Play European Blackjack

How to play

Blackjack has long been the casino table game of choice for many gamblers, simply because it involves more skills than luck to win a hand at a Blackjack table. Also, it is perhaps one of the few casino games with a low house edge. European Blackjack is a variation of Blackjack where the Dealer is dealt only one card.

The goal of the game is get a card total of 21 or closest to 21 to beat the dealer and win the hand. If your card total is more than 21, you bust and lose to the dealer automatically.

Bet: To begin you need to place a bet. $5 is the minimum bet that you can place and $250 is the maximum. Click the chips to place a bet. To remove chips from the table, click them.

Deal: When you press the Deal button, you are dealt two cards. The Dealer is dealt only one card, which is also called the up card. Depending upon your hand total, you can decide to Hit, Double, or Split your hand.

In European Blackjack, numbered cards, cards from 2 to 10, carry their face value. The face cards, such as Jack, Queen, and King, are counted as 10. The Ace however can be counted as 1 or 11, whichever is favorable.

Hit: To hit is to draw another card to improve your hand. Click the Hit button to get another card.

Double: You can click the Double button to double your bet. In European Blackjack, you can only double if your hand gets a hard total of 9, 10, or 11. Another card is dealt to you automatically after you double your bet. Please note that you can only double once per hand.

Split: When you’re dealt two identical cards, you can decide to play them in two different hands. Once you split your hand, you can continue hitting for each hand till you win or go bust. But in case you split two Aces, you won’t be able to hit more than one card.

Stand: If you’re okay with your hand and don’t want to hit any more cards, you can stand. Click the Stand button to stand.

Dealer’s Turn: After you stand, the Dealer tries to hit more cards to beat your hand. If the Dealer gets a Blackjack, which is the combination of an Ace and any card valued at 10, you lose to the Dealer immediately. The Dealer may go bust attempting to get a healthier hand than yours. When you and the Dealer receive identical hands, it’s called a push. Your get your bet back in case of push.

You Win When:
Your hand beats the Dealer’s hand.
You get a Blackjack and the Dealer does not.

European Blackjack Game Features

Insurance
You can insure your bet against the Dealer’s Blackjack. If the Dealer’s up card is an Ace, you are prompted to insure your bet. You can say no if you don’t want to go for insurance. If you say yes and buy the insurance, an insurance bet, which is also called side bet, equal to half the amount of your ante is placed automatically. If the Dealer indeed comes up with a Blackjack, you are paid 2-to-1; otherwise you lose your insurance bet.

Many Blackjack veterans believe that it’s not a good idea to go for insurance bet. Just because Dealer’s up card is an Ace does not mean that the Dealer will get a Blackjack for sure.

Here’s how it works. Let’s say your initial bet is $100 and you’re dealt a hand valued at 12. The Dealer gets an Ace and offers you to insure your bet. If you go for the insurance bet, a $50 bet (half of your initial bet) is placed automatically. You can hit more cards to improve your hand if you wish. Let’s say you stand at 19. When you choose to stand or go bust, the Dealer will draw another card. If the Dealer comes up with a Blackjack, you are paid twice the amount of your insurance bet, which, in this case, calculates to $100 ($50 X 2). But on the other hand, you lose your initial bet of $100 because your card total 19 is inferior to Blackjack. So, in the end you end up winning no extra.

Another thing that happens more often is that the Dealer does not come up with a Blackjack. In that case you lose your insurance bet. The hand still continues. You may beat the Dealer’s hand and win or vice-versa.

European Blackjack Rules

European Blackjack follows somewhat different rules than traditional Blackjack. It’s always a good idea to have a look at the rules. You can also click the Rules button on the game screen to access these rules.

Blackjack pays 3:2 It means that you will be paid 1.5 times the amount of your ante if you receive a Blackjack. For example, if you place a $10 bet, you will win $15 if you get a Blackjack.

Insurance pays 2:1
The insurance gives you double the amount of that you put on the line.

Dealer must stand soft 17
In case of soft 17, which is a combination of Ace and Six, the Dealer must stop drawing more cards and stand. For example, if you are dealt a hand totaling to 18, and the Dealer receives soft 17, the Dealer would have no option but to stand, leaving you with a winning hand.

Double hard 9, 10, 11 only
You are only allowed to double your ante if you get a combination of 9, 10, or 1l.

1 card dealt on split Aces
When you split your Aces, you can not keep drawing more cards to complete a winning hand. Rather, you can only draw one card to see if you win or lose.

In case of tie, your bet is pushed back to you.

Strategy

While the basic strategy helps you play European Blackjack effectively, a betting system helps you place appropriate bets whether you are winning or losing. There are many betting systems available, which you can use to play different gambling and online casino games. Like thousands, you too can use these betting systems to win extra or recover your losses. It is CoolCat Casino’s endeavor to provide information related to the games it offers but that a strategy will work in your favor. Neither does it guarantee any wins or payouts based on the European Blackjack strategy.

Betting Systems

Mathematics has its influence on almost every thing. Gambling is also one of them. When people started taking gambling seriously, they realized they need to know more than just the rules of the games. They wanted sure-win methods to crack every aspect of the game from tricks of winning the game to placing right bets at the right time. Like other systems, these systems may also fail at times. Nevertheless, when you win using these systems you win a decent amount of money.

