Play Pontoon Online

How to Play Online Pontoon

UK pontoon is similar to the game of blackjack played in America and other countries. But while online pontoon is similar to online blackjack, there are enough differences to make online pontoon, in the view of many people, a more interesting and exciting game. Here's how you play pontoon online.

Online Pontoon Basics

Online pontoon is played with eight standard decks of playing cards. The object of a pontoon game is to beat the dealer by obtaining cards whose total is higher than the dealer's, without going over 21, or by obtaining five cards without going over 21.

Cards 2 through 10 are worth their ordinary face value in the game of pontoon. Face cards — jack, queen, and king — are all worth 10 points. An ace can be worth 1 or 11 points, whichever will be to your advantage.

Playing Your Pontoon Hand

You start a game of real money pontoon by placing your bet and then clicking the Deal button. You will receive two cards face up, and the dealer will receive two cards face down.

If your two cards are an ace and any 10-point card, you have a Pontoon. You win the game (unless the dealer also has a Pontoon) and receive a payout of 2-to-1 on your bet.

If you do not have a Pontoon, you can proceed to play your hand by making one of the following moves:

Stick: You stick with what you have and do not take any more cards. You are permitted to stick only if your cards total 15 or higher, or if you have five cards in your hand. Otherwise, with cards totalling 14 or lower, you must twist, buy, or split.

Twist: You take another card. You may continue to twist and receive more cards until you decide to stick, you go over 21 (bust), or you have five cards in your hand (a 5-card trick).

Buy: You double the amount of your bet and receive another card. You may buy if you have two, three, or four cards in your hand. After you buy, you are free to stick or to twist.

Split: If your first two cards have the same point value, such as an 8 and an 8, or a 10 and a king, you may split them into two separate hands. Each of the resulting hands will have a bet equal to your original bet (thus doubling the amount of your money on the virtual pontoon table) and will receive another card. If you split aces and receive a 10-point card, or if you split 10-point cards and receive an ace, it will count as a Pontoon and pay the 2-to-1 Pontoon jackpot. After you have split your hand, you play each hand independently by sticking, twisting, or buying. (But if you split aces, you receive one more card to each ace and that's it; no twisting or buying.)

The Dealer's Turn to Play

If the total point value of the cards in your hand goes over 21, you bust and automatically lose. Otherwise, if you stick without busting, the action turns to the dealer to play his pontoon hand.

The dealer does not have all the choices that you have. According to the pontoon rules, if the dealer's hand total is 16 or less, he must twist. If it is 17 or more, he must stick. He can never buy or split.

Winning at Pontoon

After you and the dealer have finished playing your hands, the winner of the pontoon game is determined according to the following rules:

If your hand consists of an ace and a 10-point card, that's a Pontoon. You automatically win and you receive a 2-to-1 payout on your bet (unless the dealer has a Pontoon too). You can achieve a Pontoon on your first two cards, or after splitting aces or splitting 10-point cards.

If you have five cards in your hand whose total value does not exceed 21, that's a Five-Card Trick. A Five-Card Trick wins against any hand except a dealer's Pontoon. For example, your five-card 17 will beat a dealer's two-card 18. A winning Five-Card Trick pays out 2-to-1 on your bet.

If the total value of your cards goes over 21, you bust and automatically lose.

If you do not bust and the dealer busts, you win the pontoon game and a 1-to-1 payout.

If neither you nor the dealer busts, the hand with the higher point total wins. A regular win pays out 1-to-1 on your bet.

The dealer wins all ties, including tied Pontoons, under the rules of pontoon.

Play Pontoon Online at Wild Jack Casino

Wild Jack Online Casino offers a wonderful online pontoon game, plus more than 40 varieties of online blackjack including Classic Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, European Blackjack, and Spanish Blackjack. They all feature realistic graphics and easy-to-use game play. You can play practice games for free or you can play pontoon for real money. Enjoy playing online pontoon and online blackjack at Wild Jack, and receive a big casino bonus too!