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Pontoon Casino Game
Pontoon usually refers to a popular casino game played in Australian casinos. The pontoon offered by many online casinos is not the Australian game, but instead an amended version of blackjack which makes use of the traditional blackjack table but employs a different set of rules with regard to drawing requirements and hand values.
Playing Casino Pontoon for Beginners
A round of pontoon resembles a round of blackjack. Bets are made before the cards are dealt, with 2 cards then dealt to each active player and the dealer. Unlike regular blackjack, the dealer’s hand is kept face down until the showdown.
The dealer will check his cards for pontoon (an ace plus a 10 point card) and will turn the cards over and collect wagers if this hand is present. If the dealer does not have a pontoon play continues until the player busts or stands. The dealer’s cards are then turned over for the showdown.
Pontoon Rules
The Pontoon casino game follows many rules that will be familiar to blackjack players:
- Players attempt to draw cards to reach a total of 21.
- A ‘natural’ or 10 and ace is a winning hand and pays out 2/1.
- Card totals over 21 ‘bust’ and result in a forfeit of all bets.
However, the pontoon casino game differs from blackjack in several important respects:
- The player must draw on any hand value less than 15.
- The player can split on any two cards of equal value, this means any two face cards or 10 value cards can be split.
- There is no insurance option.
- The dealer must draw on soft 17 (any 17 not featuring a 10).
- The dealer wins in the event of a tie.
- Any hand other than pontoon can be beaten by a five card trick – i.e. any hand with 5 cards, irrespective of the total value of that hand.
- 5 card tricks pay 2/1, as does pontoon.
- The player can draw on Aces after splitting as well as double his bets on these two hands.
Casino Pontoon Strategy
Pontoon strategy is generally more complex than that used for blackjack, and many players choose to make use of an optimal strategy chart when playing the game at a casino. When played with the correct casino pontoon strategy, this game offers a house edge of around 0.4%.
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