Rules of Spanish 21 Blackjack

Spanish 21 blackjack variation is very well known and quite popular with players. The main difference between standard blackjack and Spanish 21 blackjack is that all the 10s are removed from the deck. When all the 10s are removed from the game, the advantage of the house increases quite significantly. However, in order to make up for it there are several interesting bonuses and many rules which work in the favor of the player when compared to blackjack.

One of the best things about Spanish 21 is that when the player and the dealer both have a total of 21, the player would always win. The additional details of the game are as listed below.

Bonus 21

In the game of Spanish 21, when the total equals to 21 the player can qualify for Bonus 21. For example, in a five card hand, the total of 21 can give the player a payout of 3:2. With a 6 card hand, the payout is 2:1 and with 7 or more the payout is 3:1.

Super Bonus

The player can receive a super bonus in the game when the hand is a suited 7-7-7 while the dealer has a 7 in any suit. When the player has placed a bet of $5 to $24, the bonus would be that of $1000 while it could be significantly higher for bets more than $25. Even all the other players on the table would be given a bonus known as an envy bonus whenever anyone at the table gets a super bonus. However, the exact rules might differ at every casino.

Splitting

In Spanish 21 too the players can split their cards with equal value including the aces. The maximum number of hands which can be created is four. On any split hand, the player can double or hit. No super bonus is paid on split hands but Bonus 21 is still applicable.

Late Surrender

In Spanish 21 there is a late surrender, where the odd of a player is increased. If the player does not like his/her first two cards which are dealt, the player can forfeit the hand and surrender half of their bet which would remove them from that hand. However, this move is not allowed when the dealer has a blackjack.

Doubling

The players can double down on their hands on any two of their cards or even more with any total even after they have split their hand. Whenever, the player would double down he/she can place a bet which is equal or less than the value of the original bet.

Double Down Rescue

An additional rule in Spanish 21 is that of double down rescue. Whenever a player is not happy with his/her double down hand the player can rescue the doubled part of the bet. When a player would choose to do this, he/she would forfeit the original bet and would be removed from the hand all together.

These were the basic rules of Spanish 21 which are quite similar to that of blackjack but with a few variations.