Blackjack In Spanish

1. Play Spanish 21 For Free
2. Blackjack Strategy Trainer

What Are the Rules of Spanish 21? Spanish 21 is still played on the same casino tables as the game. (m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol). (M) I lost a lot of money.

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]

Play Spanish 21 For Free

Rules[edit]

Spanish 21 is played on a blackjack table with a custom layout and uses the following rules:

• The game is played with six or eight decks dealt from a shoe, or from a continuous shuffling machine (CSM). Spanish 21 is played with 48-card Spanish decks, although standard French suited 52-card decks are used with the 4 ten-spot cards removed. All cards have the same values as in blackjack.
• The dealer gets a hole card.
• Like traditional blackjack, the dealer hits on 16 and stands on 17. In some venues, the dealer hits on a soft 17 (abbreviated as H17), though most venues have the dealer stand on soft 17 (S17). Hitting soft 17 (H17) negatively impacts the player; that rule increased the house edge by 0.40%.
• Blackjack (a natural total of 21 on the first two cards) always wins, and is always paid 3:2 regardless of whether or not the dealer has a blackjack.
• Insurance is paid 2:1, just like in blackjack, despite the fact that there are four fewer ten-valued cards per deck. As 3 cards in 12 are worth ten, the chance of the dealer getting a blackjack when showing an Ace is only 25%. Therefore, for insurance to be an even bet, it would have to pay 3:1, not 2:1. The house edge on the insurance is 24.7%, one of the worst of any wager in a casino.
• Hitting, standing, and splitting all follow similar rules to blackjack. Doubling after splitting (DAS) is always permitted, and, in most venues, players are allowed to draw as many cards as they wish after splitting aces, or may double down after receiving second or subsequent cards.
• Players can split to a maximum of four hands, even on aces.
• In most venues, if the dealer does not have blackjack, players may surrender, and get half their bet back in exchange for relinquishing the right to play on. This type of surrender is known as a 'late surrender' (LS).
• Players can surrender after doubling (sometimes called forfeit, double-down rescue, or concede). The dealer takes the original bet, and the player retains the double portion of the bet. This is because the player is allowed to double down for less than the original bet.
• Once the initial two-card hands are dealt, if the dealer is showing an Ace or face card, he peeks underneath the hole card to check for a blackjack, before playing actually commences. If he has blackjack, all players automatically lose, unless they also have a blackjack (which, as mentioned above, automatically win 3:2).
• The player may double down on any total and on any number of cards.
• In some casinos, players may double double down, or redouble up to two times after doubling down. For example: The player bets one unit and is dealt 2-3, giving a hand total of 5; the dealer is showing a 6. The player doubles the first time and draws a 3. The hand total is now 8 and the total amount wagered is two units. The player doubles a second time and draws a 3. The hand total is now 11 and the total amount wagered is four units. When the player doubles a third time on 11, the total amount wagered will be eight units. Redoubling is a profoundly player-advantageous rule, when optimally executed.
• A total of 21 always wins for the player. It never pushes against the dealer's 21.
• A five-card 21 pays 3:2, a six-card 21 pays 2:1, and a 21 with seven or more cards pays 3:1. A 21 composed of 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. These bonus payouts apply even if the hand was the result of a split. However, doubling down negates these bonuses.
• A 'super bonus' of $1000 for bets under $25, and $5000 for bets of $25 and over, is paid on a suited 7-7-7 against any dealer 7. All other players at the table receive a $50 'envy bonus'. Splitting or doubling down negates the 'super bonus'.

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.

House edge[edit]

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.

Match the Dealer[edit]

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.

References[edit]

Blackjack Strategy Trainer

1. ^Dalton, Michael. 'S ... is for Shuffle - Blackjack Review Network'. Blackjack Review Network.
2. ^Reproduced from The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon (Lulu Publishing, 2008), with permission from the author, Katarina Walker

External links[edit]

If the rules say that the dealer must stand on Soft 17, Spanish 21 may become more profitable than regular Blackjack.

Spanish Blackjack is considered by many to be one of the most profitable variations of the game, especially when it comes to the dealer standing on soft 17, or where players are able to redouble. This can lead to the game being classed as a better option than classic blackjack.

This version of blackjack is played with either six or eight Spanish decks, that being a standard 52-card deck with four tens removed to make 48. This does of course give the dealer a big advantage, although Spanish Blackjack does bring some favour back to the player with several differing rules.

Spanish 21 Blackjack Rules

Because Spanish 21 is a variation of the blackjack game, players will need to familiarize themselves with the specific rules tied to the game, which are as follows:

• A player with a hand worth 21 always wins, regardless of what the dealer holds

• Players may double down on any initial 2-card hand, regardless of the value

• Players may hit and double down after splitting any card values, even Aces

• Players may surrender after doubling, forfeiting their original bet but keeping their double down bet

• When a player wins with a 5-card 21, the payout is 3 to 2

• When a player wins with a 6-card 21, the payout is 2 to 1

• When a player wins with a 7 or more card 21, the payout is 3 to 1

• A 21 hand consisting of 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits payouts out 3 to 2, or 2 to 1 of the same suit. Of spades, the payouts is 3 to 1

• When a player has a suited 7-7-7 hand and the dealer has a face up 7 card, the payout is $1000 if the player wagered $5-$24 and $5000 if the player wagered $25 or more.

Difference Between Classic Blackjack and Spanish 21

The obvious difference between classic and Spanish 21 Blackjack is that this version provides a bigger list of rules. However, it does also provide players more options when it comes to the playing of the game. Of course, as mentioned, this version of blackjack is only played with 48-card decks, whereas classic uses the full 52.

The different payouts for different collections of cards noted above is also different, as classic blackjack usually just features a standard payout of 3 to 2 for 21 blackjack hand, 2 to 1 on an insurance hand if the dealer has blackjack and 1 to 1 for a standard winning hand. This provides a much stronger attraction to Spanish 21, for obvious reasons.

Can Spanish 21 be Played Online?

The short answer to this is yes. While many online casinos offer Spanish 21 as a blackjack option, we’d highly recommend using the version offered by the game supplier Microgaming. They also have a Gold version of Spanish 21 that comes with added thrills and twists like the removal of all 10 value cards. You can play Microgaming’s version by visiting 32Red Casino. UK players are eligible for £10 free no deposit chip.