Every game table offering blackjack has an indication to mark the maximum and minimum betting allowed and to know the betting limits of the table is a very basic step towards selecting where to start playing the game. While beginners need to keep it in mind that they should not overplay and only go to those tables that offer bet sizes to suit their pocket, it is a common occurrence that in casinos the tables offering lower limit bets for $3 or $5 are too crowded. Many casino houses uses colors to declare the bet size, and commonly tables marked with red is assigned for $5, green for $25 and black for $100 value of minimum bets.

Another important point to be remembered to ascertain that the game table is offering blackjack and not nay other casino card games, which can be easily be done since blackjack game tables use a printed sign declaring the odds offered by the game. A commonly overlooked but essential point to note before settling down to a blackjack game table to play is what kind of game is being offered. For example, those players who are novice in this kind of game should start playing the ‘shoe’ games where several card decks, ranging from six to eight, are used and this is beneficial for the learning curve of the new players as the cards dealt to them are turned face up and the dealer offers help with decision making.

Most casino houses don’t accept that card counting can be a strategy that would hurt house advantage and hence the controversy of its being a valid tactics does not arise as in the regular game. This allows professional players with flair in card counting to be able to make the most of a large betting spread. They can stake their wagers directly in proportion to their best advantage and emerge with an optimal rate of winning by application of the card counting technique without restriction. So, in a Spanish 21 game either where a soft 17 total calls for a stand or where a soft 17 total can be hit with redoubling option validated, the fact that such rules lower house advantage can be exploited by card counting players to their maximum gain. This value for money situation is an advantage of this game variant over the traditional game and besides the card counting technique, judicious players of the Spanish 21 game can also make use of such strategies like hole carding and ace sequencing.

The first and foremost reason is that the ace card has more possibility of getting hit by the players since now its availability percentage has become higher – 1/12 instead of the standard 1/13. Again with re-splitting of ace cards and drawing extra card(s) on split ace pairs are allowed, the advantage of the ace card for a player of Spanish 21 increases manifold. Not only this, any player holding a hand value of total 21 or a blackjack hand gets paid at 3-to-2 odds regardless of whether the dealer’s hand also contains a 21 value hand or a natural. Since pushing is not an option, but a win is guaranteed the advantage of ace cards in the game becomes all the more pronounced.

A similarity to regular blackjack games is that card counting players tend to emerge as winners more when they engage in doubling down at high counts. This benefit is however dependent on whether the choice of doubling down is open to the players for any number cards.

So, now if a casino house allows the dealer to hit when his hand value is a soft total of 17 and six card decks are employed in play, then the house edge for that Spanish 21 game is 0.78% which would be marginally higher at 0.80% if eight card decks had been used. However, if the same conditions are combined with allowing redoubling option, the house edge comes down to about 0.42% for a six card deck and to 0.45% for an eight card deck game. However, if the dealer stands at a soft 17 total, the house edge is still lower at about 0.37% for six and 0.38% for eight card deck Spanish 21 games.

Other rule modifications that can affect house advantage are scrapping the surrender rule. For hit at soft 17, the change in advantage is 0.018% but is only 0.006% for stand at soft 17. If draws are disallowed on split aces for hit or stand at soft 17, then house edge changes positively for the casino by about 0.28%; however, if draws are disallowed on split aces where hit at soft 17 and redoubling are allowed, then the house edge changes by 0.29%. When a natural hand formed after splitting gives a payout of 3:2, the house edge is lowered by 0.16%.

It may be mentioned here that a aggregate of 21 achieved through five cards pays the same as blackjack, that is the winning odds are 3:2 where as the total if achieved by six cards pays 2-to-1 and in case the player has totaled 21 with seven or more cards he gets even better winning odds at 3-to-1. Moreover, combination of cards in the form of a hand holding a straight of 6, 7 and 8 cards or with a three of a kind of 7 cards also give special payouts. If the straight or three of a kind combination are of a mixed suit, then the 3:2 payout is received by the player who can win at 2:1 odds if the arrangement belong to the same suit of cards and if the pattern belongs to the spades suit, then the princely payment of 3-to-1 is received by the player. Interestingly these forms of special payments are applicable for a hand that has split pairs but not a hand that had doubled down.

Another form of bonus payout is the ‘super bonus’ where a player without a split hand can win $1000 for betting under $25 and $5000 for betting $25 or more if he has a suited three of a kind of 7 card against any 7 card held by the dealer. All other participating players are entitled for the ‘envy bonus’ worth $50. In some casinos any player who hits a blackjack after splitting the ace or any face card also wins 3:2 odds along with him who has a traditional natural hand obtained without splitting.

Although the dealer’s game advantage is almost 2% with stripping of the four 10 cards, generous payout system of the game compensates the aspect.