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]
Rules[edit]
Spanish 21 is played on a blackjack table with a custom layout and uses the following rules:
In order to signify that you wish to double down your hand, place an additional amount of chips equal to or less than your original wager beside the original wager on the blackjack table. This is the universally accepted method of doubling down. By that standard, there is no reason a blackjack player with enough chips in front of them should double down for any less than the 100% maximum. The only time it would be acceptable to double down for less is when your chip count is too low to match the original wager.
- 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.
Double Down Blackjack
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.
| 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[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.
| 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% |
References[edit]
- ^Dalton, Michael. 'S ... is for Shuffle - Blackjack Review Network'. Blackjack Review Network.
- ^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]
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
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On This Page
Introduction
Rule variations will have an effect on the player's expected return. The numbers below show the effect on the player's return under various rules and after taking into consideration proper basic strategy adjustments. These changes are relative to the following rules: eight decks, dealer stands on soft 17, player may double on anyfirst two cards, player can double after splitting, playermay split to 4 hands.
Blackjack Rule Variations
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Blackjacks pay 2 to 1 | +2.27% |
| Triple down on any two cards | +1.64% |
| Five cardCharlie1 | +1.46% |
| Optional half win for 5-card Charlie9 | +0.77% |
| Suited blackjacks pay 2 to 1 | +0.57% |
| Player 21-points is automatic winner | +0.54% |
| Single deck | +0.48% |
| Early surrender against ace | +0.39% |
| Player 21 vs. dealer blackjack is a push | +0.35% |
| 5-card win pays 3-2 | +0.33% |
| Blackjack tie pays 3 to 2 | +0.32% |
| Six-card Charlie pays 3 to 2 | +0.31% |
| Early surrender against ten | +0.24% |
| 5-card (or more) 21 automatically pays 2 to 1 | +0.24% |
| Player may double on any number of cards | +0.23% |
| Ace and 10 after splitting aces is a blackjack | +0.19% |
| Player may draw to split aces | +0.19% |
| Double deck | +0.19% |
| Six card Charlie1 | +0.16% |
| Player may double, double for less, or stand after splitting aces | +0.15% |
| Tied blackjack pays 1-2 | +0.11% |
| Double Down Rescue | +0.10% |
| 6-card win pays 2-1 | +0.09% |
| Player may resplit aces | +0.08% |
| Player may double or stand after splitting aces | +0.08% |
| Late surrender against ten | +0.07% |
| Four decks | +0.06% |
| 7-card win pays 5-1 | +0.05% |
| 777 pays 3 to 1 automatically | +0.05% |
| Five decks | +0.03% |
| 777 pays 2 to 1 automatically | +0.03% |
| Six decks | +0.02% |
| Seven card Charlie1 | +0.01% |
| Late surrender against ace | +0.00% |
| Dealer must stop with six cards | +0.00% |
| Late surrender after splitting | +0.00% |
| Split to only 3 hands | -0.01% |
| No-peek: ace showing2 | -0.01% |
| BB+13 | -0.01% |
| Dealer secretly goes first5 | -0.02% |
| OBBO4 | -0.03% |
| European no hole card (splitting)7 | -0.03% |
| European no hole card (doubling)7 | -0.08% |
| Player may double on 9-11 only | -0.09% |
| No-peek: ten showing6 | -0.10% |
| Player may not resplit | -0.10% |
| European no hole card7 | -0.11% |
| Player may not double after splitting | -0.14% |
| Player may double on 10,11 only | -0.18% |
| Player may not split aces | -0.18% |
| Dealer hits on soft 17 | -0.22% |
| Blackkjack pays 7-5 | -0.45% |
| Player may not split | -0.57% |
| Red blackjack pays 2-1, Black blackjack pays 3-2, Mixed blackjack pays 1-1 | -0.57% |
| Blackjack pays 6-5 | -1.39% |
| Player may not double | -1.48% |
| Player loses 17 ties | -1.87% |
| Player may not double nor split | -1.91% |
| Blackjacks pay 1 to 1 | -2.27% |
| Player loses 17,18 ties | -3.58% |
| Player loses 17-19 ties | -5.30% |
| Dealer bust on 22 is a push8 | -6.91% |
| Player loses 17-20 ties | -8.38% |
| Player loses 17-21 ties | -8.86% |
Notes
- A 'Charlie' is an automatic winner. For example the five-card Charlie rule means the player automatically wins with 5 cards, as long as he didn't bust.
- Dealer does not peek for blackjack with an ace up. If dealer has a ace-up blackjack, player loses all bets made, including from doubling and splitting. A 10-up blackjack will be revealed immediately after peeking, and the player will lose only his original wager, except a blackjack tie will push.
- BB+1 refers to an Australian rule, in which the player will lose all busted bets, plus one unit, if the dealer gets a blackjack. For example, if the player splits 8's to three hands of a 20, (doubled) 19, and a busted hand, and the dealer get a blackjack, then the player will lose 2 units, one for the busted hand, and one from the remaining 3 units on the table. There is a great deal of confusion for the term for his rule, some sources calling it 'OBBO,' for Original and Busted Bets Only.
- OBBO stands for Original Bets and Busted Only. 'Original Bets' means each original bet per hand. So, if the player bet $5 and split to three hands, he would have three original bets of $5 each. As far as I know, the OBBO rule is confined to some parts of Australia and Malaysia. In the example above, the player would lose 3 units under this rule, one for the busted hand and two for the number of unbusted hands. The term is discussed in depth in the bookThe Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon by Katarina Walker.
- This strange rule is actually followed in Pennsylvania, on Shufflemaster TMS-300 video multi-player blackjack games. State law prohibits one player taking the cards of another player. The way they implement this rule is to give every player, and the dealer, a separate shoe. The dealer plays out his hand first, secretly, and the results stored in memory. Then the cards used by the dealer are removed for each player shoe. When all players have finished acting, the game shows what cards the dealer drew already. According to Shufflemaster, the effect of this rule is 0.02% in favor of the dealer. Shufflemaster wishes to add this rule is part of a patent-pending technology.
- Dealer does not peek for blackjack with a 10 up. If dealer has a 10-up blackjack, player loses all bets made, including from doubling and splitting. An ace-up blackjack will be revealed immediately after peeking, and the player will lose only his original wager, except a blackjack tie will push.
- Dealer does not take a hole card, or never peeks at it if he does. If the dealer has a blackjack, then player loses all bets made, including from doubling and splitting, except a blackjack tie will push. The cost of this rule to the player is 0.08% when doubling, and 0.03% when splitting. This breakdown is important in the case of Galaxy casinos in Macau, where the player only loses the original bet when doubling, but everything when splitting, if the dealer gets a blackjack.
- The push on a dealer 22 rule is a legally protected rule. The rights belong to the owner of Blackjack Switch.
- This rule can be found at the Pharaoh's Palace in Macau. The player may invoke the rule before the dealer checks for blackjack. The effect shown is based on the dealer not taking a hole card.
