Jan 09, 2018 Card Counting Spanish 21 If this is your first visit to the Blackjack Forum, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You will have to r e g i s t e r (free) before you can post: click the r e g i s t e r link to proceed. But giving the player more options reduces the house edge, so Spanish 21 compensates by using an altered deck. Let’s take a closer look at all these differences between blackjack and Spanish 21: Spanish 21 Deck: Spanish 21 uses a typical 52-card deck – but without the four Tens. The removal of the Tens creates a 48-card deck, in which only.
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Spanish 21 is a common form of blackjack played in many of the larger casinos. You’ll find the game played all over the world, though it originated in European casinos. Most gambling establishments in the United States didn’t offer the game until 1995 or later. If you live in Australia, you’ll know a quite similar game under the name Australian pontoon. Most online casinos offer the game, while the big software companies like Microgaming, Playtech, IGT, and RealTime Gaming have their own versions of the game. Like all other forms of twenty-one, you hope to build a hand of two or more cards without the cards going over 21. The closest hand to twenty-one is the winner.
While Spanish 21 may not have been the original version of the game, it was the first recorded form of blackjack. In Miguel de Cervantes’s Exemplary Novels, which was published in 1613, a game called ventiuno (Spanish for “21”) is mentioned. The reference is in the short story Rinconete y Cortadillo, which tells the story of a game of card cheats. In the game described, the object is to build a hand equaling twenty-one, but without going over. All 10-cards are taken out of the deck. As a rough sketch, this describes the distinct rules of Spanish 21. It’s unknown how closely this variation resembles the 21st century version of the game, but Spanish 21 has been popular for at least 400 years.
Casino Card Deck
In most casinos, you’ll find the game deck used includes 4 to 6 decks placed together. Instead of the 52 cards most gamblers are used to, the Spanish deck rules are used. The tens are taken out, which leaves a 48-card deck. Jacks, queens, and kings remain.
Super Bonus
The most distinctive rule in Spanish 21 is the “super bonus”. Anytime a player receives a twenty-one with a suited 7-7-7 against a dealer 7, a large bonus is won by the player. If you wagered $25 or less, you’ll receive a $1,000 bonus. If you wagered $25 or more, then you’ll receive a $5,000 bonus. This isn’t the only advantageous chance for special twenty-one payouts.
When you receive an unsuited 6-7-8 or 7-7-7, the payout is 3 to 2. Las vegas blackjack odds. Therefore, if you wagered $10, you would receive $15 in this circumstance. If the 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 includes any cards of the same suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs), then the player receives a 2 to 1 payout. If the 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 includes all spades, the payout is 3 to 1. These rules even apply if you win after splitting, though a doubled hand won’t win these special payouts.
No Push on Twenty-One
If you receive any other 21, you always win. No pushes exist when you get a blackjack, because ties are won by the player. This is a major advantage for gamblers, though you’ll see later that the various advantages in this game variant are negated by the disadvantage posed by the Spanish deck.
Hit, Stand, or Split
The hitting, standing, and splitting rules are identical with classic blackjack. After splitting aces, gamblers may receive as many hits as they want. When doubling, gamblers may receive a second card or even additional cards. Players are allowed to split up to four decks (in most casinos), even when they hold aces.
Insurance
Insurance pays 2 to 1 and is offered on this game. As with most forms of twenty-one, insurance is a sucker bet. In Spanish 21, the house edge when taking insurance is 24.7%, making insurance one of the most inadvisable bets in the entire casino. Unless you are a card counter and the count is heavily in your favor, never take insurance.
Dealer Rules
The dealer receives a hole card, much like classic blackjack. In most casinos, house rules require the dealer to hit on a 16 and stand on 17. In most cases, the dealer hits on the soft 17.
Surrender Rules
Spanish 21 Strategy Cards
Late surrender rules are used most often. This means the player can surrender before asking for a hit or stand, if the dealer doesn’t receive a blackjack when the second card is dealt. When a player surrenders, they lose half their wager and have no chance to win the pot. This is used when the player believes he or she has less than 50% chance of winning. A player also may surrender after doubling down. When this happens, it’s often call forfeit, concede, or double-down rescue. In this case, the original bet is lost, but the doubled part is returned to the player.
Match the Dealer
Spanish Blackjack Looks Fun, Doesn’t It?
Some casinos offer a side bet in this game: “Match the Dealer”. Under these rules, players are paid when one of their cards matches the face card of the dealer. This pays at 4 to 1 when your card is the same rank as the dealer’s card on a six-deck game, while it pays 3 to 1 if your card is ranked the same and 9 to 1 if the rank and suit are the same (a “perfect match”). On an eight-deck game, the payout is 4 to 1 when the rank is the same and 12 to 1 when the rank and suit are perfectly matched.
Players should remember that side bets almost always have a house edge higher than the main bet. In casino gambling, bigger payouts tend to go hand-in-hand with a higher house edge, which isn’t good for you. The “Match the Dealer” side bet is the same, but the (roughly) 3% house edge is still one of the best blackjack side bets.
