Insurance Blackjack Rules

• Rules Of Blackjack Insurance
• Insurance Blackjack Rules For Real
• Insurance Blackjack Rules For Dummies

If the dealer actually has a blackjack (Ace + 10), you win the bet and it pays 2-to-1. If the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose your side bet. Up to 50% of your original wager can be made on insurance. With some very rare exceptions, insurance is a sucker’s bet. Insurance and Surrender Blackjack Rules. Insurance - This nearly universal rule allows an insurance bet against a dealer face up Ace. Note: Not allowed with Double Exposure. Insure Blackjack only - Some casinos in Europe allow insurance bets only when the player has a Blackjack.

Rules

Insurance is one of the many options offered to a blackjack player, but it is an option which is most often exercised incorrectly in live play. Insurance is a side bet which is considered independently of the main wager made by the player. All casinos offer insurance as a standard option. This is true in online casinos that offer blackjack also. The rules of blackjack are simple. You are dealt cards, which have the face value shown on them. You need to get a hand with a score of as close to 21 as possible, without going over it.

The player's goal is to assemble a hand worth a number of points that exceeds the value of the dealer's hand. You need to collect no more than maximum of 21 points, or you lose (bust).

Six standard 52-card decks are used in the game. In order to participate in a round the player must place a bet. Once all bets have been placed, the dealer deals two face-up cards to each player and one face-up card and one face-down card to him- or herself.

Once the player and the dealer have finished taking their cards, the values of their final hands are compared. If the player's score is higher than the dealer's, the player gets a 1:1 payout on their bet. If a player and the dealer have the same score (other than blackjack), this is considered a draw and the player gets their bet back. If the dealer's score is higher than the player's, the player loses.

Blackjack

If the first two cards in a hand are worth a total of 21 points, this hand is called 'blackjack.' If the dealer gets blackjack, all players lose other than those with blackjack. If both the dealer and a player have blackjack, this is considered a draw, and the player gets their bet back.

If a player has blackjack and the dealer does not, the player wins and gets a 3:2 payout on their bet.

If the dealer's face-up card is worth 10 points, they look at their face-down card. If the dealer has blackjack, they turn their cards over, and the round ends.

Player Actions

If neither the player nor the dealer have blackjack, the player can choose one of several actions once the cards have been dealt.

'Split' – this action is only available if the player's hand contains two cards of the same value. The player doubles their bet, splits their hand in two, and takes two additional cards. The two hands are then played independently.

'Hit' – the player takes another card. This action can be repeated until the value of the hand exceeds 21 points.

'Double' – the player doubles their bet, takes another card, and stands.

'Stand' – the player takes no more cards and keeps their current hand.

If the value of the player's hand exceeds 21 points, they lose the round.

Dealer

Once all players have stood, the dealer turns their face-down card over.

If necessary, the dealer can take additional cards until they have 17 or more points. If the dealer's score exceeds 21, all players who have not gone bust automatically win regardless of their score.

Insurance

Special case: if the dealer has a face-up ace, the players have the option to place an additional 'insurance' bet equal to half of their original bet. Once all players have made a decision, the dealer looks at their face-down card. If the dealer has blackjack, a payout of 2:1 is paid on all 'insurance' bets. If the dealer does not have blackjack, all insurance bets go to the pot and the game continues as usual.

Payouts

Counting Points

The following card values are used when counting points: the cards from 2 to 10 are worth a number of points equal to the card's face value. The cards J, Q, and K are worth 10 points. Ace is worth 1 or 11 points depending on which point value prevents the hand from exceeding 21.

• How to Play

A unique combination of chance & skill

Rules Of Blackjack Insurance

The popluarity of blackjack stems from its unique combination of chance and skill. The object of the game is to form a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. At Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, blackjack is played with multiple decks of cards and is dealt from a shoe.

Card Values

Face cards (Jack, Queen and King) are worth 10. Cards 2 through 10 retain their face values.

