Spanish 21 is played on the same traditional table as its counterpart, but it offers the player plenty more options than traditional blackjack; however, these options come at a price. Giving the player more options to win would typically reduce the house edge, but casinos have found a way to combat that. Spanish 21 or Fun21 as it is sometimes referred to is a 'house' game, meaning that it has a big house edge. The effect of removing%25 of the 'face' cards is a huge factor. Stick to traditional. I've been researching Spanish 21 (Wizard of Odds and Widipedia), and it appears the odds are just as good (or maybe even better) for Spanish 21 as Blackjack. Does card counting work as well for the Spanish 21 game? 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.

What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 21 Card Game

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.

What's Better Blackjack Or Spanish 212

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:

– Aces can be re-split.

– 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.

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.

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.

Even though blackjack is fun to be played with its classic rules, there are also plenty of variations that can make the gameplay more gripping and worthy of your time and bets. One very exciting variant of the classic game is Spanish 21 which is played very similar to the classic table game but definitely has its own specifics.

If you wish to make your blackjack betting different and more exciting, you can try Spanish 21. The rules of the game are not that different and you would have an easy time grasping all the special options you can utilize.

The Objective and Rules on Spanish 21

Like in every blackjack variation, the main objective of players is to beat the dealer by getting closer to the total of 21, without going bust. In addition to the base game, however, on Spanish 21, players can make a side bet which will award special payouts to those who are lucky enough to win the additional bet. There are also some specific hands that will reward players with great payouts which is another reason to enjoy playing Spanish 21.

The game is usually played with six to eight Spanish decks which are comprised of 48 cards, excluding the 10s. While this might be seen as a disadvantage for players, there are actually some specific rules which improve their winning chances. One of these rules is that whenever both the player and the dealer have 21, this ends up being a win for the player.

Since the game has variable rules, the dealer may stand or hit on soft 17. There are variations of Spanish 21 which will allow players to split up to three times, allowing them to bet on up to four hands. There is also the option for a late surrender after the first two cards are dealt. After a split, players will also have the chance to double down. Unlike other variants where players can draw only one card after splitting Aces when playing Spanish 21, you can draw several cards after they have split Aces.

In addition to the usual blackjack payout of 3 to 2, players also will enjoy special payouts for combinations like 6-7-8 or a five-card 21.

Match The Dealer Side Bet

One very interesting thing about Spanish 21 is that it allows players to make a special side bet called Match the Dealer. This is actually a rather common side bet in many blackjack variations. It allows players to wager money on their initial two cards matching the face-up card of the dealer. The payout that one would enjoy if he/she wins this bet depends on the number of decks used in the game.

If you are playing with six decks, then an unsuited match will award a payout of 4 to 1. If you switch to a version with eight decks, the payout will be 3 to 1. If your match happens to be of the same suit, however, you will enjoy higher payouts of 9 to 1 on a six-deck game and 12 to 1 on an eight-deck variation.

Tips to Follow When Playing Spanish 21

If you wish to improve your Spanish 21 gameplay, then there are a few tips you can follow. There is a separate strategy chart on this exact variation of the game that one can easily find online. If you want to optimize your winning chances, make sure you are following the right type of strategy rather than using a chart that applies to the classic blackjack game.

Whats Better To Play Blackjack Or Spanish 21

While the bonus payouts of Super 21 sound pretty tempting, do not lose your focus and draw just to form one of the special-paying hands. It is better to concentrate on the regular blackjack game and attempt to beat the dealer.

Since the game allows a late surrender, many players tend to overuse this option. The truth is that it is not that profitable to always use this offer and there are actually only a few instances when surrendering is a good tactic.

The fact that there are fewer cards with the value of 10 in the decks of the game is not always disadvantageous for players. In fact, this change means that there is a smaller risk of going bust when drawing more cards which changes the way players may act when playing Spanish 21. This is why drawing more cards is not necessarily a bad thing in this game.

As it was mentioned earlier, Spanish 21 offers a wonderful side bet which is Match the Dealer. And while this betting option may sound very good, players are not advised to resort to doing this type of wager too often. It is true that there are several ways to win this bet and the payouts are not too shabby but the truth is, the house edge of this side bet is very high and gives players a small chance to enjoy a fruitful outcome. In the six-deck version of Spanish 21, the Match the Dealer bet has a house edge of 3.99%, while the eight-deck variant gives the Match the Dealer bet a house advantage of 3.06%. This clearly shows, that avoiding this bet, gives players much better chances of enjoying a profitable outcome.