Game Rules

Fast 21

How to Play Fast 21

The goal of Fast 21 is to get the highest score possible before time runs out. You get points for making high blackjack hands, and for making 21s and 5-card Charlies (5 cards under 21). You also get points for each card you’re able to use in a hand.

Fast 21 has three rounds of play; each round lasts 90 seconds. Finishing the third round with more than 30,000 points earns a bonus round. Finishing the bonus round with 40,000 or more points wins the game.

To play, move cards one at a time from the stock pile to one of the four blackjack hands or to the reserve pile. The reserve pile can hold three cards each round.

Play cards to try to make hands that score 21 or close to 21, without going over 21.

Making a hand of 21 or a 5-card Charlie (5 cards under 21) in a hand clears that hand so you can play on it again (and gives you bonus points).

Current hand totals are shown next to the hand. Jacks, queens, and kings are worth 10, aces are worth 1 or 11, and all other cards are worth their face value. Note that although aces are worth 1 or 11, only their “hard” value is shown. In other words, an ace and an 8 are shown as 19, not 9, although they can be worth either 9 or 19. You can hit these “hard” hands, if desired.

If you play a card that busts a hand (makes it go over 21), that card is returned to the stock pile and your score is reduced by 100 points. You can then play that card to another pile or to the reserve pile (or end the round if you can’t play it).

When you’ve played as much as you can, click the Take Score button. The game proceeds to the next round (or ends, if you’re on the last round).

Scoring in Fast 21

You score 1,000 points for each 21 you get in a round, and 750 points for each 5-card Charlie. Busting a hand reduces your score by 100 points. You also score 100 points for each card you played to a blackjack hand in the round, and you score the total of all other hands you make. (You score points for each card as you play it, but if you make 21 or a Charlie in a hand you only get points for the 21 or Charlie.)

Playing all 52 cards to the blackjack hands (without passing any cards) scores you a bonus 10,000 points.

For example, if you got three 21s and one 5-card Charlie, with 22 cards played to the blackjack hands, and final hands of 20, 20, 18, and 17, you’d get this score:

3,750 points for the three 21s and one Charlie

                        + 2,200 points for playing 22 cards

                        + 75 points for your four hands (20+20+18+17=75)

                        = 6,025 points total

Strategies for Fast 21

Use the same strategies as in Best 21. Also, if you don’t have a good place to put low cards, keep them in a separate hand to try to form 5-card Charlies.