Avoiding Live Blackjack in Finland and Sweden

Aug 2013

Ken Tucker | POSTED IN Blackjack | 1 COMMENT

Blackjack is a popular game in restaurants and clubs in Finland and Sweden. It is a very profitable game for the house, even more than it is in most other countries. That is because these two countries have the worst blackjack rules in the world.

Finland and Sweden blackjack rules are legislated by the government and are standard at all tables. The rules are:

6 decks
Dealer stays on all 17’s
Blackjack pays 3-2
No surrender
Dealer does not take hole card until all players have acted
Players may double on 9-11
Ace counts as one in double down hands
No double down after splitting
One card on split aces
Aces may be resplit

These are decent blackjack rules except for there is one major exception. Players that push the dealer on 17, 18 or 19 lose their bet. This would be a push in most blackjack games that deal the cards face down. Players still push 20, 21 and natural blackjacks like they would in a standard blackjack game.

The governments in Sweden and Finland created these rules to prevent players from sitting at tables all day. It is thought that blackjack should only be used as a form of entertainment and not as a way for its residents to make money or waste time playing. The limits are also kept very low to protect players.

Finnish and Swedish blackjack players have an alternative. Online gambling is legal in these countries. Players can sit in the comfort of their own homes and play online blackjack games with a low house advantage. Some of these games have a house edge as low as .2%. Online casinos also offer low minimums and high rollers can take a shot with high maximum bets.