Playing 21 Card Game

1. Rules For Playing 21 Card Game
2. 21 Card Game Free Online
3. 21 Card Game Kids

Play free online blackjack - also called '21' - the classic casino card game of luck and skill! Free Blackjack Game Overview Welcome to this online blackjack page where you can play the best free blackjack games. The benefits of playing online are that you can learn blackjack rules in no rush and there is no actual monetary loss if you lose! Beat the dealer! Make your bet, and you're dealt two cards. If you think you can get closer to 21 without going over, have the dealer give you another. Do you feel lucky? Click chips from your bank.

21 card Rummy played in the Points Rummy format is an intricate and elaborate variant of the game. In this game, players play the game for points that have a rupee or point value decided upon in advance. The online version of 21 cards rummy is simpler to understand and play as compared to the offline version.

Complete Rules That You Will Need to Know to Play 21 Card Rummy

A Valid Winning Hand or Winning Declaration Can Consist of the Following Combinations:

• Melding of three pure sequences along with the remaining cards melded into valid sequences and/or sets
• Melding a minimum of three Tunnelas. In this case, players do not need to arrange the remaining cards
• Melding a minimum of eight Dublees. In this case, players do not need to arrange the remaining cards
• Melding eight jokers in a single group. In this case, players do not need to arrange the remaining cards

How to Calculate Value Card Score and Calculation of Maximum Loss in Points?

• Apart from the points that are won or lost in a 21 card points rummy game, each player who has not dropped from the game also gets positive points for having value cards and negative points for value cards that are held by other players who have not dropped from the game.
• In this game, the value cards are the Joker card (that is picked at the start of the game), the upper joker, and the lower joker.
• The table below will tell you the points calculated for each player for the value cards held:

• When you get one joker (of same suit) along with an upper joker and a lower joker, together, then this is called a Jackpot or Marriage. The player who has a Marriage in hand will get 100 points from each of the players (who have not dropped) in the game. In case a player has two or three Marriages, then he or she gets 300 and 500 points respectively from each player who has not dropped from the game.
• The maximum points a player can lose is 120. This means that no matter what cards the player holds, the points are limited to 120.

What Are the Maximum Points Losses That a Player Can Incur in A Game?

• Any points below 120 will considered as points lost.
• The total loss that a player can get including points lost and value cards score is capped at 200 points.

Please Note:

• A player having a Marriage can use these cards as joker to complete sequences or sets. He or she need not have these three cards in sequence to be eligible to get the points for them.
• Cards that are part of a Marriage will not get points individually for the player.
• In case a player makes a declaration that is not valid, the player will exchange points with other players for the value cards that he or she holds.

Some Instances of Calculations for Value Cards:

The Formula for Total Score That a Player Gets Is as Follows:

Total score = Points won (Positive for winning player and negative for non-winning players) + Points received for value cards (from players except the dropped ones) – Points given for value cards (to players except the dropped ones)

Some Terms Used in The Game

To begin with the rudiments of the game, it is crucial that you comprehend the essential lingo used in the game:

Tunnela or London: A Tunnela (or London) is composed of three matching cards. For example, 5♥ 5 ♥ 5 ♥ is a Tunnela. A joker beside two identical cards, such as 6 ♦ 6 ♦ Q ♦ (Where Q ♦ is a joker) cannot be regarded as a valid combination. Three printed jokers put collectively to form a Tunnela is considered to be valid. A Tunnela is a pure sequence in 21 card rummy.

Dublee: A Dublee is when two similar cards are set together - for example 7 ♥ 7 ♥. Any card along with a joker, such as 8 ♦ K ♦ (Where K ♦ is a joker) does not make an acceptable Dublee. Two printed jokers can be clustered together to form a valid Dublee. A player having eight Dublees in hand in 21 card rummy is qualified to declare. A player having six Dublees in hand in 21 card rummy, when another player declares, will lose only 2 points.

Toss: To decide which player will make the first move, Toss is used. Each player is given a card at random and the player with the maximum face value card is chosen as the winner of the toss.

Seat Shuffling: The seats of the players are rearranged depending on the Toss. The player with the maximum face value card makes the first move and the one with the lowest is the last one to play. The seats are also set with this in mind. Martingale roulette success stories. If a player leaves/joins a table, a toss card is given out to each player in the next game and the seating order is rearranged depending on the toss.

Dealer: Based on the Toss, the person getting the lowest value card becomes the dealer.

Joker: A Joker is utilized instead of other cards to meld sequences and sets. It is chosen at random at the beginning of the game.

E.g.: 6 ♥ 5 ♠ 8 ♥ is a sequence where 5 ♠ is the joker and is used in place of 7 ♥.

Upper Joker and Lower Joker: The cards, which are one rank over and under the cut joker of the same suit, are recognized as the upper and lower joker in that order. These jokers can be made use of, to fill in for any other card.

For E.g.: If 4 ♠ is the cut joker then 3 ♠ is the lower joker and 5 ♠ is the upper joker.

Note: The combination of upper joker, lower joker and the cut joker cannot make a valid sequence, in any case.

Printed Joker: When the printed joker is chosen as the joker for the game, then the players are permitted to employ the aces from any suit as jokers in their sequences.

Sequence: A sequence consists of 3 or more running cards of the same suit. E.g.: 5♥ 6 ♥ 7♥.

Rules For Playing 21 Card Game

Pure Sequence: A pure sequence is a sequence without a Joker. Exception - 8♥ 9♥10 ♥ is a pure sequence even if 8 is the joker.

Set: 3 or more cards of the same face value make up a set. E.g.: 8 ♥ 8 ♠ 8 ♣ or 6 ♥ 6 ♠ 6 ♣ 6 ♦.

Note: It is vital to be clear that a set cannot have two cards of an identical suit since the game is played with three packs of cards. E.g.: 9 ♠ 9 ♠ 9♥ is not an acceptable set.

How to Calculate the Winning Amount?

Winning amount= (Total score of the winner including the points settled for value card score) X (Rupee value of point) - (Rake amount)

The Rules for 21 Card Points Rummy at Classic Rummy

Goal of the game: The primary objective of the game is to arrange all the 21 cards dealt to you in valid sequences and/or sets.

Detailed Rules:

1. Number of players in the game - minimum 2 to maximum 6
2. Number of packs used – 3 packs containing 53 cards each (inclusive of one joker)
3. Format of the game – Based on points rummy where points have a rupee or point value, that is decided in advance.
4. Minimum amount required – Players must bring in a minimum number of chips based on the predetermined value of points when joining the table.
5. Order of play and seating – This will be decided by draw of cards by all players. The value of the card drawn determines the order of play.

Stinkin rich casino game. Start of The Game:

1. The first step is the dealing of 21 cards each to all the players on the table.
2. One card is placed face up to indicate the open card.
3. A joker is drawn randomly from the cards and put in the joker slot to indicate the game joker.
4. The card above and below the joker card of the same suit will also be considered jokers.

Example: If in a game, 8♥ is drawn as joker, then 9 ♥ is the upper joker and 7 ♥ is the lower joker.

Exception:

• When Ace of a particular suit is picked as joker for a game, then the upper joker will be 2 of the same suit and King of the same suit will be the lower joker.
• When a printed joker is chosen as joker for a game, then Ace of all suits will serve as joker. The value card in this case will be Ace♠ and the upper joker will be 2♠ and lower joker will be King♠.

The game begins with the player picking a card from the open or closed pile. His/her turn is completed once he/she has discarded a card to the open pile.

Players may use one or more than one joker to complete a sequence or set, but jokers cannot be used to complete a Dublee or a Tunnela.

To declare a win, you will have to move a card to the finish slot for declaring. After doing this, you will need to group your cards in sequences and sets and click to send them for evaluation.

