Spanish 21 Basic Strategy

Spanish 21 is an exciting blackjack variant that offers players a unique experience and, in certain situations, may even be the better choice over traditional blackjack. This variation becomes particularly favorable in casinos where the dealer stands on a soft 17 or allows redoubling, as these rules reduce the house edge further. If you’re seeking a refreshing alternative to classic blackjack while still enjoying a low-risk game, Spanish 21 could be the perfect fit, offering a blend of strategy and excitement with its own set of rules and opportunities. Additionally, learning the Spanish 21 basic strategy can help you make informed decisions, improving your chances of winning by guiding you on when to hit, stand, or double down based on the cards dealt.

Rules

Spanish 21 is played with six or eight Spanish decks, each containing 48 cards (the usual 52, minus the four tens). This card removal increases the house edge, but to balance this, Spanish 21 offers several favorable rules for players. While specific house rules may vary across casinos, the core rules typically include:

Spanish 21 Basic Strategy Overview

The strategy in Spanish 21 varies depending on the number of cards in your hand and whether or not you’ve doubled. Here’s a simplified version of the strategy.

Without Doubling:

For a hand of 5-7, hit; for 8, double if dealer has 3-4, otherwise hit.

For hands of 9-11, doubling is often recommended, depending on the dealer’s card.

For a hand of A,2 to A,9, the strategy varies from hitting to standing, based on the dealer’s card and the composition of your hand.

After Doubling:

Continue to hit or stand based on the dealer’s face-up card and your current hand.

In some situations, surrender is a viable option if the hand strength is weak against the dealer’s card.

Spanish 21 Strategy Chart

Strategy When Player Has Not Doubled

Your Hand	Dealer’s Face-up Card
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
5-7	H	H	H	H	D	H	H	H	H	H
8	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	D3	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D4	D4	D	D	D	D4	D4	H	H	H
11	D3	D4	D4	D4	D4	D4	D4	D3	D2	D2
12	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
13	H	H	H	H	S3*	H	H	H	H	H
14	H	H	S3*	S4*	S5*	H	H	H	H	H
15	S3*	S4*	S5	S5	S	H	H	H	H	H
16	S5	S5	S5	S	S	H	H	H	H	R
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S5	S5	S5	R
18+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,2	H	D2	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,3	H	D2	D3	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4	H	H	D3	D3	D4	H	H	H	H	H
A,5	H	H	D2	D3	D4	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	H	H	D2	D3	D4	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	S3	S3	D3	D4	D5	S5	S3	H	H	H
A,8	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S5	S5
A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H
6,6	H	H	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P*	H	H	H	H
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	R
9,9	S	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
H	Hit
S	Stand
S#	Stand on # or fewer cards, otherwise Hit
S*	Stand unless 6/7/8 bonus is possible
D	Double
D#	Double on # or fewer cards, otherwise Hit
P	Split (Pair)
P*	Split unless suited 7s (possible bonus)
R	Surrender if possible, otherwise Hit

Strategy When Player Has Doubled

Your Hand	Dealer’s Face-up Card
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
7	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R
8	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R
9	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
12	S	S	S	S	S	D	D	R	R	R
13	S	S	S	S	S	S	R	R	R	R
14	S	S	S	S	S	S	R	R	R	R
15	S	S	S	S	S	S	R	R	R	R
16	S	S	S	S	S	S	R	R	R	R
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	R
18+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,2-A,6	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
A,7	S	S	D	D	D	S	S	S	S	S
A,8+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
S	Stand
D	Double
R	Surrender

It’s highly recommended that you refrain from aiming for the bonus payouts, and you should avoid placing any extra side bets that require an additional cost for eligibility. It’s also important to note that while surrendering your hand is an option in the game, it’s far from always a profitable move. The reduced presence of 10-value cards in the game significantly decreases the likelihood of busting on many hands, making it often more advantageous to draw another card. Beginners to the game frequently overuse the surrender option, particularly those accustomed to traditional blackjack.

Close Call Strategies

There are several “close call” situations in Spanish 21 where strategy recommendations may differ, such as 5/6 vs dealer 6 (double vs hit), 13 vs dealer 6 (hit vs stand), and A2/3 vs dealer 3 (double vs hit). These require careful consideration and may depend on the specific rules of the table you’re playing at.

If you like gambling and betting, you may also find our odds betting calculator useful.

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