- The aim of the game is to build up a stack of cards starting with ace and ending with King, all of the same suit. After shuffling, seven piles of cards are laid. Each pile begins with one.
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- How to Play
Four Card Poker is similar to Three Card Poker®, however the player receives five cards to make their best four-card hand.
Playing Four Card Poker
This is known as a blackjack. In Spanish 21, player blackjacks beat dealer blackjacks and pay 3-2. To begin the hand, each player is dealt two cards face-up. The dealer also receives two cards; however, one is dealt face-down and the other face-up. Once all cards are dealt, each player has a range of options to take action on their individual hands. Spanish Flashcards assist in building and retaining Spanish vocabulary. Want more games? Visit our Spanish games page. The beautiful pictures combined with audio provides an enjoyable multimedia experience - a nice change from the pages of a text book!
Players play against the dealer and there is an optional side bet, Aces Up. The dealer always qualifies and players may wager one to three times their Ante wager, which is the primary difference between this game and Three Card Poker.
Players make an Ante wager to compete against the dealer and may also make the Aces Up wager to play against the pay table.
Each player receives five cards to make their best four-card hand. The dealer receives six cards—one of which is face up—to make their best four-card hand.
Players then decide whether to make a Play wager or fold. The Play wager may be one to three times the Ante wager.
The dealer reveals his hand and compares it to each player's hand. If the player's hand beats or ties the dealer's hand, the Play or Ante wagers are paid an even amount.
An Automatic Bonus is paid on all Ante wagers when the player's hand is three of a kind or better, whether or not the player's hand beats the dealer's.
The Aces Up side bet wins when the player has a pair of Aces or better.
How To Play Spanish Cards
Rank of Hands in Four Card Poker (Highest to Lowest)
- Four of a Kind
- Straight Flush
- Three of a Kind
- Flush
- Straight
- Two Pair
- Pair of Aces
- High Card
Four Card Poker is a trademark and used under license from SHFL entertainment, Inc.
Multi-Link Progressive Wager
Look for this exciting side bet on the Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and Let it Ride Poker tables, connecting the five game into one combined progressive jackpot. A total of twelve tables will participate.
How it works: Simply place the optional $1 progressive side bet before the deal for the chance to win a portion of—or possibly the entire—jackpot.
The progressive wager pays when a player holds a three-of-a-kind or higher. And if you're lucky enough to hold a royal flush, you'll win 100% of the pot! Even the other players at a major jackpot-winning table will walk away with something substantial (if they've placed the progressive wager); a Royal Flush or Straight Flush awards an Envy bonus of $1,000 or $300, respectively.
This wager is your chance to play for more money—and to win more often! Ask a table games floor supervisor or dealer for additional information or qualifications.
Payouts
Hand | Pays | Envy Bonus |
Royal Flush | 100% | $1,000 |
Straight Flush | 10% | $300 |
4 of a Kind | $300 | |
Full House | $50 | |
Flush | $40 | |
Straight | $30 | |
3 of a Kind | $9 |
Spanish 21 is a variation of the standard game Blackjack with a few differences. This article concentrates on those differences and assumes you know the basic rules of Blackjack. This can be found in this separate article if you need a refresher.
Spanish 21 vs Blackjack
The main difference between Spanish 21 and most other forms of Blackjack is that it is played with a Spanish deck of cards that has 48 cards instead of the usual 52 – the deck is the same with all 10's removed.
As a 10 is an important card in all forms of Blackjack, you would have thought that this gives a huge advantage to the House. You would be correct if that was the only change, however, a number of other features have been added in an attempt to offset this. Spanish 21 actually has a slightly better edge for the player than many forms of Blackjack.
Spanish 21 Rules
• Late Surrender is allowed, not just after your first 2 cards have been dealt
• You are able to Double after a Split
• You can re Split Aces
• A hand with 21 always wins even if the Dealer also gets 21
• Blackjack always wins even if the Dealer also gets Blackjack
• You can Double at any time after as many cards as you wish
• You can normally Hit and Double after Splitting Aces – this can vary so is worth checking
• You can Surrender after Doubling, known as Double Down rescue. You lose your initial stake which is effectively getting back half your total outlay for the initial stake and the Double
Variation of Rules
Spanish 21 does have some variables which differ depending on where you play so be sure you check these before you start playing.
