European Blackjack
European blackjack is defined by one rule: the dealer takes no hole card. Where an American table deals itself a face-down second card and checks it for blackjack before you act, a European table deals the dealer one card and draws the second only after every player has finished.
Most of the round plays identically. The difference shows up on the money you put out after the deal.
Why the Hole Card Matters
On an American table, a dealer showing an ace or a ten checks underneath immediately. If it is a blackjack the round ends there and you lose only your original bet.
With no hole card there is nothing to check. You double, you split, you commit more money — and the dealer then draws a card that makes blackjack and takes all of it. That is the entire penalty, and it is why the rule is worth roughly a tenth of a percent: about 0.08% on doubling and 0.03% on splitting.
The practical answer is to be more careful about doubling and splitting against a dealer ace or ten than a standard chart would tell you.
European vs American
European Blackjack Tables
European Blackjack FAQs
The dealer takes only one card at the start and draws the second after all players have acted. There is no face-down card to check, so the round cannot end early on a dealer blackjack.
Yes, and that is the whole cost of the rule. On an American table the dealer would have checked and ended the round before you committed the extra money. On a European table the extra money is already on the felt.
Slightly, under otherwise identical rules — the no hole card rule is worth about 0.11%, and European tables often restrict doubling as well. Typical house edge runs 0.39% to 0.62%, against a little under 0.5% for a good American table.