What is Pontoon?

Pontoon is what much of Britain and Australia calls blackjack, but it is different enough to trip up a Vegas regular. The dealer hides both cards, the jargon is all its own, and there are bonus ways to win that reward drawing more cards, not fewer.

Quick answer: Pontoon is a British relative of blackjack with its own vocabulary and rules. Both dealer cards stay hidden, a 'pontoon' (Ace plus a 10-value card) pays 2 to 1, and a 'five-card trick' - any five cards totaling 21 or under - beats everything except a pontoon. You 'twist' to hit, 'stick' to stand, and 'buy' to double.

Different words, different game

In Pontoon the actions have British names: 'twist' means hit, 'stick' means stand, and 'buy' means double (you can even buy more than once). Both of the dealer's cards are face down, so you play with less information than in the American game.

The pontoon and the five-card trick

The best hand is a 'pontoon' - an Ace plus a 10-value card - which pays 2 to 1. Next best is a 'five-card trick,' any five cards totaling 21 or less, which beats every hand except a pontoon. This is a form of five-card Charlie, and it rewards bold drawing.

Other quirks

You usually must draw on any total of 14 or less, and you cannot stick below 15. There is no surrender and no insurance. The hidden dealer cards and drawing bonuses make Pontoon feel fresh even to blackjack veterans. See how it compares in our variant guide.

Play Pontoon

Related questions

What is a five-card Charlie?

A five-card Charlie is a bonus rule where holding five cards without busting - any five-card hand totaling 21 or under - wins automatically, often beating even a dealer's 20 or 21. It is not offered at every table, but where it exists it noticeably helps the player and rewards drawing extra cards on stiff hands.

What's the difference between blackjack variants?

Variants differ in the number of decks, whether the dealer hits soft 17, the blackjack payout, and any bonus rules or special hands. Some changes help players (like Spanish 21's bonuses), some help the house (like even-money blackjacks). The core goal - beat the dealer without busting - stays the same across all of them.

What is European blackjack?

European blackjack is a common two-deck game built around the no-hole-card rule: the dealer takes only one card until all players have acted. It also restricts doubling to hard totals of 9, 10 and 11 and usually forbids re-splitting. These tighter rules give it a slightly higher house edge than the American game.