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• Blackjack Match The Dealer Payouts
• Match Play 21

1. BLACKJACK SIDE BETS. In an effort to encourage more players to play blackjack, and also to improve their margins, many land-based and online casinos have added side bets on their blackjack tables.The innocent-looking side bets usually require a rather small wager (typically only a dollar), and they generally have payoffs that are greater than the customary even-money blackjack.
2. Ace/King Blackjacks Matching Suits: Player and dealer have A-K, all 4 cards of the same suit. Matching Suited Blackjacks: Player and dealer identical blackjacks, all 4 cards of the same suit. Three Aces: Player A-A and dealer up-card is Ace. Three Kings: Player.

Match Play 21 Blackjack. Match Play 21 is a casino style game of blackjack using 8 decks of cards and offering a bonus bet. The biggest difference between Match Play 21 and the standard version of 21. The rules of the traditional game of Blackjack discuss hitting, standing, doubling down, surrendering and spliting, but Match Play 21 dictates that the casino dealer must stand at a hard 17, which means that if.

One popular Blackjack variant that is available at a wide variety of online casinos is known as, ‘Match Play 21.’ However, despite the seeming popularity of this game many online players might be surprised (if they don’t normally frequent land-based casinos) not to find the game available. Little might some of these players know that the game of, ‘Match Play 21,’ appears under its original name of, ‘Spanish 21,’ and is not an original to online casinos by any stretch of the imagination.

This game is also known as, ‘Pontoon,’ elsewhere and is played under the exact same rules in Malaysia. For some reason, it seems as though all the various casino entities simply cannot seem to agree on what this game should be called. However, with exception to Australian Pontoon, the rules for all of the Spanish 21 games (regardless of the name) are generally roughly the same.

The first thing that is, ‘Spanish,’ about the game is the number of cards that appear in the deck, and that number is cuarenta y ocho, which us English speakers refer to as, ‘Forty-Eight.’ A Spanish deck is otherwise the same as one of the decks used in Spanish Blackjack with the main exception being that it lacks tens. Despite this fact, even in the Spanish deck, jacks, queens and kings still have a value of ten.

The Spanish 21 game uses anywhere from six to eight decks, and while fewer tens is generally a negative for the player, there are enough changes to the rules that are player-favorable to make the game reasonable in terms of house edge, often one of the best games in the casino. (if not the best) These rule changes make the game not only a game that can be enjoyed with a low house edge, but they also make it both complicated (for those used to standard Blackjack) and fun to play.

The Rules:

The first thing we will take a look at is the rules that do not typically change from game-to-game, most of which any adept player at Standard Blackjack will recognize as player favorable as compared to the theoretical opposite. These rules generally apply to any Spanish 21 or Match Play 21.

First of all, virtually all versions of this game allow late Surrender which means that, situationally, a player will agree to forfeit his/her hand in exchange for half of his/her bet back. Surrendering becomes really interesting in this game because a player may only surrender a fifteen or sixteen against a dealer showing Ace in this game, (players would often surrender against a dealer ten in standard Blackjack) but there will be many additional opportunities to Surrender later on in a hand that do not exist in the Standard game of Blackjack.

Two more rules that are nearly immutable are that a player is permitted to double after splitting as well as to resplit aces. Once again, since removing the tens from each deck is a negative for the player (obvious because a player gets paid 3:2 on Blackjack whereas a dealer only gets the player’s bet if he/she has a natural and the player doesn’t) these rules are to help throw the balance back in the player’s favor a little and create a reasonable house edge.

The next rule is that a player Blackjack wins automatically, even if the dealer has a natural, and a player twenty-one (total) automatically wins UNLESS the dealer has a natural. Obviously, these rules as relate the handling of twenty-one and naturals are good for the player and the standard game of Blackjack is obviously not played that way.

