Play Blackjack Pontoon
The second blackjack game we’ll look at in our Blackjack Games Guide is Pontoon Blackjack, often known as British Blackjack, which is quite popular in the United Kingdom.
Rules for Pontoon Blackjack
The usage of eight standard decks of cards and forcing the dealer to Hit on a soft hand of 17 are some of the similarities between Classic Blackjack and British Blackjack. Classic Blackjack and British Blackjack, on the other hand, only have these two rules in common.
To begin with, Pontoon Black Jack is not a Hole-Card game, which means the dealer will never disclose an up card during the game.
Second, the game will begin with the dealer checking for a Pontoon hand, which consists of an Ace plus a Face or 10 card.
Another distinction between Traditional Blackjack and Pontoon Blackjack is that if the dealer and the player have the same hand value, the dealer wins the Push, not the player.
Getting the Better of the Dealer’s Hand
In Pontoon Blackjack, you can defeat the dealer’s 21 in one of two ways: by acquiring a Pontoon hand or by creating a 5 Card Trick.
A Pontoon hand is a twenty-one hand made up of an Ace and any of the Face or ten cards. A standard hand of natural Blackjack would pay out 3:2, whereas a Pontoon hand would pay out 2:1.
A 5 Card Trick is another approach to beat the dealer’s 21. This occurs when you draw five or more cards without going bust, regardless of the entire worth of your hand. A player’s wager will be paid out 2:1 if they beat the dealer’s hand with a Five Card Trick.
Variations on the Rule
In contrast to other popular blackjack variants, British Blackjack does not have an Insurance option. This isn’t a big concern when you consider that the dealer’s chances of getting a natural 21 are only 4.82 percent. Fortunately, neither Doubling nor the number of cards you can draw are limited.
Any two pairs, including a pair of Aces, can be split in Pontoon blackjack, and pontoons are possible after splitting. The sole restriction is that if you divide a pair of Aces, you can only obtain one additional card.
In Pontoon Blackjack, the house has an advantage.
Pontoon Blackjack’s playing rules, like those of other blackjack games, can be changed by different online casinos.
For example, if you play Pontoon Blackjack at a Microgaming online casino, the house has a 0.39 percent advantage over the players, however if you play at a Playtech site, the house has a slightly smaller advantage of 0.38 percent. Other casinos may be able to keep a 0.73 percent advantage.
Following the basic blackjack strategy sheet is one approach to effectively lessen the casino’s advantage over you and boost your odds of winning.
Finally, the number of card decks used in Pontoon Blackjack should always be considered because the bigger the number of card decks used, the lower the house edge. This is due to the increased likelihood of obtaining 5 Card Tricks.
To summarize, British Blackjack is an exciting alternative to traditional blackjack that is sure to bring hours of fun as well as a healthy profit margin. Visit our Blackjack Games section to learn more about this and other amazing blackjack games.