Pontoon (card game)
Encyclopedia
Pontoon is an unlicensed variant of the American game Spanish 21
that is played in Australia
n, Malaysian
and Singaporean casinos, in Treasury Casino
, Brisbane
, it is known as Treasury 21. In Jupiters Casino
, Gold Coast
, it is known as Jupiters 21, in The Reef Casino, Cairns, it is known as Paradise Pontoon, and in Tasmania
, it is known as Federal Pontoon.
It should not be confused with the British blackjack
variant, which is also called Pontoon, found in the UK
and Commonwealth
, and played with regular 52-card decks. British pontoon uses special terms ("twist" - for hit, "stick" - stand and "buy" - double the bet (not to be confused with doubling down) and a special set of rules. Pontoon has proven to be far more popular in Australia
than Spanish 21 has been in the United States
.
for Twenty-one), a French gambling game popular at the court of Louis XV
and later, much favored by Napoleon, especially at St. Helena
. In the twentieth century it became the most popular game of the armed forces of English-speaking nations. Pontoon, unlike casino Blackjack, has no official rules and varies widely from school to school.
(CSM). The shoe games use six or eight Spanish decks, which are regular 52-card decks, minus the ten-spot cards. Cards Two to Nine count 2 to 9 respectively, courts 10 each, Aces 1 or 11, depending on what is better for the hand.
Despite the player disadvantage of rules 2–9, on average, the house edges for Pontoon are lower than for Spanish 21, because rule 1 is so profoundly player advantageous. The rule differences mean that there are several significant strategy differences between Spanish 21 and Pontoon.
In summary, BB+1 is a loss of one bet per box, and OBBO is a loss of one bet per hand, given that busted bets, winnings, and original bets from forfeits and winning hands have been removed from the table. BB+1 is the more common of the two rules; the only casinos that have OBBO are Burswood Casino
in Perth
, and Casino de Genting, Malaysia
.
Pontoon strategy is very similar to Spanish 21
strategy, however, there are some crucial differences, mainly due to the no-hole-card rule, and the limitations on soft doubling.
Pontoon does, on average, have a lower house edge than its American counterparts because of the no-hole-card rule, which means that you are paid out immediately for your winnings on any total of 21, regardless of whether the dealer ends up with a natural (a Blackjack). It is too late for the dealer—he has already paid you out. In the US, a dealer Blackjack terminates the game, forgoing the opportunity for you to draw to 21 and win. You lose all your bets unless you also have a natural, in which you get paid 3 to 2.
Moreover, the VIP rooms in Australian casinos offer far better Pontoon table conditions than the Spanish 21 games in American casinos.Pontoon in Australia was comparable in popularity to Blackjack, so there are more Pontoon tables available in Australian casinos than Spanish 21 tables in American casinos. Unfortunately, in response to the release of the book "The Pro's Guide To Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon" by Katarina Walker, Burswood Casino in Perth has withdrawn the game from the main floor and Crown Casino, Melbourne, have withdrawn the game from their VIP Mahogany Room and introduced continuous shuffling machines to some of the Pontoon games in the main hall. Any hand-shuffled or automatically shuffled Pontoon games at Crown Casino have penetrations below 75%, rendering the game far less profitable than in the past. There are still opportunities to get high win rates in the Endeavour VIP Room in Star City, Sydney, and the main floor at the Hobart casino. Lasseter's Alice Springs and Country Club Casino in Launceston offer the game on the weekends, but the table limits are very low, ranging from $5 to $200 or $250 per box. Adelaide offers Pontoon in the main hall, but the Adelaide rules give the highest house edge of any Pontoon game in Australia at over 0.5%. Nevertheless, it is still lower than the Blackjack house edge, which exceeds 0.7%, offered on the main floor of the Adelaide casino. A Blackjack game, hand-shuffled, with slightly more player-advantageous rules in offered in the Adelaide VIP room, with table limits conducive to serious betting. Cairns offers a six-deck Pontoon game with a competitive house edge on the main floor but it gets crowded and has a $400 or $500 table limit, so it does not reap a profitable game. At the end of the day, the best Pontoon house edge in the world is of no use if the table limit is too small for your bankroll, and the table is crowded, especially with slow players. If playing solitary on the table by gives a pro player almost 200 hands an hour, you will be earning five times as much per hour as on a packed table, where you can expect no more than 40 hands an hour, more if you can nab more than one box.