Aces are worth 1 or 11, depending on the hand. Any time an Ace can be used as either 1 or 11, it is called a soft hand. Any time an Ace must be used as 1 (or it would force your hand to exceed 21), it is called a hard hand.

Playing Blackjack

Players place a wager in their corresponding circle. The dealer then waves a hand over the table, closing all bets. Once the first card is placed on the table, all original bets must remain the same until the conclusion of the hand. Two cards are dealt face-up to each player, and two cards (one face-up, one face-down) are placed in front of the dealer. The card dealt face down is known as the dealer hole card.

What is a Blackjack

A hand of Ace and any 10-value card with the original two cards is called blackjack; it pays 3 to 2 (win $15 on a $10 bet).

The Hitting Round

Players can improve their hands by taking additional cards; this is known as hitting. If a player wants an additional card, they make a scratching motion behind or beside the betting area. A player may take cards until satisfied or until the hand exceeds 21—that is called a break. Once a player decides to stand (no more cards), a horizontal hand motion is made above their wager.

Important note: Dealers are not allowed to take verbal commands when addressing hands; a hand signal over the table must be given by each player.

End Game

Once all players complete their hands, the dealer reveals the hole card, placing both cards face up. The dealer draws until a total of hard 17 or better is achieved. The dealer is required to hit a soft 17 or less regardless of players’ hand values. If the dealer breaks, all remaining hands win and are paid even money. If the dealer hits to a total of hard 17 or better, hands closer to 21 than the dealer win. Hands totaling less than the dealer lose. If the dealer and player have the same total, the result is a push: no one wins, no one loses.

Important note: The player loses if the dealer has blackjack and the player has a total of 21, which is not blackjack.

Insurance

If the dealer’s up-card is an Ace, players are offered insurance. Insurance is an additional wager betting that the dealer does indeed have blackjack. A player may wager up to half of the original bet by placing cheques on the Insurance Line. At this time, any player dealt blackjack can immediately be paid dollar for dollar on their wager by saying “even money,” regardless of the dealer hole card.

The dealer then closes insurance with a hand signal and checks the hole card. If the dealer does indeed have blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1, and the hand is over. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the insurance wager loses and the hand continues.

How to Split in Blackjack

If a player’s first two cards are of equal value, the player has the option of splitting them to create two separate hands. When splitting, an additional wager equal to the original bet must be made, and a hand signal (two fingers spread apart) must be given to the dealer. The player will play the first hand until satisfied, give a stand hand signal, and then complete the second hand. When splitting Aces, the player receives only one card for each hand.

Important note: When a split results in a hand consisting of a 10-value card and Ace, the value now counts as 21 since blackjack is only possible on the two original cards.

How to Double Down in Blackjack

A confident player may wish to double down by making an additional wager up to the amount of the original bet. Doubling down can be done on any two-card combination, except on blackjack and split Aces. A player taking this option receives only one more card for the hand. All other rules apply.

And those are the basics of blackjack. Strategy cards are available at Sweet Grass Gift Shop for just a few dollars. They’re easy to use, and they’re allowed at the tables. For information on how to play other table games offered at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, just ask a member of our staff.

If you like blackjack, you might want to try Double Deck Pitch. It plays much like regular blackjack except the dealer operates with two decks of cards in-hand and the cards are dealt face-down.

Blackjack Helpful Hints

• Players are not allowed to touch the cards.
• Suits are of no significance.

Blackjack Side Bets

21+3 and Top 3
Now offering two bets for the price of one! Place a 21+3 wager and you’ll also receive a Top 3 wager. Make a qualifying 21+3 and Top 3 hand from your two cards and the dealer’s up-card:

Insurance Blackjack Rules For Real

21+3 Payouts

Insurance Blackjack Rules For Dummies

Top 3 Payouts

An Ace-Two-Three sequence wins. However, an Ace may not be combined with any other sequence of cards for purposes of determining a winning hand (for example, King-Ace-Two). Once all 21+3 Top 3 wagers and winnings have been removed from the layout, all Blackjack house rules will apply.