How to play
Pontoon is what blackjack became in British clubs and pubs. The aim is the familiar one, a hand closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over, but the rulebook leans in different directions: some rules are kinder to you than blackjack, others are harsher, and the strategy shifts to match.
Traditional players talk about twisting (taking a card), sticking (standing) and buying (doubling). On screen the buttons are Hit, Stand, Double and Split.
Card values. 2 to 10 at face value, picture cards 10, an ace 1 or 11.
A round:
- Pick a chip and place a bet of 10 to 500 credits, then press Deal. You and the dealer each get two cards.
- If the dealer’s up card is an ace or a 10-value card, the dealer checks underneath for a pontoon (an ace plus a 10-value card) before you act.
- Play your hand under Pontoon’s rules:
- No standing below 15. With 14 or less, the Stand button stays off; you have to take another card.
- Double on two, three or four cards. You can buy one more card for double the stake well into a hand, and after splitting as well.
- Split pairs into as many as four hands. Aces can be split again, and you may keep drawing to split aces.
- Any 21 stands at once, including soft totals like A-3-7.
- Five cards ends the hand. If your fifth card doesn’t bust you, it’s a five-card trick.
- The dealer then draws to 17 and also hits a soft 17.
The shoe holds six decks and is reshuffled once a quarter of it is left. There’s no insurance and no surrender.
Payouts and the dealer’s edge
| Your hand | Result |
|---|---|
| Pontoon (ace + 10-value card on your first two) | pays 2 to 1 |
| Five-card trick (five cards, 21 or under) | pays 2 to 1 and beats every dealer hand except a pontoon |
| Any other winning hand | pays 1 to 1 |
| Same total as the dealer | you lose |
| Dealer has a pontoon | you lose, even with your own pontoon |
Read the bottom two rows twice. They’re the two rules that give the house its edge. A blackjack player is used to pushes; here every tie is a loss, and a dealer pontoon wipes out even a two-card 21 of your own. An ace and a 10 after a split count as a plain 21, not a pontoon.
The table’s rule list shows these too, so you don’t have to remember them mid-hand.
Strategy
The Hint button shows the best play for the exact hand you’re holding, worked out for Pontoon’s rules rather than borrowed from blackjack. Some of the differences you’ll notice:
Ties are losses, so a made hand is worth less. A 17 or 18 that would often push in blackjack can simply lose here, and the hint’s choices between drawing and standing reflect that.
Small-card hands have a second target. After three or four low cards, the question isn’t only “will I reach 21?” but “will the next card leave me under 22?”. A hand like 2-3-4-2 (11) is a great spot: any card makes a five-card trick, and doubling here turns a 2-to-1 payout into a big win.
Late doubles are a weapon. Being able to double on three or four cards opens chances blackjack never offers. Watch for totals of 10 or 11 made from three small cards.
Split aces keep playing. Unlike many blackjack tables, you can draw more than one card to them and split again, which makes an ace pair a strong start.
The 15 floor is a constraint, not a choice. Expect to draw on 12, 13 and 14 even when the dealer shows a bust card. The hint never asks you to stand where the game won’t allow it.
Played by the hint every time, the house edge is about 0.37% of your initial bets, from a 12-million-hand simulation (±0.08%). A winning pontoon turns up roughly once in 22 hands and a five-card trick about once in 30.
For the American game with pushes and 3-to-2 blackjacks, try Blackjack. Free Double 21 is another variant where the house gives something and takes something back.
If you enjoy Pontoon, try Pot-Limit Omaha or Prize Grid next.
