Question:    Should I take "even money" when I have Blackjack and the dealer shows an ace?

Answer:    No, because by taking even money, you accept the insurance side bet. This means that you bet half of your original and if the dealer has Blackjack, then you get paid 2 to 1. The net effect of this bet is that, irrespective of the dealer having or not having blackjack, you will get paid even money. However, you will win more money if you don’t take the insurance side bet. In online poker, there are 16 ten-count cards (10, J, Q, K) and 36 non- ten-count cards in every 52-card deck. The dealer will hit blackjack whenever a ten-count card is drawn. Let's assume that you are playing a $2 table. The insurance bet is half of $2, or $1. 36 times out of 52, you will lose your insurance bet for a total loss of $36. 16 times you will win the bet, and since it pays 2 to 1, you will have a total win of $32. $32 minus $36 gives a net loss of $4, or a house edge of about 8%. That makes even money a bad bet.