What is Pontoon, and Why Should You Play It?
Players who are just getting into blackjack might easily pass by a game called Pontoon when looking through the games list in their favorite online casino. The game doesn’t have the word ‘blackjack’ in the title, so unless a player knows exactly what Pontoon is, they won’t associate it with blackjack.
Pontoon is actually very similar to blackjack, but it has enough slight differences to make it a unique game. Any fan of blackjack will enjoy playing Pontoon, especially because the rules are so similar – if you can play blackjack, you can play Pontoon!
The biggest difference between Pontoon and blackjack is the terminology used. Here is a quick overview of the basic terms used in Pontoon, and their blackjack equivalents:
Blackjack vs Pontoon
- Blackjack (Ace-10 hand) = Pontoon
- Twist = Hit
- Stick = Stand
- Buy = Double Down
Another major difference is that there is an extra hand in Pontoon called a Five Card Trick. This is a hand of 5 cards that has not gone Bust. It beats every other hand except for a Pontoon. Typically, both Pontoon and Five Card Trick pay out at 2:1.
The dealer usually Twists on Soft 17. There’s a rule in there for players too – they must Twist on Hard 14, and can only Stick on hands of 15 or more.
The rest of the rules are pretty much the same with regards to splitting, re-splitting, and so on. But with the Five Card Trick, and the limitations on when the player can Stick, the game requires a slightly different strategy than classic blackjack. It takes a few hands to get used to the odd terminology, but it definitely makes for a refreshing break from blackjack!
To play real-money Pontoon online, we recommend checking out InterCasino. They use Cryptologic software, which offers one of the best Pontoon games around. InterCasino is now offering a 100% first deposit bonus for new players, and with more than 200 games available, they offer variety that is hard to beat. Sign up today, and see what you can win with Pontoon!
