Play Pontoon Today

The name Pontoon may not be so familiar to people who live outside the UK, but it's the British version of the game commonly known as blackjack to much of the world. Of course, it has a few variations of its own, but the essence of the game is the same as classic blackjack. Your goal is to come as close to a score of 21 without going over and to be closer than the dealer. According to Pontoon game rules, you have to beat the dealer, not just tie, because the dealer wins all ties. That's one of the advantages that the dealer has in Pontoon. Another is that the dealers cards are dealt face down, so you have no hint as to what kind of hand the dealer might be capable of building, such as if he starts with an ace or a ten. And when you play Pontoon, you'll find some things are the same as blackjack but with different names. Instead of calling it a hit when you take another card, it's called a twist. And instead of saying you'll stand when you don't want any more cards, you'll say you want to stick. A Pontoon, like a blackjack, consists of an ace and a card with a value of 10.

Learn How to Play Pontoon

If not for Pontoon online, you might never give the game a try if you live outside the UK. But the game offers some subtle variations on blackjack that would appeal to any blackjack fan. You, the player, must twist on any hand that is at 14 or under. At 15 or above, you can twist or stick, whichever you think is more likely to win the game. The dealer, however, must twist up to 16 but must stick on 17 or higher. The term for doubling down - doubling your bet, taking another card, and sticking, in Pontoon is called buying. And you can buy on any hand with two, three, or four cards.  There is also a five card trick, which consists of any hand that has five card, something that's difficult to achieve without going over 21. It beats any hand from the dealer other than a Pontoon, and  you get a 2-1 payout if you achieve the trick. Another difference between Pontoon and blackjack is that in Pontoon rules, any 21 made from an ace and a ten is a Pontoon, even if it comes after a split. In blackjack, a split 10 does not result in a blackjack, even though it still carries a value of 21, which is a great hand.

Pontoon Online for Everyone

In essence, Pontoon offers some interesting challenges. You have to twist on 14, but in most cases, that isn't so much of a limitation on what you would do anyway. If you stick on 14, you have a very vulnerable hand that does not push the dealer to take more cards than he would otherwise and risk going over 21. A bigger challenge is the fact that the dealer's cards are dealt face down. That forces you to focus entirely on your own hand and not pay too much attention on what the dealer might be able to do. At the same time, not knowing what the dealer has might cause you to take bigger risks for a higher hand and may push you over 21 more often than if you know at least one of the dealer's cards was relatively low and he might to facing a tough decision at 15. The 2-1 payout for a five card hand might also push you to try for that extra card if the hand is within reach. But it's important to remember that the payout comes because the hand is hard to get. So if you love blackjack but never played Pontoon, it may be time to give Pontoon online a try. You might be surprised by how much you'll like it.