Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule differences, is played in casinos under the name 'Pontoon'. It was first introduced about 1995.[1]
Spanish 21 is played on a blackjack table with a custom layout and uses the following rules:
Spanish 21 is played with standard decks of cards. The only exception to the standard decks is that all. Number 10 cards and Jokers are removed, a Spanish 21 deck consists of 48 cards (2 – 9, J, Q, K, A; no number 10 cards). Player wins on all Blackjacks and is paid immediately. Players win on all hands totaling 21. Insurance is permitted.
The removal of the four tens in each deck gives roughly a 2% advantage to the dealer. The liberal rules of Spanish 21, though, do compensate for this. With optimal play, the house edge of a Spanish 21 table is lower than that of a blackjack table with the same rules on hitting or standing on soft 17.
The game also offers an optional 'Match the Dealer' side bet, which compares a player's cards with the dealer's upcard. Matching the rank of the dealer's card pays 4:1 on a six-deck game, and 3:1 on an eight-deck game, while a 'perfect match' of rank and suit pays 9:1 on six decks and 12:1 on eight decks. A player may win on both cards; (e.g. if a player has 8s 8c and the dealer has 8c as an upcard, the player will receive 3:1 on the rank match and 12:1 on the perfect match, paying out a total of 15:1.) While this side bet has a house edge of approximately 3%, significantly higher than the edge of the main game, it is one of the lowest house edges of any blackjack side bet.
The following tables list the Spanish 21 house edges for all rule sets found in North America.[2] (The figures were obtained from 10-billion hand simulations and have a standard error of 0.001%. The super bonus is averaged out to a 100:1 payout.) These charts assume that the player is using basic strategy. 'H17' means that the dealer hits soft seventeen, 'S17' means that the dealer stands on soft seventeen.
Rules | Decks | House Edge |
---|---|---|
H17 | 6 | 0.78% |
8 | 0.80% | |
S17 | 6 | 0.37% |
8 | 0.38% | |
H17 with redoubling | 6 | 0.42% |
8 | 0.45% |
Rule Changes | Change in House Edge |
---|---|
No surrender (H17) | 0.018% |
No surrender (S17) | 0.006% |
No draws on split Aces (H17 or S17) | 0.28% |
No draws on split Aces (H17 with redoubling) | 0.29% |
Natural after split pays 3:2 | –0.16% |
Match the Dealer is a side bet offered on most Spanish 21 games. The player wins the side bet if the rank of either or both of their initial two cards matches the rank of the dealer's up card. If the cards match in both rank and suit, the player wins a bigger payout. Some casinos offer a second Match the Dealer bet which wins when either or both of the player's initial two cards match the dealer's hole card. The payouts and the house edge vary depending on the number of decks in play as shown below.
Number of Decks | Non-Suited Match | Double Non-Suited Match | Suited Match | Suited + Non-Suited Match | Double Suited Match | House Edge |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 15:1 | 19:1 | NA | 3.63% |
4 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 10:1 | 14:1 | 20:1 | 3.20% |
5 | 3:1 | 6:1 | 13:1 | 16:1 | 26:1 | 3.53% |
6 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 9:1 | 13:1 | 18:1 | 3.06% |
8 | 3:1 | 6:1 | 12:1 | 15:1 | 24:1 | 2.99% |
Spanish 21 is a variation of the standard game Blackjack with a few differences. This article concentrates on those differences and assumes you know the basic rules of Blackjack. This can be found in this separate article if you need a refresher.
The main difference between Spanish 21 and most other forms of Blackjack is that it is played with a Spanish deck of cards that has 48 cards instead of the usual 52 – the deck is the same with all 10’s removed.
As a 10 is an important card in all forms of Blackjack, you would have thought that this gives a huge advantage to the House. You would be correct if that was the only change, however, a number of other features have been added in an attempt to offset this. Spanish 21 actually has a slightly better edge for the player than many forms of Blackjack.
• Late Surrender is allowed, not just after your first 2 cards have been dealt
• You are able to Double after a Split
• You can re Split Aces
• A hand with 21 always wins even if the Dealer also gets 21
• Blackjack always wins even if the Dealer also gets Blackjack
• You can Double at any time after as many cards as you wish
• You can normally Hit and Double after Splitting Aces – this can vary so is worth checking
• You can Surrender after Doubling, known as Double Down rescue. You lose your initial stake which is effectively getting back half your total outlay for the initial stake and the Double
Spanish 21 does have some variables which differ depending on where you play so be sure you check these before you start playing.
