Spanish 21 is a variation of blackjack with a lot of variant rules and payout differences. The biggest difference between Spanish 21 and other variations of blackjack is that it uses a “Spanish deck,” a deck of 52 cards where the 10s have been removed. This leaves a 48-card deck. The player’s blackjack beats the dealer’s blackjack, which would normally be a push or even money at best. And the player’s 21 beats the dealer’s 21, which would always be a push, otherwise. Other differences separating Spanish 21 from classic Blackjack include: – Aces can be re-split.
- What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 210
- What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 21 Card Game
- What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 212
Spanish 21 is a variation of blackjack that is one of the best bets in a casino. In locations where the dealer stands on a soft 17 or redoubling is allowed, Spanish 21 is probably a better bet than blackjack, depending on the specific blackjack rules. If you are looking for a change of pace from traditional blackjack but insist on a game with a low house edge you may find new excitement in Spanish 21.
The Rules
Spanish 21 uses six or eight Spanish decks, each deck consisting of 48 cards — the regular 52 cards less the four tens. Any card counter can tell you that removing any 10-point card from the cards moves the odds in favor of the dealer. To make up for this Spanish 21 gives to the player a host of bonuses and favorable rules. The rules are based on liberal 6-8 deck blackjack rules, including double after split, late surrender, and resplitting aces. In addition Spanish 21 offers the follows rule enhancements:
- A player 21 always wins.
- Player blackjack beats dealer blackjack.
- Player may double on any number of cards.
- Player may hit usually and double down after splitting aces (some casinos no longer allow this).
- Player may surrender half of total bet after doubling down (known as “double down rescue.”)
- A five-card 21 pays 3:2, a six-card 21 pays 2:1, a seven or more card 21 pays 3:1.
- A 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3:2, of the same suit pays 2:1, and of spades pays 3:1.
- Suited 7-7-7 when the dealer has a seven face up pays $1000 for bets of $5-$24 and $5000 for bets of $25 or over. In addition, all other players receive a $50 “envy bonus.” This rule does not apply after splitting.
Notes:
1. Dealer usually hits a soft 17 .
2. All 21 bonus hands do not count if the result of doubling.
3. Usually 6-8 Six Spanish decks are used.
4. Some casinos allow redoubling, up to three times.
1. Dealer usually hits a soft 17 .
2. All 21 bonus hands do not count if the result of doubling.
3. Usually 6-8 Six Spanish decks are used.
4. Some casinos allow redoubling, up to three times.
Strategy
Following is my Spanish 21 basic strategy when the dealer hits a soft 17. This strategy is based on a combinatorial analysis and is verified by an infinite deck model in Excel. In some hands the strategy is different than the one by Lenny Frome which appears in Armada Strategies for Spanish 21 by Frank Scoblete and Secrects of the New Casino Games by Martin Jensen. Unfortunatly Lenny has passed away and I can not challenge him on his strategy. However I believe he didn’t implement the double down rescue feature correctly and I stand firmly behind my strategy and believe all others to be in error.
Next is the Spanish 21 basic strategy when the dealer stands on a soft 17.Finally here is the table if the dealer hits a soft 17 and redoubling is allowed. This table was developed by Jeff Wu and used with permission. Jeff and I independently agreed on the other two tables so I trust his work on this one.The following is a key to the table. Capital letters denote the usual play for a hand unless there is a bonus exception. Exceptions are noted with an h, *, ‘, “, or $.- H
- Hit
- S
- Stand
- D
- Double
- P
- Split
- R
- Surrender
- Rh
- Surrender on first two cards, otherwise hit
- S3
- Stand, unless hand is composed of 3 or more cards then hit
- S4
- Stand, unless hand is composed of 4 or more cards then hit
- S5
- Stand, unless hand is composed of 5 or more cards then hit
- S6
- Stand, unless hand is composed of 6 or more cards then hit
- D3
- Double, unless hand is composed of 3 or more cards then hit
- D4
- Double, unless hand is composed of 4 or more cards then hit
- D5
- Double, unless hand is composed of 5 or more cards then hit
- D6
- Double, unless hand is composed of 6 or more cards then hit
- *
- Hit if any 6-7-8 bonus possible
- ‘
- Hit if suited or spaded 6-7-8 bonus is possible
- “
- Hit if spaded 6-7-8 bonus is possible
- $
- Hit if two sevens are suited (possible super bonus)
Many readers have expressed doubt about my advice to hit 17 against an ace with 3 or more cards. However I stand by what I said. The player will save about 2.8% of the intial wager by hitting as opposed to standing. The dealers will advise against this play and the other players curse the day you were born but trust me, the odds favor hitting.
House Edge
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Following is the house edge under various common rules.
