Pontoon is a thrilling version of Blackjack that is becoming more and more popular at online casinos. This is a British version of the game that has some interesting twists. There can be any number of players from two up, for larger amounts of players, two decks can be used. As in Blackjack, the object is to obtain the hand closest to 21. Aces are valued at 1 or 11, the face cards and the tens are valued at 10 and the rest of the cards are taken at face value. One player acts as the banker and thus sets the standards that the other players must beat. For example, if the Banker ends up with a hand of 19, the other players must beat that hand and they make their bets accordingly.

In Pontoon, the ultimate hand to try to achieve is called Pontoon, and this is having a hand of two cards that equal 21. The following hand ranking starts with the hand that is the highest ranking after Pontoon.

Five Card Trick - this hand is five cards that total 21 or less. A player may not have more than five cards in his hand.

Having three or four cards in your hand that equal 21 ranks next.

If you are holding similar hands as above but the total equals less than 21, these rank next.

Any hand with more than 21 regardless of how many cards you have, is called a bust and do not rank.

To begin the game the Banker deals out the first card face down to all of the players beginning with the player to the Bankers immediate left and ending with himself. The Banker is not to look at his card but each of the other players may do so. The betting begins with the player to the immediate left of the Banker and goes in a clockwise motion and bets are placed on the table in front of the player making the bet. The Banker continues dealing the second card face down ending with himself and at this point all the players including the Banker may look at their cards. If the Banker is dealt a Pontoon, he must announce it at this time and the Banker will collect double the bet from each player.

If at this point the Banker has not won with a Pontoon, then each player may continue with the game trying to make a better hand if they so desire. If no player can claim Pontoon, the first player may do one of several things.

Split
A player that has two cards that are equal in value may choose to Split his hand. The cards are both turned face up and the Banker will deal another card face down, to each face up card. An equal wager must be made for each set of cards. The player can then decide to continue playing, or Buy One, for that hand if it is less than 21 or he may choose to stand. If the chooses to continue he must increase his wager at least equal to the current bet but may not exceed two times the value of the current bet. The player may continue to buy cards if his total is still below 21, and the wager must lie between the original wager and the second wager. When the first hand has played out, the second hand is played.

Twist
If the players hand is less than 21 he may choose to add another card and not make another wager. He must say Twist me one, and the Banker will deal another card face up. This can be done two more times trying to reach 21. If a player Busts with a Twist card, he loses that hand and turns in his card which are burned, or placed at the bottom of the deck by the Banker and the Banker takes the wager. Also, once you have asked for a Twist, you may not Buy another card, but you can receive another Twist.

Stick
If the player has a hand that is at least 15, he may choose to Stick, or hold with the cards he has thus passing play to the next player in turn.

The Banker’s Play
When all the players except the banker have had their turns the banker’s two cards are turned face up. The other players’ cards will not be visible at this point, except where they have split, twisted, declared pontoons or gone bust. Once play has gone around the table, it is the Banker’s turn to play. The other players cards are still not visible at this time unless they have Split, called Pontoon or Busted. The Banker begins play of his hand and may add cards to his hand face up. Once he is satisfied with the best hand possible, he may play his hand against the players. If the Banker goes Bust, he must pay each player their winning wager doubling the wager if the player has a Pontoon or Five Card Trick.  The Banker must pay out to any player that has a higher ranking hand than his own.

Play continues, if there was no Pontoon called, the Banker must add the cards that were just in play to the bottom of the deck and does not shuffle before dealing the next round. If a player called Pontoon without Splitting their hand and the Banker did not have a Pontoon, the deck is shuffled and cut and that player is the new Banker. If there are more than one player that called Pontoon, the deal is given to the player closest to the left on the Banker. The Banker may also choose to give up the deal and sell the bank to another player at a price agreed upon by the two of them.

As stated early on, Pontoon is becoming more and more popular and can be found at many online casinos. The rules may vary from one casino to another as there are many variations of this exciting 21 game. Check out the rules before playing to make sure you are familiar with them and that there are no misunderstandings. Some of the simple variations are listed below and may or may not be all of the variations that you will come across while playing at online casinos.

* Splits may be done with Aces only.
* To Stick, you must have at least 16.
* Payouts for a Pontoon vary as well, with some paying a single, double or triple.
* If a player has 4 cards with a total of 11 or less, they may not buy a fifth card but must Twist a card.
* 3 Sevens is considered a Royal Pontoon and is paid triple.
* A Pontoon with an Ace and a Face Card beats a Pontoon with an Ace and a 10.

 Click for more strategies and tips on Pontoon at CasinoCashJourney.com.