Pontoon uses different terminology and awards higher prizes.
Pontoon is blackjack, UK-style. It’s a lot like regular blackjack, but with its own UK-blackjack rules and UK-blackjack terms. It’s a lot of fun to play, and the good news is you don’t have to be British to play pontoon. At All Slots Online Casino, you can play pontoon online from anywhere in the world. A Pontoon Glossary. Pontoon is played with standard 52-card decks, with anywhere from two to eight decks being used depending on the number of players involved. Its popularity has been increasing and been added to more and more offline and online casinos. The Terms and Conditions defined in Pontoon Casino Strategy this text (hereinafter referred to as “Terms and Conditions”) regulate the usage of the games provided Pontoon Casino Strategy through www.casumo.com, as well as other URLs licensed to or belonging to Casumo Services Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Website” or “Websites”). The goal of Pontoon is to get closer to 21 points than the dealer without going over 21 points. A 'Pontoon' is a hand that totals 21 points with two cards. A total of 21 points with three or more cards is not considered Pontoon. A Pontoon is ranked higher than all other hands. Rules Of Pontoon In Casino Program to win on slot machines. How to pick slot machines. But if this is the best, making it easier to avoid detection. However, while thievery enhances the amount of gold you can loot. You should also never add chips from your pocket to your stack if it puts you over the posted maximum buyin for that table.
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Blackjack is undoubtedly one of the most popular casino games ever. It is played worldwide, at brick-and-mortar and online casinos. On the other hand, you may not be familiar with the similar card game of a bit strange name – Pontoon. Considered Blackjack’s less popular cousin, Pontoon shares a number of features with 21, yet there are still rules that make these two games totally different. If you want to know all the similarities and differences between Pontoon and Blackjack, stay with us as we got you covered.
Pontoon Rules and Payouts
Just like in Blackjack, the main goal in Pontoon is to get a hand of 21 or as close as possible to it. To beat the dealer, you must not exceed 21. You place a bet and receive two cards face-up while the dealer gets their cards face-down. As for card rankings, they are the same in both games with Aces counted as 1 or 11. Once you have received the first two cards, you make a further decision, just like in the game of Blackjack. You can Twist (Hit) or Stick (Stand). In Pontoon, you can hit even after doubling down.
A Pontoon and a Blackjack hand are the same. They consist of an Ace and a 10-value card. However, payouts differ, with a natural Blackjack paying 3:2 while a natural Pontoon pays 2:1. In Pontoon, you can win this payout even after splitting while in Blackjack a split hand pays even money even when it creates a natural Blackjack. However, in Pontoon, the dealer wins on all ties.
A five-card trick or Charlie is another thing you will find in Pontoon and not in Blackjack. It is created with five cards with a total that does not exceed 21 and grants a 2:1 payout. In case the dealer creates the same hand without exceeding 21, your hand will be beaten. There are a few other rules that apply to the game of Pontoon. You will find them all listed on this page.
What Makes Pontoon and Blackjack Similar?
The main goal in both games is the same – to create a hand worth 21 or as close as possible to it. The ranking of the cards is the same and the way they create hands. Practically, these are the only features the two games share. Let’s learn more about the differences between Pontoon and Blackjack.
What Are Major Differences Between Pontoon and Blackjack?
Once you start playing Pontoon, you will notice the most obvious difference between the two games – the terminology they use. While in Blackjack you hit when you ask the dealer for another card, in Pontoon you twist. When you don’t want another card, in Blackjack you stand while in Pontoon, you stick. You are aware of the fact that you can hit after doubling down in Pontoon, yet the term used for double down is “buy”.
One rule that makes Pontoon less favourable to players is that the dealer’s cards are dealt face down. That means that players cannot make their decisions based on the dealer’s face-up card like in Blackjack. On the other hand, a natural Pontoon hand pays a bigger prize than a natural Blackjack hand. Another disadvantage of Pontoon you should be aware of is that the dealer wins on all ties.
Which Game to Play?
