European Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games worldwide, as it is not only challenging but also highly intriguing. As a card game, it follows particular patterns, and therefore players’ odds of winning in a given situation can, to some extent, be calculated. Thanks to this observation, a number of strategies have been developed which, if applied correctly, give players a rough idea of their best move based on their hand total and the dealer’s up-card.

• Rules of European Blackjack
• The OBO, OBBO, and BB+1 Rules
• Microgaming’s European Blackjack Redeal
• Strategy Suggestions
• Advantages of European Blackjack
• Disadvantages of European Blackjack
• Conclusion

For many years the game has been a focus of attention for passionate players, which has led to the creation of numerous variations. Some of these have become so popular that they are now offered in many casinos alongside the classic game. This diversity gives players the opportunity to choose the version that suits them best and to enjoy its distinctive rules.

One of the most widespread versions of the game is European Blackjack, which can be found in numerous casinos thanks to the huge interest it attracts. In most cases, it is played with two decks, which is why players – especially card counters – often decide to give it a try.

The reduced number of decks significantly increases players’ chances of gaining an advantage over the casino and winning, provided the other rules are reasonably liberal. Despite its name, this variant has travelled beyond the Old Continent; similar no-hole-card games are available in some North American and Australian land-based casinos as well.

Rules of European Blackjack

European Blackjack follows the fundamental principles of the classic game, which is convenient for players because they can grasp it relatively easily. It is worth mentioning that, as with other variations, certain rules may differ from one venue to another.

The game is played with two decks, which works in favour of the players. It is one of the few remaining variations that employ such a low number of decks. Fewer decks benefit the player, provided the rest of the rules are liberal enough to reduce the house edge. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case in most land-based and online casinos that offer European Blackjack (hereafter referred to as ENHC blackjack).

With that in mind, most online variations of European Blackjack, including the one supplied by Play’n GO, deploy multiple decks that are randomly reshuffled by the software before each new round of play.

In most cases, surrender is not allowed, and players cannot double down after splitting, although some online versions – particularly those developed by RealTime Gaming (RTG) and Play’n GO – do permit this move. Moreover, doubling down is permitted only when your hand totals 9, 10 or 11. In addition, doubling down is usually disallowed on soft totals and is possible only on two-card hard hands of 9 through 11; thus, if you are dealt A-8, a soft 19/9, you normally cannot double.

Players can split pairs only once, and there are restrictions on which ten-value cards may be split: in many cases, only two identical cards can be separated. For instance, you may split a pair of queens but not a queen and a king, even though both count as 10.

Resplitting or hitting aces that have already been split is also impossible under the European rules. All these restrictions diminish the player’s advantage, adding to the house edge. When a ten-value card falls next to a split ace, and vice versa, this counts as a multi-card total of 21 rather than a natural; accordingly, the hand pays even money rather than 3 to 2.

In this version of the game, there is no hole card, meaning that the dealer cannot peek for blackjack when their first card is an ace or a ten. This also works to the players’ disadvantage. The dealer receives one card face-up and a second one only after players have finished their hands. Moreover, the rules of this variation force the dealer to stand on soft 17, which distinguishes it from many other versions. However, it is possible to come across European casinos that require their dealers to hit soft 17, another house-favourable rule.

Whenever players have a blackjack, the payout usually remains the same as in the classic game, i.e. 3 to 2. If there is an option for an insurance side bet, the payout for it is 2 to 1. In situations where the dealer or the players tie, the result is a push and neither side wins nor loses.

Few variations of ENHC blackjack support the early surrender (ES) rule, whereby the players can fold bad starting totals against the dealer’s ten or ace before a second card is drawn to the house hand. This rule is very player-favourable and mostly unavailable in US-style variations that use hole cards.

Online players should bear in mind that some virtual versions of ENHC blackjack, such as Microgaming’s European Blackjack Redeal, do not offer insurance against the dealer’s ace. Then again, this is hardly a big deal because insurance should never be accepted by basic strategists.

As a side note, we would like to remind readers that RNG-generated blackjack games are not exploitable or vulnerable to advantage play because of the reshuffle after each round; hence, the lack of insurance is no big deal. Accordingly, the house edges in ENHC variants of 21 are higher but fluctuate according to the particular rulesets the games are using.

Below, you will find concise information about three of the most popular ENHC blackjack variants available for online play, namely those developed by Microgaming, RealTime Gaming (RTG), and Play’n GO.

The OBO, OBBO, and BB+1 Rules

Since the dealer draws their second card after all live player hands have been completed, players are less likely to make successful double-downs and splits against certain upcards. The dealer, who takes all wagers from doubles and splits when holding a natural, adds 0.10% to the house edge of ENHC games. With that said, some casinos enforce special rules such as Original Bets Only (OBO) to partially offset this and to make the games more attractive to casual players.

When OBO is in place, the players lose only their original wagers to the dealer’s naturals. Any additional wagers on doubling and splitting push with the dealer’s blackjack and are returned to the player. The impact on casino advantage and optimal strategy is the same as in standard hole-card (HC) blackjack. The presence of OBO adds around 0.03% to players’ long-term expectation.

Another variation is the Original and Busted Bets Only (OBBO) on dealer naturals. As the name implies, the player loses only the bets made on busted hands, plus a single unit from all non-busted hands they have at the table when the dealer draws to a natural. OBBO adds approximately 0.02% to the casino’s advantage.

Finally, there is the Busted Bets Plus One (BB+1) rule. When BB+1 is in force and the dealer obtains a blackjack, they collect only the bets made on the player’s busted hands, in addition to one unit from all other bets the player has posted to double down or split on non-busted totals.

