29 Aug

Spanish 21 Strategy Guide and Advice

On August 29, 2019 posted by Adalene Lucas in Blackjack, Games, Spanish 21, Strategies No Comments

99.58% RTP tips and winning strategy for Spanish 21 Blackjack.

Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant in which all tens are removed from the deck. That doesn’t sound like a very friendly game, now does it? Fortunately, many of the other rules were altered to favor the players, giving it an overall house edge of 0.42%.

The following strategy for Spanish 21 is a basic one, but if followed precisely, will deliver the 99.58% RTP promised above.

Spanish 21 Basic Strategy Guide

For ease of understanding, I’ve split this section into three situational parts; Hard Total Hands, Soft Total Hands, and Conditions for Splitting.

How to Decide Hard Total Hands

A hard total is any hand value that does not involve and Ace, or involves an Ace that is counted as 1 (not 11). The following chart details how to handle any situation based on the hard value of your hand.

Hand Value	Correct Action by Situation
8 & Under	Hit
18 & Up	Stand
9	Double if Dealer shows 6; otherwise Hit.
10	Double if Dealer shows 2-7; otherwise Hit.
11	Double if Dealer shows 2-8; otherwise Hit.
12	Hit
13	Stand if Dealer shows 5 or 6. Hit if Dealer shows 2-4 or 7-Ace, or on any 5 cards.
14	Hit if Dealer shows 2, 3 or 7-Ace; Hit on four cards if Dealer shows 4; Hit on 5 cards if Dealer shows 5 or 6; otherwise Stand.
15	Hit if Dealer shows 7+; Hit on four cards if Dealer shows 2; Hit on five cards if Dealer shows 3 or 4; Hit on 6 cards if Dealer shows 5 or 6; otherwise Stand.
16	Surrender to Dealer’s Ace; Hit if Dealer shows 7-K; Hit on 5 cards if Dealer shows 2; Hit on 6 cards if Dealer shows 3 or 4; otherwise Stand.
17	Surrender to Dealer’s Ace; Hit on 6 cards against Dealer’s 8, 9 or 10; otherwise Stand.

How to Decide Soft Total Hands

A soft total is any hand that contains an Ace that is being counted as 11. The exceptional feature here is that hitting any soft total cannot result in a bust, therefore the strategy is more intricate, especially when it comes to doubling or hitting for a 5-, 6- or 7-card Charlie.

Hand Value	Correct Action by Situation
15 & Under	Hit
19 & Up	Stand
16	Double if Dealer shows 6; otherwise Hit. Exceptions: Hiton 4 cards if Dealer shows 6.
17	Double on 2 cards against Dealer’s 4, on 2-3 cards against Dealer’s 5, or on 2-4 cards against Dealer’s 6; otherwise Hit.
18	Hit if Dealer shows 9-Ace; Stand if Dealer shows 2, 3, 7 or 8; Double if Dealer shows 4, 5 or 6. Exceptions: Hit on 4+ cards against Dealer’s 2, 3, 4 or 8; Hit on 5 cards against Dealer’s 5 or 6; Hit on 6 cards against Dealer’s 7.

Conditions for Splitting Pairs

Spanish 21 rules allow for the splitting of any matching pairs (2-2, 7-7, Q-Q, etc.) That doesn’t mean you should always split when dealt a pair. Perfect strategy calls for the following actions when faced with the option to split a hand.

Pair	Correct Action by Situation
A-A	Split
2-2	Split only if Dealer shows 3 thru 7
3-3	Split only if Dealer shows 3 thru 7
4-4	Do not Split; (see Hard/Soft Hands above)
5-5	Do not Split; (see Hard/Soft Hands above)
6-6	Split only if Dealer shows 4 thru 6
7-7	Split only if Dealer shows 2 thru 7
8-8	Surrender if Dealer shows Ace; otherwise Split.
9-9	Split only if Dealer shows 3 thru 6, 8 or 9
J-J	Do not Split; (see Hard/Soft Hands above)
Q-Q	Do not Split; (see Hard/Soft Hands above)
K-K	Do not Split; (see Hard/Soft Hands above)

Want to learn more about Spanish 21? Continue your education with the links below.

Spanish 21 Rules

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About the Author

Adalene Lucas: is our jack of all trades here at DBC. She is a skilled coder, gambler, writer and webmaster. She lives in Manitoba where she enjoys the lush landscapes and camping near Tulabi Falls. Nature gives her inspiration to write. When she's not immersed in nature, her favorite words are "game theory". She lives with her husband and their two Labradors, Kophy and Whisper.