Should I take insurance holding 20 vs dealer's A?

I have read a few bj books and I remember Stanford Wong advised in his "Professional blackjack" that "never take insurance", but what if I am place a 20 and the dealer is A? buying insurance will almost guarantee me half unit win (assuming I bet half of my original bet for insurance)? kind of confused on that...

thanks for your kind help!!!

4 out of 13 possible cards will give the dealer a blackjack, for odds of worse than 2 to 1, yet that's what insurance pays. That's why it should never be taken. And in your scenario, YOU'VE got 2 tens in your hand that the dealer can't have. On a $10 bet, you'd MOST LIKELY lose $5 on the insurance bet and win your $10 bet for a net gain of $5. Don't take and you'd MOST LIKELY win $10. It wouldn't even take a very large sample to show that you'd make more money by not taking insurance.

Don't

It is Never a good bet to take insurance. Since the dealer has only a 30% chance to have a ten in the hole, you will lose 67 hands out of a hundred for a net loss of 34 hands. If you were counting cards and the count is VERY positive, then I guess it is worth a gamble. You would never insure a 20 as you have two of the cards the dealer needs. If you have two non tens in your hand and there are no tens on the board, then maybe, take a chance

I don't as I worry, not only about the odds being against me, but about the possibility of the dealer not having blackjack and drawing a 20 or even worse a 21 and thus losing all over the place.

GEORGE

What about taking even money on your blackjack when the dealer's upcard is an ace? If the dealer's had a particularly disgusting lucky streak (6 card 21s, wiping out the whole table), I will take even money, especially if I have a large bet out.

Thoughts on this?

Without knowledge more definitive than "dealer is on a streak", your best bet is to never take even money or insurance. You will come out ahead more often than not by employing this strategy.

Do you feel lucky

I believe you should listen to Mikeaber. Anyone can take a chance on insurance and win a few hands. I've heard people say, "I knew she had it, thats why I did it". Now think about it. If we knew what the hole card was, we would all be rich. In a short session of playing, you could come out on top by taking and winning your insurance bet. For most of us, blackjack is a long run. We are planning on playing millions of hands. That is why we play the percentages. Remember this: If the house offers you something, it's not to your advantage. They win 67 out of every 100 insurance bets. Now can you tell me that you know those 33 times the dealer has the 10 in the hole?

Wow, if you worry about losing, you probably shouldn't play blackjack, or gamble at all.

I know that sounds a bit harsh... but think about it.