European Blackjack is a unique blackjack variant and one of the most popular forms of blackjack along with American Blackjack. This game is quite like American Blackjack with a couple of differences from “standard” variations of the game.
Usually, each player chooses one type of Blackjack for themselves, based on which one they like more, or in which player can physically participate. People can change the type of game for various reasons, for a break from their standard, or simply because of a change of residence.
European blackjack rules and their specificity
The rules of the game do not stand out much, but there are some differences that I will try to explain for you and simplify the entrance to the new game as much as possible:
- The game is between player or players and the dealer.
- Dealer uses between two and eight card decks without the jokers.
- The player wins if they have a blackjack hand – Ace and a 10-value card.
- If the dealer gets blackjack, it beats any other twenty two -value hand. But If the player also has blackjack – the game is a push.
- Dealer stands on a soft seventeen.
- The dealer doesn’t check for blackjack mid-game
- Players can only double down on hands with a value of nine, ten, or eleven
- Players can only split once
- Players can split same-character face cards only
- Once the bets are placed the dealer deals out the cards.
- The first card is given to the dealer, which is an open card and is face up. The Dealer’s second card is dealt after the player has played his hand.
It seems that these are all the basic European blackjack rules that are different, and knowledge of which will be enough for the first games. If you play on the Internet – they will tell you everything and explain the differences, in real life you can just watch how a few games are played and ask the dealer to explain some things to you, if you are in a small place without a large influx of people, you obviously will not be refused. Each player can play what he likes more, there are tournaments and sites for online games that use American blackjack and European blackjack rules, so there are many opportunities in any of them. If you are new, I personally would advise you to learn the combinations and rules for one type of game, and then move on to another, but the tricks and tactics used in one game can usually be used in another: charts, card counting, betting tactics, etc. Good luck with your games and don’t forget to have some fun.