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.

1. Blackjack Match The Dealer Payouts
2. Royal Match Blackjack
3. Blackjack Match The Dealer

Beat the dealer! Make your bet, and you're dealt two cards. If you think you can get closer to 21 without going over, have the dealer give you another. Do you feel lucky? Click chips from your bank. Match Play 21 Blackjack is likely a good option for those who have tried Blackjack and then are looking for something that’s just a bit different to venture into something new. It could also be a mainstay for. 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.

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.

Blackjack Match The Dealer Payouts

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.

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 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 games is that the deck of cards used is not a full deck. All tens have been removed which means only 48 cards remain. The other big difference in this blackjack game is after the hands are complete. Once a hand is finished in Match Play 21, the dealer will shuffle the cards. In your standard game of blackjack, the cards are shuffled after all of the cards have been played in the shoe.

If your interested in playing Match Play 21 online, check out our list of the top blackjack casinos below, including a mini review of what you can expect to find or jump to the rules for Match Play 21.

Top Blackjack Sites Online

Match Play 21 Blackjack Rules

Royal Match Blackjack

Match Play 21 may sound like a simple game on the surface, but that certainly is not the case. Match Play 21 has much more going on than do all other blackjack games. If you've never played Match Play 21 blackjack, you can check out our free web game below which uses play money and will allow you to test the game with zero risk.

How to Play Match Play 21 Blackjack

The goal in Match Play 21 is first to beat the dealer by achieving a score closest to 21 without going over. You want the cards in your hand to either add up to 21 or be closer to 21 than are the cards of the dealer. Remember, to achieve a true Blackjack hand, you must have two cards in front of you (an Ace and a ten/face card) that add up to 21. If you have three or more cards that add up to 21, it is not considered a Blackjack. Another similarity between Match Play 21 and standard Blackjack is that you can perform the normal commands within the game such as: asking for insurance; doubling down; and, splitting cards. These are all traditional Blackjack actions that conform to the rules of Match Play 21.

Differences Between Match Play 21 and Traditional Blackjack

Now, let’s delve into the differences in Match Play 21. These differences primarily reveal themselves in the odds and payout structure due to the fact that all Ten cards are extracted from the playing decks. There are absolutely no Tens in the game of Match Play 21. There are, however, still face cards in Match Play 21. These face cards still have a value of ten. Removing the Ten cards from the playing deck certainly contributes to the unique and attractive qualities attributed to Match Play 21. Yet, even more interesting are the several different types of winning hands one can have in Match Play 21.

Blackjack Match The Dealer

The first winning hand a player can have in Match Play 21 is Blackjack. This winning hand pays Two to One, but on the first hand only. The big Match Play 21 hand with a super 40 to One payout is when a player has three sevens of the same suit and the dealers face card is also a seven. The dealers card does not have to match the players suited sevens for the 40 to One payout.

The following hands all carry a Three to One payout: three sevens of Spades; a six, seven, and eight of Spades; and, seven cards in one had that equal 21. The following hands all have Two to One odds: three sevens of the same suit; a six, seven, and eight of the same suit; and, six cards that add up to 21. The following hands reward with a Three to Two payout: any three sevens; any six, seven, and eight combination; and, five cards that add up to 21. All other winning hands are paid even money and when a player’s hand ties with the dealer’s hand, it is considered a push and the player’s money is not lost nor added upon.

Finally, Match Play 21 is a very user-friendly game. The game buttons are clearly laid out on the bottom of the gaming screen. Be careful though, as there are six different buttons one can click while making various hand determinations. You certainly don't want to accidently click on Hit, when you meant to click on Stand. Your bet amount can change from hand to hand, with the minimum bet being $1 and the maximum bet being $100. Without the Ten cards it becomes a very interesting game. There are many different combinations of cards in which huge payouts can be given. However, these odds are very high for a reason; they rarely occur! Match Play 21 can be played free online or at a local casino. If your unsure of how to play Match Play 21 Blackjack you'll likely want to try our free game above. You won't lose any money, as the game is played with play money only.

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