Please Note: Hungry shark free play.

Since there are three decks, care has to be taken to ensure that the same card is not used two times in a set. For example: 8 ♠ 8 ♠ 8 ♥ is not an acceptable set.

However, with three decks, the use of the same cards thrice in a set combination called Tunnela is possible. For example: 7 ♠7 ♠ 7 ♠ is a Tunnela/London and is accepted as a pure and valid sequence.

21 Card Points Rummy is a very easy and straightforward adaptation of Rummy. We have assembled the rules for 21 Card Points Rummy in a very specific manner to make sure you are well prepared to win the game. At Classic Rummy, we ensure that you have an enjoyable experience playing your beloved version of the game. Just a rapid look below will provide you with all the information to get going!

Scoring in 21 Cards Points Rummy

How Is the Winner of the Game Decided?

The game ends when a player makes a declaration that is validated and accepted. Once this happens, then the scores for all players are calculated on the rules given below:

21 Card Game Free Online

• If a player drops from the game in the first round, they lose 30 points.
• If a player goes in for a middle drop, then they lose 70 points
• A player who makes a valid declaration will get points that are equal to the total of all the points of the losing players.
• The player who wins will always have positive points in the 'points won' section of the game results.

Here is how the points for the non-winning players are calculated once the winning player makes a valid declaration of a winning hand:

1. J, Q, K, A of any suit carry 10 points each.
2. The numbered cards carry points equal to the face value. Example: 9 carries 9 points and 3 carries 3 points.
3. All joker cards have zero points.
4. When the game ends, the points of all the players losing the game will be calculated by adding up points for all those cards that are not melded into sequences or sets. However, this is subject to the following exceptions:
   
   • In case the losing player/s have no pure sequences at all, then all the cards will be counted.
   • In case the losing player/s have not melded three pure sequences, but have one or two pure sequences, then these will be excepted when the points are counted.
   • In case the losing player/s have three pure sequences, then sequences and sets that are melded with jokers will also be considered valid and the points for these will not be calculated in calculating the points lost.
   • The maximum count of 120 points lost can be given to a player. That means if the sum of points of a player's cards comes to 150, he/she will lose only 120 points But in case the points lost come to 100 points, then he or she will lose 100 points.

Please Note:

When the game results are shown, the 'points won' section will show negative points in the case of losing player/s as he or she gives those points to the winning player. In case a losing player has lost 3 points, then the points won will be shown as -3. However, this can happen when he or she has declared by grouping the cards with any of the following combinations:

• The cards in hand are arranged into valid sequences and sets which include three pure sequences
• There are 6 or more pairs of Dublees (Dublees need to be grouped properly and separately)
• There are 7 or more jokers in the cards declared by the player (The jokers need to be grouped separate from the other cards)

Special Case: In case of a player missing three turns successively, the player is given a middle drop score of 70 points. In case a player makes a wrong show, then the player will lose 120 points for that round and the game will keep moving until another player makes a correct declaration.

Deal Show: In case the losing player/s does not get even the first turn before one of the opponents makes a valid show, then in that case:

• The losing player/s will get points that will be 50% of the cards in hand. Example: In case the cards in hand for the losing player/s come to a total of 50 points, then the losing player gets 50% of that which comes to a loss of 25 points.
• The minimum loss in terms of points to a player in such cases comes to 2.
• The maximum loss in terms of points to a player comes to 60 (if the cards in hand totals to 120 or more).

How to Calculate Winning Amount in 21 Card Points Rummy?

The player having a positive score at the finish of the game will get the winning amount; the winning amount will be calculated as follows:

Winning amount = Positive score of the winner x the point value – Rake amount applicable

Example: In case 5 players are playing a game with ₹ 3 per point 21 cards rummy game and the player number 1 makes a valid show, then the other players get -5, -15, -25 and -35 points.

