How to play
Fiesta 21 is blackjack played with six decks that have all the 10s taken out (Jacks, Queens and Kings stay in). Fewer 10-value cards help the dealer, so the game gives a lot back to you with player-friendly rules and bonuses.
The basics are the same as blackjack: get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Cards 2 to 9 count their number, Jacks, Queens and Kings count 10, and an Ace counts 1 or 11.
- Place a bet and press Deal. You get two cards face up; the dealer gets one face up and one face down.
- Choose Hit (take a card), Stand, Double (double your bet and take one card), Split a pair into two hands, or Surrender your first two cards to get half your bet back.
- The dealer then plays by fixed rules: hits up to 16 and also hits a soft 17 (a 17 that counts an Ace as 11).
The player-friendly rules:
- Your 21 always wins, even if the dealer also makes 21.
- Your blackjack always wins and pays 3:2, even against a dealer blackjack.
- Double on any number of cards, including after splitting.
- Split up to four hands, and split Aces again and keep hitting them.
- Late surrender: give up your first two cards for half your bet back.
- If the dealer shows an Ace or a 10-value card, the dealer checks for blackjack first. When the dealer shows an Ace, you can take insurance (half your bet, pays 2:1).
21 bonuses (on a winning 21, not after doubling):
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| 21 with 5 cards | 3:2 |
| 21 with 6 cards | 2:1 |
| 21 with 7 or more cards | 3:1 |
| 6-7-8 or 7-7-7, mixed suits | 3:2 |
| 6-7-8 or 7-7-7, same suit | 2:1 |
| 6-7-8 or 7-7-7, all spades | 3:1 |
Strategy
Stuck on a hand? Press Hint. It shows the best play for your cards and the dealer’s face-up card, worked out from the probabilities of each move (it treats the shoe as endless, so a few very close calls can differ from a perfect count).
Some differences from regular blackjack:
- With fewer 10s, doubling on 9, 10 and 11 is less often right than in regular blackjack. The hint takes this into account.
- Hitting is more attractive than usual, because a 21 always wins and 5-card 21s pay a bonus.
- Take the hint’s advice on surrender: giving up half the bet is sometimes better than playing a bad hand against a strong dealer card.
- Don’t take insurance. Without 10s in the deck, the dealer makes blackjack less often and insurance costs you more than in regular blackjack.
Following the hint every time, the dealer keeps about 0.8% of your initial bets over time (our simulation of 1.2 million hands with the hint’s strategy: 0.81%, give or take 0.21%).
More casino card games. Regular Blackjack uses full decks. Pai Gow Poker is a slower game where many hands push.
If you enjoy Fiesta 21, try Final Score Baccarat or First Look Baccarat next.
