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Most everyone agrees that Pontoon blackjack is the British derived card game that is very similar to Classic Blackjack - well, the Classic Blackjack played in America. One of the variant rules of the game is that you can see one card before you make a bet.
The British has adopted and adapted this Blackjack variant from the original French game of vingt-et-en, calling it pontoon. The basic aim of pontoon are very similar to Classic Blackjack in that players try to get closest to 21, without going over.
Classic Pontoon played in true British style uses only one (1) standard deck of 52 playing cards and games that have more than eight players usually use 2 decks due to the quantity of players and naturally for the reason of speading more cards around the table.
Online Pontoon Blackjack is typically played with eight (8) 52-card decks at many Internet casino. Click here to see all online casinos offering the Pontoon Blackjack game.
The cards in Pontoon have the same value as in Classic blackjack: - all numbered cards are worth their face value and all face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are worth 10 points each. The ace is worth either 1 point or 11 points - it's up to the player holding it.
Pontoon can be played with two or more players, but to get the best play out of the game, 5-8 players are generally recommended.
Pontoon is won by reaching a total higher than the dealer, without going over 21. The dealer will always win if a player and the dealer or banker both have equal points at the end of the hand. you win a 2-to-1 payout for getting a "Pontoon" or what is called a "5-card trick."
When does a player have "Pontoon"? Having a "Pontoon" means that a player has an Ace card and any card with the value of 10 in hand; essentially what Americans know as a "Blackjack" or a "Natural".
A "5-Card trick" is a pontoon specialty and consists of a hand with five cards that has not gone "bust". Any and all 5-Card tricks have the same value regardless of the total points in hand and moreover, a Pontoon will beat any 5-card trick. Other essential rules are that there is no dealer up-card and the dealer wins on all ties.
The dealer will deal each player two cards face-up, and two cards face-down to himself. He can peek at his cards for pontoon. If the dealer has a pontoon he will immediately turn it over and collect all bets and cards.
Pontoon carries a unique vocabulary as follows:
- Twist - to "twist" is to take another card and is known in regular blackjack as to "hit". "Twist Me One" - "Twist Me One" is a player's second option for increasing his/her cards by saying "Twist Me One". With this option, the player's stake is not affected and the dealer simply givesthe player an additional card, face up. The player can then continue to twist until you reach 5 cards or go over 21.
- Stick - to "stick" is to decline another card and is equal to a "Stand" in Blackjack. A player must twist on any hand less than 15 (the only exception to this rule is if he/she has five cards). The player may twist any time, including after doubling.
- "I'll Buy One" - If a player's total is less than 21, he/she has the option of "buying" additional cards by saying "I'll Buy One". The player must increase his/her stake by placing a bet 1x-2x the size of their initial wager and the dealer will then deal the player another card face down. A player may keep on buying cards until he/she reaches 5 cards or go over 21.
- You score a pontoon when you are dealt a hand worth 21 points. You receive double your wager when you have a pontoon. For example, if you bet $5, you would win your $5 back, and then receive $10 as a reward for having the pontoon.
- Once all players, including the banker, have finished playing the hand, the cards are added to the bottom of the deck without re-shuffling, unless someone had a pontoon. In that case, the cards would be shuffled.
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