Blackjack Hole Card Variation

Blackjack is played somewhat differently in the land casinos of America and Europe. One of the significant differences lies in how the dealer’s cards are dealt. In American casinos the dealer deals himself two cards, one of which is face up and the other is face down. The face down card is called the hole card. In the European land casinos https://theonlinecasinoslots.com/ the dealer deals himself only the face up card. The hole card is not dealt at all. Therefore the European version of blackjack is sometimes referred to as the “no hole” variation. This is not a cosmetic variation. It has an important bearing on the game play and strategy. Online casinos that are predominantly America facing usually offer only the American variant. However, online casinos having significant clientele in Europe offer both variants and hence online players should understand the implication of these differences.

In American variants of blackjack if the dealer’s face up card is an ace or a ten value card, the hole card comes into play before the player makes his usual moves. If the face up card is an ace the player has the option of placing the insurance bet. The dealer then checks the hole card for blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack then the players lose their original wagers. Players who had placed the insurance bet are paid out on that bet. If the dealer does not have a blackjack then the players lose the insurance bet and the game proceeds as normal.