Blackjack guide - Spanish Blackjack

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Spanish Blackjack is a card game that is completely different to any other blackjack variation because it is played with eight Spanish decks of cards that have 48 instead of 52 cards since the cards with a denomination of 10 are removed. This gives the casino a huge edge if the player doesn’t know all the game play rules.

Decks are shuffled after each game has been completed. Blackjack beats any hand with a total value of 21. The dealer hits on soft 17.

When the dealer has an Ace or a 10 he checks for a Blackjack. The player's blackjack beats the dealer's blackjack and the player's 21 beats the dealer's 21 in other variations it would be a ‘push’.

Two cards with the same denomination or value can be split. If you split a pair of Aces or any pair of cards with a value of 10 and draw then a card with a value of 10 or an Ace respectively, it is not considered a Blackjack, though the value of the hand will be 21. The player can split up to three times to make four hands. Aces also can be re-split in Spanish Blackjack.

After first two cards have been dealt the player can double. The doubling bet is the same as the original bet. It is possible to double down after the player has split his hand. The player can’t hit after doubling down. It is possible to double twice. The second Double doubles the whole bet amount, including the first double.

If the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace the player can make insurance that costs half the original bet.

The player can’t make insurance after a split, or a double.

The player can Surrender half of the total bet after Doubling. This is called a Double Down Rescue. There is also a Late Surrender option. This is when the dealer first checks for Blackjack, and then the player can Surrender. If the player uses Late Surrender, he gives up half his original bet amount for not playing out his hand.

Spanish blackjack offers the special bonuses for certain combinations.

hand	payout
Five-card 21	3:2
Six-card 21	2:1
Seven-or-more-card 21	3:1
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits	3:2
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of the same suit	2:1
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of spades	3:1
7-7-7 of the same suit and the dealer holds 7 face up	50:1

But if you’ve a Bonus 21 hand combination as a result of doubling, you don’t qualify for the Bonus payout.

There is also a Multi-hand Spanish Blackjack variation where the player can play up to 5 hands of Blackjack at once!