How to play European Blackjack

Blackjack is a casino card game played against the dealer, in which you try to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, here with virtual chips.

Two decks, no hole card, double on hard 9 to 11 only.

About European Blackjack

European Blackjack differs from Classic in four rules: it deals from two decks instead of six, the dealer takes no hole card until your hands are finished, you may double only on a hard 9, 10 or 11, and you may split once, with no double after it. Its 104-card shoe is reshuffled between rounds once 75 cards have been dealt. With no hole card there is no early warning: a dealer blackjack shows only after you have played your hands.

The dealer takes a second card only after your hands are finished. If it makes a dealer blackjack, you lose everything you staked, including bets added by doubling or splitting. The dealer stands on soft 17. You may split once, matching ranks only, and cannot double after a split.

Only a hard 9, 10 or 11 can be doubled, so a soft hand such as an ace and a six can be hit or stood but never doubled. Your own blackjack is not paid at once: the dealer first draws its second card, and a dealer blackjack turns yours into a push. Insurance against an ace is settled on that card.

Because a dealer blackjack takes doubled and split stakes too, keep extra chips off the table against a dealer ten or ace: hit a hard 11 there instead of doubling, and hit a pair of eights rather than split it. Against a dealer 2 to 9, double and split as usual.

The goal of Blackjack

Beat the dealer by finishing closer to 21 without going over. Number cards count their face value, jacks, queens and kings 10, and an ace 11, or 1 if 11 would take the hand past 21. An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack.

How to set up Blackjack

You start with 1000 chips. Bet 5 to 500 chips, then deal: you get two cards face up, the dealer one. Except in European, the dealer also takes a face-down card and checks it for blackjack at once, ending the round before you act if it has one.

When the dealer shows an ace, you are offered insurance for half your bet. It pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack and is lost otherwise.

Blackjack rules

Hit to take another card, or Stand to keep your total. Double doubles your bet and gives you exactly one more card. Split turns a pair into two hands, each with its own bet and a new second card. Going over 21 is a bust and loses that bet.

When your hands are finished, the dealer completes its hand, drawing until it reaches 17 or more. Whether it also draws on a soft 17, a 17 with an ace counted as 11, depends on the variant.

The full Blackjack guide, with strategy tips and common questions