Blackjack pays 2:1. However, all other Blackjacks pay even money. This last rule is very expensive. The game requires a quite different strategy to be played correctly.

Ø  Spanish 21 – This Blackjack game has been around for a few years and is lately becoming more popular. Katarina Walker is the expert on this game and I have copied (but shortened) the Wikipedia definition of the game below as she has edited it to create the best explanation in print. For more information, read Katarina Walker’s The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon.

·         The game is played with two, four, five, six, or eight decks dealt from a shoe, or from a continuous shuffling machine (CSM). Spanish 21 is played with 48-card Spanish decks, which are standard 52-card decks with the 4 ten-spot cards removed. All cards have the same values as in Blackjack.

·         The dealer gets a hole card.

·         In most venues, the dealer hits soft 17. The house edge for 6-deck H17 Spanish 21 is 0.78%, but the house edge for 6-deck S17 Spanish 21 is only 0.37%.

·         Blackjack pays 3:2, and always wins regardless of whether or not the dealer has a blackjack.

·         Insurance is paid 2:1, just as 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. Consequently, the insurance bet in Spanish 21 ties with Keno as being the worst bet in any 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. The Mohegan Sun casino does not allow drawing on split aces.

·         In most venues, late surrender is allowed.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger