Pontoon Casino
Looking for a trustworthy resource explaining pontoon rules and a winning strategy? Then you’ve landed on the right page.
Pontoon Blackjack might just be the most popular casino card game in the world, with players loving its mix of luck, strategy, and fair odds. But “vanilla” blackjack doesn’t appeal to everyone, and that has led to a host of variations on the game that are often offered right alongside the original version. The backbone and foundation of pontoon is found within the land-based casinos of the world. Especially popular in Las Vegas and London, the game has the “snap” at the tables that most players are looking for.
Online Pontoon Blackjack Pontoon is the British version of traditional blackjack. The goal is the same — to come as close to 21 without going over and to beat the dealer's hand — but there are several differences. How Does Pontoon Blackjack Differ from Classic Blackjack? Regardless if you wish to play Pontoon for fun or otherwise – you’ll do well playing Pontoon at El Royale Casino. It’s a very fun game with a handful of new rules that make things fun and interesting. The 2:1 payouts for Pontoon hands and five-card trick hands will be well worth your while as you play.
Pontoon is, in many ways, very similar to blackjack. In fact, it’s a relative of blackjack. Like blackjack; the fact that Pontoon is such an easy game to understand makes it very popular in both offline and online casinos the world over. Let’s look at Pontoon rules first.
Pontoon Rules – What You Need to Know
As with most card games, rules vary depending on which (online or offline) casino you play in. The simple objective is to hit 21 or get as close to that number as possible.
All cards are of the same value as in blackjack. Therefore an ‘ace’ can be 1 or 11. Tens, jacks, queens and kings are all valued at 10. Pontoon rules is one thing, but you also need to understand hand ranks.
Pontoon Hand Ranks:
Pontoon: Same as Blackjack is hitting 21 with 2 cards; an ace and any other card valued at 10.
- A five-card trick; collecting 5 cards in your hand without exceeding a total of 21.
- A hand of less than 21 with four of fewer cards. i.e. 7d, 8s, 3h equals 18.
- A busted hand; 22 points or more.
- As with blackjack, both the player and the dealer start the game with 2 cards; however, both of the dealer’s cards are FACE DOWN.
- The player has to hit (take another card) if his/her hand is valued at 14 or lower.
- The dealer must hit soft 17 to qualify.
- Splitting is allowed if the player is dealt with two cards which are the same (a pair). The player can only split twice meaning a maximum of three hands for a single player is possible during one game.
- A player can double once (increase the size of their bet by that equal to the initial wager) at any time.
- A player can hit after doubling if desired.
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The Payout for Pontoon
- Hitting Pontoon pays 2:1 so a $10 wager brings in a $20 win (plus your wager back).
- A five-card trick pays 2:1 as well. But the dealer beats you if he also produces a 5 card trick.
- All other payouts are at even money but again, the dealer wins if the hand value is equal – bummer!
Pontoon Strategy
Below is a table for the basic Pontoon strategy to use when playing Pontoon at an online casino. The numbers on the left are the hand value and along the top how many cards the player is holding. You can also learn how to win at blackjack here.
Pontoon Casino Rules
Basic Pontoon Strategy
Click or tap the image to view an enlarged version of the Pontoon strategy table below.
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S – Stand
H – Hit
D – Double
DS – Double if allowed, otherwise stand
PS – Split if allowed, otherwise stand
PH – Split if allowed, otherwise hit
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Pontoon House Edge
According to most sources, the house edge for this version of Pontoon is a very respectable 0.38% when played with perfect strategy. That’s certainly better than most other casino table games played against the dealer.