Insurance is one of the lesser known, lesser used, and lesser understood moves in blackjack. That is because calculating for the probability of success and the expected values when using Insurance is a bit messier and more difficult than simply betting and folding. When should you use Insurance, and can it actually be used to camouflage your betting?

Time to Insure

There are some cases when the choice to Insure is already one with an obvious answer, such as when you have a 20 against an Ace. The choice to Insure in such cases would then be automatic. But you know that you do not always get as good a number as 20 in blackjack. In fact, you will more often be facing Insurance choices that involve lower, worse hands like 14 or 12 to a 20.

In most cases, keeping a True Count is a really good way of determining if Insurance is a good bet or not. The general rule of thumb is to have a higher True Count (if that is what you are using) to recommend Insurance. Insuring with a True Count of 2 or higher should be a good bet already.

If you are counting, there is a good chance that your count will tell you that it is favorable to Insure should you have cards similar to what was just mentioned. However, it is not a very ‘gambler’ thing to do, and it sends up the red flags that you are a potential counter (and you are, anyway) or a player employing some sort of strategy.

Insurance and Camouflage

Now, you will probably also encounter some hands where the values are bad enough (around 14 to 16 versus an Ace) to warrant Insurance at first glance, but your count will say otherwise. Not taking Insurance on such hands when you have taken it on so many others could send up more red flags about you to the casino staff.

It is recommended that you take Insurance in those cases anyway. First of all, the cost of making foolish Insurance bets is not really very high (over the long term though it is a losing strategy). It should be somewhere under 10% of your original bet, and this really is not much when you play at the lower stakes tables.

This sort of situation also happens really infrequently, so you will not find your bankroll taking a significant hit from Insuring. At the same time, you throw the casino staff off your scent because it makes you look like a gambler who makes foolish, ill-reasoned Insurance decisions instead of the rational player you really are.

Free Tip: Taking insurance too often is a losing strategy. Only insure to camouflage your counting or when you have 20 to the dealers Ace.