21 Card Game Kids

In this case, the winning player will get a prize that will be calculated as follows: 3 x (5+15+25+35) = ₹ 225. This amount, after deducting the rake as per Classic Rummy's rules, will be credited to the account of the winner.

How Does Drop Work?

The option to drop is offered to every player, all the way through the game. To use the Drop option, the player should not have picked a card from open/closed deck in that turn. The types of drops available are:

• First Drop - To drop from the game during the first turn will result in the player dropping the game in the very first turn makes the player lose 30 points
• Middle Drop - Dropping the player after the first move makes the player lose 70 points.

Special Case: Missing three turns successively will result in automatic dropping of the player, which endows him with the middle drop score.

The basics

-Number of players: three or more

-Playing time: as desired.

-Cards: standard deck, no jokers.

-Ranking: court cards count 10 points, Aces count 1 or 11 at the holder's option, pip cards their face value. The 10s and court cards are collectively known as 'tenths'

-Deal: one player acts as banker, the rest as punters. A maximum stake is agreed. The cards are shuffled at the start of play but thereafter only on a pontoon when the bank changes hands. The banker always deals.

History

This simple yet subtle gambling game, a traditional favorite of the Armed Forces, is also known as Twenty-one and, with minor modifications, as Blackjack in casinos (where the punter is strongly advised to read the house rules before venturing to play). Whilst stakes are essential for Pontoon, the game need not, of course, be played for money.

Object of the game

To hold two or more cards which together sum to 21 (ideally an Ace and a tenth, this is known as pontoon or a natural) but above 15 and as near to 21 as possible. Any hand that exceeds 21 is 'bust' and loses.

Play

This takes place in a number of stages.

-The banker deals one card to each player, including sled. The punters examine their cards and bet on them. Egyptian god of good fortune. (See Stage 1).

-The banker deals a second card all round. (See Stage 2).

-The banker addresses the players in turn, who either complete their hands or are busted. (See Stage 3).

-When all punters have been accommodated, the banker's hand is turned over. The banker is free to add cards face up to it, stopping when satisfied or is busted.

-Debts are settled. The banker pays all punters whose hands beat the banker's hand, matching the punters' stakes, and collects the stakes of the losing punters.

Stage 1

The punters look at their cards then put them back face down on the table, indicating their bets by placing counters beside them.

Stage 2

When all the punters have bet, banker deals a second card face down all round.

Stage 3

The banker now addresses each punter in turn, starting with Eldest. A punter has three options and a possible fourth as follows.

-Stick. The punter, whose hand must total 16 or more, elects to have no more cards. If the hand is pontoon, the Ace is turned over to indicate this.

-Twist. The punter elects to receive a third card. Banker deals this face-up off the top of the pack. If the cards, together with the two hidden cards, total more than 21, the punter is bust. The punter announces this; the banker takes up the punter's cards and places them at the bottom of the pack, then appropriates the punter's stake. If not busted, the punter can elect to receive further cards in the same manner until satisfied ('stick') or bust.

-Buy. The punter opts to receive a card face down. For this privilege, the punter must bet again, but not more than the original stake. Another card or cards may subsequently be bought, or the punter can elect to twist. A bet may be decreased but never increased and a punter who elects to twist cannot subsequently buy.

If a punter has four cards and opts for a fifth in an attempt to complete a five card trick, the card is dealt face up whether the punter buys or twists. However, if the four cards total 11 or less the fifth card cannot be bought since the bonus hand is a certainty.

-Split. A punter who receives his first two cards of the same rank can elect to split them – to form two hands, one with each card. A stake equivalent to that placed on the first card is place on the second, and the banker deals another card to each hand. If there is a further match, the punter may split again. Each hand is then played out as above.

Scoring

The highest hand in some schools is a royal pontoon (three 7s), which is unbeatable and wins the punter triple stakes. However, the hand only counts as 21 if held by the banker.

