Spanish 21 is a common form of blackjack played in many of the larger casinos. You’ll find the game played all over the world, though it originated in European casinos. Most gambling establishments in the United States didn’t offer the game until 1995 or later.

1. 21 Spanish Card Games
2. How To Count Cards In Spanish 21

• As one might expect, Spanish 21 uses the Spanish deck, which is simply a normal deck with all of the tens removed. There are several rule variations for this game, especially as it is a popular game played in brick-and-mortar casinos all over the U.S.A., so it is important to understand what the house rules are and how they may affect the house edge.
• Spanish 21 is a variation of one of the most iconic casino games, Blackjack. Spanish 21 offers some new and interesting changes that shift the dynamic of the game, one of which is the removal of all number ‘10’ cards from the deck. This leaves the dealer with decks of 48 cards, rather than 52. This increases the house edge, or the chance that the dealer will beat the players, due to the fact that high value cards are.

How to Play Spanish 21

How Spanish 21 is Related to Blackjack

21 Spanish Card Games

Spanish 21 is a fast-paced variation of blackjack that has become increasingly popular. The game is played on a standard blackjack table. The main difference between Spanish 21 compared to blackjack is the removal of all 10's in the decks. Jacks, Queens, and Kings remain, but all natural 10's are removed from every deck used at the table.

If you know much about blackjack you're probably thinking that Spanish 21 holds a very high casino advantage. By removing all of the 10's, Spanish 21 gains an increase in house advantage by about 25%. However, to compensate for removing the 10's and the higher house advantage, there are very lucrative bonuses and additional rules, compared to blackjack, which bring the house advantage back down.

One of the most important rules in Spanish 21, that highly differs from blackjack, is the rule that a player's 21 always beats a dealer's 21. The additional rules and bonuses are listed below.

Bonus 21

When your cards equal 21 in Spanish 21, you might qualify for a Bonus 21. The chart below explains each type of bonus you can receive for achieving a total of 21.

Super Bonus

In Spanish 21, a player can receive the Super Bonus when they are holding suited 7-7-7 and the dealer draws a 7 in any suit. Bets from $5 to $24 pay a Super Bonus of $1000 and bets of $25 or more pay a Super Bonus of $5000. If a Super Bonus occurs, an Envy Bonus of $50 is paid to every other active player at the table. Both splitting and doubling void the Super Bonus.

Some casinos have slightly different rules for the Super Bonus so make sure to check the rules before playing.

Pair Splitting

When playing Spanish 21 you have the option of splitting any cards of equal value, including aces, to create a maximum of four hands. You have the option of hitting and doubling on any split hand. The Bonus 21 is paid out on split hands, but split hands void the Super Bonus.

Late Surrender

Spanish 21 offers a rule called late surrenders. Late surrenders is another additional rule that increases the odds of the player. If a player doesn't like the first two cards that they are dealt, they have the option of surrendering and forfeiting half of their original bet, which completely removes them from the hand. However, surrendering is never allowed on a dealer's blackjack.

Doubling Down

Players are allowed to double down once on any two or more cards, with any total, even after splitting. When a player chooses to double down, he can place any bet up to a maximum of his original bet. Bonus 21 payouts are voided on a hand that is doubled down.

Double Down Rescue

How To Count Cards In Spanish 21

There is an additional rule in Spanish 21 concerning doubling down called double down rescue. With the double down rescue rule, if a player is not satisfied with his non-busted double down hand, he is allowed to rescue the doubled portion of his bet. If a player chooses to rescue their doubled down bet, he forfeits his original wager and is removed from the hand.

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