No-hole-card rule

The no hole card rule is more popular in Europe than the US and offers a house advantage of 0.11% and means the dealer is not dealt a hole card – the player’s hand is dealt and stuck before the dealer receives his last card. This removes the advantage a player can gain from doubling or splitting because he stands to lose twice as much if the dealer has blackjack – and he only knows the dealer has blackjack if he sees his hole card. A player must significantly alter his strategy to play the no-hole-card rule.

To reduce the disadvantage to the player, some casinos offer to return any additional bets (from doubles or splits) if the dealer does have blackjack.