Method for reconstructing a picture from a datastream into which the picture is coded in units of slices into which the picture is partitioned, wherein the method comprises decoding the slices from the datastream in accordance with a slice order and the method is responsive to a syntax element portion within a current slice of the slices, so as to decode the current slice in accordance with one of at least two modes (20, 22), wherein in accordance with a first of the at least two modes, the current slice is decoded from the datastream using context adaptive arithmetic decoding including a derivation of contexts across slice boundaries, a continuous update of symbol probabilities of the contexts and an initialization (38, 40) of the symbol probabilities depending on saved states of symbol probabilities of a previously decoded slice, and predictive decoding across the slice boundaries, and in accordance with a second of the at least two modes, the current slice is decoded from the datastream using context adaptive arithmetic decoding with restricting the derivation of the contexts so as to not cross the slice boundaries, a continuous update of symbol probabilities of the contexts and an initialization of the symbol probabilities independent on any previously decoded slice, and predictive decoding with restricting the predictive decoding so as to not cross the slice boundaries, wherein the picture is partitioned in coding blocks arranged in rows and columns and having a raster scan order defined among each other, and the method comprises associating each slice with a continuous subset of the coding blocks in the raster scan order so that the subsets follow each other along the raster scan order in accordance with the slice order, and wherein the method comprises saving symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to a second coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, in initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice in accordance with the first mode, checking as to whether a first coding block of the continuous subset of coding blocks associated with the current slice is a first coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, if so, initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice depending on the saved symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to a second coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, if not, initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice depending on symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to the end of the previously decoded slice. in accordance with a first of the at least two modes, the current slice is decoded from the datastream using context adaptive arithmetic decoding including a derivation of contexts across slice boundaries, a continuous update of symbol probabilities of the contexts and an initialization (38, 40) of the symbol probabilities depending on saved states of symbol probabilities of a previously decoded slice, and predictive decoding across the slice boundaries, and in accordance with a second of the at least two modes, the current slice is decoded from the datastream using context adaptive arithmetic decoding with restricting the derivation of the contexts so as to not cross the slice boundaries, a continuous update of symbol probabilities of the contexts and an initialization of the symbol probabilities independent on any previously decoded slice, and predictive decoding with restricting the predictive decoding so as to not cross the slice boundaries, wherein the picture is partitioned in coding blocks arranged in rows and columns and having a raster scan order defined among each other, and the method comprises associating each slice with a continuous subset of the coding blocks in the raster scan order so that the subsets follow each other along the raster scan order in accordance with the slice order, and wherein the method comprises saving symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to a second coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, in initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice in accordance with the first mode, checking as to whether a first coding block of the continuous subset of coding blocks associated with the current slice is a first coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, if so, initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice depending on the saved symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to a second coding block in a row in accordance with the raster scan order, and, if not, initializing the symbol probabilities for the context adaptive arithmetic decoding of the current slice depending on symbol probabilities as obtained in context adaptive arithmetic decoding the previously decoded slice up to the end of the previously decoded slice.