Darwin casino in the Northern territory does not offer Pontoon at all, and Jupiter's on the Gold Coast only offers Pontoon with continuous shuffling machines, which is a pointless activity. Treasury Casino, Brisbane, offers a 6-deck hand-shuffled or automatically shuffled Pontoon game in the VIP room, but the penetration can get as low as 67%, the heat is high, and camouflage is a must, which is costly to your win rate. The comps at Brisbane are not particularly competitive either. It is owned by Tabcorp who "sweat the money", as the saying goes. They do not take the risks that the Packer-owned Crown and Burswood Casinos are willing to take, risks that pay off to the casino shareholders,as well as the highly skilled pro player, providing the casino has the cash reserves to cover freak windfalls. Canberra used to offer the best Pontoon game in the country, a 4-deck game with a tiny house edge of less than 0.3% and great penetration, but they took away their $25 table, then added continuous shuffling machines to their $10 Pontoon table, so Canberra is no longer the Pontoon mecca of Australia, and is not worth a visit by the discerning professional card counter.
The above is a basic strategy table for all Pontoon rule variations, with a few exceptions: if no OBBO/BB+1, hit 11 vs X and A; if no OBBO/BB+1 and no Ace re-splits, hit A-A vs X; if last chance doubling, split 4-4 vs 6.
Key:
. (SPL3 = can split three times to form four hands, SPL2 = can split twice to form three hands, SPL1 = can split once only, SPA1 = no Ace resplits, NLC = not last chance doubling, D9 = doubling on 9–11 only)
As all Australian casino Blackjack games have house edges greater than 0.5%, Pontoon is the superior of the two games. In general, casino staff and Blackjack players erroneously believe that Pontoon has a higher house edge than Blackjack, because the removal of the ten-spot cards creates a 2% disadvantage for the player. In Pontoon, the player can draw to "21" and win against a dealer Blackjack; this combined with "not-last-chance" doubling, forfeit, player "21" always wins, player Blackjacks always get paid at 3:2, and bonuses on certain hands, actually overcompensates for the 2% disadvantage. The result is that Pontoon, on average, has about two-thirds the house edge of Australian Blackjack, which due to no surrender, hole card, and limitations on soft doubling, has some of the highest house edges for regular Blackjack in the world.
, Australia
. Both casinos in Tasmania
, Country Club Casino
, Launceston
, and Wrest Point Casino
, Hobart
, are owned by the Federal Group
.
Rules specific to Federal Pontoon are:
In Wrest Point Casino
, Federal Pontoon is played in the public area only and is not available in the VIP room.
, Gold Coast
, Queensland
, Australia
.
Rules specific to Jupiters 21 are:
Jupiters 21 is played in the public area of Jupiters Casino only, and not available in the VIP room, Club Conrad. All Pontoon games played in Queensland casinos have the same rules.
, Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
.
Rules specific to Treasury 21 are:
All Pontoon games played in Queensland casinos have the same rules.
Spanish 21
Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule...
that is played in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n, Malaysian
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
and Singaporean casinos, in Treasury Casino
Conrad Treasury Casino
The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub. The casino is operated by ECHO Entertainment Group....
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, it is known as Treasury 21. In Jupiters Casino
Conrad Jupiters
Jupiters Hotel and Casino was Queensland's first casino and hotel complex, which is located in the suburb of Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The casino is situated next to the Nerang River and is operated by Echo Entertainment Group...
, Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, it is known as Jupiters 21, in The Reef Casino, Cairns, it is known as Paradise Pontoon, and in Tasmania
Federal Group
The Federal Group owns and operates tourism, entertainment and gaming businesses in Tasmania. It is also known as either Federal Hotels, or Federal Hotels and Resorts on websites.-History:...
, it is known as Federal Pontoon.
