Pontoon Blackjack

Pontoon is an exciting British card game that is a fun and popular variation of Blackjack.  The game has many similarities as the American version, although many players aren’t that familiar with the name, as it can be sometimes be mistaken for “Treasury 21.”   That particular name though is completely dependent on where the player resides.

Pontoon is played more prominently in Australian and Malaysian casinos, making its way to other parts of the globe and the United States through numerous online casinos these days. We’ll go ahead and briefly explain how the game is played and why it differs from traditional blackjack games and recommend some solid casinos to play the game at on the interwebs.

How to Play Pontoon Blackjack

This game is played with the standard blackjack table, with some big differences in the game play. The biggest difference that one will notice is that the natural 10’s are removed from the deck. Leaving everything from the J’s, Q’s, and K’s.  The dealers will always twist (see below on meaning) on soft 17’s.

Just remember though, splitting Aces and then hitting a Pontoon on the next deal you will be paid 2:1 instead of 1:1 – this is because you have to stick to just the one card on the deal.  Anything you get under 21 that exceeds 5 cards or more will automatically pay 2 to 1 and beat all hands EXCEPT for a Pontoon.

The house gains about 25% of the edge when the 10’s are removed from the deck. Some players think that since the cards are removed, and not played their odds of winning have just increased, this is not the case. The additional modifications that has been made to the game brings down the house advantage to a level that is reasonable.

One of the more eminent rules to take advantage of is that the dealer’s 21 will always defeat the player’s 21. This is the complete opposite than in the regular game of blackjack, where 21’s are always a push.  This is one of the few down sides of playing Pontoon and something that doesn’t happen in other variations of blackjack.

Quick Terms you NEED to know for Pontoon Blackjack:

– Twist is a Hit

– Stick is a Stand

– Buy is a Double Down

– Pontoon is a Blackjack

Pontoon Blackjack Bonus

The super bonus is a key feature to playing Pontoon. How this bonus can be rewarded is if the player holds 3 suited 7’s, and the dealer draws a 7 in any suit. Wagers that are from $5.00 to $24.00 pays a super bonus of $1000 and wagers from $25.00 and up pays out $5,000.00.

Bonus 21 is another bonus that players can win when their cards equal 21. The payout for this particular blackjack bonus pays out depending on the cards that were used to total 21, ranging from 2:1 to 3:1.

Quick Summary

This particular variation of blackjack is an enjoyable one to play. The rules are a little different than the regular game of blackjack, and the potential to bank some nice bonuses makes it worth while. Having a little luck and skill on your side is definitely a plus too!

If you’re ready for some fast paced action, this is the perfect game. More online casinos are bringing this game into their wide array of blackjack games that are already offered. This is an ideal game if you want to play the basic blackjack game, with adding a little twist to the rules. If a little luck, and skill are on your side, this game has the potential to produce some big wins.

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