SP21 Basic Strategy after split

SP21 Basic Strategy after split question:

Many of the basic strategy plays have us going for bonuses.
How do I play hands after I have split and the bonus no longer applies?

E.g.
I split 8,8 vs. A:
First hand is 8,4,2,A,A,A

Normally I would hit – but that factors in the fact I may hit a 7 card bonus. Do I still hit after a split? Is there a Basic Strategy for after a player has already split and bonuses are no longer available?

Quote: bjploppy

SP21 Basic Strategy after split question:

Many of the basic strategy plays have us going for bonuses.
How do I play hands after I have split and the bonus no longer applies?...

Many dealers and floor people are sure that the 21 bonuses do not apply to split hands in Spanish 21. The cause of the confusion are the rules of the Spanish 21 "Super Bonus," which state that it is not paid on doubled or split hands. (The Super Bonus is paid to a hand of three suited sevens when the dealer has any seven as an up-card.) The rules for the regular 21 bonuses, which are printed on the table felt, state that they are not paid on "doubled hands." The 21 bonuses should be paid on all hands, included split hands, that have not been doubled-down.

Therefore, the strategy for split hands is the same as for a regular hand.

However, if you are not willing to insist on getting paid your rightful split-hand 21 bonuses, you should hit less on your split hands. The 2-card strategy is a good approximate strategy for a multi-card split hand in this case.

I trust ChesterDog on this one more than I trust myself. Personally, I haven't played Spanish 21 in about 20 years so don't recall. However, I do vaguely recall discussing this topic with CD years ago. I hope he won't mind me saying that he plays it frequently in Atlantic City. I'm not aware of any Spanish 21 tables left in Las Vegas. It is surprisingly popular in the Palm Springs area casinos but I didn't think to ask about this my last visit.

Anyway, I just reworded my site to say the bonuses, except the Super Bonus, are payable after a split, but added the following in the variable rules:

Quote: Variable rule 6

There has been a lot of debate through the years whether the bonuses are payable after a split. First, there is almost no argument that they do not pay after doubling. However, the way the game was designed, all bonuses except the Super Bonus are supposed to be payable after splitting. Ultimately, each casino can do what it wants and some have been known to not allow any bonuses after splitting. This may have been due to dealer ignorance of the rules, in which case they invariable err on the casino's side. The value of the bonuses is quite small so it doesn't make a great deal of difference in the house edge.