A Glance at Microgaming’s Bespoke European Blackjack Redeal Variation

Microgaming’s European Blackjack Redeal is such a bespoke variation of ENHC blackjack that we believe it deserves a special – albeit brief – mention here. The vibrant graphics are hardly the main attraction, although they certainly enhance the gameplay experience.

This unique variation offers the following set of rules: two full decks, a dealer standing on all 17, no peek, no insurance, no doubling after a split, splitting once to create up to two hands, and doubling only on hard totals of 9, 10 and 11.

We know what you’re thinking. What a lousy set of rules, right? The variation compensates for all these restrictions with more liberal rules where splitting paired aces is concerned. Unlike most other online ENHC variations, European Blackjack Redeal allows you to take as many hits on your split aces as you like. However, ten-value cards such as K-10 cannot be split.

This variation’s biggest claim to fame, however, is the redeal option. It gets activated after each initial draw of the cards, granting players the opportunity to change their first two cards or the dealer’s upcard. While this sounds great when you end up with lousy stiffs, using the feature normally comes at a cost.

The exact price you have to pay for a redeal varies, depending on the dealer’s and player’s odds of winning – that is, the strength of the player’s hand in relation to the dealer’s up-card. The software displays the cost of using the feature on each hand.

The redeal is free on certain hands. For example, we were offered a redeal at no cost when dealt K-8 against a 5. Then again, who would want to throw away such an advantageous hand when the dealer is in bust mode, right?

Furthermore, the feature is deactivated after the player splits a pair. You are entitled to a maximum of five redeals during a single round. As for the house edge under this ruleset, it is estimated at 0.40%, which broadly coincides with the edges of most ENHC variations.

Strategy Suggestions for European (ENHC) Blackjack

As is the case with most blackjack variations that deviate from the conventional ruleset, European Blackjack requires certain modifications in basic strategy for specific hands. Under no circumstances should you use a strategy chart intended for blackjack variations where the dealer takes hole cards. There are too many discrepancies in the two strategies. Playing errors will only reduce your expectation further.

One main peculiarity of ENHC games is that the basic strategist is inclined to double down and split less often than they normally would in hole-card variants. This is because putting out extra money on additional bets becomes more volatile in the absence of the peek rule.

The restrictions imposed on doubling are harmful to ENHC players because they prevent them not only from doubling on most hard totals against weak upcards, but also from doubling on certain soft hands such as A-4 through A-7. In the absence of soft doubles, the player has no other choice but to deviate from the correct plays and opt for the second-best move, which is hitting. Of course, this also reflects poorly on the house edge in ENHC games.

Similar negative tendencies are to be observed when it comes to the limitations on splitting and doubling after a split. Given that most online ENHC variants do impose such restrictions, we shall use the following ruleset for our ENHC basic strategy benchmark – 6 decks, S17, DAS, no LS/ES, no RS, no peek, and doubling on hard 9 through 11 only. One such set of rules produces a house edge of 0.64%. Note that the moves below can also be used in four- and eight-deck games as long as the rest of the listed rules remain intact.

Advantages of European Blackjack

One of the advantages of this version is that, as already mentioned, the game is played with two decks. This is good news for card counters, as they will be able to apply their chosen system successfully and keep track of the cards more easily. Fewer decks mean lower house edges; nonetheless, this benefits the player only if the remaining rules are player-favourable.

This also helps them derive valuable information from the card-counting process and make better decisions about their moves and wagers. Nowadays, there are not many land-based blackjack variations that involve so few decks, precisely because they benefit players. Single-deck and double-deck variants with relatively decent rulesets are readily available online, though. In general, the fewer the decks in use, the better the players’ chances of gaining an advantage over the casino.

Another player-favourable rule is that the dealer is required to stand on soft 17 as it is one of those moves which decreases the house edge. Consider the following: basic strategy always requires the player to draw to A-6 rather than stand. This is because 17 is generally not a winning total, with the average winning hand in blackjack being estimated at 18.5.

The same applies to a dealer with a soft 17, who is at a disadvantage when bound to stand by the house rules. If they do hit this hand, they will have several more opportunities for improvement with almost the same likelihood of leaving it unchanged. Hence, ENHC games with the S17 rule are better than H17 variants.

Another benefit of ENHC blackjack is that it is one of the most famous variations, which has resulted in its appearance in many reputable online casinos. Players can enjoy it in the comfort of their homes whenever they wish. They can even practise playing it before they risk their own money, as many websites offer the demo option.

Disadvantages of European Blackjack

One major drawback of this variation is that there is no hole card and the dealer cannot check for Blackjack. This means that players may make additional moves and lose all of their wagered money in an instant if the dealer gets a natural Blackjack. Other rules that increase the house edge are the restrictions imposed on splitting and resplitting.

As mentioned earlier, card counters can greatly benefit from this version. However, casinos have anticipated this and have imposed counter-measures to prevent them from keeping track of the cards successfully.

Players should bear in mind that some places use Continuous Shuffling Machines (CSMs), which render card counting altogether ineffective. CSMs should not be mistaken for Automatic Shuffling Machines (ASMs) since ASM-shuffled tables remain susceptible to efficient card counting. Therefore, it is always best to double-check the rules of the game in the particular casino to avoid any additional changes that favour the casino even more.

Conclusion

European Blackjack is undoubtedly one of the most interesting versions of the game, which is why players can easily find it online as well. It offers solid chances of winning, provided you have a reliable strategy and sound skills. Players are therefore advised to take their time to study the rules of this variation, as numerous subtleties can have a significant impact on their performance.

If they want to win in the long term and make a profit while playing this version, it is advisable to first get familiar with the classic Blackjack, as it uses the same fundamental principles. Moreover, this variation is beneficial for card counters, and because card-counting systems are relatively advanced, players should prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible beforehand.