Pontoon is the British version of the internationally popular game Twenty-one American Casino version Blackjack. The objective of Pontoon is for a player to come as close to 21 without going over, while still having a higher number than the dealer. This variation of blackjack makes betting more interesting by changing a few of the standard rules and payout.
Prior to receiving any cards, the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made, the player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards but they are placed face down. All face cards are valued at ten and the cards from 2-10 are valued as indicated. Aces can be valued at either one or eleven; if counting the Ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the Ace is automatically counted as one instead. You do not need to specify which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that makes the best hand. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4 has a value of 17. If the total value of the player's cards is closer to 21 than the dealer, the player wins as much as he wagered. The player wins if the dealer goes over 21.
Your chips are stacked by denomination (£1, £5, £25, £100, £500) at the bottom of the screen above your User label. Select the amount you would like to wager on a given hand by clicking the left mouse button on the chip of that denomination. The amount wagered per hand may be increased or decreased by placing the mouse on the stack that you wish to add or subtract to your bet. Each time you click the left mouse button you will add a chip from that pile to your planned wager amount. Likewise by clicking on the right mouse button you can decrease your planned wager amount. You may repeat your last bet by simply hitting the "0" button of your numeric keyboard. Other keyboard shortcuts are summarized below. If you place a wager that is lower than the minimum table bet limit, your bet amount will be automatically adjusted to the minimum bet amount
