The European Blackjack

The Rules

• There are eight decks of cards and cards can only be reshuffled after each round
• The dealer needs to draw 16
• The dealer requires soft 17
• The blackjack pays in the ratio of 3:2
• Insurance pays in ratio of 2:1
• Even money is paid in the ratio 1:1
• You can Double down only on 9, 10 and 11
• You can Double down on splits
• Splitting is not permitted on 4s, 5s and cards with the value 10
• No re-splitting is permitted
• Early Surrender is permitted on half bet with no dealer Ace
• There are no peeks and the player looses all bets when the dealer has the blackjack.

Playing the Game

Many online blackjack sites provide this blackjack game to visitors. The player is dealt 2 cards at the beginning with face up. The dealer is dealt 1 card at the beginning also face up but is dealt a second card only after the player has concluded his hits, said stand or busted. This implies the dealer does not get an opportunity to see if he has the blackjack. The possibility of the dealer having blackjack is when his initial card is a 10 value or an ace. If the dealer gets the blackjack, then the player looses all his bets.

Dealer's Offers

A dealer may decide to surrender, offer insurance or pay even money depending on his upcard.

• When the upcard is not an ace the dealer offers the player an early surrender and if the player accepts he looses half his bets the hands is concluded.
• If the dealer has an ace and the player doesn't have the blackjack, the dealer offers the player insurance which means the player adds his bet on condition the dealer has the blackjack. Insurance means that if the dealer has the blackjack the player looses all his bet but insurance pays in the ratio of 2:1 on insurance bet. But the player looses everything if the dealer doesn't have a blackjack.
• The dealer may offer even cash if his upcard is an ace and the player has a blackjack. The player accepts this on the assumption that the dealer also has a blackjack. This awards the player money on a 1:1 ratio contrary to the 3:2 ratio and this stays irrespective if the dealer has a blackjack or has not.