Spanish 21

Another game which is as popular as the blackjack game is the Spanish 21. With a different kind of a Blackjack strategythe returns in this game are good. In Australia the game is called Pontoon instead of Spanish 21. The roots of this game are in Blackjack and the game also has similar rules. It is as popular as the original Blackjack and is often referred to as Spanish blackjack.

Object of Spanish 21

Thought there is a similarity with the Blackjack strategy the main object of this game is to have a hand which is higher than what the dealer has but which should be below twenty one. A hand which is higher than this is "bust" and this means that the player has lost the game. Rules are very similar to blackjack with the same terminology. This is what makes a person who is familiar with blackjack find playing Spanish 21 easy.

How the game is played

The cards are dealt just like in blackjack with 6 decks which are placed like black jack in a shoe. However, unlike blackjack, Spanish 21 has only 48 cards in each deck. The ten cards have been removed for this game from the decks. The game has as much excitement as Blackjack but has a lesser house edge. Spanish 21 is supposed to be a game which has a mathematical edge which is low and by counting the cards one can exploit the game. Those who are into maths are busy trying to count the cards to win the game. This means that the players can make a lot before they are found out by the casinos.

The Spanish decks of 48 cards each give the players a lot of additional bonus hands and rewarding payouts. This is something which makes the game more interesting to the players with more prize money. What helps in the game is the strategy card and in this game there are many such cards which have been created for the game specifically. The game became popular in Las Vegas sometime in 1995 as a Blackjack variation.