It should not be confused with the British blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
variant, which is also called Pontoon, found in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, and played with regular 52-card decks. British pontoon uses special terms ("twist" - for hit, "stick" - stand and "buy" - double the bet (not to be confused with doubling down) and a special set of rules. Pontoon has proven to be far more popular in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
than Spanish 21 has been in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Pontoon is the British or domestic version of Blackjack, which in turn is the American version of Vingt-et-un (FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for Twenty-one), a French gambling game popular at the court of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
and later, much favored by Napoleon, especially at St. Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
. In the twentieth century it became the most popular game of the armed forces of English-speaking nations. Pontoon, unlike casino Blackjack, has no official rules and varies widely from school to school.
Object
Pontoon is an arithmetical game played on a table with the same layout as blackjack. In each deal, the punter's aim is to receive cards totalling more in face value than the banker's, but not exceeding 21, otherwise he is "bust" and loses. A 21 consisting of an Ace and a card worth 10 is a pontoon, and pays extra. A player's 21 or pontoon always beats a dealer 21 or pontoon. Like Spanish 21, it is played from either a shoe or a 4-deck continuous shuffling machineShuffling machine
A shuffling machine is a machine for randomly shuffling packs of playing cards.Because standard shuffling techniques are seen as weak, and in order to avoid "inside jobs" where employees collaborate with gamblers by performing inadequate shuffles, many casinos employ automatic shuffling machines to...
(CSM). The shoe games use six or eight Spanish decks, which are regular 52-card decks, minus the ten-spot cards. Cards Two to Nine count 2 to 9 respectively, courts 10 each, Aces 1 or 11, depending on what is better for the hand.
Rules
Pontoon has similar rules to Spanish 21, with some notable differences, listed below.- Just like in Australian, Asian, and European blackjack, the dealer has no hole card (NHC). This means that the players do not know whether or not the dealer has a natural (a.k.a Blackjack, an Ace and a 10-valued card) until the end of the round, when the dealer draws his second card. Therefore, it is possible to draw to "21" and win against a dealer natural, which is player advantageous and not possible in either Spanish 21 or Blackjack.
- Because the dealer has no hole card, it is possible to double and/or split and lose multiple bets to a dealer natural. All casinos, except for Adelaide Casino, offer either BB+1 or OBBO to compensate.
- An Ace in a pre-double hand is always counted as 1, rather than 1 or 11. For example, if the player doubles on soft 18 (an Ace plus one or more cards totaling 7), he/she is essentially doubling on 8. This rule makes doubling on soft hands highly inadvisable.
- Players are not allowed to draw on split Aces (NDSA), which means that if the player splits Aces, he/she is given one card only on each Ace.
- Compared with Spanish 21, which allows splitting to four hands (SPL3), there are limitations on how many hands players are allowed to split to. Casinos in QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South WalesStar City CasinoThe Star Sydney Casino & Hotel in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after rival Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star Sydney Casino features two gaming floors, eight bars, seven restaurants, 351 hotel rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned...
do not permit resplitting (SPL1). In most venues, players cannot resplit Aces (SPA1), apart from Burswood CasinoBurswood Entertainment ComplexThe Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
, PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and Casino de Genting, MalaysiaGenting HighlandsGenting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
, where it is allowed to resplit once (SPL2). - Players can only surrender against a dealer Ace or face (a.k.a Picture) card. If the dealer ends up with a natural, the player will still lose the entire bet; moreover, he/she missed out on the opportunity to draw to "21" and win unconditionally. This is why surrendering is a less valuable play in Pontoon than in Spanish 21.
- In Adelaide Casino, and Casino de Genting, MalaysiaGenting HighlandsGenting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
, it is allowed to double only on two-card hands. Elsewhere, players can double on any number of cards, which is called "not last chance" (NLC) doubling. - The dealer always hits on soft 17, abbreviated as H17.
- Pontoon has the same super bonus payouts are Spanish 21Spanish 21Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule...
, with the exception of Casino de Genting, MalaysiaGenting HighlandsGenting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
, which has a super bonus payout of RM1,000 on bets of RM10 to RM99, and RM5,000 on bets of RM100 or above.
