Blackjack European Review
About Blackjack European
For many years, whether they liked it or not, players based in many parts of the world had to play this version of Blackjack because it was the only one offered. But now with online gambling, almost everyone's choices have expanded.
At first glance, it might seem as if this version of the game is simply not as favourable for the players as other versions of Blackjack. Though the basic payoffs are the same, there are several rules which seem to make it more difficult to win.
But apparently, European Blackjack really is just as fair as any other version. The house's mathematical edge for this game is considered to be well below 1%.
House Friendly Features
In European Blackjack, there are several restrictions placed on splitting cards and you are limited to three splits. If you split Aces, you can only get one more card.
There is also no hole card for the Dealer, which means if his first card is either a ten or an Ace, you are playing in the dark as to whether he has Blackjack.
Favourable Rules
Even though some rules work in favour of the house, there are others that help the player. Nowadays, many casinos, online and otherwise, have the Dealer hit when he has a soft 17. This new rule is considered advantageous for the house. But in European Blackjack, the Dealer always stands on all totals of 17 or higher.
Though the rules may differ among online casinos, usually Blackjack European games allow the player to double any two cards. If used with care, this rule can increase a player's return quite substantially.
Some, though not all online casinos let the player surrender during European Blackjack. This option can allow the player to limit his losses when he is in an apparently difficult place in a hand.
Another rule of European Blackjack which can help the players is the smaller number of cards. There are only two decks of cards used, so there are only 104 cards in play. The cards tend to follow a more predictable pattern when there are so few in play. When there are six or eight decks being used, you could discover that there are literally dozens of high or low cards stuck together in the deck. When there are just 104 cards, that is much less likely to happen.