A betting system lets you place right bets at the right time. There are different betting systems available that can help you win extra bucks when you are winning or cover up your losses if you are losing. Each betting system works in a distinct way. Some betting systems advice you to increase your bet when you are winning to win more, some suggest you increase your bet every time you lose to cover your losses, and some suggest you “play safe” and decrease your bet each time you lose. You can use these betting systems not only with European Blackjack but with other gambling games as well.

Some of the popular betting systems include The Martingale System, Paroli System, D’ Alembert System, Parlay System, The Kelly Criterion, and the 1-3-2-6 System. On this page, you will learn to use the Paroli system while playing European Blackjack.

The Paroli System

The Paroli System is a positive progression system. It advices you to increase your bet each time you win. However, to get the most out this system, you should decide beforehand your maximum and minimum bet. Also, decide the number of bets you would place when you are on a winning streak.

Let’s have a closer look at this system. Say you decide to play five times when you are on a winning streak and agree on a minimum bet of $5 and a maximum bet of 25$. You plan the denominations as $5, $10, $15, $20, and $25. When you complete one cycle, you start over with your initial bet, which in this case is $5. Also, if you lose at any level, you resume your game by placing the initial $5 bet.

Say you have a bankroll worth $100. You go ahead, have a seat at the European Blackjack table and place your initial $5 bet. You win! (That sounds good, doesn’t it?) Your bankroll is worth $105 now. Going with the Paroli system, you decide to place your second bet as $10. You win again and increase your bet to level 3 which is $15. You win again and your bankroll is now worth $130, with a net profit of $30. Now if you compare this betting strategy with flat-betting, you see that you have a net gain of $15. In flat-betting, you don’t alter your bet, regardless of whether you’re winning or losing. If you follow flat-betting system when you’re winning, after three turns you would win $15. However, in Paroli system, you win $30 after three turns, which definitely is a better payout than $15.

Tips

Contrary to popular belief, gambling is not always driven by luck. There are chance-based gambling games, but Blackjack is not one of them. Playing it without a Blackjack strategy is like driving your car without putting the safety belt on.

The strategies and tips provided below are found useful by thousands of gamblers. You too can benefit from these. Remember, a strategy is only a way of playing; it cannot guarantee you a win.

Before you get into the groove of playing with real money, why don’t you play games for free, remember, practice makes perfect. That will get you an idea of how the game is played. Besides, you will find it safe to try the strategies provided below. See it for yourself how many times a strategy fetches you a winning hand.

You should read the rules first of all. That gives you an idea how the Dealer plays. Also, you get to know about any special payouts as well.

The following table lists the basic strategies for European Blackjack. To use this table effectively, match your hand total with Dealer’s up card. According to the table, for example, if you got a hand total of 17, and the Dealer’s up card is 2, you should stand.

You may want to make a print of the table and use that as a reference card every time you play European Blackjack. Remember, you will not be able to use this table as a reference in a land-based casino! So, cultivate the benefits of online gambling to the fullest.

Player’s Hand	Dealer’s Up Card
Hard Totals	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
17 (+)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
9	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
8 (-)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Soft Totals	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Ace & 8 (+)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
Ace & 7	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H
Ace & 6	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Ace & 5	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Ace & 4	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Ace & 3 (-)	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Pairs	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Ace & Ace	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
10 & 10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9 & 9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
8 & 8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H
7 & 7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
6 & 6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
5 & 5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
4 & 4	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
3 & 3	H	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
2 & 2	H	H	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
Legend	H: Hit SP: Split S: Stand D: Double

Give these tips a go and you can see for yourself how much they can help you to win more or lose less!

History

Glossary

Ante: Your initial bet is called ante.

Blackjack: A combination of an Ace and any card valued at 10, such as 10, Jack, Queen, or King.

Up Card: The card that the Dealer is showing is called an Up Card.

House Edge: The advantage that a casino holds on a particular game is called the house edge.

Hand: A set of card dealt to you is called a hand.

Bust: A card total that exceeds 21 is called a bust.

Push: When you and the Dealer get equal hands, it is called a push. In case of push, you get your bet back.

Hit: The act of drawing more cards to your hand is called a hit.

Double: The act of doubling the value of your bet.

Split: The act of splitting a pair of cards.

Stand: When you are okay with your hand, you choose to stand and let the Dealer take over.

Insurance Bet: A special bet that you place in case the Dealer’s up card is an Ace, wondering that the Dealer may get a Blackjack.

Numbered Cards: All cards from 2 to 10 are called numbered cards, because they carry their value.

Face Cards: Jack, Queen, and King are called face cards.

Face Value: The value on a card that is printed as is.

Soft Hand: A soft hand means a hand that carries two possible values. For example, a hand consisting of Ace and 6 can be counted as 7 or 17.

Hard Total: A hard total is equal to a hard hand, a hand that carries only one possible value, a combination of 6 and 10, for example.

Side Bet: A bet that you place besides your initial bet. Usually, this is the insurance bet.