House Edge
Readers might be thinking the rules of Spanish 21 heavily favor players and they would be right. The advantage is not as much as you would think, though, because of the removal of the 10’s from the deck. This tips the house edge in the favor of the casino by about 2%, because the player won’t hit the 21 nearly so often. Even with this disadvantage, Spanish 21 has a slightly better expected return than classic blackjack with the same rules.
This is a blackjack variation that got its name because it is played with six or eight Spanish decks – a regular 52 card deck from which the four tens cards are taken out. Beside some of the common blackjack rules, such as number of decks, double after split and resplit Aces, Spanish 21 offers some exciting bonuses with good payouts. These bonuses and the 48 card decks make this a unique and popular blackjack variation.
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On this page, you will find additional information about the game rules of Spanish 21 Blackjack, the house edge of the game and the optimal playing strategy for securing the best possible odds for the player.
Rules and Special Features
The most usual form of the game is played with six or eight decks of 48 cards, while the four 10s are removed. The player is allowed to surrender and double after splitting the cards. Resplitting Aces is allowed and the player can hit or double down after splitting them. In addition, the player can double on any number of cards and surrender after doubling. Some of the rules that favor the player are: player 21 wins and player blackjack beats dealer blackjack.
The rules explained above are rules common for every Spanish 21 game. However, there are some variables that should be mentioned. For example, the dealer in some variations is allowed to hit on soft 17, while in others he stands on soft 17. At certain casinos redoubling is allowed up to three hands and somewhere a split Ace and a face card are counted as a blackjack.
Counting Spanish 21
In any case, what make Spanish 21 so unique and thrilling are the many bonuses. This blackjack variation awards five-card 21 with a 3:2 payout, a six-card 21 with a 2:1 payout and a 7+ card 21 with a 3:1 payout. If the player gets a combination of unsuited 6-7-8 or 7-7-7, a 3:2 bonus payout is granted to him. If the same combination is suited the payout is 2:1, while 6-7-8 and 7-7-7 of spades has the best payout of 3:1. Furthermore, suited 7-7-7 across a dealer’s 7 is considered to be a super bonus and pays £1,000 for bets from £5 to £24 and £5,000 for £25+ bets.
House Edge and Soft 17
Certain rule variations affect the house edge of the game. If the game is played with eight decks and the dealer stands on soft 17 the house has an edge of 0.38%. Reducing the number of decks to six will immediately lower the house edge to 0.37%. Hitting on soft 17 increases the house edge to 0.78% when played with six decks and to 0.80% when played with eight decks. Usually, this variation allows the player to surrender. However, if this rule is changed, the house edge grows for 0.006% (dealer hits on soft 17) or 0.018% (dealer stands on soft 17).
Side Bets and Bonuses
In Spanish 21 usually a side bet known as Match the Dealer is offered. The point of this bet is the player’s cards to match the dealer’s face up card. For example, if the dealer’s card is 9 of spades, the player should have 9 of spades, 9 of any kind or a total card amount of 9 in order to win the side bet. Depending on the number of decks, the payout varies and can be 4:1 (6 deck) or 3:1 (8 deck). Furthermore, a perfect match or rank pays 9:1/12:1. Additionally, if the player has 9 of spades and 9 of diamonds, he will get two bonuses.
Game Play Strategy
Because of the many rule variations that significantly change the optimal Spanish 21 strategy, here is discussed the best strategy when the game is played with eight decks and the dealer hits on soft 17. First, in case of receiving a pair of 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 and Aces, the played is advised to split. Some exceptions apply whatsoever. In case of suited 7-7 when the dealer holds 7 it is the best to hit, while 8-8 across a dealer’s Ace signals the player to surrender. The player should stand with a pair of nines if the dealer has 2, 7 or Ace. If the dealer shows 9 or Ace and the player have 2-2, 3-3, 6-6 or 7-7 hitting another card is a good move.
Second, in case of hard 4-14 the player should hit no matter the dealer’s card. However, exceptions are situations when the dealer has 4 and 5, while the player has a hard 14 and 6 across player hard 13 or 14. Hard 15+ is a sign to stand, unless the dealer has 7, 8, 9 or Ace and hitting is a good option. Hard hand of 10 or 11 is a good time for doubling, however you should pay attention to the number of cards you have. For example, if you have three cards and a hard 10, it would be the best to hit instead of double. Hard 16 and 17 when the dealer holds Ace should result in player’s surrender.
Finally, soft 12-17 should motivate the player to hit, no matter the dealer’s hand. Same goes if the player has soft 18, while the dealer holds 9 or Ace. To stand is a good move when you have soft 18 and 19. However, it is also important how many cards you hold. In a case of a soft 19 and six card hand you should hit. Soft 17 and 18 across dealer’s 4, 5 or 6 is a sign to double.
Overview
Spanish 21 is a very exciting blackjack variation. There are some rules that make it favorable to the dealer and some that are better for the player. Depending on the rules modifications it can have a low to medium house edge compared to other blackjack games. However, the many bonuses and the Match the Dealer side bet make it very interesting and challenging for the players. Using the optimal playing strategy can increase the player’s chances to win and turn this blackjack variation in a long lasting entertaining experience.