European Blackjack: Rules, Strategies and Tips

by London-TV in Business

One of the most common casino games in the United Kingdom and Europe is a variation of an American classic. The European Blackjack is off of the two most popular forms of blackjack in the world, the other being the American Blackjack.

It’s a unique variant of the classic casino game. European Blackjack imposes more limitations on the players’ decision-making ability than its American counterpart. Bettors should know its rules, strategies, advantages, disadvantages, and tips to succeed in this game.


Basics

You must understand and know all the game basics when you want to play blackjack. It is a game between the dealer and the player. In each game, two to eight card decks are used. Jokers aren’t included in these card decks.

The game objective is still the same. The player needs to get blackjack (total or 21) or get closest to that number compared to the dealer’s. To determine the hand, cards from two to nine represent their face value. Ten to ace cards are valued at ten points. Interestingly, the ace is both valued at one and eleven.

Moreover, the dealer will deal out the cards once bets are in place. The dealer gets the first card and is facing up. The dealer’s second card will only be dealt once every player has already played their hands. The players will get their two cards between the dealer’s first and second cards. Both the cards will be face down once dealt to the player.

Furthermore, when the player or dealer has a hand of over 21, they immediately lose. It’s called a bust hand. However, if the player has a hand lower than 21, they have five options:

● Hit – The player asks for another card in the hope of improving the value of their hand.
● Stand – The player retains their hand and does not ask for an additional card.
● Double Down – The player doubles their original bet and asks for another card. They need to stand after getting the additional card,
● Split – The player splits his current hand into two hands as long as the cards have the same value. The split hand will be considered an individual bet and played separately.
● Surrender – The player surrenders and retains half of the original net.


Rules

Since European Blackjack is a unique variant, it also has some unique rules that aren’t applied in other variants. Among the rules implemented are:

● When the dealer gets a blackjack, it will beat any other 21-valued hand. If the player also has a blackjack, the game is a push.
● The dealer always stands on a soft 17.
● The dealer can’t check for blackjacks during the middle of the game.
● A player can only double down on hands if their value is nine, 10, or 11.
● Players can only split their hands once.
● A player can only split their hand if it has the same character face card.


Tips

In European Blackjack, the dealer’s house edge is 0.42% when using four to eight decks. It’s critical to remember that players need to adjust the strategy they’re employing when rules are changed or when handed consecutive bad hands. Playing a more conservative strategy during this time is no longer a horrible idea.

Moreover, since doubling down and splitting is limited in European Blackjack, you must pay more attention to the dealer’s cards. The first card will help players decide the appropriate strategy and option. It means you need to plot out numerous strategies you might use more than once during the game.


Advantages

The first advantage of European Blackjack is that it’s played with two decks. It’s helpful to card counters so they can keep track of the cards that have already been played. This also means the game has a lower house edge, benefiting the European Blackjack players.

Another advantage is due to the rule requiring the dealer to stand on soft 17. It significantly decreases the house edge. It helps the players craft a better strategy since they know that they can no longer hit when a dealer is at 17. As for the data, a 17 hand is generally not a winning hand.


Disadvantages

A major disadvantage of European Blackjack is that there’s no hole card, and dealers cannot check for blackjack. It means that players are allowed to make additional moves and lose their bet when a dealer gets a natural blackjack or a 21.


Strategies

To win European Blackjack, a good strategy is needed. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to remember when playing.

Player hard hands:

If a player has five to eight cards, the player always needs to hit. If they have 10 or 11 and the dealer has two to nine, doubling or hitting is the smart choice. When a player gets 13 to 16, and the dealer has two to 6, stand but hit if the dealer has another hand.

Player soft hands:

When a player gets 13 to 17, the six need to always hit. If it’s an 18 and the dealer has two to eight, the player should stand, but when the dealer gets everything else, the player must hit. When a player gets 19 to 21, they need to stand.

Player pairs:

Getting two aces means you have to split, except when the dealer also has an ace, then yo7 need to hit. However, when the player gets two ten, the smart choice is to stand. Lower pairs must be intended for the player to hit except during exceptional circumstances.

Final Thoughts

Indeed European Blackjack is one of the most intriguing and exciting blackjack variants. It gives players good chances of winning if they employ good strategy and skills. Playing the game also enhances the patience virtues of the players since they’ll have to look at and understand the unique rules of this blackjack variant.