Spanish 21, a popular variant of Blackjack, is played in casinos around the world. The game has some intriguing deviations that influence the house advantage of the game.
Rules
Spanish 21 is played on a similar tables like those at BlackJack. It only uses a custom layout and a different line set.
The cards all have the same value as with blackjack. However, the game uses American card games with 48 cards. Four cards with the value 10 were removed from the game.
The game is played with six or eight decks, which are pulled from a cardholder. The dealer receives a closed card in Spanish 21. A closed card is a card that is shared with the image down. This means that neither the dealer nor the player can see the value of the card.
If a player gets a blackjack, consisting of a bait and a card with a value of 10, he automatically wins the game. He will then receive a payment of 3: 2, regardless of whether the dealer has blackjack.
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Insurance at Spanish 21
Even though there are four cards less, the insurance is still paid out at 2: 1. The house advantage in the insurance in Spanish 21 is 24.7%, making the house advantage one of the worst bets.
Late surrender is when the player surrenders after he has seen the dealer's hand. He can then get half of his bet back and the game then stops immediately.
The dealer can look under the closed card after his two cards have been shared. But only when the open card is an ace. If the dealer looks and discovers that he has blackjack, all players lose automatically unless one of them has blackjack.
Every time the player ends with Blackjack, he automatically wins, regardless of whether or not the dealer has blackjack. Players are paid differently, depending on the number of cards they draw before they pull 21. A five card 21 pays 3: 2. With six cards, the payout 2: 1 is out and a 21 with seven or more cards pays 3: 1.
Difference with blackjack
Spanish 21 was only introduced in 1995. This Blackjack variant therefore has less history than the game on which it is based. The predecessor of Blackjack is 21. A short story by Miguel de Cervantes indicates that 21 has been played since the 17th century or earlier in Spain.
The history of Blackjack started in Spain, but spread to other European countries by the 18th century. In Great Britain there are indications that the game dates from the 1770s. After making a round through Europe, 21 finally came to America somewhere in the 19th century. 21 was given the American name Blackjack from gold diggers.
They called one of the minerals that indicated "blackjack" in a gold or silver deposit. Top bonuses in casinos that played the game at that time were then named after this mineral. Eventually the game itself was called Blackjack.
Big difference
A big change of line that gives the chances of the player a big boost has to do with Blackjack. In Spanish 21, the player's blackjack always beats the dealer's blackjack. Every time you draw a blackjack in the game, you receive a payment of 3: 2. Regardless of the dealer's hand.
Late surrender is another important difference between Spanish 21 and other blackjack variants. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, you can give up the game and get half of your bet back. If you feel that the card game is not to your advantage, a late surrender gives you the chance to minimize the risk.
Doubling also works differently in Spanish 21 than at Blackjack. At Blackjack you can only double On the original two cards that you have shared. This means that you can only double your bet based on the first two cards you get.
With Spanish 21 you can double all the cards that you get in the game. Every time you double, you receive a different card. You can repeat this process twice by multiplying your bet by a maximum of eight. This gives you the option of receiving a huge payout.
The double rules of Spanish 21 work in combination with the rules for late surrender. Even though doubling increases the risk considerably, you can always get half back.
House advantage at Spanish 21
The house advantage for Spanish 21 varies based on the dealer at 17. Soft 17 is when the dealer has a sum of 17 and contains an AAS.
For example, if the dealer's hand had a six and a bait, it would be a soft 17. Soft 17 means that the dealer could pull a 10 and that the hand is not bust. The value of the bait would turn into one and the dealer would have 18 in his hand.
Hard 17 is when the dealer's hand has no bait, but a value of 17. For example, the dealer can have a six, another six and a five. Hard 17 has the same rules at casinos, but dealers can take or fit a map on soft 17. This again depends on the rules that the casino has set.
Greater advantage
The house has a greater advantage when the dealer buys on soft 17. The house advantage is 0.78% for a game with six card games and 0.80% for a game with eight card games. The advantage of the house goes down if the dealer takes a map on soft 17. The advantage of taking the house by card on soft 17 is 0.37% and 0.38% respectively for a game with six cards and a game with eight cards.
The house advantage will also change, depending on whether you choose to double during the game. With Redoubling, the house advantage changes to 0.42% for six decks and 0.45% for eight decks. The "Match The Dealer" side deployment has different house benefits, depending on how many card games are involved. The more card games there are in the game, the lower the house advantage will be for the sidebet.
With two decks in the game, the house advantage is 3.63% and Suited Matches have an odds of 19: 1. However, with eight decks in the game, the house advantage is 2.99% and Suited Matches have an odds of 12: 1.
Sidebets
The super bonus is a popular side-bet on Spanish 21. If a player has a 7-7-7 hand against a dealer seven, he gets the super bonus. The super bonus is $ 1000 for bets under $ 25 and $ 5000 for bets of more than $ 25. Splitting or double will destroy the super bonus.
All players at the table receive a jealousy bonus of $ 50 if another player at the table wins a super bonus. Another common sidebet offered at this table game is Match The Dealer.
If the value of one or both original two cards matches the value of the dealer's open card, you can win this sidebet. This is a fairly simple sidebet to understand, but it can increase the pleasure of your hand. With this you can try to predict which open card the dealer will give himself.
You can with some casinos Also install a second match the dealer deployment. The second bet works the same as the first, except that this time you try to match the dealer's hole card.
Where can I play Spanish 21?
You can only play this variant of Blackjack in the Netherlands at online casinos. The game is often also offered as a live table game.
The casino offers insurance with Spanish 21. This allows players to use half of the original bet on each hand. Although you can double your hand at the casino, bonuses are not paid after you have doubled a hand.
Splitting couples is also available here. Players can split cards of equal value to create up to four hands. The online casino also usually allows the beating and doubleing of split hands.
Unlike double hands, bonuses can be paid on split hands. But you are usually not eligible for a super bonus after you have split your hand.
Conclusion
Spanish 21 is a very attractive variation on the traditional Blackjack game. Due to the various deployment options and actions, there is more choice for the player. The house advantage is constantly changing. And those who want to be sure that a profit will be made in the long term will have to keep a close eye on that.