Despite the player disadvantage of rules 2–9, on average, the house edges for Pontoon are lower than for Spanish 21, because rule 1 is so profoundly player advantageous. The rule differences mean that there are several significant strategy differences between Spanish 21 and Pontoon.
OBBO and BB+1
- BB+1 (Busted Bets plus one): After removing from the table all busted bets, all winnings and original bets from hands totaling "21", and all original bets from forfeited hands, the player loses just one bet, even if he has multiple split hands in the one box.
- OBBO (Original Bets and Busted Only): After removing from the table all busted bets, all winnings and original bets from hands totaling "21", and all original bets from forfeited hands, the player loses just one bet from each split hand remaining. If he has not split, he loses just one bet.
In summary, BB+1 is a loss of one bet per box, and OBBO is a loss of one bet per hand, given that busted bets, winnings, and original bets from forfeits and winning hands have been removed from the table. BB+1 is the more common of the two rules; the only casinos that have OBBO are Burswood Casino
Burswood Entertainment Complex
The Burswood Entertainment Complex is located on the Swan River near the city of Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by Crown Limited. The complex includes a 24-hour casino, seven restaurants, eight bars, a nightclub, two international hotels , a Convention Centre, Theatre and the Burswood Dome...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and Casino de Genting, Malaysia
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
.
Basic strategy for Pontoon
Because Pontoon has an element of player choice, players can reduce the casino advantage to less than 0.5% (with the exception of Adelaide, with house edge 0.62%), by playing optimally. The complete set of optimal plays is known as basic strategy, and is highly dependent on the rules. The computer-generated Pontoon basic strategy and house edge tables below are reproduced from The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon, with permission of the author, Katarina Walker. Pontoon strategy is far more difficult than Blackjack, however, casinos do not generally object to people using strategy charts at the table.Pontoon strategy is very similar to Spanish 21
Spanish 21
Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule...
strategy, however, there are some crucial differences, mainly due to the no-hole-card rule, and the limitations on soft doubling.
Pontoon does, on average, have a lower house edge than its American counterparts because of the no-hole-card rule, which means that you are paid out immediately for your winnings on any total of 21, regardless of whether the dealer ends up with a natural (a Blackjack). It is too late for the dealer—he has already paid you out. In the US, a dealer Blackjack terminates the game, forgoing the opportunity for you to draw to 21 and win. You lose all your bets unless you also have a natural, in which you get paid 3 to 2.
Moreover, the VIP rooms in Australian casinos offer far better Pontoon table conditions than the Spanish 21 games in American casinos.Pontoon in Australia was comparable in popularity to Blackjack, so there are more Pontoon tables available in Australian casinos than Spanish 21 tables in American casinos. Unfortunately, in response to the release of the book "The Pro's Guide To Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon" by Katarina Walker, Burswood Casino in Perth has withdrawn the game from the main floor and Crown Casino, Melbourne, have withdrawn the game from their VIP Mahogany Room and introduced continuous shuffling machines to some of the Pontoon games in the main hall. Any hand-shuffled or automatically shuffled Pontoon games at Crown Casino have penetrations below 75%, rendering the game far less profitable than in the past. There are still opportunities to get high win rates in the Endeavour VIP Room in Star City, Sydney, and the main floor at the Hobart casino. Lasseter's Alice Springs and Country Club Casino in Launceston offer the game on the weekends, but the table limits are very low, ranging from $5 to $200 or $250 per box. Adelaide offers Pontoon in the main hall, but the Adelaide rules give the highest house edge of any Pontoon game in Australia at over 0.5%. Nevertheless, it is still lower than the Blackjack house edge, which exceeds 0.7%, offered on the main floor of the Adelaide casino. A Blackjack game, hand-shuffled, with slightly more player-advantageous rules in offered in the Adelaide VIP room, with table limits conducive to serious betting. Cairns offers a six-deck Pontoon game with a competitive house edge on the main floor but it gets crowded and has a $400 or $500 table limit, so it does not reap a profitable game. At the end of the day, the best Pontoon house edge in the world is of no use if the table limit is too small for your bankroll, and the table is crowded, especially with slow players. If playing solitary on the table by gives a pro player almost 200 hands an hour, you will be earning five times as much per hour as on a packed table, where you can expect no more than 40 hands an hour, more if you can nab more than one box.
