The Game of Pontoon

Essentially a variation of a variation of American style Blackjack, Pontoon enjoys much of its following in Malaysian and Australian casinos, unless of course we are talking about the British version of the game by the same name. With significantly different rules for the dealer and players, Pontoon stands out among other Blackjack variants.

Winning great favor with Loius XV and famed French general Napoleon Bonaparte, Pontoons British variety was at one point the most popular card game among English speaking nations. One thing that stands apart from casino Blackjack is that Pontoon has no official rules and may vary quite a bit from venue to venue.

Rules and Play

At the most basic level the object of the game is to beat the dealers hand at face value, while not exceeding a point sum of 21. If this is achieved with only two cards, an ace and a card worth 10 points, the point value overall is higher than if 21 is achieved via multiple cards of smaller point values. The game is often played with multiple decks and a shuffling machine, or shoe. Anywhere from 1 to 6 decks may be utilized.  Each card is worth a certain number of points, for example, card 2-9 are worth each’s own number in points respectively, 10, jack, queen, king are worth 10 points each and ace may be utilized as either a 1 or an 11.

Some rules that set pontoon apart from other variants include the fact that while the dealer has no hole card players are unable to see until the round has ended whether or not a dealer holds a natural or Ace and 10 point valued card. It is then made possible for players to be dealt the natural and beat a dealer’s own hand of the same value, a feature not available in Spanish 21 or Blackjack.

Options like doubling down and splitting bets are still allowed in Pontoon. Splits allow players to play with multiple hands against the dealer and doubling down allows players to place additional wagers on certain scoring hands. Players have the opportunity to surrender to the dealer’s hand, which is inadvisable as it does not have the same advantage as in the variant Spanish 21.

Buying, twisting and sticking are other options usable in Pontoon. The first allows player to “buy one” and receive an additional card at the cost of an additional wager of at least the original amount, up to double. Twisting will allow you to be dealt another card without having to add to the original wager and sticking is essentially staying, and the current cards are kept as-is, without additional wager. It is then the next players turn.

If at any time the card’s sum reaches an excess of 21 the player, or dealer for that matter, bust and lose all wagers placed on the hand.