How Do You Play Pontoon Cards

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• How Do You Play The Card Game Pontoon
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Pontoon is an Australian blackjack variant and an ideal game for gamblers looking for an alternative experience, with some favourable rule differences, and some of the lowest house edges on offer.

Announce a Pontoon, if you have an ace and a ten point card, declare your pontoon by placing your ten point card face-down and your ace face-up on top of it. Split your cards, if you have two cards of equal rank you can split them. In doing so, separate each card into two hands, put them face-up, and place an equal bet to your initial bet. You need 5-8 players for an ideal scenario, but you can play Pontoon with as low as two players. Initially, you need a banker by drawing the highest card. The dealer will deal one card face down to each of the players starting with the extreme left of the dealer.

Pontoon actually comes in two different types, both of which originally derived from another American blackjack variant called Spanish 21. The first version of Pontoon is played in Britain and the UK, and is very similar to conventional American blackjack. The second version of Pontoon is played in Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean casinos and is significantly different. It is known by several different names across several different casinos: Treasury 21 in Brisbane’s Treasury Casino, Paradise Pontoon in Cairns’ Reef Casino, Jupiter 21 in Gold Coast’s Jupiter Casino and Federal Pontoon in Tasmania.

While both variants of Pontoon have similar rules to Spanish 21, the Australian version of Pontoon has proven to be far more popular than both its American inspiration and British counterpart. For clarity, this article will focus on the Australian variant.

Websites to play Pontoon

How to play the Pontoon card game? Pontoon 21 is a casino card game popular in Great Britain, the USA, Australia, and Asia. It can be played with up to 8 players, while at an online casino, a player may gamble with several hands at a time. Pontoon Strategy Number 5 – When you play pontoon online, which we recommend as opposed to land-based casinos, try to find a site which provides you with a pontoon strategy chart as part of the game interface. This will make it easy for you to follow perfect pontoon strategy and to win more often. After that, click deal, and you will receive two cards. You may bet up to three hands at the same time. If the player has a pontoon, which is the same as a blackjack in a normal game, the hand ends. The dealer will then check to see if it also has it. If the player has it alone, the hand pays 2-1. If the dealer also has it, the house wins.

The Objective

The aim of Pontoon is to receive cards totalled at a greater value than the dealer, without exceeding 21 points; otherwise you bust and lose. If your hand contains an Ace and a 10-valued card, that is considered Pontoon, and in most games, pays either 3:2 or 2:1. In essence, Pontoon is still similar to blackjack, and is played on the same table as traditional blackjack and Spanish 21. However, it has a few notable rule and term differences which distinguish it from its origins:

Term Differences:

• Hitting 21 is called Pontoon, rather than blackjack.
• A hit is referred to as a twist.
• A stand is called a stick.
• A buy refers to doubling the bet, and you can still twist afterwards (not to be confused with doubling down).
• Early surrender is available and known as double down rescue./li>

Fixed Rules Differences:

• The dealer has no hole card (NHC), which is akin to many of the blackjack games in Australia and Europe. This means players cannot determine whether the dealer will draw a natural Pontoon until all players have acted and the dealer draws a second card.
• Pontoon (21) hands thus will win immediately (always beating the dealer’s Pontoon).
• The game is played with either four decks from a continuous shuffling machine, or six to eight decks from a shoe. All Tens (Ten of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades & Clubs) are removed from the decks.
• You can split up to a maximum of two times, depending on the casino.
• You can only double down on a hand which is totalling nine, 10 or 11.
• The Ace in any hand which has not been doubled must always count as one, rather than one or 11. Thus, if doubling on a soft-18 (say an Ace and a Seven), you are actually doubling on eight, which is highly inadvisable.
• Double down rescue (early surrender) is available only after a player has doubled down; you must forfeit an amount equal to your original bet.
• Late surrender is offered when the dealer’s up-card is a Ten or an Ace; but if the dealer hits blackjack, you still lose your entire bet. Also, you miss the chance to draw to 21 and win immediately. Late surrender is thus not such a valuable option.
• The dealer must always hit on a soft-17, a rule which favours the house.

No Hole Card Rules

As the dealer does not have a hole card, it is possible for players to split/double and if the dealer draws Pontoon, lose multiple bets. Most games will offer compensation in the form of the following rules. Because the following rules are unique to Australian versions of Pontoon, make sure to familiarise yourself with them as they are not present in conventional blackjack.

