Pontoon is an online casino game that is listed under Blackjack. However, it is structured differently from the normal blackjack variants in a number of ways and also the nomenclature used is different. In blackjack when the player wants an additional card he hits, but in pontoon this move is referred to as twist. In blackjack when the player does not want any additional card he stands, but in pontoon this move is referred to as stick. Also the move of double down in blackjack is referred to as buying a card in pontoon.
In normal online casino blackjack variants the dealer’s first card is dealt face up and the second card is dealt face down. In pontoon both the dealer’s cards are dealt face down. The player has no idea of what the dealer holds and has to make his moves based entirely on his own cards. Because he is at a disadvantage on this account, some of the rules and payouts have been changed to level the playing field. The most important of these is that a pontoon pays at 2 to 1, instead of the 3 to 2 payout for blackjack. A five card hand that has not busted pays at 2 to 1 against any dealer’s hand except a pontoon. The player can buy a card at any time in the game, even after twisting. Further, he can twist any number of times after a buying a card. These changes make the game far too favorable for the player. Therefore some of the rules in pontoon are tweaked in favor of the dealer. The dealer wins all ties. He twists on a soft 17. The player has to twist on a total of 14 or less. The player can only split twice.
The net result of all these changes is that pontoon offers the same high average returns as the best blackjack variants. However, these returns will accrue only if the player wagers using optimum strategy. This strategy is displayed on a strategy card that is often included within the online pontoon game. The player’s hand value is tabulated against the number of cards dealt to him. The strategy is summarized below.
When the player has two cards the optimum strategy is as follows. The player should stick for hard totals of 15 and more and for an ace with an eight, nine or ten. He should buy a card for hard totals of 10 and 11. He should split eights and aces and twist in all other conditions. When the player has three cards the optimum strategy is as follows. The player should stick for hard totals of 15 and more. He should buy a card for hard totals of 9, 10 and 11 and for soft totals of 19 and 20 and twist in all other conditions. When the player has four cards the optimum strategy is as follows. The player should stick for hard totals of 18 and more. He should twist for a hard total of 17 and buy a card in all other conditions. When the player has a five card hand that has not busted he should stick in all conditions.