The next player-favorable rule that adds exponentially to the fun of the game is that a player can double anytime he/she wants to, even if that player has already hit. While this is not completely unheard of in Standard Blackjack games, (Longhorn Casino in Las Vegas on Boulder Highway allows doubling on any number of cards) it is very rare. As rare as this rule may be in standard blackjack, understanding the rule and knowing when to use it are key to a player’s success in Match Play 21.

Players who have split Aces are generally allowed to act on their new hand in whatever fashion they want, which includes hitting the Aces or resplitting them if they receive an additional Ace. Once again, this is a rule that is sometimes granted in standard blackjack games, but is pretty rare as it is procedurally difficult for the dealers and player favorable.

In addition to the ability to double at any time, the player is also granted the opportunity to surrender AFTER doubling, (those additional surrender opportunities we touched upon earlier) to the best of my knowledge, this is a rule that cannot be found in any standard Blackjack game anywhere. If it could, though, it would present a huge advantage to the player and would increase the number of opportunities in which it would make sense for a player to double down. In the event that the player surrenders after doubling, then the player will lose the amount of the player’s original wager and will get to keep the amount of the wager the player put out in order to double. Simply put, the player loses half of the total action.

Players will occasionally get bonuses for certain types of 21’s, provided they have not doubled or split. Five-Card, Six-Card and Seven-Card 21’s pay 3:2, 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. ‘Charlie,’ hands will occasionally be offered on standard blackjack games, which means that a player might automatically win on any hand total after receiving a certain number of cards without busting, but not on any standard blackjack game have I ever heard of can a player be paid odds on anything other than a, ‘Natural,’ blackjack.

Other 21’s that get bonus pays are 6-7-8 and 7-7-7 with off-suit, suited and in spades paying 3:2, 2:1 and 3:1, respectively. These bonuses do not generally apply if the player has already doubled or split his hand. Suited 7-7-7 also occasionally pays more if the dealer also has a seven showing.

Even with that, there are a number of rules that differ from casino to casino similar to the way that they differ in standard blackjack, so let’s take a look at a few of those:

The first one is that a dealer may either hit or stand on a soft 17 depending on the preference of the house. Of course, whichever way the house chooses to operate changes the player’s strategy somewhat, much as it does in the standard game of blackjack.

The casino may choose to either use six or eight decks.

Some casinos allow, ‘Redoubling,’ which is to say doubling after you have already doubled, sometimes up to three total doubles! This can often come into play when a player starts with a, ‘Soft,’ hand total, doubles, and picks up a low card.

When it comes to these variable rules, if a dealer hits on soft-17, but the player is still allowed to re-double, then the increase to the house edge is roughly 0.02% compared to the dealer standing on Soft-17. If the dealer hits soft-17 AND the player is not allowed to redouble, then the increase to the house edge is about 0.36% compared to a game in which the dealer stands on soft-17.

Conclusion:

Match Play 21, better known as Spanish 21, is an extremely unique game of which variations are enjoyed by players the world over both in brick-and-mortar casinos and online. Regardless of where it is offered, and regardless of whether it be offered live or at an online casino, Match Play 21 is often one of the best (and sometimes the best) games in the house.

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Despite the low house edge, this game performs well for casinos because of how difficult it is to play perfectly, and as a result, players are not enjoying the return-to-player that they otherwise could be if they were playing the game properly.

With all of that said, Spanish 21 is one of the most unique variations of Blackjack out there, so much so that I would consider it a game that is merely, ‘Similar,’ to blackjack rather than an actual, ‘Variation,’ of blackjack. It is a game that shares many of the same terms and rules, but one that is also played entirely differently. Again, if you want to seek this game out, just make sure that you know what you are doing when you play (use a strategy card!) or this game might just end up having a greater effective house edge for you than a mindless game such as craps!

Software Providers that have Match Play 21

Other Online Blackjack Variations

Match Play 21 Guide

Match Play 21, also known as Spanish 21, is a variation of Blackjack. Played with no Ten cards, other combinations drive the payout table. Try your luck at something quite different. With plenty of bonus hands and high payouts, this intriguing casino table game is certainly not your father’s Blackjack.

