European Blackjack Gold Series

Redeal 21 is a unique style of blackjack which allows us to have a do-over if the cards don’t fall our way. We can choose to swap our own cards for new ones, or have another crack after busting with a bad hit, or even replace the dealer’s cards. Sometimes you can redeal for free, while in more dire circumstances you will have to fork over a pretty penny for the privilege.

In the early European Blackjack Gold Series days of the industry, you could find online sportsbooks bringing buses outfitted with laptops right up to sporting events to register players for their real European Blackjack Gold Series money betting sites. This ended in the early 2000s with the arrest and indictment of some of the major players in the sports betting world.

European Blackjack Gold Series - The Hippodrome Online Casino. One of the most popular variants of Blackjack is European Blackjack, with the other being American Blackjack, both popular throughout casinos across world. And what casino would be complete without a taste of the classics?
Gold Series Hi Low 13 Euro Blackjack Review The highlight of this Microgaming blackjack variant is the side bet on the value of the first two dealt cards being less than, equal to or greater than 13. It is essential to play the basic game in order to place the side bet. The chips are placed to the left of the table.

As with most Internet blackjack titles, redeal games come with plenty of checks and balances to ensure the casino retains a slight advantage over the player. Here, we will outline the common rules and special redeal options, how they affect the house edge compared to other online 21 games, and where international punters can enjoy real money redeal blackjack on the Web.

Note: As of September 2017, online casinos are banned from offering their services to Australian players. The information in this article is directed at international readers only – we do not endorse any casinos for Australian readers.

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Best Online Casinos for European Redeal Blackjack

Several of our trusted Internet casinos stock Gold Series European Blackjack Redeal by Microgaming – the most prolific casino software developer on the Net. Each of these recommended sites allows real cash deposits and withdrawals in multiple currencies, with all transfers protected by advanced 128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. And there’s much more than blackjack on offer, with hundreds of online pokies and progressive slots, roulette, baccarat, instant win scratchies, live dealer games, and generous sign-up bonuses.

These are our top sites for online redeal blackjack:

Royal Vegas Casino
All Slots Casino
7 Sultans Casino
Platinum Play Casino

Rules of Play

The bare bones of Microgaming’s European Blackjack Redeal Gold are much like any other Euro-style 21 game. Except for the absence of the insurance sidebet (which is irrelevant when using good blackjack strategy), the conditions here are the same as those in the standard European Blackjack Gold game.

These are the basic rules of play:

Two decks
No peek for dealer blackjack
Player loses all bets to dealer blackjack – European No Hole Card rule (ENHC)
Dealer stands on soft 17
Can double on hard 9, 10, or 11
No doubling after splits
Can split only once, up to two hands
Can hit split Aces
Split Ace + 10 does not count as natural blackjack
No surrender
No insurance
Blackjack pays 3 to 2

Under these conditions alone, the house edge stands at around 0.40 per cent when applying the correct strategy for European blackjack. That means for every $100 we bet, we could expect to win back around $99.60 in the long run. However, those numbers don’t take the unique redeal rules into account.

How Does the Redeal Feature Work?

There are three options we might be offered during the course of any given hand:

Redeal My Hand – All of your cards will be discarded and replaced with new ones.

Redeal Dealer’s Hand – The dealer’s upcard will be discarded and replaced with a new one.

Redeal Last Card – Only the last card drawn to your hand will be discarded and replaced.

There are two key points to note here. Firstly: if we decide to split a hand, the redeal option is off the table for the remainder of the round. And secondly: all Ace + 10 hands as the result of redealt cards don’t count as a natural 21, and therefore will only pay 1 to 1.

The redeal rule is a fascinating idea that opens up a whole new level of risk/reward blackjack play. The cost of each option tends to correspond with how it would affect the player’s chances – so it will be more expensive when you really need it, and much cheaper when you don’t.

For instance: if we draw a hard 13 against the dealer’s Ace, it will cost us a few bucks to redeal either hand as the advantage is firmly with the croupier; but if we pick up 20 and the house has a Deuce, all options will be free of charge because any change would almost certainly benefit the dealer.

As we are not privy to a fixed list of redeal payouts for any given circumstance, it is nigh-on impossible to accurately calculate how this rule affects the house edge. What we can tell you is that most of the prices offered for a redeal fall less than 1 per cent shy of true odds, and that some quotes are even favourable to the player.

Try real cash European Blackjack Redeal Gold or play for free at Royal Vegas Casino

The #1 Blackjack Casino on the Internet: King Johnnie

Gold Series European Blackjack is an online game of 21 offered at Microgaming casinos. Assuming you follow perfect basic strategy, European Blackjack offers a house edge of only 0.62%, making it one of the best games in online casino gaming. This is the game played at many of the land-based casinos in Europe, including Monte Carlo. With time tested rules crafted to include challenges and advantages, this is one of the most popular versions of the game on the Internet.