Pontoon earns the punter double stakes and the right to be banker. If the pontoon is the banker's then all punters pay double.

Note: The combination of upper joker, lower joker and the cut joker cannot make a valid sequence, in any case.

Printed Joker: When the printed joker is chosen as the joker for the game, then the players are permitted to employ the aces from any suit as jokers in their sequences.

Sequence: A sequence consists of 3 or more running cards of the same suit. E.g.: 5♥ 6 ♥ 7♥.

Rules For Playing 21 Card Game

Pure Sequence: A pure sequence is a sequence without a Joker. Exception - 8♥ 9♥10 ♥ is a pure sequence even if 8 is the joker.

Set: 3 or more cards of the same face value make up a set. E.g.: 8 ♥ 8 ♠ 8 ♣ or 6 ♥ 6 ♠ 6 ♣ 6 ♦.

Note: It is vital to be clear that a set cannot have two cards of an identical suit since the game is played with three packs of cards. E.g.: 9 ♠ 9 ♠ 9♥ is not an acceptable set.

How to Calculate the Winning Amount?

Winning amount= (Total score of the winner including the points settled for value card score) X (Rupee value of point) - (Rake amount)

The Rules for 21 Card Points Rummy at Classic Rummy

Goal of the game: The primary objective of the game is to arrange all the 21 cards dealt to you in valid sequences and/or sets.

Detailed Rules:

1. Number of players in the game - minimum 2 to maximum 6
2. Number of packs used – 3 packs containing 53 cards each (inclusive of one joker)
3. Format of the game – Based on points rummy where points have a rupee or point value, that is decided in advance.
4. Minimum amount required – Players must bring in a minimum number of chips based on the predetermined value of points when joining the table.
5. Order of play and seating – This will be decided by draw of cards by all players. The value of the card drawn determines the order of play.

Stinkin rich casino game. Start of The Game:

1. The first step is the dealing of 21 cards each to all the players on the table.
2. One card is placed face up to indicate the open card.
3. A joker is drawn randomly from the cards and put in the joker slot to indicate the game joker.
4. The card above and below the joker card of the same suit will also be considered jokers.

Example: If in a game, 8♥ is drawn as joker, then 9 ♥ is the upper joker and 7 ♥ is the lower joker.

Exception:

• When Ace of a particular suit is picked as joker for a game, then the upper joker will be 2 of the same suit and King of the same suit will be the lower joker.
• When a printed joker is chosen as joker for a game, then Ace of all suits will serve as joker. The value card in this case will be Ace♠ and the upper joker will be 2♠ and lower joker will be King♠.

The game begins with the player picking a card from the open or closed pile. His/her turn is completed once he/she has discarded a card to the open pile.

Players may use one or more than one joker to complete a sequence or set, but jokers cannot be used to complete a Dublee or a Tunnela.

To declare a win, you will have to move a card to the finish slot for declaring. After doing this, you will need to group your cards in sequences and sets and click to send them for evaluation.

Please Note: Hungry shark free play.

Since there are three decks, care has to be taken to ensure that the same card is not used two times in a set. For example: 8 ♠ 8 ♠ 8 ♥ is not an acceptable set.

However, with three decks, the use of the same cards thrice in a set combination called Tunnela is possible. For example: 7 ♠7 ♠ 7 ♠ is a Tunnela/London and is accepted as a pure and valid sequence.

21 Card Points Rummy is a very easy and straightforward adaptation of Rummy. We have assembled the rules for 21 Card Points Rummy in a very specific manner to make sure you are well prepared to win the game. At Classic Rummy, we ensure that you have an enjoyable experience playing your beloved version of the game. Just a rapid look below will provide you with all the information to get going!

Scoring in 21 Cards Points Rummy

How Is the Winner of the Game Decided?

