European no hold card - Basic Strategy

[HitMeSoftly]

Hi

I'm new around here and this is my first post. I've started playing blackjack and I'm getting used to the basic strategy before I even think about card counting. My local casinos offer ENHC (European No Hold Card); DAS (Double after split); S17 (Dealer stands on soft 17) RAS (Resplitting Aces allowed). Hope I got those right, it's like a new language for a beginner!

Anyway, I'm not great at maths but understand how the BS has been worked out. What I can't seem to find is a BS for different seat positions in my particular game, ENHC. In seat 1 for example my possible next card may not be the card the dealer draws if I don't draw it, but in the last seat my possible next card will be the card the dealer draws if I don't. To illustrate this if I have hard 16 v 7 and the next card is 10,j,q or k then it makes no difference if I draw or not - dealer wins regardless. Any 6,7,8 or 9 busts me but would have left the dealer having to draw another and any A, 2, 3, 4 or 5 improves me but also gives dealer the chance to equal or beat me. It seems counter intuative therefore for me to draw in these situations, but as I say my maths isn't great.

I have seen the link about ENHC, DAS, RAS having a lower EV than the average american game because the european game plays out doubles and splits before the dealer checks his blackjack, but don't know if the EV is affected by the fact that last position 'share' the next card.

Great site btw

[AussiePlayer]

The seat position is irrelevant, unless you know the exact value of the next card basic strategy is the best mathematical way to play the hand.

There are different no hole card games around, this is a good explanation of the differences http://www.qfit.com/blackjack-rules-card-variations.htm

[soytari]

house advantage for your game is 0.20 percent.
just play basic strategy dont think of these details. your basic strategy is slightly different, 88 no split vs ace or ten.
http://wizardofodds.com/games/blackj...tegy/european/
use the chart below.

[HitMeSoftly]

That is wrong. It is likely over .4%. More info is needed. How many decks? How does the house handle your doubles and splits on a dealer BJ. Do you only lose original bet or the double and split wagers as well?

Six decks, doubles and split wagers are lost also on Dealer BJ.

[soytari]

tthree,
I always play under enhc conditions, so i thought he plays under same conditions.
the enhc i play is like that
when you split or double when dealer has 10 or ace and then the dealer has blackjack you lose all your bets not only original bet.
double after split allowed
split up to 4 times
no hole card
stay soft 17
resplit aces
6 decks.
early surrender for 10
no surrender for ace.
under these conditions house edge 0.20
some sources say 0.19 but not much difference.

[Roswell Crash Survivor]

In my travels, most ENHC games I've seen are Double on 9,10,11 only.

[G Man]

The game described by "HitMeSoftly" has an off the top disadvantage of -0.45% (6 decks, S17, DAS, RA, ENHC) however, I suspect that the DAS and RA are only for a max 3 hands (contrary to the 4 hands in America) and the disadvantage could be slighly worse at -0.47%.

The playing adjustments from a regular 6 decks, S17 needed for the ENHC are the following:
Hit 11 vs 10
Hit A-A vs A
Hit 8-8 vs 10
Hit 8-8 vs A

[HitMeSoftly]

Thanks to everyone who responded, this has been a great help.

I still can't grasp how seat position doesn't affect the basic strategy. If I'm in seat 1 in ENHC and players to my left have hands that are going to be hit then the calculation underpinning the BS is the same as every other calculation which in effect will run through every possibility of hands and work out my chance of winning according to my action. Therefore in 16 v 7 I would hit because my chances of winning are greater than standing. But when I'm last to act in ENHC Blackjack the card that I don't draw is the card the dealer then draws. I can see how the answer would be the same and that BS is correct; but the calculations must surely be different for ENHC last position.

[G Man]

Not at all unless you know the order of the cards to be dealt!

[Hsiaodi]

Flow of cards theory.......

[soytari]

i calculate house edge differently than yours.
from blackbelt in blackjack.
6 decks -0.54
das +0.14
no hole card (european) -0.11
ras + 0.07
Early Surrender v. 10 only + 0.24
house edge becomes 0.20
where i play you can split cards up to three times which makes 4 hands.
most cyprus casinos have these rules except resplit aces whic makes house advantage of 0.27
hitmesoftly can you surrender versus ten?

[HitMeSoftly]

i calculate house edge differently than yours.

hitmesoftly can you surrender versus ten?

There is no surrender in any games I've played in the UK so far

[G Man]

You never mention surrender in your first post!
Be more precise and you'll get better answers.