Introduction
Type: Card Game - Variation of Black Jack
Versions: Single
Premise:
Pontoon is the British version of the internationally popular game Twenty-one American Casino version Blackjack. The objective of Pontoon is for a player to come as close to 21 without going over, while still having a higher number than the dealer. This variation of blackjack makes betting more interesting by changing a few of the standard rules and payout.
The game is to have the rules and shortcuts of our current Black Jack game with the follow exceptions:
Summary of rules:
1. Game is played with 8 52-card decks.
2. Deck is re-shuffled after approximately one-third of the shoe has been dealt
3. Dealer must Twist on 16 and Soft 17 and Stick on Hard 17
4. Pontoon Pays 2 to 1
5. 5 Card trick pays 2 to 1
6. Player must twist on 14 or less
7. Buy once anytime
8. Twist after buy Allowed
9. Split 2 times max
10. Dealer wins Ties
11. Splitting Aces allowed.
12. No insurance available to the player
How to play:
Prior to receiving any cards, the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made, the player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards but they are placed face down. All face cards are valued at ten and the cards from 2-10 are valued as indicated. Aces can be valued at either one or eleven; if counting the Ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the Ace is automatically counted as one instead. You do not need to specify which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that makes the best hand. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4 has a value of 17. If the total value of the player's cards is closer to 21 than the dealer, the player wins as much as he wagered. The player wins if the dealer goes over 21.
