There are several dozen Microgaming tables games currently on the Internet and there is a good chance that you may miss some out them. Naturally, that would be a shame so we would like to bring to your attention one of the better blackjack variations by Microgaming. We are talking about HiLo 13 European Blackjack. It is practically European Blackjack with the compelling HiLo side bets for good measure. The game is played with 2 standard decks, the dealer stands on all 17s and the RTP values go over 99%.
Basic Rules and Payouts
Playing HiLo 13 European Blackjack is an interesting and engaging experience and the rules are quite simple. Only two 52-card decks are used for this variation of blackjack and the betting limits range between $1.00 and $200 per hand. Winning a standard hand gets you even money while scoring a blackjack will net you 3:2.
Of course, the twist in this game does come from the base gameplay rather from the side bets unique to this variation. More specifically, the Hi-Lo side bets. These wagers come in three different options and you basically guess what the value of your opening hand will be. The ‘Lo’ option indicates that your hand will be below 13, the ‘Hi’ option that it will be above 13, while the third one says that your hand will be exactly 13. The ‘Hi’ and ‘Lo’ bets both pay even money, while the ‘13’ side bet pays 10:1. This gives you the opportunity to spice up your gameplay and make some extra money while you are at it.
Insurance
Insurance is offered whenever the dealer’s first card is an Ace. The Insurance is a side bet where you bet that the dealer will form a blackjack. You bet half of your original stake and if the bet is successful you win 2:1. This way you do not automatically lose everything if the dealer has better luck than you.
Double Down
Double Down is an excellent option featured in basically all blackjack variations. It gives you the opportunity to double the size of your bet if you believe that is advantageous for you. When you do Double Down, the dealer will give you one more card and then you will stand. Double Down is available on opening hands with hard totals of 9, 10, and 11. Moreover, Doubling after a split is not allowed.
Splitting
Splitting pairs is allowed in HiLo 13 European Blackjack, though only to a certain extent. Whenever you are dealt an opening hand of two same-value cards, you are given the opportunity to split them into separate hands. Of course, you have to place one more for the additional hand. When this happens, each hand will be completely separate from the other. You can only split once for a maximum of two hands and you cannot Double Down on them. However, you can draw additional cards to your new hands, even in the case of split Aces.
HiLo 13 European Blackjack House Edge and RTP
The house edge and RTP values of blackjack are generally high in the favor of the player when compared to other casino genres. The base gameplay of HiLo 13 European Blackjack comes with a return-to-player percentage of 99.60%, resulting in a house edge of only 0.40%. This makes it one of the fairest games in the online gambling world and worth playing. However, when it comes to the ‘HiLo’ bets, things are somewhat different. The house edge for the side bets in a 2-deck game are as follows: Hi – 6.65%; Lo – 7.99%; and 13 – 10.08%. As you can see there is a large difference between the three betting options and if that is any indication, you should only ever put down Hi wagers.