Play Pontoon Blackjack

How to play

Pontoon is played with eight standard decks. Like Blackjack, you take the initiative in Pontoon. The objective of the game is to beat the Dealer with a total of 21 or closest to 21 in 5 or less cards. In Blackjack, depending on the size of the deck, a player can draw any number of cards to make it to 21.

Bet: Click on the chips to place a bet. You can place a minimum of $5 and a maximum of $50 bet at our Pontoon table.

Deal: Click the Deal button once you place your bet. You and the dealer both are dealt two cards each. Your cards are dealt face up and the Dealer’s cards are dealt face down. However, the Dealer may peek at their cards to see if they are dealt the Pontoon.

The cards in Pontoon have face values similar to Blackjack. Numbers from 2-10 are counted by their face value, and Jack, Queen, and King are counted as 10. An Ace is counted either as 1 or 11, depending upon the combination of cards.

The Player’s Turn

If you receive a Pontoon, look no further and stand. You win each time you get a Pontoon. If you don’t get a Pontoon, you can continue until you are able to stand or you or the Dealer wins.

Stand: You can click the Stand button to stand and let the Dealer take over. You may stand if your card total is more than 14 or you get a 5-card hand.

Hit: You can click the Hit button to get another card. You may want to get another card to add more points to your total to make it 15 or as close to 21 as possible. If you get a card, and your total exceeds 21, you go bust and lose to Dealer automatically.

Split: When you are dealt two cards of same rank, you can split them into two hands. For example, if you receive two Jacks, you may want to play two hands using one Jack as the first card in each hand.

To split your hand, click the Split button. When you split your hand, a bet equal to your initial bet is placed automatically on your second hand.

The following is an example of a split. You, let’s say, have received two Jacks. Two Jacks total to 20. You are very close to 21. If you hit another card, chances are you will get a total of 21 or more and may win or lose. If you choose to stand, the Dealer would still win if their cards have a total of 20 or more points. It’s a good idea to play safe and split your hand in two. This would give you 10 points in each of your hands. Hitting more cards may get you to a total of 21 or quite close to it.

Double: You can click the Double button to double your bet. At our Pontoon table, you can double your bet only once. You should judge your hand before doubling your bet, because the Pontoon table allows you to double your bet on any two cards.

You may want to double your bet if you think that your next card can add your card total to 21. For example, if you a get a total of 11 (2+9), the chances are you may get a 10-point card next. Please note that you are not paid 2 to 1 if you double your bet; you will still be paid 1 to 1. It is sort of a privilege to let you increase your bet in case you think your cards can get you to 21 or closest to it.

The Dealer’s Turn

After you play your cards, the Dealer reveals their cards. The Dealer may draw up to three more cards one by one to see if they win or lose. If it is a tie, the Dealer wins.

You Win When:

• You get a Pontoon.
• Your hand is closer to (but does not exceed) 21 points than the Dealer’s hand.
• The Dealer busts.

Additional Rules:

• If you get Pontoon, which is a count of 21 points in 2 cards, you are paid twice the amount of your bet. For example, a Pontoon on a bet of $25 gets you a $50 payout.
• If your 5 cards beat the Dealer, you get paid twice the amount of your bet. This is considered the second best hand in this game and is referred to as a ‘Five Card Trick’.
• The Dealer’s 5 cards always beat your 5 cards regardless of total points.
• The Dealer wins a tie.
• The Dealer’s cards are dealt face down. You cannot see their cards. However, the Dealer may see their cards to check if they have dealt a Pontoon
• The Dealer must hit soft-17.
• The Player must hit 14 or less.
• You can hit even if you have doubled your bet
• You can split up to 2 times.

Strategy

The basic strategy used to play Blackjack works quite effectively with Pontoon. This is because in both of these popular CoolCat Casino games you need to beat the Dealer’s hand without exceeding a total of 21. However, Pontoon pays 2-to-1, which means if you win you win twice your bet. You would definitely want to get most out of your winning streak.

Betting Systems

Betting systems are statistical systems that help you bet appropriately in a particular situation. There are systems that suggest to how to bet when you’re winning. And, there are systems that guide you how to bet when you’re losing.

Betting systems are usually of three types: positive addition, negative addition, and negative subtraction. When you are winning, follow a positive addition system and increase your bet every time you win. On the other hand, if you’re losing you can follow a negative subtraction system to decrease the amount you lose or cover up your losses by following a negative addition system.

