Pontoon Rules and PayoutsWhat is Pontoon? It is a variant to blackjack made popular in the UK and now making it to most online casinos and into American casinos. It has some interesting twist compared to blackjack which produces a game that has a lot more bankroll fluctuation in it. Keep that in mind if your bankroll is a little bit tight. All you blackjack players who have never tried Pontoon are in for something special as this game may seem utterly strange. It is dealt using 8 decks of standard cards and the points system for cards is the same as blackjack. Aces can be 1 or 11, T-K are 10 points and 2-9 are face value. After that things start to get different. Each player and the dealer are dealt two cards both face down. In Pontoon the dealer also wins all tied hands. To some this may be seen as a disadvantage to players and you are right but other rules will allow for compensation that more than makes up for this little disadvantage. Here are some of those payoff advantages. Pontoon Pays 2:1 Like blackjack an ace and any card with a 10 value is a Pontoon and pays 2:1. This is also the case after splitting two cards. So if after splitting aces you get a 10 value card on one or both aces, you win 2:1. There are two exceptions: A dealer Pontoon beats a player Pontoon and Dealer wins all ties. 5-Card Charlie Pays 2:1 A 5 card Charlie is a 5 card hand of any value that has not busted. A 5 card Charlie is not an automatic winner however. A 5 card Charlie hands win 2:1 against any dealer hand of less than 5 cards regardless of its total value. For example if a player holds a 5 card Charlie hand totaling 17 and the dealer gets a 3 card 20, the player will still win 2:1. A dealer 5 Card Charlie, no matter its value will beat any player hand. A dealer 5 card Charlie will beat a player’s 3 card 21. All Other Winning Hands 1:1 All hands that are not Pontoons or 5 card Charlie’s that beat the dealer pays 1:1 just like the American version. So if a player has a 3 card 19 and the dealer gets a 4 card 18 – the player wins 1:1 and the same goes for the dealer. The Hit/Stand Rules In Pontoon, the player has hit and stand rules much like the dealer. If a player is dealt 14 or less and you have 4 or less cards, they most act by either hitting, doubling down or in the case of 2 sevens, splitting. If you have 15 or more you have the option to hit or stand. The dealer has to stand on a hard 17 or a soft 18 or higher. The dealer has to hit on a hard 16 or soft 17 or less. Splitting Pairs Rules You can split any pair and the re-split a pair one time. The same rules from above apply for hands under 15 and Pontoons and a 5 card Charlie’s pay the same 2:1 on split hands. The Double Down Rules Here is where it gets interesting. A player can double down on a hand one time with any number of cards and including split hands. A 5 card Charlie on a hand that has been doubled down will pay 2:1 on the total bet including the double down. After doubling down on a hand you can still take a hit and may be required to if total hand value is still under 15. |
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
