Spanish 21 Strategy Chart: Hard, Soft & Pairs

This Spanish 21 strategy chart is for the version most casinos deal: six or eight Spanish decks, the dealer hits soft 17, a player 21 always beats a dealer 21, and you can surrender late. Spanish 21 looks like blackjack with better rules, but the missing 10s change more decisions than people expect. You hit 12 against a dealer 4, 5 and 6, for example, and you stop doubling 11 against a 9.

Spanish 21 strategy chart: hard totals

Find your total down the side and the dealer’s card across the top. D means double, and in Spanish 21 you can usually double on any number of cards, so a three-card 10 still gets doubled where the chart says D.

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	H	H	H	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H
12	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
13	H	H	H	H	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	Rh
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	Rs
18+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Rh on 16 against an ace means surrender if you’re allowed, otherwise hit; Rs on 17 means surrender, otherwise stand. Both come from the dealer hitting soft 17, which makes an ace up card even stronger.

Soft hands

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
A,3	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
A,4	H	H	H	H	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,5	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	S	S	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A,8+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft doubles are much rarer than in normal blackjack. A,2 and A,3 never double, and A,7 against a 2 or 3 is a stand, not the double you might know.

Pairs

Your pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	H	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H	H
6,6	H	H	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	Rp
9,9	S	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

Split aces against everything as long as split aces can take more than one card; if they can’t, hit A,A against a dealer ace. Rp on 8,8 against an ace means surrender if you can, otherwise split.

Why the missing 10s change so much

A Spanish deck is a normal deck with the four 10s taken out, leaving 48 cards. The jacks, queens and kings are still there, so 10-value cards fall from 16 in 52 to 12 in 48, from 30.8% to 25%. Two things follow. When you double on 11, you hit 21 less often, so the double is worth it against fewer dealer cards. And a dealer showing a 4, 5 or 6 busts less often than in normal blackjack, because there are fewer 10s to break them. That’s why 12 is a hit against everything here: standing and hoping the dealer busts doesn’t pay.

The game gives a lot back in return. Your 21 always wins, blackjack always wins, and most tables let you double on any number of cards and surrender. With this strategy the house edge on a typical game is around 0.4%, but play it with normal blackjack strategy and the edge climbs noticeably, mostly from doubling and standing where the chart says hit.

When the dealer stands on soft 17

Some tables have the dealer stand on all 17s. That’s better for you, and four plays change: hit 13 against a 6, hit 16 against an ace rather than surrendering, never split 4s, and split 8s against an ace. Everything else stays as above.

Bonuses and what this chart doesn’t cover

Spanish 21 pays bonuses on five, six and seven-card 21s and on 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 hands. Those bonuses make hitting slightly more attractive when you’re already holding four or five cards, and full strategy tables add exceptions for them. This chart is the two-card decision, which is where almost all the money is. We worked it out from the exact probabilities for a Spanish deck with the dealer peeking for blackjack. To see the same maths for normal blackjack, use the CasinoCalcs blackjack strategy chart, and to drill it until it’s automatic, the blackjack trainer. The surrender chart covers when to give up half your bet in the standard game.

Even the best strategy only cuts the house edge. BeGambleAware.org has free support if blackjack stops being fun.

Frequently asked questions

What is the basic strategy for Spanish 21?

Hit more and double less than in normal blackjack, because the deck has no 10s. Double 10 and 11 only against 2 to 8, hit 12 against everything, and stand on 13 only against a 6.

Why is Spanish 21 strategy different?

The four 10s are removed from every suit, so 10-value cards drop from 30.8% of the deck to 25%. Your doubles land on 20 or 21 less often, and the dealer busts less from stiff hands.

Should you split aces in Spanish 21?

Yes, where the table lets you hit or resplit split aces, which most Spanish 21 games do. If split aces get only one card each, hit soft 12 against a dealer ace instead.

Is Spanish 21 better than blackjack?

With good rules the house edge is about 0.4% with perfect strategy, close to a decent blackjack game. The bonuses and liberal rules make up for the missing 10s, but only if you change your strategy.

Does the dealer hitting soft 17 change Spanish 21 strategy?

Slightly. With a dealer who stands on soft 17, hit 13 against a 6, hit 16 against an ace instead of surrendering, never split 4s, and split 8s against an ace.