Note: These rules are applied after the dealer has removed all busted bets, all winnings from hands totalling 21, and all forfeited hands.

• OBBO (Original and Busted Bets Only): If the dealer draws Pontoon, you lose any hands you have busted, plus one bet from each split hand remaining. If you have not split, you lose just the one bet. No penalty is taken from any double downs.
• BB+1 (Busted Bets Plus One): If the dealer draws to Pontoon, you lose any hands you have busted in addition to an amount equal to your initial wager, even if you have multiple split hands in one box.
• ENHC (European No Hole Card): If the dealer draws Pontoon, the player loses every wager on the table. This is the worst rule as it offers no compensation on a dealer natural.

BB+1 is the more common of the three rules in Australian Pontoon.

State Variations of Pontoon

Pontoon has a large number of fixed rules and conventions, but its prominence all over Australia has lead to a certain level of minor differences introduced by each state’s casinos, as detailed below:

Federal Pontoon

Played in Tasmania in the Country Club Casino and Wrest Point Casino, the name is derived from the casino owners, the Federal Group. It is playable only in the public section of Wrest Point Casino, and not in the VIP area.

• Eight decks, dealt from a shoe.
• BB+1 (Busted Bet’s Plus One).
• Splitting up to three times allowed, with the exception of Aces.

Jupiter’s 21

Played in Queensland at Jupiter’s Casino, which is why it is named Jupiter’s 21.

• Four decks used, dealt by a continuous shuffling machine.
• BB+1 (Busted Bet’s Plus One).
• No re-splits permitted.

Treasury 21

Played in Queensland at the Treasury Casino.

• Six decks, dealt by a shoe in VIP area, and a continuous shuffling machine in the public area.
• BB+1 (Busted Bet’s Plus One).
• No re-splits are permitted.

Payouts

Part of what makes Pontoon very appealing as its own unique game to the average gambler is its massive bonuses. The game often awards special payouts based on the number of cards in your hand, as well as certain special combinations.

• If you reach 21 with a five-card hand, the payout is 3 to 2.
• If you reach 21 with a six-card hand, the payout is 2 to 1.
• If you reach 21 with a seven-card hand or more, the payout is 3 to 1.
• If you reach 21 with a Six, Seven, Eight combination, or with three Sevens, the payout is 3 to 2 for mixed suits, 2 to 1 for same suit, and 3 to 1 for Spades.
• If you reach 21 with three Sevens and the dealer’s up-card is also a Seven, the payout is $1000 for bets of $5 to $24, and $5000 for any bets made over $25, while all other players on the table receive an ‘envy bonus’ of $50.
• If you win the game with any other hand combination, it is an even-money payout (1:1).

Note: These aforementioned bonuses do not pay after doubling down; if you manage to draw three Sevens with the dealer’s face up card of Seven, the bonus does not pay out for both doubling or splitting.

House Edge

Pontoon offers some of the best house edge for the player of any blackjack variant game. While the removal of the 10-valued cards out of the 52-card Spanish decks favours the house, the bonus payouts, flexibility in surrendering, and the fact a player’s hand of 21 (Pontoon, or any other hand totalling 21) is paid out immediately, regardless of what the dealer has, makes the game significantly advantageous to the player.

Why Play Pontoon over Standard Blackjack?

Pontoon is a thoroughly enjoyable variation of blackjack, and is great if you desire a slightly different experience. But there is more reason to choose Pontoon over blackjack than aesthetics and slight name changes: the fact the game is played with no hole cards, where the dealer draws his/her second card after the end of all player turns, means we can draw Pontoon and win automatically, without the fear of a push or a loss, like in certain other variations of blackjack.

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• Many Casinos refer to the Pontoon card game as 'British Blackjack'
• During his exile, Napoleon Bonaparte made the game of Pontoon popular in St. Helena.
• In Australian Casinos, Pontoon is also known as 'Treasury 21, 'Jupiters 21', 'Federal Pontoon', and 'Paradise Pontoon.'

Coming from the same game that brought you classic Blackjack, the card game of

Pontoon[/I] is an interesting variation of 'vignt-et-un' that is most popular in English speaking countries.

