Spanish 21 Blackjack Game Variation
It is a high time to welcome one more famous variation of blackjack which is called to be Spanish 21; the interesting fact is that, in spite of its name, Spanish 21 was created and developed in the USA, not in Spain. The game appeared in 1995 in Nevada, and it was one average casino employee who created it in order to have some specific blackjack game to play and enjoy.
Spanish 21 has become extremely popular for the short period of time, and today it is played in all land-based and online casinos; moreover, a special Spanish 21 strategy has been developed for this game, and professional players have published books devoted particularly to it. Today it is also possible to find Spanish 21 tournaments which take place both online and in live casinos.
Why Is It Called So?
If Spanish 21 is not the European blackjack variation, why then has it got such an interesting name? The reason of it is a special deck of cards this game is played with: Spanish deck consists of 48 cards because all 10's are absent there. Such a deck gives a good advantage to a player and lets him/her to get more chances for winning. So, it is not surprising now why Spanish 21 is so popular amongst all blackjack players today: its special rules work play on a gambler's side.
How to Play
Let's have a look at Spanish 21 in order to understand how to play it properly:
1. Spanish 21 has the same object with all other blackjack variations: to beat a dealer without exceeding 21 points; the basic rules of the game and card values are also the same with a traditional blackjack.
2. Spanish 21 is played with 6-8 decks of 48 cards: remember, that 10's are absent in card decks when you choose Spanish 21 to play.
3. Two cards are dealt to both a dealer and a player; as for a dealer, s/he has a small advantage though it can hardly be seen because of additional player's bonuses Spanish 21 gives. A dealer has a right to Hit or Stand when s/he has soft 17.
4. A dealer will never be a winner if both s/he and a player have 21 points! The winner will always be a player.
5. As for a player, s/he has many bonuses when plays Spanish 21: s/he can double any number of cards and split up to 4 cards; Aces are also allowed to split!
6. Spanish 21 give a very interesting system of payouts: they are different and depend on a card combination a gambler has:
- cards which give 21 points are paid as 3:2
- cards which give 21 points are paid as 2:1
- cards which give 21 points are paid as 3:1
- card combination is paid as 3:2
- card combination is paid as 3:2
Wizard of Odds gives the full description of Spanish 21 strategy which helps you to increase your chances for winning if you use it. You can also compare it to Perfect Pairs or European Blackjack strategy.
