European Blackjack With Side Bets
European Blackjack is a popular version of the game which most frequently features a side bet for additional ways to increase your bankroll.
The payouts that the players can expect to get from the side bet game in European Blackjack will depend on the exact variation of the game but in this article well discuss European Blackjack High Streak and Hi-Lo 13.
Understanding the Rules of European Blackjack
32Red Casino features a European blackjack variation that uses only two decks of cards. This is attractive because playing with 2 decks offers the player a casino edge of just 0.46%.
Dont assume that this will always be the case because European Blackjack is actually most frequently played using six decks of cards, not 2. The important thing here is to remember that the lower the number of decks used in the game, the better odds of winning you will have.
An important rule change in this game is that Splitting is permitted only when you have a pair of 10s, nevertheless Hitting and Doubling is allowed after splitting hands.
If the dealer is showing an Ace, the player may buy Insurance to cover against a possible blackjack and get a payout of 2:1.
Doubling Down is only possible if the first 2 cards dealt to you add up to 9,10 or 11 in point value.
Any winning bet apart from natural blackjacks, which pays at 3:2, return bets at 1:1 – double your money.
Placing Bets on European High Streak
The High Streak side bet in European Blackjack allows players to place an additional stake that can payout as much as 10:1 if they win two or more consecutive hands.
This side bet is “triggered” when players win the first hand and the payout is increased with any following win.
Once the player has won 2 consecutive hands, the bet is paid out at 1:1.
Once you win 3 hands in a row, the bet will return at 2:1.
If you manage to win four hands in a row, then the bet will return at a fantastic 5:1 and if theres a 5th consecutive win, the player will get the maximum payout of 10:1.
Hi-Lo 13 Side Bet
If the odds and payouts of winning several hands in a row are not interesting enough, heres another game of blackjack that offers attractive odds with nice payouts.
In this popular variant of blackjack youre simply betting on what the combined value of your first 2 cards will be: Below, Equal or Above 13.
If you correctly guess that the combined value of your first two cards is Below or Above 13, your bet will return at 1:1 – double your money, but if you successfully guess that its Equal to 13 then your bet is returned at 10:1.
Now lets look at the probabilities of these 3 bets. The chances of you drawing a hand that totals 11 in value are just 4.73% and theyre even smaller for any number below 11.
If you were to bet on a total combined value of 12 (below) or 13 (equal), the chances of winning the bet would be 9.47%, which makes these two bets the second most likely to win. The most likely number to be drawn is actually 20 which has a probability of 10.65%.
To sum up, playing blackjack High Streak and blackjack Hi-Lo 13 can provide all the great entertainment and thrills of traditional blackjack plus the rewards of a side bet game with great payouts.
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