Rules of Pontoon Casino Game

July 04, 2010 | Article Category: Blackjack

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The game is played with eight decks of cards in most online casinos. Game play is similar to regular blackjack, but has a few different rules. The best hand in Pontoon is the Ace and the 10-value card, known as blackjack in other regular blackjack variations.

Any hand that the dealer pushes, or ties with, is considered to be a winning hand for the dealer.

After placing an initial bet, players receive two face-up cards. The dealer takes two face-down cards. Even though the dealer does not yet reveal his hand, he does have a quick look to see if the dealer hand is a Pontoon. If it is, then the hand is revealed. All players lose their initial bets.

Players will twist (hit) and stick (stand) according to Pontoon rules. Players continue twisting until they have a total of five cards, unless they go bust. Players must twist until they have reached at least 15 points, at which time they may stick. As long as it is their turn, players have the option to twist at any time during the game, even after using the buy option, also known as the double down option.

Players of Pontoon have the option to buy on all hands that consist of two to four cards. The buy option is available once for each hand played.

Because players are allowed to split their hands twice, it is possible to end up playing a total of three Pontoon hands in one round. The basic rule for splitting is the same as in other blackjack games, where the cards that are to be split must be of equal value. This means that a ten and a picture card can be split, as can two nines, two fives, and so on.

Some of the differences between Pontoon and regular blackjack are seen when it comes to splitting rules. For example, when Aces are split in Pontoon, it is possible to re-split the hand, and to double on the hand. Another great feature of Pontoon is that if Aces are split, and a player ends up with a Pontoon from the split hand, it is paid at the same odds of 2 to 1, which are paid out when a player is dealt a straight Pontoon without splitting.

The dealer turns over his cards after all players have completed their turns. Dealers continue to twist until they have 17 or more points in their hands. The dealer twists on a soft 17. If both the dealer and player have five card hands that are equal to 21, or under 21, the hand will be considered a push, or a tie. However, since a push in Pontoon means a win for the dealer, the dealer will beat a five card hand with either a Pontoon, or their own five card hand.