Pontoon USA

Pontoon blackjack offered by RTG is the British version of the game. (If you were looking for the Australian Pontoon – it can be also found online, but under the name Spanish 21). There are four variation of this game offered online, but only RTG and BetSoft Pontoon are available to USA players can play for real money. Naturally, all games carry quite similar rules; the main difference is that Playtech and Game OS variants of the popular game employing eight decks, as opposed to six decks used in NetEnt Pontoon, which features a slightly lower house edge. RTG do not post how many decks they use, but we will assume it’s 8, just to be on the safe side.

Free Pontoon Blackjack USA

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Rules

The Realtime Gaming title features a standard set of rules that include the dealer getting both cards face down and checking for pontoon before the player plays his hand.

  • Player can only stand if his hand total is 15 or greater.
  • Double down can be used at any time, albeit once per hand, with hit after doubling down also allowed.
  • Cards can be split up to two times per hand.
  • Dealer must hit soft 17
  • Dealer wins all ties

When it comes to hand ranking, pontoon (any two-card hand with 21 total) leads the way, followed by five-card trick (hand of five cards where total value is 21 or less) and any other winning hand. Pontoon and five card trick both pay 2 to 1, whereas other winning hands pay even money.

Limits & User Interface

If you played blackjack in any Realtime Gaming casino, then you are familiar with their design. It can be called a bit old fashioned, for sure compared “newer” software providers, such as NetEnt. The game visuals are not exactly top notch, but players have access to lightning fast gameplay, while having the option to adjust card speed and enable sound, dealer voices and full screen feature. They also added a playful note to it as game title and rules are written in cartoon-style fonts.

RTG decided not to use classic Pontoon terms like twist, stick and buy, but stayed true to original Blackjack terms:  hit, stand and double. Pontoon RTG houses a $1-$100 table limit which should prove good enough for most casino gamers. It is also important to note that only one hand per round is allowed.