Pontoon

Summary

Pontoon is a game of chance similar to blackjack and twenty-one. The object of the game is to get a score greater than that of the banker. This score is derived from the sum of the values of the cards in your hand. If your score exceeds twenty-one then you have busted and you lose the hand.

Picture Cards

A picture card is one that has a picture on its face. These cards are the Jack, Queen and King. These cards have a value of ten. Note that the ace of spades is not considered a picture card even though it is decorated.

Getting Pontoon

To score pontoon, your hand must consist of a card with the value ten, together with an ace counted as eleven. If you have pontoon and the banker does not, you will be paid twice the amount that you bet. If the banker has pontoon and you do not then you must pay twice the amount of your bet. In the event that both you and the banker both have pontoon, you pay the banker the value of your bet. If you have pontoon and the banker has five & under (see below) you will only be paid the value of your bet. But, if the banker has pontoon and you have five & under, you must pay the banker the amount of your bet.

Getting Five & Under

Five & under is a situation where the player has a hand of five cards whose total does not exceed twenty-one. In the event that you have five & under, you will be paid twice the amount of your bet, unless the bank has pontoon or five & under. In this case, you must pay the value of your bet.

The Ace

The ace may be taken as the value of one or eleven at the player's option. If you receive an ace, you will be asked its value.

Betting

Before each hand, you will be asked to make a bet. This is called buying your first card, which is dealt after you make your bet. You can buy your consecutive cards for further chips in a similar manner. You also have the option to sit or flip as described below.

Flipping

A player may flip when he or she has a hand with a value over eleven. Flipping is effectively asking for another card without buying it.

Sitting

A player sits when he or she has a hand that they are satisfied with. A player may only sit on or over sixteen. Once you sit, the banker plays out her hand. Note that the banker doesn't know the cards in you hand, and so she may decide to sit below your total.

Reshuffling

The deck is a standard fifty-two card deck and is only reshuffled when you start a new game or all the cards are used.