The game ends when a player makes a declaration that is validated and accepted. Once this happens, then the scores for all players are calculated on the rules given below:

21 Card Game Free Online

• If a player drops from the game in the first round, they lose 30 points.
• If a player goes in for a middle drop, then they lose 70 points
• A player who makes a valid declaration will get points that are equal to the total of all the points of the losing players.
• The player who wins will always have positive points in the 'points won' section of the game results.

Here is how the points for the non-winning players are calculated once the winning player makes a valid declaration of a winning hand:

1. J, Q, K, A of any suit carry 10 points each.
2. The numbered cards carry points equal to the face value. Example: 9 carries 9 points and 3 carries 3 points.
3. All joker cards have zero points.
4. When the game ends, the points of all the players losing the game will be calculated by adding up points for all those cards that are not melded into sequences or sets. However, this is subject to the following exceptions:
   
   • In case the losing player/s have no pure sequences at all, then all the cards will be counted.
   • In case the losing player/s have not melded three pure sequences, but have one or two pure sequences, then these will be excepted when the points are counted.
   • In case the losing player/s have three pure sequences, then sequences and sets that are melded with jokers will also be considered valid and the points for these will not be calculated in calculating the points lost.
   • The maximum count of 120 points lost can be given to a player. That means if the sum of points of a player's cards comes to 150, he/she will lose only 120 points But in case the points lost come to 100 points, then he or she will lose 100 points.

Please Note:

When the game results are shown, the 'points won' section will show negative points in the case of losing player/s as he or she gives those points to the winning player. In case a losing player has lost 3 points, then the points won will be shown as -3. However, this can happen when he or she has declared by grouping the cards with any of the following combinations:

• The cards in hand are arranged into valid sequences and sets which include three pure sequences
• There are 6 or more pairs of Dublees (Dublees need to be grouped properly and separately)
• There are 7 or more jokers in the cards declared by the player (The jokers need to be grouped separate from the other cards)

Special Case: In case of a player missing three turns successively, the player is given a middle drop score of 70 points. In case a player makes a wrong show, then the player will lose 120 points for that round and the game will keep moving until another player makes a correct declaration.

Deal Show: In case the losing player/s does not get even the first turn before one of the opponents makes a valid show, then in that case:

• The losing player/s will get points that will be 50% of the cards in hand. Example: In case the cards in hand for the losing player/s come to a total of 50 points, then the losing player gets 50% of that which comes to a loss of 25 points.
• The minimum loss in terms of points to a player in such cases comes to 2.
• The maximum loss in terms of points to a player comes to 60 (if the cards in hand totals to 120 or more).

How to Calculate Winning Amount in 21 Card Points Rummy?

The player having a positive score at the finish of the game will get the winning amount; the winning amount will be calculated as follows:

Winning amount = Positive score of the winner x the point value – Rake amount applicable

Example: In case 5 players are playing a game with ₹ 3 per point 21 cards rummy game and the player number 1 makes a valid show, then the other players get -5, -15, -25 and -35 points.

21 Card Game Kids

In this case, the winning player will get a prize that will be calculated as follows: 3 x (5+15+25+35) = ₹ 225. This amount, after deducting the rake as per Classic Rummy's rules, will be credited to the account of the winner.

How Does Drop Work?

The option to drop is offered to every player, all the way through the game. To use the Drop option, the player should not have picked a card from open/closed deck in that turn. The types of drops available are:

• First Drop - To drop from the game during the first turn will result in the player dropping the game in the very first turn makes the player lose 30 points
• Middle Drop - Dropping the player after the first move makes the player lose 70 points.

Special Case: Missing three turns successively will result in automatic dropping of the player, which endows him with the middle drop score.

The basics

-Number of players: three or more

-Playing time: as desired.

-Cards: standard deck, no jokers.

-Ranking: court cards count 10 points, Aces count 1 or 11 at the holder's option, pip cards their face value. The 10s and court cards are collectively known as 'tenths'

-Deal: one player acts as banker, the rest as punters. A maximum stake is agreed. The cards are shuffled at the start of play but thereafter only on a pontoon when the bank changes hands. The banker always deals.