- Dealer stands on soft 17: 0.40%
- Dealer hits on soft 17, redoubling allowed: 0.38%
- Dealer hits on soft 17, redoubling not allowed: 0.76%
I have been asked a few times about the effect of not being allowed to draw to split aces. The Mohegan Sun web site says, “When splitting aces, the player will only receive one card on each ace.” I have been told via the table games manager their web site is in error and drawing to split aces is in fact allowed there. However, hyptothetically, if it were not the house edge would be increased by 0.29%.
Where to find the Good Games
The owners of Spanish 21 now maintain their own list of where the dealer stands on soft 17 or redoubling is allowed at www.spanish21.com/goodlocations.php.
Match the Dealer
What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 210
In some locations there is a side bet available if the either or both of the player’s first two cards match the dealer’s up card. In a six-deck game a non-suited match pays 4 to 1 and a suited match pays 9 to 1. In an eight-deck game a non-suited match pays 3 to 1 and a suited match pays 12 to 1. The six-deck game side bet has a house edge of 3.06%, with eight decks it is 2.99%.
Methodology
The Spanish 21 strategy found here is based on a combinatorial program which considered both card composition and the six deck nature of the game. In addition an infinite deck model was created in Excel, of which the basic strategy nearly agreed with that of the combinatorial model. The basic strategy found here does not agree with that of the late Lenny Frome in some borderline situations. Frome’s strategy can be found in such book as ‘Secrets of the New Casino Games’ (Marten Jensen) and ‘Armada Strategies for Spanish 21’ (Frank Scoblete). Although I have a lot of respect for Frome and his body of work I strongly feel that his basic strategy is incorrect. I speculate he did not incorporate the double down surrender feature correctly into his analysis. An independent infinite deck analysis was done by Mike Hopson which agreed exactly with mine. The Wizard of Odds would like to thank Mike for his contribution.
Imagine playing the game of Blackjack with a 48-card deck that contains no natural 10’s. That is exactly the concept behind Spanish 21, a fast-paced casino table game that uses six or eight “Spanish” decks without 10-spots. It is still possible to get a two card 21 with an Ace and a face card, but the elimination of 10’s adds a new dimension to doubling down and other aspects of the game.
On the face of it, removing the 10’s should improve the house edge significantly, and it does—by about 25 percent. But the way Spanish 21 rules are set up, the odds in favor of the dealer winning a hand can actually be less than they are in classic Blackjack.
For one thing, doubling is allowed at any time on any card total. Also, redoubling is allowed after a double. The player’s blackjack beats the dealer’s blackjack, which would normally be a push or even money at best. And the player’s 21 beats the dealer’s 21, which would always be a push, otherwise.
Other differences separating Spanish 21 from classic Blackjack include:
![Spanish Spanish](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134269889/895565782.jpg)
– Aces can be re-split.
Casino atm fees atlantic city airport. – Hitting and doubling down are allowed after splitting Aces.
– Late surrender is allowed (except facing a dealer’s natural blackjack).
– “Double Rescue” allows surrender after doubling down.
– Five-card 21 pays 3-to-2.
– Six-card 21 pays 2-to-1.
– Seven-card (or more) pays 3-to-1.
– Mixed suit 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 pays 3-to-2.
– Same suit 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 pays 2-to-1.
To keep the game interesting and players on their toes, a number of variable rules can be applied depending on the casino. These include allowing bonuses to be paid on split or doubled down hands; a Super Bonus paid on suited 7-7-7 when the dealer is showing a 7; and special rewards for bonus hands in spades. Some casinos have the dealer stand on soft 17, while others require a hit. And some house rules limit the number of redoubles to three or fewer.
What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 21 Card Game
Obviously, the strategy for play is affected by the missing 10’s and the special rules. For example, players can be more aggressive about hitting, with somewhat less concern about busting and more incentive to reach a multi-card 21 total. One basic tenet is to always stand on 18 or more and hit any total of 8 or less. Strategies for hitting, splitting, standing, and surrendering on totals of 9~17 can be quite complex.
Ironically, although there are more opportunities to double down in Spanish 21, the times it is wise to do so are actually less frequent. That’s because of the 25 percent reduction in the number of cards valued at 10. As a general rule, avoid doubling on soft hands except soft 16 against a dealer’s 6 and soft 17 or 18 facing a 4, 5 or 6. As for hard totals, doubling is a good idea on 9 facing a 6; 10 facing a 2~7; and 11 facing 2~8.
Under the basic rules for Spanish 21, the house edge is just 0.40~0.42 percent, which is considerable better than Roulette or Craps. If redoubling is not allowed and the dealer hits on soft 17, the house advantage increases to 0.76 percent, so look for versions that permit redoubles and force the dealer to stand on all 17’s.
What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 212
Also, look for other rule variations that can affect the odds. A six-deck game is usually preferable to one using eight decks. The existence of an envy bonus paid to active players when a Super Bonus is hit will lower the house edge slightly. And if a face card with an Ace is allowed to count as a blackjack after splitting, that obviously favors the player.