• Either 6 decks or 8 decks of cards are used
• The dealer can sometimes Hit or Stand on soft 17 – a hand that includes an Ace meaning the Dealer has 7 or 17
• Some casinos will allow you to Double a hand up to 3 times
• Some casinos will not pay the bonus amounts after you Split a hand
Above is an example of the layout for a Spanish 21 table. This particular version sees the Dealer stand on all 17’s, other than this you will see it is very similar to a standard Blackjack table.
Payouts and odds can be slightly different from regular Blackjack.
• A 5-card 21 pays 3 to 2, a 6-card 21 pays 2 to 1 and 7-card or higher 21 pays 3 to 1. This bonus doesn’t count if you have previously Doubled
• A hand consisting of 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3 to 2, if suited it pays 2 to 1. Either of these hands with all Spades pays 3 to 1. Again, this doesn’t count if you have previously Doubled
• A suited 7-7-7 when the Dealer has a 7 face up pay $1,000 if your bet is between $5 and $24 and a whopping $5,000 Super Bonus if your bet was $25 or more. If you are playing live with other players, they will each receive a $50 ‘Envy Bonus’ if this comes in.
There are several variable rules for Spanish 21, which affect some of the decisions for an optimal strategy. The below Spanish 21 basic strategy is based on casinos that use 6 decks and the Dealer stands on a soft 17, which is the most common variation of the game.
Hard Hands – No Ace
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
4 to 8 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
9 | H | H | H | H | D4 | H | H | H | H | H |
10 | D5 | D5 | D | D | D | D4 | D3 | H | H | H |
11 | D4 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D4 | D4 | D4 | D3 | D3 |
12 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
13 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
14 | H | H | S4 | S5 | S4 | H | H | H | H | H |
15 | S4 | S5 | S5 | S6 | S6 | H | H | H | H | H |
16 | S5 | S6 | S6 | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
17 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S6 | S6 | S6 | SR |
18+ | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
H = Hit D = Double D2 = Double except Hit with x or more cards
SR = Surrender S = Stand S2 = Stand except Hit with x or more cards
Due to the bonus if you get 21 with 4 or more cards, in some instances it is best to Hit and go for these, in the above chart the number next to an action denotes the minimum number of cards you need in order to Hit as opposed to Stand or Double
Soft Hands – With an Ace
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
12-15 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
16 | H | H | H | H | D4 | H | H | H | H | H |
17 | H | H | D3 | D4 | D5 | H | H | H | H | H |
18 | S4 | S4 | D4 | D5 | D5 | S6 | S4 | H | H | H |
19-21 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
H = Hit D = Double D2 = Double except Hit with x or more cards
S = Stand S2 = Stand except Hit with x or more cards
Due to the bonus if you get 21 with 4 or more cards, in some instances it is best to Hit and go for these, in the above chart the number next to an action denotes the minimum number of cards you need in order to Hit as opposed to Stand or Double.
Pairs
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
2,2 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H |
3,3 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H |
6,6 | H | H | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H | H | H |
7,7 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP* | H | H | H | H |
8,8 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
9,9 | S | SP | SP | SP | SP | S | SP | SP | S | S |
A,A | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
H = Hit D = Double
S = Stand SP = Split SP* = Split except for Suited 7’s in which case Hit
Double Down Surrender when you have 12-16 Vs 8-A, 17 Vs A
Never Split 4’s, 5’s or 10’s
There are many extra things to remember in Spanish 21 compared to standard Blackjack, remember the extra bonus payouts for getting 21 with 4 or more cards and getting 7-7-7 or 7-8-9. These don’t count if you were to Double though, so in situations where you feel you have a chance to hit these, ensure you follow the table above for the optimal chance of winning.
Don’t be afraid to Surrender – It is better to admit defeat and get some of your bet back in certain circumstances than continuing and losing it all when the odds are against you. Spanish 21 gives you the chance to Surrender at any time, ensure you make the most of it to stay ahead of the game.
Play for fun first if you want to learn the game properly – This is especially important when playing Spanish 21 as there are different features and rules than in standard Blackjack. We, therefore, recommend you play with free chips until you get the hang of this version when you have a better chance of finishing up.
Always play only with money you can afford to lose – this is the same for all casino games which should be fun – if you don’t enjoy it or are gambling with money you cannot afford to lose your mindset will not help the situation giving you a bigger chance of losing.
Blackjack References:
How to Count Cards
Blackjack For Real Money