Darwin casino in the Northern territory does not offer Pontoon at all, and Jupiter's on the Gold Coast only offers Pontoon with continuous shuffling machines, which is a pointless activity. Treasury Casino, Brisbane, offers a 6-deck hand-shuffled or automatically shuffled Pontoon game in the VIP room, but the penetration can get as low as 67%, the heat is high, and camouflage is a must, which is costly to your win rate. The comps at Brisbane are not particularly competitive either. It is owned by Tabcorp who "sweat the money", as the saying goes. They do not take the risks that the Packer-owned Crown and Burswood Casinos are willing to take, risks that pay off to the casino shareholders,as well as the highly skilled pro player, providing the casino has the cash reserves to cover freak windfalls. Canberra used to offer the best Pontoon game in the country, a 4-deck game with a tiny house edge of less than 0.3% and great penetration, but they took away their $25 table, then added continuous shuffling machines to their $10 Pontoon table, so Canberra is no longer the Pontoon mecca of Australia, and is not worth a visit by the discerning professional card counter.
| Your hand | Dealer's face-up card | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | X | A | |
| Hard totals | ||||||||||
| 18–20 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 17 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S6 | S6 | S6 | H |
| 16 | S6 | S6 | S6 | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 15 | S4. | S5: | S6 | S6 | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 14 | H | H | S4. | S5: | S6; | H | H | H | H | H |
| 13 | H | H | H | H | S4. | H | H | H | H | H |
| 12 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 11 | D4 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D5 | D4 | D4 | D4 | D4 | D4 |
| 10 | D5 | D5 | D | D | D | D4 | D3 | H | H | H |
| 9 | H | H | H | H | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| 5–8 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| Soft totals | ||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| A,9 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| A,8 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S5 | S5 |
| A,7 | S4 | S4 | S4 | S4 | S4 | S6 | S4 | H | H | H |
| A,2 – A,6 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| Pairs | ||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| A,A | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | H |
| 10,10 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 9,9 | S | P | P | P | P | S | P | P | S | S |
| 8,8 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | H |
| 7,7 | P | P | P | P | P | P: | H | H | H | H |
| 6,6 | H | H | P | P | P | H | H | H | H | H |
| 5,5 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H | H | H |
| 4,4 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 3,3 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H |
| 2,2 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H |
| Forfeit strategy | ||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| 12–16 | S | S | S | S | S | S | F | F | F | F |
| 17 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | F |
| 18–20 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
The above is a basic strategy table for all Pontoon rule variations, with a few exceptions: if no OBBO/BB+1, hit 11 vs X and A; if no OBBO/BB+1 and no Ace re-splits, hit A-A vs X; if last chance doubling, split 4-4 vs 6.
Key:
- H = Hit
- P = Split
- F = Forfeit after doubling
- S = Stand (or play on after doubling)
- S4 = Stand, but hit if 4 or more cards
- S5 = Stand, but hit if 5 or more cards
- S6 = Stand, but hit if 6 or more cards
- . = Hit if 6-7-8 possible
- : = Hit if suited 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 possible
- ; = Hit if spaded 6-7-8 possible
- D = Double
- D3 = Double, but hit if 3 or more cards
- D4 = Double, but hit if 4 or more cards
- D5 = Double, but hit if 5 or more cards
House Edge
The following table lists the Pontoon house edges for all known rule sets. The house edge is equivalent to the house advantage over a player who is following the basic strategy tabulated above. (The figures were obtained from 10-billion hand simulations and have a standard error of 0.001%. The super bonus is averaged out to a 100:1 payout.). (SPL3 = can split three times to form four hands, SPL2 = can split twice to form three hands, SPL1 = can split once only, SPA1 = no Ace resplits, NLC = not last chance doubling, D9 = doubling on 9–11 only)
| Pontoon Rules | Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| OBBO, SPL2, NLC | 8 | 0.34% |
| BB+1, SPL3, SPA1, NLC | 4 | 0.31% |
| BB+1, SPL1, NLC | 6 | 0.41% |
| BB+1, SPL1, NLC | 8 | 0.38% |
| BB+1, SPL2, SPA1, NLC | 8 | 0.40% |
| SPL2, SPA1, D9 | 8 | 0.62% |
| OBBO, SPL2, SPA1 | 8 | 0.50% |
As all Australian casino Blackjack games have house edges greater than 0.5%, Pontoon is the superior of the two games. In general, casino staff and Blackjack players erroneously believe that Pontoon has a higher house edge than Blackjack, because the removal of the ten-spot cards creates a 2% disadvantage for the player. In Pontoon, the player can draw to "21" and win against a dealer Blackjack; this combined with "not-last-chance" doubling, forfeit, player "21" always wins, player Blackjacks always get paid at 3:2, and bonuses on certain hands, actually overcompensates for the 2% disadvantage. The result is that Pontoon, on average, has about two-thirds the house edge of Australian Blackjack, which due to no surrender, hole card, and limitations on soft doubling, has some of the highest house edges for regular Blackjack in the world.
