On a recent cruise I took, I noticed a game called Fun Blackjack where they remove the kings from the 6-deck shoes. There are concessions that the casinos make when they do this. They allow you to surrender, and doubling on counts of 3 cards. There are some other rule changes that I can't remember right now. Does Las Vegas offer this game, and is there a basic strategy chart for this blackjack variation?
[Editor's Note: This answer was graciously provided by Arnold Snyder.]
This blackjack variation sounds to me like Spanish 21, except that on the cruise ship, they removed kings, whereas in Spanish 21, the pip 10s are removed. Since kings and 10s both have the same value in casino blackjack (10) and card decks have the same number of them (four), it doesn’t make any difference which 10-valued card is removed. If you removed all the queens or jacks, same difference.
You didn’t mention all of the “concessions” (more favorable player options) that are allowed in Fun Blackjack. Removing all the kings (or any ten-valued denomination) is highly detrimental to the player, so hopefully Fun Blackjack allows a lot more player options than the couple in your question. If Fun Blackjack doesn’t have most of the favorable rules of Spanish 21, then I would only play it for Fun, as you will get clobbered in the long run.
In most Spanish 21 games, the “good rules” typically include: late surrender, double after splits, resplitting aces, player 21 beats dealer 21, player blackjack beats dealer blackjack, double on any number of cards, hit and double down after splitting aces, surrender after doubling down, various bonuses paid for five-, six-, and seven-card 21s, various bonuses paid for 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 based on suit, and bigger bonuses paid if the player 7-7-7 is versus a dealer 7 up-card, with the bonus amount based on bet size. Sometimes other options are allowed, but the above are fairly standard. Once again: If Fun Blackjack doesn’t offer most of these options, then the game is extremely unfavorable for the player.
Basic strategies for Spanish 21 are complex, but widely available. You’ll find three basic strategy charts for Spanish 21, including the variations that depend on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17 and whether “redoubling” (doubling down after you’ve already doubled down, which is allowed in some Vegas casinos) in Appendix B in our book Gambling 102 by Michael Shackleford, a.k.a. the Wizard of Odds.