The Martingale System, Paroli System, Parlay System, D’ Alembert System, The Kelly Criterion, and the 1-3-2-6 System are popular betting systems. These systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. A betting system does not guarantee you a win every time though.

The 1-3-2-6 System The 1-3-2-6 betting system is a positive addition system. Using this system, you can win four times in a row. This system guides you to place your first bet as 1 unit, second bet as 3 units, third one as 2 units, and the fourth one as 6 units. If you complete one winning cycle, your net profits will be more than your loss. When you complete one winning cycle and wish to continue playing, resume the game by placing initial bet. The system also guides you to resume your play with initial bet if you lose at any level. Please keep in mind that it is a strategy, not magic.

To take a closer look at the system, let’s assume that you are at a Blackjack table that offers even payouts. You have a bankroll worth $100. At level 1, you place your first bet of 1 unit which, let’s say, is $10. If you win, you will have $20 on the table. This increases your bankroll to $110. But if you lose, you lose $10. Your bankroll is decreased to $90, which apparently is a $10 loss. Let’s say you reach level 2 and your bankroll is worth $110. Following the system, you place your second bet of $30, which is thrice your initial bet of $10. If you win, you receive $60 on the table. Your bankroll is increased to $140. On the other hand if you lose, you lose $30 and your bankroll is decreased to $80, which is a $30 dollar loss.

We say you cross level 2 and reach level 3 with a bankroll of $140. Here you place a $20 bet, which is twice your initial stake. If you win, you win $40 and that increases your bankroll to $160. If you lose, you lose $20 and cut your bankroll down to $120. If you look at it practically, you have a net profit of $20!

Let’s say you win and reach level 4 with a $160 bankroll. Place a $60 bet, a bet six times your initial bet. If you win, you get $120 on the table and your bankroll is increased to $220. And if you lose, you lose $60 and are left with a $100 bankroll, with no profit no loss.

The beauty of this system lies in the fact that you don’t risk too much money to win big. CoolCat Casino does not vouch for any strategy system –it only provides the information on how a strategy works in theory and this does not imply that it will work for you or that you will win when you deploy a strategy that you may find on any of our strategy pages.

Tips

The odds at winning a Pontoon hand, just like it happens with the game of slots are not too many. You cannot see the Dealer’s cards. This is of no help to decide whether or not you want to hit another card. Also, Pontoon is played with eight decks of cards. Card counting is almost next to impossible. But because Pontoon pays you 2 to 1, you may want to adopt a few strategies and use some tips to increase your chances of winning.

The following table lists basic Pontoon Blackjack strategies regarding a fixed number of total points. You may want to give these strategies a try while playing Pontoon for fun at our site. You can see for yourself if these strategies work. If you find they work, and they work quite well, switch to real money and beat the dealer with your luck and wits.

Pontoon Basic Strategy

S: Stand
H: Hit
D: Double if allowed, otherwise hit
Ds: Double if allowed, otherwise stand
Ph: Split if allowed, otherwise hit
Ps: Split if allowed, otherwise stand

Download the casino software and start playing Pontoon Blackjack and other exciting online casino games for real money or in fun mode!

Histroy

Pontoon is popularly known as the British-style version of Blackjack. It is available online as most casinos know that it is as popular as Blackjack. In fact, what Australians call a Pontoon usually refers to a game, called a Spanish 21.

Just as in Blackjack, in Pontoon the goal of the player is to beat the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21.

There are some subtle differences in rules including the following:

• In Pontoon there are 2 hands that defeat a regular 21.
  • First, Pontoon –comprising an Ace and a 10 or picture card,
  • and secondly, a 5-Card Trick, where the player draws 5 cards without busting, regardless of what the total value of their hand is.
• The dealer’s cards are dealt face down and remain so until the player either stands or busts.

Glossary

Given below are some terms used in Pontoon Blackjack. Familiarizing yourself with the terms of a particular card game, helps you play better.

5-Card Hand: A total closest or equal to 21 point in 5 cards.

Bust: When the total value of a hand exceeds 21 and the player or Dealer loses the bet.

Double: To double your bet after receiving first two cards.

Hit: Another card added to your cards is called a Hit. It is similar to draw. When you ask for another card that is also called a Hit.

Soft Hand: A soft hand is one that contains at least an Ace and the count of all cards is either 7 or 17.

Split: If the first two cards dealt are of equal value, you have the option to play them as two separate hands.

Stand: When a player decides not to get any more cards and let the Dealer take over.