A round of Acey Deucey. Dealt two cards, the player bets on whether the value of the third card will fall between the value of the first two. Acey Deucey, also known as Yablon, 1 In-Between, Sheets, Between the Sheets or Maverick, is a simple card game that involves betting. The liberal rules of Spanish 21, though, do compensate for this. With optimal play, the house edge of a Spanish 21 table is lower than that of a blackjack table with the same rules on hitting or standing on soft 17. The game also offers an optional 'Match the Dealer' side bet, which compares a player's cards with the dealer's upcard.
Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule differences, is played in casinos under the name 'Pontoon'. It was first introduced about 1995.[1]
Spanish 21 is played on a blackjack table with a custom layout and uses the following rules:
The removal of the four tens in each deck gives roughly a 2% advantage to the dealer. The liberal rules of Spanish 21, though, do compensate for this. With optimal play, the house edge of a Spanish 21 table is lower than that of a blackjack table with the same rules on hitting or standing on soft 17.
The game also offers an optional 'Match the Dealer' side bet, which compares a player's cards with the dealer's upcard. Matching the rank of the dealer's card pays 4:1 on a six-deck game, and 3:1 on an eight-deck game, while a 'perfect match' of rank and suit pays 9:1 on six decks and 12:1 on eight decks. A player may win on both cards; (e.g. if a player has 8s 8c and the dealer has 8c as an upcard, the player will receive 3:1 on the rank match and 12:1 on the perfect match, paying out a total of 15:1.) While this side bet has a house edge of approximately 3%, significantly higher than the edge of the main game, it is one of the lowest house edges of any blackjack side bet.
The following tables list the Spanish 21 house edges for all rule sets found in North America.[2] (The figures were obtained from 10-billion hand simulations and have a standard error of 0.001%. The super bonus is averaged out to a 100:1 payout.) These charts assume that the player is using basic strategy. 'H17' means that the dealer hits soft seventeen, 'S17' means that the dealer stands on soft seventeen.
Rules | Decks | House Edge |
---|---|---|
H17 | 6 | 0.78% |
8 | 0.80% | |
S17 | 6 | 0.37% |
8 | 0.38% | |
H17 with redoubling | 6 | 0.42% |
8 | 0.45% |
Rule Changes | Change in House Edge |
---|---|
No surrender (H17) | 0.018% |
No surrender (S17) | 0.006% |
No draws on split Aces (H17 or S17) | 0.28% |
No draws on split Aces (H17 with redoubling) | 0.29% |
Natural after split pays 3:2 | –0.16% |
Match the Dealer is a side bet offered on most Spanish 21 games. The player wins the side bet if the rank of either or both of their initial two cards matches the rank of the dealer's up card. If the cards match in both rank and suit, the player wins a bigger payout. Some casinos offer a second Match the Dealer bet which wins when either or both of the player's initial two cards match the dealer's hole card. The payouts and the house edge vary depending on the number of decks in play as shown below.
Number of Decks | Non-Suited Match | Double Non-Suited Match | Suited Match | Suited + Non-Suited Match | Double Suited Match | House Edge |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 15:1 | 19:1 | NA | 3.63% |
4 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 10:1 | 14:1 | 20:1 | 3.20% |
5 | 3:1 | 6:1 | 13:1 | 16:1 | 26:1 | 3.53% |
6 | 4:1 | 8:1 | 9:1 | 13:1 | 18:1 | 3.06% |
8 | 3:1 | 6:1 | 12:1 | 15:1 | 24:1 | 2.99% |
Acey Deucey, also known as Yablon,[1]In-Between, Sheets, Between the Sheets or Maverick, is a simple card game that involves betting.
Before the action, each player must add their ante into the pot. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time whether or not the third card will numerically fall in between the first two. If the third card falls in between the two other cards, the bettor takes the amount he bet out of the pot; if the third card falls outside of the two other cards, the bettor must add what he bet to the pot; and if the third card matches the numerical value of one of the other two cards, the bettor must add to the pot double what they bet. If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 2,2 the bettor picks if the next card will be higher or lower and bets. If the next card is the same as the last two, i.e. a 2, the bettor must triple their bet.
The rules and specifics of the game often vary from region to region. For example in Liaoning province, northeast China the minimum number of players is 4 and each player is required to ante before the first card is turned. Two cards are then dealt face-up to one player. That player then bets from nothing to the amount that is in the pot at the time (during the first time around the table players are only allowed to bet up to half of the pot) whether or not the third card will numerically fall in between the first two. Other regions, such as in the United States, play the game by combining two decks of cards. This adds another dynamic to the game due to the extra number of similar type cards. Beyond that, most of the other rules followed by United States players are similar to those which are observed in the Liaoning province.
Just about all regions play if the third card falls in between the two other cards, the bettor takes the amount he bet out of the pot; if the third card falls outside of the two other cards, the bettor must add what he bet to the pot; and if the third card matches the numerical value of one of the other two cards, this is referred to as a 'Post' and the bettor must add to the pot double his initial bet. If two cards of the same value come up, e.g. 2,2 the bettor picks if the next card will be higher or lower and bets. If the next card is the same as the last two, i.e. a 2, this is considered a 'Post' and the player is required to pay triple the bet for the hand.
In addition to this, there is a special rule for Aces. If the first card turned is an Ace the player may choose its value as either the high Ace or the low one. Low Ace is always lower than any other card, including the deuce. If an Ace comes up as the second card turned it is always considered the high Ace. If a player 'Posts' on an Ace they are required to pay four times their bet for that hand. Aces also cause an automatic loss if it is the third card turned when the first two cards are a match, e.g. 6,6. The best spread in the game is considered to be a low Ace on the left and a high Ace on the right. This is also one of the worst hands to get as you run the risk of the third card being an Ace and having to pay four times your bet for the hand.
A variation is to split the cards if two end cards are the same value. This requires the bettor to ante in for two hands and the dealer would draw one more card under each of the end cards. After this, the same rules apply.
Some new rules that increase payouts and betting:
The game show Card Sharks is based on Acey Deucey and closely resembles the rules.[citation needed] In the show, two players answer high-low survey questions, and guess whether the next card is higher or lower (with duplicates counting as wrong).
Acey-ducey is often mentioned in the book series The Corps by W.E.B. Griffin which is set in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and follows the lives of a group of marines in special service. Griffin never explains the game in the slightest, but his characters are often playing it when they are interrupted by the war, i.e. required to stop playing to perform some duty.
In 1978 a type-in programBASICvideo game version was distributed via the book BASIC Computer Games.[2]
An unsold 1985 game show pilot hosted by Jim McKrell, entitled Split Decision, had contestants playing the game Acey Deucey while answering general knowledge questions. Each player picked a card to share and had their own base card, and tried to fit a card in or bust the other player.
The game is also frequently mentioned on Barstool Sports' Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, hosted Ryan Whitney, Rear Admiral, and Paul Bissonnette. According to Whitney and Bissonnette, both former NHL players, the game is regularly played on team flights and bus rides.