Betsoft European Blackjack Review — Better or Worse Than US Table Games?

Pay Attention to Betsoft’s European Blackjack Rules

The objective and card values of this game are the same as any of the traditional variants. If you don’t know the essentials, read our dedicated “rules” article before coming back to this part. Here, we’ll give you a breakdown of the more advanced aspects of Betsoft’s European Blackjack online:

Dealer & Card Rules

• This version uses a playing shoe that contains six standard decks of 52 cards each. Reshuffles occur between every bet, so counting cards won’t work;
• At the start of each round, you’ll receive two cards, but you’ll only see one on the croupier’s side. The lack of a face-down card means that there are no dealer checks for blackjack, which exposes you to the risk of doubling down against a natural;
• On the bright side, the house is instructed to stand on all 17s, which is beneficial for return rates;
• Insurance is still offered when you see an Ace on the other side;

Double Down Details

• Betsoft’s European Blackjack rules allow you to double your wager and draw exactly one additional card only when your first two cards are valued at 9, 10, or 11 points;
• If you double and the dealer gets a natural 21, your total bet is lost;
• You can double following a split;

Split Rules

• When you receive two cards with an equal point worth, you may divide them to create two hands. This will double your initial wager;
• Different 10-value (e.g., a Jack and a King) cards can be split. This usually isn’t permitted in EU blackjacks;
• Re-splitting is not allowed, meaning that you can only split once per hand. Fortunately, there’s a multi-hand mode that you can use to turn up volatility;
• The Betsoft European Blackjack online rules allow you to hit splits, except when you divide aces. In the latter case, each hand gets one additional card, and your turn is concluded;

How to Find a Demo and Play for Free

Now that we’ve covered the rulebook, it might be a good idea to try the game and see how it plays out. We’ve prepared a tutorial that will quickly lead you to a free-to-play version and detail the most important buttons and options at your disposal:

1. Go back to the top of our Betsoft European Blackjack review and pick a gaming site that operates in your region. All of the operators on our list offer a demo, and some might not even require you to register. If you’re having trouble finding the title, set the “search by provider” filter to display Betsoft games.
2. Once you find and load this release, you’ll see three “place bet” areas in the center of the table. You only need to click on one of them to start playing. Activating two or three positions means that you’ll play in multi-hand mode, which offers a way to increase the variance. European Blackjack by Betsoft has different playing chips displayed below the “place bet” area in the middle. These aren’t that important in the demo, but you can use them to set up your bets once you start wagering real money.
3. The game begins after you press “deal.” If you want to remove or adjust the bet before you begin, use the “clear” and “undo” buttons.” As we discussed earlier, each position you’ve betted on receives two cards at the start of a round, while the dealer only displays one.
4. If you want to consistently beat the house, you’ll need to follow “basic strategy,” an optimal approach that will tell you when to hit, stand, split, or double based on the circumstances. European Blackjack by Betsoft has a chart that you can see by clicking on the “?” icon at the bottom-left side. Look for the tables below “rules for the dealer.”

If the title runs too fast or slow for you, try adjusting the speed of card-dealing animations from the arrow keys at the bottom-left side. The mute toggle and the settings menu are also located in this area.

What Are the Payouts of European Blackjack by Betsoft?

The paytable of this release doesn’t hide any nasty surprises. As usual, the reward for all regular wins is equal to the bet you’ve placed, while scoring a natural 21 gets you a cool x1.5 times your wager. Your money is returned on ties and lost when you bust or get outscored by the dealer.

Insurance will cover your bet completely in the event of dealer blackjack. You might think that it’s a good option since Betsoft’s European Blackjack rules don’t allow peeking. However, insuring costs money and doesn’t have great odds, so we still advise against it. Sticking to a basic strategy will allow you to increase your return rates up to the stated maximum of 99.34%. This RTP rate is marginally lower (0.01%) than Betsoft’s American version but is still superior to almost every slot or table game out there.

To Conclude

We’ll conclude our Betsoft European Blackjack review with a summary of the pros and cons and some words of advice. The best aspects of this title are that it works well on mobile and has good visuals. However, we wouldn’t say that it should be your go-to choice if you can access the developer’s other Blackjacks. The lack of a dealer peek and the restrictions applied to splits slightly reduce your expected return rates.

If you wish to play with the lowest possible house edge, we suggest trying Betsoft’s “Single Deck” variant, which comes with an RTP of 99.62%. The best thing is that the blackjack casinos on our list have both of these games in stock, so pick a suitable operator and start your gaming adventure today!