On this guide to the game of Pontoon, you will:

• learn how to play the game Pontoon,
• understand the difference between Australian Pontoon, Pai Gow Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Blackjack online,
• receive an online Casino bonus to play Pontoon online for real money,
• and a lot more.

Without further ado, let's begin this adventure in the world of the game of Pontoon.

How to Play Pontoon: Rules

Pontoon is a game of chance, a gambling card game that shares many similarities with the popular Casino games of Blackjack and the Spanish 21.

If you know how to play Blackjack

, it will only take you a couple of minutes and a handful of hands to learn how to play Pontoon.

The Pontoon card game rules are easy to crack for anyone who knows Blackjack.

What do you need to get started playing Pontoon:

• A standard 52-card deck of French cards
• At least two players
• This online guide to playing Pontoon

Whether you play Pontoon online or you sit at the table of a brick-and-mortar Casino, you always play with the Dealer — even if other players sit beside you.

To discourage you from trying to count cards, Casinos use more than one 52-card deck to play a game of Pontoon. The standard number is eight decks.

Although it's rare, you can still find a small number of Casinos where you play Australian Pontoon with only two decks in the dealer's shoe.

You should always look for those games. If you approach them correctly, the smaller number of decks give you better chances to bet right and win your hand.

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Card Values in Pontoon

In the game of Pontoon, the card values are the same as in Blackjack:

• Ace can be 1 or 11,
• face cards have 10 points each,
• other cards have their numeric value, i.e., 9 of any suit has 9 points, 7 - 7 points, and so on.

Pontoon has the same goal as Blackjack: you need to get a hand totalling 21 points without going over.

Alternatively, you win a game of Pontoon also if your hand has a higher point-value than the dealer's but, again, it does not go over 21 points.

Do keep in mind that a Tie in not an option in the game of Pontoon. Unlike it happens in many other games of chance, the dealer wins all ties.

The Differences Between Pontoon Card Game and Blackjack

The differences between the Pontoon card game and Blackjack begin with the terminology used to describe the action and the heroes at the table.

Terminology

The game of Blackjack has a 'Dealer.' The same figure, in Pontoon, is referred to as the 'Banker.'

In Blackjack, a hand consisting of an Ace and a face card (total value of 21) is called a Blackjack. In Pontoon, this combination is referred to as 'a Pontoon.

Dealing Cards

When the game of Pontoon begins, the Banker deals two cards to each of the players at the table.

Once all players have two cards face down, the Banker deals two cards to themselves.

In American Blackjack (i.e. classic Blackjack), the dealer places one card face up and one face down. In Pontoon, both cards are face down.

The Banker can check their cards and flip them face up only if they have an Ace and a face card (a Pontoon).

Not knowing any of the dealer's cards makes this game of chance slightly more complicated than Blackjack. With less information available, any Pontoon strategy needs to rely on assumptions.

And as a gambler, you should know that assumptions rarely play in your favour.

Hit vs. Twist, Stand vs. Stick

Another difference between Blackjack and Pontoon comes up when you need to add a card to the two you received from the dealer.

Asking for another card for your hand in Blackjack is referred to as 'to hit'. In the game of Pontoon, adding additional cards to the players' cards is referred to as 'to twist'

So, yeah…it's probably not a good idea to ask the Banker to 'hit you' as you'd do in Blackjack…

Also keeping the cards you have doesn't go by the same name. When you are satisfied with your Blackjack hand, you 'stand. In Pontoon, however, you 'Stick.'

For how these can be very tiny differences in the grand scheme of things, you need to remember them.

When you play Pontoon games online, you won't find the same commands on the table as you do in online Blackjack. The table of most Pontoon games shows Twist and Stick buttons.

Raise the Stakes

If your hand has a low point value, you can try to improve it by buying additional cards.

It's pretty much saying that you hit in Blackjack and add one more card to your hand. Just, in Pontoon, this will cost you money.

The extra amount you add to your wager can't be lower or more than 2x your initial bet.

When you play online, this specific Pontoon betting rule can vary. Many games force you to double the stake when you buy a card.

Once you buy a card, the banker deals you an extra card. If your hand is still lower than 21, you can buy one more card. The same works for the fourth and the fifth card.

If you choose to buy one or two cards and twist another one, after that you cannot buy more cards even if your hand value is still under 21.

Twist to Stick Rules

In Blackjack, you can make whatever move you want, whenever you want. You can even stand on 9 if you don't really want to win your hand.

