European Blackjack Online | Ultimate Guide to Playing European Blackjack Online

European Blackjack is a variant of the standard game that hails from America. The objective is to obtain 21 or have the better hand than the dealer, if you cannot get 21. You have to avoid going bust. European Blackjack is based on 6 decks, but there are also some software providers who offer 4 and 8 deck games. There are even a few variants to European Blackjack that use 2 decks. The game still provides the same value of the cards as in the standard game. It is the rules, where you are going to find the game differs. The card values are 10, Jack, Queen, and King equal 10. The ace is either 1 or 11 based on the other cards in the hand. The 2 through 9 cards are values as their numbers.

European Blackjack rules vary slightly from the standard game. To help you understand the rules and how to play European Blackjack online, the following is important.

• The game has 6 decks but can vary from two to eight.
• If the dealer has Blackjack, the player will lose the entire wager.
• Splitting cards is possible; however, in this game one cannot split 4s, 5s, or 10 value cards.
• Aces are allowed to be split.
• If the aces are split, the player only receives one more card, which determines if their hand will win or lose.
• A player can also double after a split.
• The dealer must take a hit if they have 16.
• The dealer has to stand on a soft 17.
• Insurance is a wager available in the game, as a side bet.
• Surrender is not an option.

Playing European Blackjack online requires understanding the full process from choosing a casino to starting the game.

• Read reviews of casinos that are licensed to operate in your country and have the European Blackjack game you want to play.
• Check the security, and terms and conditions of the website before signing up.
• Set up a real money account if you wish to play real-money European Blackjack. The only way to keep your winnings is if you make a deposit into a real money account and risk your funds.
• Choose a Welcome Bonus or other bonus that meets your needs at the casino. It is a way to play for free, low risk, and make some winnings with a real money account.
• Locate the game in the menu.
• European Blackjack is a virtual game using a random number generator. It will ask for a wager on the hand.
• The game will deal two cards to you and two to the dealer, with one of the dealer’s cards face up.
• Utilizing a strategy decide whether you will hit, stand, double, or split.
• Determine if you need insurance to protect your wager.
• The game will determine who wins after you have used your strategy and decided to stand with the hand you have.
• The dealer’s cards will be revealed, the game will act according to the rules, and the winner will be determined.
• A payout is made if you win against the dealer or have insurance to protect against the dealer holding 21.

Rules are great to know, but the strategy you employ when playing online European Blackjack are as imperative. Discover what you can do when you play the game.

Hit

If you select the hit button, you will gain another card. It is important to know what will happen if you get another card based on the value of the two cards you hold. Make certain you are willing to risk a possible loss by taking a hit

Stand

A player who ‘stands’ is electing not to take another card. You are going to attempt a win without adding to the value of the two cards you currently hold.

Split

A split has certain rules for what you can and cannot do. You can split when you have aces, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, or 9 as doubles. So, if you have two cards in your hand and they are both 9s, you can select split. You will need to add to the wager by making a new, even money bet, on the new hand. You will then have two hands to play, where you are dealt one more card each. If the cards dealt win against the dealer you are able to get both your wagers back. If you only win with one hand, you still win. You could also lose both hands.

Double

Double or doubling down is a choice you have in the game. According to the rules, it is possible to double down on a split, where you receive one more card, but increase your wager. It depends on the risk you are willing to take based on what card the dealer is showing. If you do not split the cards, you can still double down. You get one more card, double your wager, and again hope the dealer is not holding 21 or a better hand.

Insurance

This is a choice, players can make when the dealer is showing an ace as their face card. If the dealer will have a second card that is a value of ten, you might want to have insurance, so you get a payout of 2 to 1. You would lose your original wager, but the insurance if there is 21 in the dealer’s hand, would ensure you break even.

Before you devise a strategy to win European Blackjack, it is best to understand the payouts. If you have Blackjack, the payout is 3 to 1. It must occur with the first two cards dealt to get this type of win. If a Blackjack is formed after a split the payout is 1 to 1. A hand of 21, meaning you do not have the one-eyed jack and an ace, but have cards that total 21 is also a 1 to 1 payout. Other winning hands, where the dealer went bust or did not have enough will earn you 1 to 1. The insurance wager as mentioned above is 2 to 1, where you make even money on the wager.

European Blackjack online is played with more decks than standard Blackjack in most instances, but not always. Casinos started using multiple decks to increase the house edge and prevent card counting. Where standard and European Blackjack really start to be diverse is the rules. The rules for European Blackjack are specific to what the dealer has to stand on and hit on, as well as what other side bets are available during the game. In standard Blackjack a person can use a surrender bet to get back half their wager if they fear the outcome will not be in their favor. European Blackjack does not have this. Dealers also have to stand on a soft 17 and hit on a hand with 16.

Originally players discovered that they could count cards to determine what was left in a deck during a game. They would be able to see the dealer and other players face up card and make educated guesses about what might be left. Multi-deck games stopped this from being a viable strategy against the house edge. Now, strategies are more about potential payouts, probabilities of what cards might be dealt, and assessing the dealer’s face up card to figure out how to move.

The standard European Blackjack game is with six decks. In each deck, there are four aces. This means the game now has 24 aces, but along with those additional aces comes the rational concept that all face and number cards have increased by the same amount. The probability of obtaining an ace has not increased but become more challenging. You know if the dealer is showing an ace and you have an ace, there are four more left in the deck. If your other card, is a low value card, then you know there is a potential for at least 23 x 4 cards valued at 10 to be left in the deck. Your strategy has to be based on the potential hidden card.