Pontoon Card Game: What Is It, How to Play, and More

All casino enthusiasts will have heard of blackjack, but what exactly is the pontoon card game? While it shares many similarities with blackjack, it’s not the same nor a variation or derivative of the famous 21 game. 

Both pontoon and blackjack are indeed descended from the French Vingt-Un game, but blackjack tends to come with more complex rules, while pontoon is easier to understand and play, and it’s a great option if you’re looking for a card game to enjoy casually. 

Our guide will cover some of the history of the pontoon card game, how to play it, and tips and strategies to help you win. We’ll also give you a few recommendations for where you can play this fun and easy game online. 

What is Pontoon?

Before you try pontoon, online or in person, you’ll need to understand the game’s premise. Pontoon is believed to have originated in 17th-century Spain and later spread to the UK in the 19th century. Since then, it has become hugely popular both at land-based and online casinos, and it is a friendly format with no money involved. 

The aim is to get a hand as close as possible to 21 and closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand. So, in that way, there isn’t a massive difference between pontoon and blackjack. In both games, the dealer deals each player two cards face up, and the dealer also gets two cards. 

The difference is that in blackjack, one of the dealer’s cards is dealt facing up, but in pontoon, both face down, so you can’t see what the dealer has. Based on your cards only, you’ll need to decide on your following action, for example, taking another card to try to make a better hand or sticking with what you have. 

If your two-card hand totals precisely 21, that’s called “pontoon” or a natural (in blackjack, it’s referred to as natural blackjack), but if you get more than 21, you’ll go bust, and the dealer wins. 

A Brief History of Pontoon

As we mentioned, pontoon developed from a card game called Vingt-Un, but its roots can be traced even further. Records of similar card games dating back to the 16th century exist, and the aim has always been to make a hand equal to 21. 

Later, the game spread to the UK, and in the 18th century, it adapted to have some unique rules, setting it apart from continental variations of the game. By the 20th century, pontoon had gained popularity as both a casino game and a fun option to play at home.

During World War II, British soldiers played ponton during their downtime, cementing it as one of the country’s favourite pastimes. As the years passed, the game spread worldwide, and now that online casinos are so popular, you can play online as far afield as Australia. 

Before we tell you how to play pontoon, we’ll summarise the key phrases you need to know: 

• Twist: To twist is to pick up another card to improve your hand. In blackjack, this is referred to as hitting. 
• Stick: To stick is to keep the cards you have and not pick up another one. The blackjack equivalent is called “standing”. 
• Double down: Increase your bet size to increase your potential win. 
• Bust: If your hand totals over 21, you’ll be bust – this is an automatic loss. 
• Natural: A two-card hand, which totals precisely 21. 

To play pontoon online or in person, you’ll first place your bets on the pontoon table using either physical or virtual chips. Once all bets have been placed, the dealer hands each player two cards face up while the dealer’s cards are dealt face down. 

After all the cards are dealt, the dealer will check for a natural pontoon. If no one has a hand of exactly 21, based on the two cards in your hand, you’ll need to decide if you want to twist, stick, or double down. Remember, you want to keep your hand as close as possible to 21 without going over 21. 

After the players have completed their actions, the dealer will reveal their cards, and winning bets will be paid out. 

Pontoon Card Game Rules

Now that you’re familiar with the game, it’s time to learn some essential pontoon card game rules. Remember, these might differ depending on your game, so looking at the game rules before playing for real cash is a good idea. 

Unlike in blackjack, you can’t stand on a hand with a value of lower than 15. In pontoon, you’ll have to hit on this value, which gives you a chance of getting close to 21 but also poses the risk that you might go over 21, in which case the dealer wins automatically. 

You’ll also have the opportunity to double down in pontoon, like how you would do things in blackjack. The pontoon rules state that you can double down on your bet (if you think you have a good chance of winning) and then keep hitting to take as many more cards as you want. 

This is in contrast to blackjack, where you can only hit once. In pontoon, you can also hit first and then double down. 

After all players have decided on their actions, the dealer turns over their cards. Unlike in most versions of blackjack, the dealer must hit on a soft 17, which means that they could go bust relatively quickly. 

While the best possible outcome of the game is for you to get “pontoon”, you might also get a five-card hand that totals 21 or less. This is the “five card trick,” the second-best possible hand. Here’s how the hands pay out:

• Pontoon: 2:1
• Five card trick: 2:1 
• All other winning hands: 1:1

Pontoon Game Card Values

It’s a good idea to memorise the values of each card in pontoon so that you can see what your hand totals and make an informed decision about what to do next:

 

Card	Value
2 – 10	Holds its face value
Picture cards (Jack, Queen, King)	10
Ace	1 or 11, depending on the other card in the hand

The value of your hand in the pontoon card game will determine whether you should take another card or stick with what you have. We’ll give you some tips in the next section.

Pontoon Strategies and Tips

To give yourself the best chance of winning, you must understand some basic pontoon strategies, such as when to twist and stick.

You should always twist when your hand totals eight or less because you can’t go bust if you pick up one more card – the highest card value is 10 for a picture card or 11 for an ace, so your hand won’t total more than 19. 

If your hand totals between nine and 14, you should almost always twist, as there’s a low likelihood of going bust, and you might get lucky enough to get very near 21.

If your hand totals 16, consider the other cards and twist cautiously, knowing you might bust. 

If you have a soft hand (one containing an ace), you should always twist, as the ace can be worth one or 11, depending on the rest of your hand. 

You should always stick with a hand of 17 or higher, as taking another card could push you over 21. 

Where to Play Pontoon Online

If you’re an Australian online casino fan, there’s good news: many of the best gambling sites offer pontoon. You’ll usually find it at online casinos with other card games like blackjack, baccarat, and poker. 

You should only play at licensed, legitimate online casinos where the games are fair. It’s best to choose one of the online casino sites we recommend at Betsquare, as we always do our research to ensure that they’re safe. 

Once you’ve selected your online casino, create your account and make your first deposit (you might even be able to claim a welcome bonus), and then you can start to play pontoon online. Head to the table games section in the online casino lobby, and you can browse or search for the game by name. 

Conclusion 

It’s safe to say that Pontoon is a straightforward card game, and once you master the basics, you won’t have any trouble playing, either online or at a land-based casino. 

Although understanding blackjack might help you start the pontoon card game, it’s not essential, as the rules are easy to learn. 

As pontoon is a hugely popular game, you won’t have trouble finding a place to play – remember to stick to reputable online casinos like the ones we recommend here at Betsquare.