As you can see, Pontoon provides players with an extended list of options, like doubling down or buying when they have more than two cards in their hands and hitting or twisting after doubling down. On the other hand, some other rules put the player at a disadvantage like a dealer winning on all ties and keeping their cards face-down. What makes the game of Pontoon more attractive than Blackjack is a payout of 2:1 on a natural Pontoon, which is bigger than 3:2 paid by a natural Blackjack. Don’t forget about a five-card trick which pays 2:1 in Pontoon and you cannot win on it in Blackjack.
Will you play Blackjack or Pontoon depends on your own preference and we cannot suggest which of the two games you should play. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, whichever of them that you play, always keep in mind that you have to apply the proper strategy and keep an eye on your bankroll.
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Introduction
There are two completely different blackjack variants known as Pontoon. One is played at Internet casinos using Real Time Gaming software, and is described in my page on RTG Pontoon. The other is played in Australia, and is very similar to what is called Spanish 21 in North America. This page shall address the latter Australian version. I can't speak for the rest of Australia, but in Sydney, Pontoon offers a much better bet than conventional blackjack, with a house edge about 1/3 less.
Pontoon uses four to eight Spanish decks, each deck consisting of 48 cards — the regular 52 cards, less the four tens. Any card counter can tell you that removing any 10-point card from the cards favors the dealer. To make up for this, Pontoon gives to the player a host of bonuses and favorable rules. The following rules are consistent to Pontoon, across Australia.Fixed Rules
- Dealer hits soft 17.
- Double after split allowed.
- Dealer does not take a hole card.
- Player may double on 9 to 11 only. If player were to double on a soft hand, the ace would be forced to count as 1.
- Player may take 'late surrender.' If the dealer has a ten or ace up, a laminated marker saying 'surrender' will be put on the player's bet. In the event the dealer gets a blackjack, the player will lose the entire bet.
- A player 21 or blackjack wins immediately.
- Player may surrender after doubling, known as 'double down rescue.' The player forfeits an amount equal to his original bet. The surrender is adjudicated immediately, so it is like early surrender.
- A five-card 21 pays 3 to 2, a six-card 21 pays 2 to 1, a seven-or-more-card-21 pays 3 to 1. However, the bonuses are not paid if the player doubled.
- A 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3 to 2, of the same suit pays 2 to 1, and of spades pays 3 to 1. These bonuses do not pay after doubling.
- Suited 7-7-7, when the dealer has a seven face up, pays $1000 for bets of $5-$24 and $5000 for bets of $25 or over. In addition, all other players receive a $50 'envy bonus.' This bonus does not pay after doubling or splitting.
The European no-hole-card rule strongly favors the player in Pontoon. This is because a player 21 automatically wins, even if the dealer gets a blackjack. In American Spanish 21, the dealer blackjack beats anything except a player blackjack, depressing the player's odds.
Variable Rules
- Four to eight Spanish decks.
- Hole-card rule. There are various possibilities, which are explained below.
- Number of splits allowed, either one or two.
- Resplitting aces may or may not be allowed.
- Doubling may be allowed with any number of cards, or only two.
Hole-Card Rules
What happens when the player doubles or splits, and the dealer gets a blackjack, depends on which casino you are in. In most cases, the rules followed are found nowhere else on earth besides Australia, so new terminology had to be established. Other sources on Pontoon and blackjack do not use the same terminology as I do, or use them differently. I have decided to go with the terms as used in the book The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon by Katarina Walker. Please do not write and tell me I have the terminology wrong, quoting some other web site. Nobody knows Pontoon better than Walker, so I can think of no better standard to measure to.
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- OBO (Original Bets Only): This is the rule followed in North America, where the player loses only his original bet if the dealer gets a blackjack. Usually the dealer will peek at the hole card if a blackjack is possible, so players won't waste time trying to beat an unbeatable hand. I have an unconfirmed report that the OBO rule is followed in Queensland.
- BB+1 (Busted Bets Plus One): Under this rule, the player will lose any hands he busted, plus an amount equal to his original bet, if he has anything left.
- OBBO (Original and Busted Bets Only): Under this rule, the player will lose any hands he busted, plus an amount equal to his original wager per hand. In other words, if the dealer gets a blackjack, the player is penalized for splitting, but not doubling.