How to Play Match Play 21

The object of Match Play 21 is to come as close to 21 without going over, while still beating the Dealer.

Player’s Turn

Prior to receiving any cards, place your bet by clicking on the chips. You are dealt two cards face up. The Dealer is also dealt two cards, one up; one down. Click Hit to add another card to your hand. Click Stand to stop adding cards.

Surrender is allowed in Match Play 21. If you look at your cards and don’t think you can win, you can surrender half you bet and stop playing your hand. Insurance is also available – if the Dealer’s up card is an Ace, you can bet that the Dealer will get a blackjack. If they don’t, your bet is collected. If they do, you get double your insurance bet back.

Dealer’s Turn

Depending on the hand, the Dealer will hit or stand based on rules that the Dealer must follow.

You Win When

If the total value of your hand is closer to 21 than the Dealer, you win. You also win if the Dealer goes over 21 and you stayed below 21. If your total exceeds 21, you lose the amount you wagered.

There are special winning 21 hands that focus on lucky number seven.

• Match Play 21: You have Triple 7 and so does the Dealer
• 7-7-7 all spades
• 6-7-8 all spades
• 21 on 7 or more cards
• 7-7-7 all of the same suit
• 6-7-8 all of the same suit
• 6-card hand equaling 21
• Any 7-7-7
• Any 6-7-8
• 5-card hand totaling 21
• Any other 21

Game Features and Bonus Rounds

Bonus Hands (Do not apply when doubling or splitting.)

• Match Play 21 pays 40:1
• 7 or more cards totaling 21 pays 3:1
• 7-7-7 of Spades pays 3:1
• 6-7-8 of Spades pays 3:1
• 7-7-7 all of the same suit pays 2:1
• 6-7-8 all of the same suit pays 2:1
• 6-card hand equaling 21 pays 2:1
• Any other 7-7-7 pays 3:2
• Any other 6-7-8 pays 3:2
• 5-card hand totaling 21 pays 3:2

Jackpot Information

There is no jackpot in Silver Oak Casino’s Match Play 21 game.

Additional Rules

• 8 Match Play decks are used – the four Tens have been removed from each deck, but all other face cards remain
• Cards are re-shuffled after each hand
• Dealer must hit on a soft 17
• Your 21 always wins (except against a Dealer Blackjack)
• Your Blackjack beats a Dealer Blackjack
• You can double down on any number of cards, but only once during a round of play, and you will only receive one card
• You can surrender after doubling down and then surrender the double down portion of the wager

Strategy & Tips

Double on two card hard hand totals of 9, 10, or 11.

History

Match Play 21 Blackjack has also been called Spanish 21. It is very similar to Triple Sevens Blackjack.

Blackjack Match The Dealer Payouts

Glossary

The potential of winning when playing Match Play 21 Blackjack is much greater when you know the terms associated with the game.

Bet: Click on the chip that you want to wager.

Blackjack: Two cards totaling 21.

Bust: Total value of your hand exceeds 21. If you bust, your bet is lost. If the Dealer goes bust, you automatically win.

Deal: Clicking Deal begins the round of play after your bet has been placed. In this variation of Blackjack, you and the Dealer are both dealt two cards face up.

Double: Clicking Double, doubles your bet, and one additional card is dealt to your hand. Your hand automatically stands, and play continues.

Hit: Clicking Hit adds another card to your hand.

Split: If your first two cards are of the same value (such as 7-7 or 10-J), they can be split into two separate hands by clicking Split and doubling your bet. Note: Splitting Aces can only have one additional card can be dealt per hand. After splitting Aces, hands totalling 21 are considered 21s, and not Blackjack.

Match Play 21: You have Triple 7 and so does the Dealer.

Match Play 21

Stand: Keeps your hand as dealt, and the Dealer begins their round of play.