Pontoon - Free Blackjack Games

Pontoon can be played at a good percentage of online casinos. The game featured above is brought to you by Redbet Casino where you also can play for real money.

Pontoon Instructions

Pontoon has a lot of different rules that new players will not be used to. The object is still the same, to be the closest to 21 points without going over. But, the first thing you will notice is that the Dealer does not expose a card, both cards are face down. The dealer will check for "Pontoon", which is what the blackjack is called.

The dealer will still hit until 17 points and must hit on Soft 17. The terminology is the same in the game above; but the actual terms are a bit different for pontoon. The Hit is called a Twist. The Stand is called a Stick. Doubling Down is called a Buy. When you play Pontoon at a casino, both cards are dealt face up.

A Pontoon (Ace and 10) will payout 2 to 1 on your bet. Also, if you get 5 cards under 21 points, it is called a 5 Card Trick. A 5 Card Trick also pays 2 to 1.

You must Twist or Hit with a total of 14 points or lower. You can Buy or Double Down at any point in the hand with 2, 3 or 4 cards. You can still Twist or hit after doubling down. However, you can only Buy once during the hand. You can Split matching cards twice for a total of 3 hands.

The Dealer will win all ties!

Pontoon Strategy

In a lot of ways, there is a lot less strategy to playing Pontoon than playing blackjack. You won't have a lot of decisions because you can't see the dealer's cards and you must hit with 14 or less. In addition to that, the dealer wins all ties so receiving a total of 17 points means that you have to hope that the dealer busts.

If you have Hard 18 (without an Ace) or higher, you should Stand. That leaves you with decisions only on totals of 15, 16 or 17.

The hand that most people will go after is the 5 Card Trick. The best way to do this is by receiving a Soft total with 4 cards or with a 4 card total of 11 points or less. Then, you will still have the chance to double down and receive a 2 to 1 payout for the 5 Card Trick automatically. This will essentially give you a 4 to 1 payout on your original bet.

If you have a 4 card total of 15, 16 or 17, you should take a card to try for the 5 Card Trick. The only exception is when you are in the middle of a betting pattern and you have a large bet in that cycle.

17 is difficult to hit because you need only have a 30% chance of not busting. More often than not, you are just going to have to hope that the dealer busts.

pontoon

Here is a perfect example: I've got 21 points! I should stand, shouldn't I? Absolutely not! You can win a 1 to 1 payout and still have a chance for the dealer to tie your 21 points for a loss. You have four cards and a four card total of 11. You should Double Down for the 4 to 1 payout.

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Pontoon - Free Blackjack Games

Pontoon Strategy

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