No Hole Card Question

[Thor]

Hey all,

Quick question for you. Where I play the dealer doesn't take a hole card, but if you split or double down against a 10 or Ace, you only lose your original bet if the dealer ends up with a natural.

I know there is a European No Hole Card strategy, where you don't split Aces or 8's against 10 or Ace because you lose all of your wagers, including the splits and doubles.

When you only lose the original, I always thought you still split 8's against a 10 or an Ace. But I was just cruising through Arnold Snyder's website and saw this article:

Blackjack Variations: Aruba No-Hole Card Blackjack vs. European No Hole Card Blackjack

He says this near the bottom:

"The Aruba “no hole card” rule does, however, differ slightly from both the standard European version, and the American version. In Europe, if you double down or split a pair vs. a dealer ten or ace, and the dealer completes his hand to give himself a blackjack, the player will lose everything to the dealer’s natural. In the American casinos where the dealer does not take (or check) his hole card until after the players have played out their hands, a dealer blackjack will win only the original bet of the player.

In Aruba, the dealer will win only the player’s original bet, unless the player busts on one or more of his split hands, in which case the dealer will also win the bet(s) on the busted hands. The house advantage from this no-hole-card rule variation (dealer natural takes busts) is very small, about .01% (that’s one-hundredth of a percent, or about one penny for every hundred dollars bet). The only basic strategy change that you should make in Aruba, to compensate for this rule, is don’t split 8s vs. a dealer ten or ace."

Sounds like they're saying in the US you only lose the original bet, and in Aruba you will also lose bets if you bust out one of your split hands. Surely they won't allow you to keep your wager in the US if you split and then bust?? I know they won't take your split wager or a subsequent double down wager, but surely if you bust the hand they take it, right?

I'm a little confused by this article. Help a brother out.

[SecurityRisk]

Originally Posted by Thor

Hey all,

Quick question for you. Where I play the dealer doesn't take a hole card, but if you split or double down against a 10 or Ace, you only lose your original bet if the dealer ends up with a natural.

I know there is a European No Hole Card strategy, where you don't split Aces or 8's against 10 or Ace because you lose all of your wagers, including the splits and doubles.

When you only lose the original, I always thought you still split 8's against a 10 or an Ace. But I was just cruising through Arnold Snyder's website and saw this article:

Blackjack Variations: Aruba No-Hole Card Blackjack vs. European No Hole Card Blackjack

He says this near the bottom:

"The Aruba “no hole card” rule does, however, differ slightly from both the standard European version, and the American version. In Europe, if you double down or split a pair vs. a dealer ten or ace, and the dealer completes his hand to give himself a blackjack, the player will lose everything to the dealer’s natural. In the American casinos where the dealer does not take (or check) his hole card until after the players have played out their hands, a dealer blackjack will win only the original bet of the player.

In Aruba, the dealer will win only the player’s original bet, unless the player busts on one or more of his split hands, in which case the dealer will also win the bet(s) on the busted hands. The house advantage from this no-hole-card rule variation (dealer natural takes busts) is very small, about .01% (that’s one-hundredth of a percent, or about one penny for every hundred dollars bet). The only basic strategy change that you should make in Aruba, to compensate for this rule, is don’t split 8s vs. a dealer ten or ace."

Sounds like they're saying in the US you only lose the original bet, and in Aruba you will also lose bets if you bust out one of your split hands. Surely they won't allow you to keep your wager in the US if you split and then bust?? I know they won't take your split wager or a subsequent double down wager, but surely if you bust the hand they take it, right?

I'm a little confused by this article. Help a brother out.

Most U.S. casinos check for blackjack before letting you play, and if they have a blackjack, you lose right away, before giving you the chance to double or split. However, I have been to a couple of casinos in the U.S. where they don't check for blackjack like you describe. In those cases in the U.S., the dealer only takes your original bet if you double or split. Even if you split and bust. This is the equivalent to the dealer checking for blackjack (where all you could lose is the original bet.) The strategy is the same as American peek, so use the strategy as if the dealer peeks for a blackjack.

This is for American casinos only.