Pontoon

Description and Objective

The objective of Pontoon is for a Player to come as close to 21 without going over, while still having a higher total than the Dealer. 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. If the total value of the Player's cards is closer to 21 than the Dealer, the Player wins as much as was wagered. The Player also wins if the Dealer goes over 21 and the Player has not busted. If the Player's total goes over 21, the Player loses the amount wagered.

Pontoon Rules:

• Pontoon is dealt with 2 decks of Cards.
• Cards are re-shuffled after every hand.
• Dealer must hit soft 17.
• Dealer wins all ties.
• Dealer wins with any 5 card total of 21 or less.
• Player wins with any 5 card total of 21 or less (unless the Dealer has 5 cards).

Card Values

• Suits of the cards have no meaning in the game.
• Cards 2 through 10 are the face value.
• Jacks, Queens and Kings are all valued at 10.
• Aces can count as either 1 or 11.

The Player can win if:

• They have a higher total than the Dealer with both the Player and Dealer having 4 cards or less.
• The Dealer busts over 21.
• The Player has any 5 cards of 21 or less and the Dealer does not achieve a 5-card hand.

The Player loses if:

• The Dealer has the same total or higher total than the Player with both the Player and Dealer having 4 cards or less. The Dealer wins all Tied hands in Pontoon - there are no pushes.
• The Dealer receives any 5 card hand.
• If the Player has a hand that consists of a 6 and an Ace, it may either be considered a 17 or drop its value to 7. The Ace may count as 1 or 11. You may change the value of the Ace as the hand progresses.

Player Actions/Button Descriptions:

Bet - To place a bet, the Player must click on the chip value that they wish to wager.

Deal - Press Deal to begin the game once a wager has been placed. The Player gets two cards face up and the Dealer gets two cards face down.

Hit - Player desires another card to be dealt. The Player must have a hard total of 15 before standing.

Stand - Player desires to keep hand dealt. The game will automatically stand when the Player has a 21 with 4 cards or less or has any 5-card total. Players cannot stand with a hard total of 14 or less.

Split - If the Player's first two cards are of the same value (i.e. 7, 7, or Q, Q) they may be split into 2 separate hands by placing a second wager of equal value. In Pontoon, only 10's of equal rank (Q,Q/K,K) can be split. J,Q would not qualify for a split hand. The Player may have up to 3 hands at one time. The Player then proceeds to draw cards as usual, with these exceptions:

A Player may draw and double after splitting aces. A 2-card 21 after splitting aces counts as a pontoon.

Double - Player desires to double down their original wager. In Pontoon, the Player may Double at any time and may hit after Doubling. If a Player has doubled down and receives a total of 14 or less, the hand will automatically draw cards until the total is over 14.

Bust - Is achieved when total value of cards for either the Dealer or the Player exceeds 21. If the Player busts the wager is lost, if the Dealer busts the Player automatically wins the wager.

Payout

Thanks for stopping by the Bodog Casino School to learn about playing Pontoon. Now try your gambling luck playing Pontoon.