According to www.bjstats.com
I recently learned that in some European rule variation,
the dealer hits the hole card after all players take
action.
Does this mean that there's no more insurance play
available?
Generally, yes, there is insurance. They just don't settle that side bet until after the second dealer card is dealt.
If so, could anyone estimate the expectation
loss for the following configuration?
2-deck, DOA, noDAS, 75% penetration, 1-5 bet spread,
Knockout counting.
According to www.bjstats.com, using HiLo and I18, the EV and SCORE for the game you've described are +0.70% and 22.27 for S17 and +0.52% and 12.00 for H17. The numbers for KO will be similar. In my opinion, this is a really poor game.
If you need help on terms like HiLo, I18, and EV, check the BJ Glossary link at left. S17 and H17 refer to whether dealer stands or hits on soft 17. SCORE is a number that compares different BJ games by weighing EV against risk. Games with a SCORE less than 50 are considered a waste of time.
(Why isn't SCORE in the glossary?)