European Blackjack

European Blackjack, one of the popular blackjack variants, can be played with two decks of 52 cards. Perhaps, this is why it doesn’t involve card counting (which has always been a debatable casino topic). In order to win, the player needs to get the total of their cards equal to 21 or the closest number to 21. The value of the cards from 10 to ace is 10 points each while the ace can be valued at 11.

How to Play European Blackjack?

Initially, the dealer is provided with one card (which is supposed to be an open card) whereas the player is given two cards. The dealer won’t get his second card until the player plays his/her hand. Once the cards are handed out to the player, he has to play his hand. Here’s how European Blackjack works:

If the player is fortunate enough to get a blackjack hand in the first round itself i.e. an ace card and a face value card, he will be declared winner right away. However, if the dealer also gets a blackjack hand, the round goes into a ‘push’ form. As mentioned above, the sum total of the cards should either be equal to 21 or less than that. If the cards of player or dealer have a value more than 21, they are declared loser at once. If neither of this happens, the player gets to choose from the below-listed alternatives to compete and win the match:

• Hit: The player can request for an extra card in order to increase the total value of his hand.
• Stand: If a player doesn’t want to go for another card, he can keep the existing cards.
• Double down: Player can increase the value of his bet to two times of his initial bet before picking up the other card. However, he will have to retain his cards if he doubles the first bet.
• Splits: If players get two cards of equal value, he can split his cards into two separate hands.
• Surrender: The player can quit the game after looking into his first hand. In such a case, he retains half of his original bet.

To Sum Up

European Blackjack is no different from the typical blackjack game you get to play at the casino, however, there are certain modifications made in the rules of this casino game. All in all, European Blackjack is a famous casino game and it is worth a shot.