• Either 6 decks or 8 decks of cards are used
• The dealer can sometimes Hit or Stand on soft 17 – a hand that includes an Ace meaning the Dealer has 7 or 17
• Some casinos will allow you to Double a hand up to 3 times
How To Play Spanish Cards Briscas
• Some casinos will not pay the bonus amounts after you Split a hand
Above is an example of the layout for a Spanish 21 table. This particular version sees the Dealer stand on all 17's, other than this you will see it is very similar to a standard Blackjack table.
Spanish 21 Odds & Payouts
Payouts and odds can be slightly different from regular Blackjack.
• A 5-card 21 pays 3 to 2, a 6-card 21 pays 2 to 1 and 7-card or higher 21 pays 3 to 1. This bonus doesn't count if you have previously Doubled
• A hand consisting of 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3 to 2, if suited it pays 2 to 1. Either of these hands with all Spades pays 3 to 1. Again, this doesn't count if you have previously Doubled
• A suited 7-7-7 when the Dealer has a 7 face up pay $1,000 if your bet is between $5 and $24 and a whopping $5,000 Super Bonus if your bet was $25 or more. If you are playing live with other players, they will each receive a $50 ‘Envy Bonus' if this comes in.
Spanish 21 Strategy
There are several variable rules for Spanish 21, which affect some of the decisions for an optimal strategy. The below Spanish 21 basic strategy is based on casinos that use 6 decks and the Dealer stands on a soft 17, which is the most common variation of the game.
Hard Hands – No Ace
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
4 to 8 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
9 | H | H | H | H | D4 | H | H | H | H | H |
10 | D5 | D5 | D | D | D | D4 | D3 | H | H | H |
11 | D4 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D4 | D4 | D4 | D3 | D3 |
12 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
13 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
14 | H | H | S4 | S5 | S4 | H | H | H | H | H |
15 | S4 | S5 | S5 | S6 | S6 | H | H | H | H | H |
16 | S5 | S6 | S6 | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
17 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S6 | S6 | S6 | SR |
18+ | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
H = Hit D = Double D2 = Double except Hit with x or more cards
SR = Surrender S = Stand S2 = Stand except Hit with x or more cards
Due to the bonus if you get 21 with 4 or more cards, in some instances it is best to Hit and go for these, in the above chart the number next to an action denotes the minimum number of cards you need in order to Hit as opposed to Stand or Double
Soft Hands – With an Ace
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
12-15 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
16 | H | H | H | H | D4 | H | H | H | H | H |
17 | H | H | D3 | D4 | D5 | H | H | H | H | H |
18 | S4 | S4 | D4 | D5 | D5 | S6 | S4 | H | H | H |
19-21 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
H = Hit D = Double D2 = Double except Hit with x or more cards
S = Stand S2 = Stand except Hit with x or more cards
Due to the bonus if you get 21 with 4 or more cards, in some instances it is best to Hit and go for these, in the above chart the number next to an action denotes the minimum number of cards you need in order to Hit as opposed to Stand or Double.
Pairs
Dealers Card | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
2,2 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H |
3,3 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H |
6,6 | H | H | SP | SP | SP | H | H | H | H | H |
7,7 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP* | H | H | H | H |
8,8 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
9,9 | S | SP | SP | SP | SP | S | SP | SP | S | S |
A,A | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
H = Hit D = Double
S = Stand SP = Split SP* = Split except for Suited 7's in which case Hit
Double Down Surrender when you have 12-16 Vs 8-A, 17 Vs A
Never Split 4's, 5's or 10's
Spanish 21 Tips
There are many extra things to remember in Spanish 21 compared to standard Blackjack, remember the extra bonus payouts for getting 21 with 4 or more cards and getting 7-7-7 or 7-8-9. These don't count if you were to Double though, so in situations where you feel you have a chance to hit these, ensure you follow the table above for the optimal chance of winning.
Don't be afraid to Surrender – It is better to admit defeat and get some of your bet back in certain circumstances than continuing and losing it all when the odds are against you. Spanish 21 gives you the chance to Surrender at any time, ensure you make the most of it to stay ahead of the game.
Play for fun first if you want to learn the game properly – This is especially important when playing Spanish 21 as there are different features and rules than in standard Blackjack. We, therefore, recommend you play with free chips until you get the hang of this version when you have a better chance of finishing up.
Always play only with money you can afford to lose – this is the same for all casino games which should be fun – if you don't enjoy it or are gambling with money you cannot afford to lose your mindset will not help the situation giving you a bigger chance of losing.
Blackjack References:
How to Count Cards
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