Super Fun 21

It’s honestly hard to tell who’s having a better time during a round of Super Fun 21 as it regularly attracts a wide range of participants. Numerous ways to succeed in this blackjack variant abound and expert card counters can find easy scores when shoes are stacked with high value ones, and even when stuffed with low. Although, when everything is tallied, the House still enjoys a 1.16 edge, so in a nutshell, it’s total anarchy.

It’s definitely exciting, but those preferring risking chips on something requiring strategy may be disappointed. This version of 21 is basically a free-for-all and throws conventional wisdom out the window.

Roots are traced back to Howard Grossman who came from the world of professional counting, starting out as a member of Ken Uston’s famous Atlantic City teams of the late 1970s, getting themselves barred from Resorts International Casino. Feeling attacked, the group ultimately ended up in front of the New Jersey Supreme Court to argue their case as to why they should be allowed to continue.

The counters claimed operators had no right to bar them just because of their skills and the court shockingly agreed. Nevertheless, after that landmark decision the entire boardwalk began dealing from increasingly larger shoes and employing more shuffles per hour. The team eventually broke up and Uston took to dawning ever-more elaborate disguises, while Grossman started a school for card counters called the Las Vegas Blackjack Academy.

Grossman finally switched sides and went to work sniffing out counters on casino floors, finding a way to keep getting paid by the House after his playing career was over. He then started inventing games and ultimately struck pay-dirt in 2001 via his biggest hit, Super Fun 21. Grossman claimed he designed it in a single day after he was dared to come up with a marketable creation within 24 hours. These days, rights are owned and distributed by Tech Art Inc.

Rules

Dealt from a standard deck of 52, Super Fun 21 follows normal rules, until the splitting and doubling starts. Hands can be split up to three times generating as many as four, on Aces as well if desired, double-downs accepted afterwards.

Participants may double on any two or more cards equalling 21 or less, again including Aces. Subsequent hitting is not sanctioned and stakes must match original antes.

Players collect 1:1 instantly for hands containing six cards totalling 20 or less, even after splits. If five or more cards combine for exactly 21, 2:1 is immediately won and if all are diamonds, profits are 2:1 as well. However, to balance this out, dealer blackjacks are always victorious and no pushes against them qualify, regardless of what’s held.

House Odds

Potential wins for those involved in Super Fun 21 abound thanks to these juicy odds, so to take back some of that edge, the House rewards player blackjacks at even money only. That’s the sole change regarding payouts but it’s enough to cover all that “entertainment” people are having at the table.

Also, at some places croupiers are permitted to hit on Soft 17s for a plumper host edge.

All Diamond Blackjack Side Bet

Once initial stakes are placed, some Super Fun 21 tables offer side bets of $1. Action rides on whether the first hand in a single deck game, or any hand in multi-deck versions, will produce an all-diamond player blackjack. If arriving, it yields $300 and still awards 2:1 as per normal.

In addition, if dealers show an Ace, Insurance can still be taken, ensuring “real enjoyment”. Well not really, since that’s invariably the worst possible decision, so save these valuable chips for the splitting that’s sure to come.