All cards are at face value, except for the King, Queen and Jack which count as 10. An Ace will have a value of 11 unless that would give a player or the dealer a score in excess of 21; in which case, it has a value of 1. The dealer starts the game.

Spanish 21 is much like a Blackjack with a few twists! Spanish 21 uses six decks of cards with the tens (10's) removed. The player must place a regular '21' bet and may also place an optional 'Match the Dealer' wager. In 'Match the Dealer', the player is betting one or more of their cards match the dealer's up card.