's hidden card completes blackjack. This applies to live dealer blackjack tables as of 13 November 2026. The stake limit, the payout and whether the offer appears at all depend on the variant and the provider's published rules.
Re-check window: 365 days
What the insurance bet is
Insurance is a separate wager placed beside your main hand. It does not change the cards you hold.
The bet resolves on one question: does the dealer have blackjack? If yes, it pays at the rate in the table's rules. If no, it is lost and the round carries on.
When a live table offers it
The offer appears when the dealer's face-up card is an ace. At a live table it shows as a prompt with a short timer.
Declining is the default. If you do nothing before the timer ends, the round continues without the bet.
- The timer length is part of the table's decision-time rules (see decision time and timeouts).
- Some variants change dealer or payout rules, so read the panel for the exact table you open.
What to read in the rules before you accept
We have not yet read the insurance rules of any provider for this page, so the cells below stay open.
| Field | Evolution | Playtech Live |
|---|---|---|
| Offered when | Not checked | Not checked |
| Maximum insurance stake | Not checked | Not checked |
| Payout as published | Not checked | Not checked |
| Rule text date | Not checked | Not checked |
The facts to take are the wording and the date of the rules page of each studio. We will not fill a cell from memory or from a review.
A worked example on assumed numbers
The numbers below are invented to show the arithmetic. They are not a provider's rule.
Assume a £10 main hand, a £5 insurance stake and a payout of 2 to 1 on insurance.
- Dealer has blackjack: insurance returns £10 profit, the £10 hand loses. Net result of the round: £0.
- Dealer has no blackjack: insurance loses £5, and the hand plays on.
Break-even follows from the assumed payout: the bet needs the dealer to have blackjack one time in three (about 33.3%) to cost nothing on average. If the real frequency is lower, the average result is a loss.
What strategy sources say
A basic strategy table is built for stated rules and states its own source. We name that source on basic strategy and do not repeat a recommendation without one.
For the effect on the casino's edge, see house edge and side bets priced from published rules.
Quick answers
- When does a live blackjack table offer insurance?
When the dealer's face-up card is an ace. The offer is made before the dealer checks the hidden card, so the round is still open when you decide.
- Does insurance protect my main hand?
No. It is a separate bet on whether the dealer's hidden card completes blackjack. Your main hand is settled on its own result.
- What does insurance pay?
The payout is set in the rules of the variant you are playing. We have not yet recorded a provider's figure, so check the rules panel at the table.
- Is insurance part of basic strategy?
Whether a strategy table recommends it depends on the table and its source. We name the source on the basic strategy page instead of repeating a recommendation here.