Federal Pontoon
Federal Pontoon is a version of the Australian casino game Pontoon played in TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Both casinos in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Country Club Casino
Country Club Casino
Country Club Tasmania is a casino in Launceston, Tasmania and is used for a variety of local events and is home to a 18 hole golf course. Targa Tasmania uses the casino as a starting point for the race....
, Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, and Wrest Point Casino
Wrest Point Hotel Casino
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.-History:...
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, are owned by the Federal Group
Federal Group
The Federal Group owns and operates tourism, entertainment and gaming businesses in Tasmania. It is also known as either Federal Hotels, or Federal Hotels and Resorts on websites.-History:...
.
Rules specific to Federal Pontoon are:
- 8 decks, dealt from a shoe.
- Re-splitting to 3 hands is permitted, except for Aces.
- BB+1.
In Wrest Point Casino
Wrest Point Hotel Casino
The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.-History:...
, Federal Pontoon is played in the public area only and is not available in the VIP room.
Jupiters 21
Jupiters 21 is a version of the Australian casino game Pontoon played in Jupiters CasinoConrad Jupiters
Jupiters Hotel and Casino was Queensland's first casino and hotel complex, which is located in the suburb of Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The casino is situated next to the Nerang River and is operated by Echo Entertainment Group...
, Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Rules specific to Jupiters 21 are:
- 4 decks dealt from a continuous shuffling machine (CSM)Shuffling machineA shuffling machine is a machine for randomly shuffling packs of playing cards.Because standard shuffling techniques are seen as weak, and in order to avoid "inside jobs" where employees collaborate with gamblers by performing inadequate shuffles, many casinos employ automatic shuffling machines to...
. - No re-splits are allowed.
- BB+1.
Jupiters 21 is played in the public area of Jupiters Casino only, and not available in the VIP room, Club Conrad. All Pontoon games played in Queensland casinos have the same rules.
Treasury 21
Treasury 21 is a version of the Australian casino game Pontoon played in Treasury CasinoConrad Treasury Casino
The Treasury Casino, also known as The Treasury is a casino in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It also houses a hotel, five restaurants, seven bars, and a nightclub. The casino is operated by ECHO Entertainment Group....
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Rules specific to Treasury 21 are:
- In the public area of Treasury Casino, 6 decks are dealt from a continuous shuffling machine (CSM)Shuffling machineA shuffling machine is a machine for randomly shuffling packs of playing cards.Because standard shuffling techniques are seen as weak, and in order to avoid "inside jobs" where employees collaborate with gamblers by performing inadequate shuffles, many casinos employ automatic shuffling machines to...
. - In the VIP room, 6 decks are dealt from a shoe.
- No resplits are allowed.
- BB+1.
All Pontoon games played in Queensland casinos have the same rules.
External links
- Rules of Card Games: Pontoon at Pagat.comPagat.comPagat.com is a website containing rules to hundreds of card games from all over the world. Maintained by John McLeod, it contains information for traditional, commercial, and newly invented card games from all over the world....