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Online Spanish Blackjack
Blackjack has always been an international game. It started in France as Vingt-et-Un, it became Pontoon in the UK, and in the US it became Blackjack. Now there is a new international blackjack variation: Spanish Blackjack.
The Spanish Blackjack Deck
Spanish blackjack is played with eight decks of cards. But these are not the ordinary decks of cards that you find in other blackjack games. In Spanish blackjack, all the 10's have been removed, leaving 48 cards in each deck. The jacks, queens, and kings - which all count as 10 - are still there, but the actual 10-cards are gone from the Spanish blackjack deck.
The Spanish Blackjack Rules
The absence of 10's in the Spanish blackjack deck is often thought of as a disadvantage for the player. After all, it has long been considered a basic principle of blackjack strategy that an abundance of high cards favors the player and a shortage of high cards favors the dealer. But Spanish blackjack has a number of unusual blackjack rules that clearly favor the player and more than make up for the supposed disadvantage.
Some of the player-friendly Spanish blackjack rules are:
A player's blackjack pays 3 to 2.
A player's blackjack beats a dealer's blackjack. In other blackjack games, this would be a "push," or a tie.
A player's 21 beats a dealer's 21. This, too, would be a push in other blackjack games.
Surrender is allowed. You can salvage a bad hand by forfeiting half your bet instead of losing your whole bet.
A player may double down on any number of cards. In all other blackjack games, you may double down only on your first two cards. This rule gives you more chances to win more money.
A player may re-double down. Re-double is unheard of in other blackjack games. It gives you a chance to really win some real money with a good hand.
A player may surrender after doubling down. If your double down doesn't work out as planned, you can surrender your original bet rather than risk the loss of your double bet. This rule is also unique to Spanish blackjack.
A player can split three times to make four hands, and can double down after a split. Spanish blackjack has some of the most liberal splitting rules of any blackjack game.
Unlike 10-value cards can be split.
Aces can be re-split, and the player can draw and double down to split aces.
The Special Spanish Blackjack Bonuses
As we have seen, the rules of Spanish blackjack are heavily tilted in favor of the player. But there is even more good news for the Spanish blackjack player. These are the special Spanish blackjack bonuses you get for certain combinations.
Five-card 21 pays 3-to-2.
Six-card 21 pays 2-to-1.
Seven-or-more-card 21 pays 3-to-1.
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3-to-2.
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of the same suit pays 2-to-1. (Remember, you are playing with eight decks of cards, so it is possible to get three 7's of the same suit.)
6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of spades pays 3-to-1.
7-7-7 of the same suit, when the dealer has a 7 face up, pays 50-to-1.
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Spanish Blackjack Strategy
The absence of the 10-cards from the Spanish blackjack deck, and the special Spanish blackjack rules and bonuses, have profound effects on your Spanish blackjack strategy. As a result, a standard blackjack basic strategy chart would not be relevant to a game of Spanish blackjack. But there are blackjack sites on the Internet with special Spanish blackjack strategy charts that can be downloaded and printed. It is a good idea to find one and use it for your Spanish blackjack strategy.
Play Spanish Blackjack at Wild Jack Online Casino
Every blackjack variation has its advantages and its disadvantages. From the player's point of view, the removal of the 10's is the big disadvantage of Spanish blackjack. But the special Spanish blackjack rules and bonuses are highly advantageous and more than make up for the absent 10-cards. Taken as a whole, they make Spanish blackjack a good winnable blackjack game. In fact, Spanish blackjack is one of the best bets in any land-based casino or online casino.
At Wild Jack Online Casino, you can play regular Spanish Blackjack or Spanish Blackjack Gold. So add these interesting and unusual blackjack variations to your regular repertoire of blackjack games. It will add some spice to your regular blackjack play, and you will most likely have a great time playing Spanish Blackjack online.
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