- ENHC (European no Hole Card): Under this rule, the player loses every bet on the table if the dealer gets a blackjack.
Let's look at an example. Suppose the player bets $10 and then splits eights against a dealer ten, to the following:
Hand 1: Player hits to 18.
Hand 2: Player hits and busts.
Hand 3: Player doubles to 20.
Then, the dealer gets a blackjack. The following is what would happen under all four possible hole-card rules.
OBO: The remaining $30 on the table would push, because the player already lost $10 on the hand that busted.
BB+1: The dealer would take $10 from the remaining $30 on the table.
OBBO: The dealer would take $20, $10 from each of the two hands left.
ENCH: The dealer would take all $30 on the table.
Strategy
The following table shows the basic strategy for Pontoon.
Next are the three tricky hands that depend on the hole-card rule being followed.
If the player splits eights against a ten, under the BB+1 rule, then he will be motivated to hit less. This is because a busted hand is always lost, but if the dealer gets a blackjack, only one split hand will be lost. In this situation, the player should stand on 16, instead of hitting. The only exception is if it is that last hand to be played, and all earlier hands busted.
I'm going to use the rules in Sydney as the base rules. The variable rules in other parts of Australia are as follows.
- 8 decks.
- BB+1.
- Player may split only once.
- Player may double on any number of cards.
Under the Sydney rules, the house edge is 0.42%.
The following list is of rule variations you may encounter in Austalia. The table shows the change in the player's excpected value, so positive effects are good.
Effets of Rule Variations
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Six decks | 0.03% |
| Four decks | 0.08% |
| OBBO | -0.01% |
| ENHC | -0.06% |
| Split 2-K 2X | 0.03% |
| Split 2-K 3X | 0.05% |
| Split 2-A 2X | 0.11% |
| Double only 2 cards | -0.16% |
The next table summarizes the Pontoon rules in various parts of Australia.
Pontoon Rules Summary for Australia and Malaysia
| Location | Decks | Max. Splits | Resplit Aces | Hole Card | Double any Time | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra | 4 | 1 | No | BB+1 | Yes | 0.34% |
| Melbourne, Tasmania | 8 | 2 | No | BB+1 | Yes | 0.38% |
| Queensland | 6 | 1 | No | BB+1 | Yes | 0.40% |
| Perth | 8 | 2 | Yes | ENHC | Yes | 0.38% |
| Sydney | 8 | 1 | No | BB+1 | Yes | 0.42% |
| Malaysia | 8 | 2 | Yes | OBBO | No | 0.49% |
| Adelaide | 8 | 1 | No | ENHC | No | 0.64% |
Updates
I have had the following unconfirmed reports of rule changes since I wrote the rule table above.
- In Adelaide the player may now split twice.
- The Adelaide casino now uses four decks instead of eight. (6/9/13)
- Sydney uses six decks instead of eight. (5/7/16)
The probability of hitting the Super Bonus is 1 in 668,382, with six decks, and 1 in 549,188, with eight decks. The reduction in the house edge depends on the bet amount, and to a lesser extent, the number of players. With no other players, and bets of exactly $5 or $25, the Super Bonus lowers the house edge by 0.030% in a six-deck game, and 0.036% in an eight-deck game. At a bet of exactly $5, the Envy Bonus lowers the house edge by an additional 0.0015% in a six-deck game, and 0.0018% in an eight-deck game, per additional player.
For bet amounts other than those indicated above, the benefit of the Super Bonus will go down as the bet amount goes up.
Acknowledgments
Katarina Walker is the undisputed queen of Spanish 21 and Pontoon. I only had time to visit one casino during my trip to Australia in 2008, the Star City in Sydney. Kat's book and answers to my many e-mail were invaluable for knowing Pontoon rules in the rest of Australia. She has also been good about catching minor mistakes in my Spanish 21 page. I'm sorry to report that Kat died in 2015.
MGP was kind enough to give me a copy of his amazing blackjack calculator. Put in any set of rules, and it will give you the correct strategy and house edge. It handles all kinds of obscure rules, including all the Pontoon rules. MGP was extremely patient and gracious in answering my numerous questions too. I think, and hope, the blackjack world will be hearing more from MGP in the future.
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