These moves aren't allowed in Pontoon. In Pontoon, you must continue to twist until your hand reaches a value of 14 points or more.

Insurance and Split

Finally, while there are no surrender or insurance bets in the Pontoon card game, a player keeps the opportunity to split the hand into two.

When you receive two cards of the same value, (e.g. two 9s, two face cards, two Aces), you can split them into two different hands.

Splitting your hand in two implies that you need to place an extra wager on a new hand. Once your money is on the table, the hand continues as usual.

If the next card you get is equal in value to the first two, you can split again and play three hands. Or four, if that happens one more time.

Note: in some variations of Australian Pontoon you can only split Aces.

Hand Ranking and Payouts in Pontoon Card Game

The best hand you can get when playing Pontoon is… a Pontoon.

This hand (an Ace and a face card or a 10) beats all the other hands in the game. A player with the Pontoon hand always wins unless also the Banker has one.

In that case, the hand ends on a tie. And the Banker wins all ties.

Most online Casinos pay a Pontoon 2-to-1. This isn't a set rule and you might find Pontoon online games that pay it differently.

The next best hand is the 'Five Card Trick'.

When you get a hand of five cards that totals 21 points or less, this beats even the hands that have exactly 21 but with four or three cards. Like the Pontoon, also this hand pays 2-to-1.

If you have a hand of three or four cards with 21 points in total, that's also good. This one beats all the other hands except the Pontoon and the Five Card Trick.

If your hand is not one of the three above, the winning hand is the one that has most points but doesn't go over 21. In this case, the hand pays 1-to-1.

If your hand goes over 21 points, you're done. You lose.

How Get More Chances to Win at Pontoon

You know the Pontoon rules and you know how to play Pontoon. Does this mean you know how to win at Pontoon?

Not really.

While you know what you need to achieve, you may not always know how to do it. Luckily, there is a basic strategy that can help you out.

Like in many other gambling games that involve playing cards, you need to have a Pontoon strategy to get some chances to win.

Pontoon Tips and Strategy Sheet

There are a couple of Pontoon tips for anyone who starts with the game.

While they may be obvious for more advanced players, beginners can use them to get hold of Pontoon faster without going through major and avoidable losses.

Always split if you have two Aces.	You have a good chance to get a face card for at least one of the split cards. And that would make a pontoon.
Always stick if you have a total of 18 or more.	You cannot risk going bust and that's too close.
Do twist on 17 if you have a four-card hand.	While risking double bet is still risky, you might as well try your luck and see if you'd get the Five Card Trick.
Buy card (double) if you have a four-card hand that's less than 17.	You have good chances to get a Five Card Trick and that's as good a hand as it gets when you have more than two cards already.

If you want to know even more on how to bet on each hand, check the Pontoon strategy cheat sheet. You will be beating the dealer in no time.

Where to Play Pontoon Card Game Online

Once you know how to play Pontoon online, you need a place where you can practice it. Even if finding a good Pontoon site one is not easy.

While every Casino site offer you countless Blackjack variants, Pontoon is a whole different story.

That's because it pays too well.

Using a correct Pontoon strategy, you can reduce the house edge to less than 0,5 per cent.

That's even better than Blackjack!

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Pontoon Card Game F.A.Q.

How do you play the Pontoon card game?
To play Pontoon you need a dealer and at least one player. The goal of the game is to hit 21 points or get closer than the dealer to this score.

As highlighted in this guide, a player has several ways to improve their initial hand. These including 'twisting' or buying additional cards.

Is Blackjack the same as Pontoon?

No. Although the two games share the main goal, Blackjack and Pontoon are different card games. Differences include terminology, betting options, side bets, payouts, and the way certain hands need to be played.

Pontoon Card Game Free

How many cards do you start with in Pontoon?
Each player begins with two cards. Both cards are dealt face-down.

Does a five-card Charlie beat 21?
Only if the 21 is not a Pontoon (a natural) or it is obtained through a hand of four or three cards.

How Do You Play The Card Game Pontoon

Does the five-card trick beat Pontoon?
No. The Pontoon loses only in the eventuality of a 'tie' with the Banker.

Is Pontoon the same as 21?
A Pontoon is a 'natural' 21. To score a Pontoon, you need to reach 21 points with your first two cards.

How Do You Play Pontoon Cards Price Guide

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