Part I: Games & Gaming · Card Games — Baccarat & Blackjack

Insurance

Blackjack

A side bet offered when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, allowing players to wager up to half their original bet that the dealer has blackjack (a ten-value hole card). Insurance pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack but loses if they do not. Despite its name, insurance is a poor bet with a house edge of approximately 7.4% and is only favorable to card counters at specific true counts.

In practice

Card counters take insurance when the true count is +3 or higher (Hi-Lo system). Surveillance should flag players who take insurance only at high counts as potential advantage players.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.