Few blackjack players know the even-money rule, let alone how to play it correctly. In this guide to the Blackjack Even Money explains how this rule works - and why you should avoid it at all costs.
What is Blackjack with Even Money?
Imagine the scene: You receive a Ace and a face card, which gives you the coveted blackjack and - normally - a nice payday. But then you realise that the dealer's up card is an ace. Now you get nervous, because if the dealer's down card is a ten, your hand is a draw and you get no value for your blackjack hand.
At this Point you can ask for even money in most casinos. This means that you can invoke the rule before the dealer reveals his face-down card, and that you can use your Insert are paid out at a ratio of 1:1, regardless of which hand the dealer still has.
The reward is that you get some money winno matter what happens.
The risk is that the dealer ends up with no blackjack, and you would have won even more.
Most players who abuse the even money rule assume that because there are so many tens, jacks, queens and kings in the deck, it is very likely that the dealer will get a blackjack. Instead of facing the misery of a push where they only get their bet back, they get greedy and go for the even money.
You have probably already heard of the Insurance in blackjack, which is available to all players at the Table is offered if the dealer has an ace on the card. We have already mentioned that you should never take out insurance, as this is not profitable in the long term.
For the same reason, even-money insurance is never a good gamble.
Should I use Even Money in Blackjack?
In short: No. The math just doesn't add up. You rely on the dealer playing blackjack so often in the long run that your move with Even Money will pay off. But in reality, that's not going to happen.
Let's take a blackjack game with six Packs of cardswhere you have a blackjack and the dealer shows an ace. At 96 Maps with a value of ten (tens to kings), there is a 30.7 per cent risk of Opportunitythat the dealer has one of them to score a blackjack.
So that's a 30.7 per cent chance that your hand will be a push. So it's much better to call even money and secure a win, you might think. Wrong.
Look at the big picture: There is a 69.3 % chance that the dealer's face-down card will NOT count as 10, i.e. this is the state of the game if you do nothing:
In 7 % of the cases, the dealer has a blackjack and you win 0 winning units.
In 3 % of the cases, the dealer has no blackjack and you win 1.5 units (a 3:2 payout).
If you calculate these contingencies, you'll find that your blackjack hand is worth about 1.04 units. So if you bet $10, the expected long-term profit on your blackjack hand, at least if the dealer's up card is an ace, is $10.40. Is it any wonder that casinos are eager for you to take even money and settle for $10 every time?
The casinos are not being sneaky, of course. They are simply clever. They need to make money in order to survive, and that's why they get their money. Rules like these have a tiny blackjack house advantage that helps them win.
