Insurance and even money
When the dealer shows an ace, the table will offer insurance: a side bet that the hole card is a ten. Even money is the same bet in disguise, offered when you have a two-card 21. PlayCorrect’s policy is simple and does not depend on the chips: never take insurance or even money. This page explains the arithmetic. It is educational, for adults 21 and over, and is not gambling advice.
What the side bet actually pays
Insurance is a 1-unit side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. If P is the probability that the hole card is a ten, the expected value of a 1-unit insurance bet is 3P − 1. You need P greater than 1/3 for the bet to have a positive expectation. Off the top of a full six-deck shoe, only the dealer’s ace has been removed: 96 tens remain in 311 cards, so P = 96/311 ≈ 0.3087, and EV = 3 × 96/311 − 1 = −0.073955 units. That is a house edge of about 7.4% on the insurance bet itself — much larger than the edge on the main hand when you follow basic strategy.
The same figure is stored in our six-deck tables as the off-the-top insurance EV. Removing typical two-card player holdings does not flip the sign. For 11 vs ace with 6 and 5 also removed, P = 96/309 and EV = 3 × 96/309 − 1 = −0.067961, which matches the Wizard of Odds hand calculator to the printed decimals (checked 10 Nov 2026). Always negative off a full shoe, including after those removals.
Even money is insurance
If you have a two-card 21 and the dealer has an ace up, the dealer may offer “even money”: pay you 1 to 1 on your blackjack now, instead of 3 to 2 if the dealer does not also have blackjack (or a push if the dealer does). That is identical to taking insurance. You give up the extra half-unit when the dealer does not have a ten in the hole, in exchange for avoiding a push when the dealer does. Under basic strategy, you decline it.
What the calculator shows
Whenever the dealer’s upcard is an ace, the calculator adds the line “Insurance / even money: don’t take it,” including after you have entered your own cards. The line is a policy reminder, not a count-based exception. We do not offer an insurance “yes” when the remaining ten-density is high, because this product does not track the shoe.
Basic strategy already assumes you know only the cards in the current hand. If someone is counting cards, insurance can become a positive bet at a high enough density of tens; that is outside the scope of this site and is not something we teach or prompt.
A short warning
Insurance is a popular side bet because it feels like protection. The expected value is still negative off a full shoe. PlayCorrect will not tell you that declining insurance makes the main game profitable. It only avoids a second, worse wager. 21+. If gambling is a problem, use the help links in the footer.
See also basic strategy, 11 vs ace, and about accuracy.