Real Money Black Jack Variations
Online black jack is a game of luck and skill where the objective is to try and reach a sum that approaches 21 as much as possible. Due to the fun nature of online black jack as well as the strategy requirements, online black jack is very popular. Nonetheless, there are many different variations of real money black jack. These are really different combinations of slight variations on the basic set of rules. One of the most fun variations that exist among the real money black jack games is the exciting game of Pontoon.
The Basic Pontoon Rules
Usually, in online black jack, there are three ways of scoring a win. Either you get closer to 21 than the dealer does, the dealer busts or you score exactly 21 - which is termed a "blackjack". Pontoon (at least in North American terminology) refers to an online black jack variation where there is yet another way to score a win. In Pontoon, a win is also scored if the player manages to draw five cards without exceeding 21. In real money black jack games such a hand is usually worth a payout of 2 to 1. As far as terminology is concerned, in Pontoon landing an exact sum of 21 is known as a "pontoon" (this is also usually worth a 2 to 1 payout) whereas succeeding in drawing five cards is known as a "five card trick".
Pontoon Rules Nuances
Since there is an exciting extra way of winning in Pontoon, the core online black jack rules require adjustment in order to accommodate the extra wins which can be accumulated in real money black jack. It is for this reason that you will find that in real money black jack games of Pontoon the following rules variations usually apply. These rules include the fact that in Pontoon the dealer always wins on ties and that there is no exposed dealer card. These two variations favor the house and serve to adjust for the increased win options. As far as doubling and splitting are concerned, doubling is usually allowed only once per round. In addition, doubling is usually only allowed once per split hand.
Pontoon Strategy
When you play real money black jack games of Pontoon you want to make sure you have a solid and sound strategy. This way you will make the most of your money. The easiest strategy to implement by far is an appropriate "basic strategy" which is basically the same basic strategy used for other real money black jack games with slight variations that take into account the specific rules of Pontoon. Of course, as a rule, this basic strategy was built assuming an infinite deck. Since that is rarely the case there is a great deal of room for improving the strategy with elements of card counting and similar techniques.
