The Game

The game Spanish 21 is a variant of Blackjack and played with six to eight decks and using only 48 cards per deck, referred to as Spanish deck, which originates from the standard 52 card deck but less the four tens. The game is also known to Malaysian and Australian players as Pontoon, and on the Australian market there are some rule changes and hence for details please see the games menu and Pontoon.

 

Players are naturally identifying losing the tens to be in favour of the house, and while correct, there are several others that favours the players odds, and as a result the game offers a very low house edge.

 

 

How to Play Spanish 21

The participants play against the dealer (the bank) independent of other players. The player's goal is to draw cards which together should amount to 21, or as close as possible without exceeding 21. When the player gets 21 (no two-cards rule) it's a blackjack (21), and players blackjack always win.

Ace counts as 1 or 11, dressed cards as 10 (where the actual four ten-cards have been removed from the game) and remaining cards according to their value. If the player's sum of cards is closer to 21 than the dealer's then he wins as much as what was wagered. If the player's sum of cards is exceeding 21 he loses what was wagered.

 

In Spanish 21, there is no two-card requirement on blackjack 21, and thereto players can get 21 on several cards, and with different pay dependent on how you show 21. If the player and the dealer have the same value from 17 and onward, no one wins and the stake goes back to the player in a so-called push. Player 21 always win.

 

Note... Online the deck is shuffled after each hand.

 

Split

If the player's first two cards are of the same value he may split them and with a new stake of the same value he gets two separate hands, and a split hand can be split again, Aces as well. The player draws cards in accordance to regular rules. If the player splits two Aces he or she can draw as many card as they want, given that the hand can be improved and, thereafter the dealer draws. If the player splits two Aces and gets 21 on his respectively hands, player 21 always wins.

 

Note... Online it is common that players may not split a split hand, or re-split once, while land-based commonly allows a player to split up to four times.

 

Double Down

it is possible for the player to double his stake, and in Spanish 21 doubling a bet can be done at any time, on players first two cards, on players third and fourth card etc., on split hands and regardless of hands total. Double down is done when the player thinks his next card will give him a position where he can win over the dealer. Player can also double down on split Aces.

 

Insurance

if the dealer's first card is an Ace he is then considered to have good possibilities to get Blackjack. The player can, if he believes the bank's dark card is a 10, insure himself against Blackjack. If you choose to insure yourself you have to pay an amount of half your wager. If the dealer gets Blackjack the insurance will pay 2 to 1, which corresponds, to your original stake. If you have insured yourself and the dealer does not get Blackjack then you lose your insurance. The insurance is to be seen as a game of its own within the game and it gives the player a chance to protect himself when he thinks that the dealer will get Blackjack. The player should not insure himself when he has Blackjack. If the dealer gets Blackjack towards your Blackjack, player wins in Spanish 21.

 

Note... Considering that the decks hold fewer ten-value cards, the dealer has a 25% chance of getting blackjack if showing an Ace, and hence in Spanish 21 insurance is considered a suckers bet.

 

Hole Card Rule

Hole card rule means that most operators apply the "peek" rule when the dealer sits with an open ace and insurance is taken.

 

Rules for the Dealer

The dealer must draw cards until he at least has 17 and must stay on 17 or higher. In other words, if the dealer gets 16 he has to draw a card. The dealer has no freedom to draw cards depending on your hand. The dealer works accordingly to valid rules and cannot act on his own. How you as a player should act are guided by two factors, your own cards and the dealer's open card.

 

 

Match the Dealer

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	6	8
Non-Suited Match	4 to 1	3 to 1
Double Non-Suited Match	8 to 1	6 to 1
Suited Match	9 to 1	12 to 1
Suited + Non-Suited Match	13 to 1	15 to 1
Double Suited Match	18 to 1	24 to 1
House Edge	3.06%	2.99%

 

 

Online Peek Deal

Online and applying standard rules for Peek deal one do so with the exceptions that the deck is shuffled after each hand. Commonly online also means that the dealer only checks for blackjack in case the open card is an ace and if insurance is taken, compared to land based peek rules where the dealer always checks for blackjack on an open 10 value card.

 

Peek deal and double down and split on dealers first card being of value 10, and the dealer gets blackjack, the player loses only the initial bet.

 

 

Wagers Pay

The following is standard pay on winnings in Spanish 21.

 

Winning Wager	Pay
Winning hand	1 to 1
Insurance	2 to 1

 

 

Spanish 21 Blackjack Pays

The following is standard pay on 21 Blackjack winnings.

 

Spanish 21 Blackjack	Pay
Five card 21	3 to 2
Six card 21	2 to 1
Seven card 21	3 to 1
6-7-8 cards, no suit	3 to 2
6-7-8 cards, suit	2 to 1
7-7-7 cards, no suit	3 to 2
7-7-7 cards, suit	2 to 1
21 in Spades suit	3 to 1

 

The above bonus payouts apply even on split hands, however they don't apply if receiving 21 on a doubled hand.

 

Note... Seven card 21 pays 3 to 1 regardless of seven cards or more. 

 

Note... Considering that the decks hold fewer ten-value cards, the dealer has a 25% chance of getting blackjack if showing an Ace, and hence in Spanish 21 insurance is considered a suckers bet.

 

 

Super 777 Bonuses

Super bonus of 1000 for bets made under 25, and 5000 for bets of 25 and over, is paid on a suited 7-7-7 against any dealer 7, and all other players at the table receive a 50 "envy bonus". Super bonus does not apply on split hands.

 

 

House Edge

Per the definition of standard rules and optimal play the game is most commonly played using an six deck shoe and dealer stand on soft 17, and with the above rules and winning wagers the following house edge applies.

 

Six deck shoe, dealer stand on soft 17, house edge is 0.37%.

Six deck shoe, dealer hit on soft 17, house edge is 0.78%.

 

Eight deck shoe, dealer stand on soft 17, house edge is 0.38%.

Eight deck show, dealer hit on soft 17, house edge is 0.80%.