Most of the best USA online blackjack sites will offer a number of different blackjack variants and included among these may well be pontoon and other similar games, for example Spanish 21. Here we take a look at the major differences between pontoon and blackjack so read on if you’ve never tried pontoon or aren’t sure what it is.

What actually confuses the matter somewhat is that different names are used for the same games in different places, whilst the same name can mean something slightly different in another country or region. For the sake of clarity, here we are talking about pontoon as it features at a number of excellent real money US casinos, especially those that use Realtime Gaming (RTG) software for their games. Elsewhere around the world, for example Australia and certain parts of Asia, pontoon is actually much more like Spanish 21 and, of course, to confuse matters further, all of these games are in many ways very similar and almost certainly share a common ancestor.

Anyway, sticking with RTG pontoon, it is a game where the object is to beat the dealer, ideally by recording 21. In general it uses eight decks and the best hand is “pontoon”, which is an ace with any 10 value card (even after splitting). Next, and as with pontoon paying out at 2/1, comes a five card trick, which is simply a non-busted hand containing five cards, irrespective of the overall total, followed by a non-pontoon 21 made with four cards or less. Hands then are simply ranked in descending numerical order, with a hand of 22 or more, bust in other words, being the worst hand.

There are lots of small rule differences that separate pontoon from blackjack and these are too many to detail here, however perhaps the most important thing to note is that pontoon offers a very low house edge. Subject to rule variants the house edge at pontoon is an impressive 0.38%, meaning that for every $1,000 staked you can expect, on average, to lose just $3.80. Note that unlike blackjack, where fewer decks are used in pontoon the house edge increases but even so, it’s clear that pontoon offers the player a great chance to profit with just the slightest swing in luck.

Perhaps the biggest difference between pontoon and blackjack not already covered is that the dealer receives two face down cards, only revealing these after all players have completed their turn. In addition the player can only stand on hands of 15 or more (or five card tricks). The final major difference is that tied hands lose.

Whilst that latter point may seem harsh, the fact remains that pontoon offers a hugely competitive house edge, as well as a new game to try. What are you waiting for? Use the USA online blackjack casinos we recommend to also play online pontoon.