This page discusses why you might want to play this variation. It also covers the house edge, pertinent rules, and why this game is better than many of the other Microgaming selections. We’ll also discuss, in brief, how the Gold Series games work.

Variant Rules

Because of its high payout percentage, blackjack is a popular game in live casinos and in Internet casinos. It isn’t popular just because it’s the most exciting game. The roll of the dice in craps is more exciting hand to hand, while the heads-up challenge of staring down an opponent in poker make that game such a standout. Even pokies have bigger thrills, because of the progressive jackpots which (occasionally) hit and make someone rich.

Blackjack, on the other hand, can be a grind. The payouts tend to be 1:1 or 3:2 at most, so it’s not as if you have a huge swing on any one hand, unless you play for high stakes. The game is so popular because it offers the best odds in the casino. The house edge is often 0.50% or less, meaning a player wins back $99.50 of every $100 they wager. Besides full pay video poker and a few special bets in various games, it’s the best game to play if you watch your money.

A Game of Skill

Blackjack makes you earn your money, though. Strategy is a major part of the fun. While pokies are entertaining enough, they have no strategy component. If you play 21, you’ll need to study basic strategy.

If you’re really dedicated, you’ll become a card counter. Most people don’t want that level of dedication for what’s still a marginal advantage. Most people could count cards if they wanted to, but it’s not recommended unless you combine a mathematical brain with a theatrical streak, because you’ll have to pretend to be something you aren’t or risk getting barred from the casino.

Even if you aren’t going to become that involved, you need to learn what the rules mean for your game. Is a single deck better than a soft-17 dealer rule? Does limited splitting offset a decent surrender rule? These are the questions you’ll need to ask yourself when you search for the table you want.

Soft 17 Rules

European Blackjack is a good example to look at when asking these questions. The dealer must stand on a soft 17, which is rare in many other versions of 21. That’s offset by the fact the deck is actually 6 decks, while the splitting rules limit your opportunities to win consistently. Doubling after a split is legal, but only on hard totals of 9 through 11.

One rule stipulates there’s no peeking. So if the dealer holds a blackjack, you won’t know until after you play, at which point you’ll lose your entire wager. Once again, that’s not how the game plays out in many casinos around the world.

The rule forcing the dealer to stand on a soft 17 lowers the house edge by 0.22%. That’s good news, considering the next couples of rules stipulations.

No Peek

European Blackjack Gold Series 2

The dealer does not peek to see if he or she has a blackjack. That’s not a good rule for players, because it means a natural 21 causes you to lose all your money (unless you have a blackjack). That means money you doubled or the money bet on extra hands from splitting. No peeking lowers your odds of having a winning hand by 0.11%, which is just slightly worse for you than the next rule.

Splitting on 9, 10, or 11

The rules of European Blackjack only let you split on a 9, 10, or 11. Again, this lowers your odds by 0.09%. That’s not a disastrous rule for players, but every bit the house edge goes up takes money out of your pocket.

Double after Splitting

European Blackjack allows a player to double after splitting cards. This increases your payout percentage by a total of 0.14%, which recoups a big chunk of the money lost on the previous two rules.

As you can see, any given variation in how the game is played forces smart players to reevaluate the game. It’s not as simple as finding a single deck game and assuming you have the best game in the casino. Many casinos offer single deck blackjack along with several bad rules, just hoping to lure gamblers who don’t know any better into playing at that table. For example, single deck games often only offer a 6 to 5 payout on a natural, which is a much bigger disadvantage to the player than most people think.

The Payout Percentage for European Blackjack

When all is said and done, the payout percentage on European Blackjack is 0.62%. This represents slightly worse odds than you’ll find on a game of classic blackjack played with most of the standard rules.

The rule which keeps dealing from hitting on a soft 17 might be worth it to some players to play this version of the game. Knowing the dealer holds one more chance to get lucky is a bad feeling in casino gambling, so this rule ends a lot of hands quicker than otherwise.

European Blackjack Gold Series 3

The Microgaming Gold Series

European Blackjack Gold Series Review

Players can find the Microgaming Gold Series in all the up to date casinos powered by the software company. The only reason you might want to try the older software is if you want to place the lowest bets. In some games, the minimum bet is $1, while the Gold Series sometimes has a low limit of $5. If you prefer low stakes blackjack, you might avoid the Gold Series. Otherwise, give Microgaming’s best version of their 21 games a try.