Knowledge is Power in Pontoon

Pontoon Blackjack, a popular blackjack variant, is played with eight standard decks of cards and the cards have the same value as in regular blackjack. A "pontoon" is defined as an ace and any 10-point card; in other words, a pontoon is another name for a blackjack (or a natural). The big twist in Pontoon is that both of the dealer's cards are hole cards; neither of his cards is dealt face up. In Pontoon, 5-card hands and "pontoons" pays 2 to 1, even after splitting; however, the dealer wins on all ties.



When play begins, the dealer deals each player two cards face up and gives himself 2 face-down cards. He can look at his cards to see if he has a "pontoon"; if he does, he immediately turns the cards over and collect all bets and cards. In other words, in Pontoon, a player's pontoon loses against a dealer's pontoon so once a dealer's pontoon is exposed, there's no point in continuing the hand. A "5-card trick" - another Pontoon feature - is a 5-card hand that has not busted. All 5-card tricks have the same value - the specific point total does not matter and, as mentioned, they pay 2:1.

Once You Know the Strategy, You Can Win at Pontoon

The scoring in Pontoon Blackjack is almost identical to a regular game of blackjack. All numbered cards are worth their face value in points. All face cards are worth 10 points each. The ace is worth either 1 point or 11 points. The player may stand on any total greater or equal to 15, or on any 5-card hand. The player can hit at any point, including after doubling. The player can double but only once per hand. The player can split two cards of equal rank (including non-identical 10 cards, like a Queen and a King). The 2-card 21 after splitting aces counts as a pontoon - this is different from regular blackjack where a 2-card blackjack after a split does not count as a natural.



If the player busts he immediately loses and forfeits his cards and total bet. After all the players have played out their hands the dealer turns his two cards face up. The dealer has to hit on a soft 17 but he has to stand on 18 or more. Clearly, with the fact that the dealer has no up cards, the strategy to win at Pontoon is different than for regular blackjack (where the strategy is dependent on what the dealer is showing). Take the time to find a good Pontoon strategy online - it will make the difference between knowing how to win at Pontoon or just being another Pontoon loser.