History

This simple yet subtle gambling game, a traditional favorite of the Armed Forces, is also known as Twenty-one and, with minor modifications, as Blackjack in casinos (where the punter is strongly advised to read the house rules before venturing to play). Whilst stakes are essential for Pontoon, the game need not, of course, be played for money.

Object of the game

To hold two or more cards which together sum to 21 (ideally an Ace and a tenth, this is known as pontoon or a natural) but above 15 and as near to 21 as possible. Any hand that exceeds 21 is 'bust' and loses.

Play

This takes place in a number of stages.

-The banker deals one card to each player, including sled. The punters examine their cards and bet on them. Egyptian god of good fortune. (See Stage 1).

-The banker deals a second card all round. (See Stage 2).

-The banker addresses the players in turn, who either complete their hands or are busted. (See Stage 3).

-When all punters have been accommodated, the banker's hand is turned over. The banker is free to add cards face up to it, stopping when satisfied or is busted.

-Debts are settled. The banker pays all punters whose hands beat the banker's hand, matching the punters' stakes, and collects the stakes of the losing punters.

Stage 1

The punters look at their cards then put them back face down on the table, indicating their bets by placing counters beside them.

Stage 2

When all the punters have bet, banker deals a second card face down all round.

Stage 3

The banker now addresses each punter in turn, starting with Eldest. A punter has three options and a possible fourth as follows.

-Stick. The punter, whose hand must total 16 or more, elects to have no more cards. If the hand is pontoon, the Ace is turned over to indicate this.

-Twist. The punter elects to receive a third card. Banker deals this face-up off the top of the pack. If the cards, together with the two hidden cards, total more than 21, the punter is bust. The punter announces this; the banker takes up the punter's cards and places them at the bottom of the pack, then appropriates the punter's stake. If not busted, the punter can elect to receive further cards in the same manner until satisfied ('stick') or bust.

-Buy. The punter opts to receive a card face down. For this privilege, the punter must bet again, but not more than the original stake. Another card or cards may subsequently be bought, or the punter can elect to twist. A bet may be decreased but never increased and a punter who elects to twist cannot subsequently buy.

If a punter has four cards and opts for a fifth in an attempt to complete a five card trick, the card is dealt face up whether the punter buys or twists. However, if the four cards total 11 or less the fifth card cannot be bought since the bonus hand is a certainty.

-Split. A punter who receives his first two cards of the same rank can elect to split them – to form two hands, one with each card. A stake equivalent to that placed on the first card is place on the second, and the banker deals another card to each hand. If there is a further match, the punter may split again. Each hand is then played out as above.

Scoring

The highest hand in some schools is a royal pontoon (three 7s), which is unbeatable and wins the punter triple stakes. However, the hand only counts as 21 if held by the banker.

Pontoon earns the punter double stakes and the right to be banker. If the pontoon is the banker's then all punters pay double.

The next highest hand is a five card trick – five cards that together sum to less than 22. This also attracts double stakes.

The banker always wins equal hands; thus a bank's pontoon beats any pontoon by a punter. The banker normally announces payment thus: if his hand sums to 18, he announces 'Pay 19s'; i.e. any punter with a hand totally 19 or more, or a bonus hand, wins. The banker takes the stakes of the losers and pays out equivalent stakes to those bet by the winners plus any bonuses.

Tips on how to win Pontoon

The banker wins on equal hands and therefore has a large advantage, to the extent of sometimes ending in credit on a round despite going bust. Furthermore, the banker will often be able to hazard a shrewd guess at some player's totals from the cards they twisted. So the simplest advice for the Pontoon player is – get the bank if you can.

As a punter, however, you do have one or two benefits. Most importantly, you can scale your bets and you need only increase the original stake when the prospects look good.

Card counting comes in handy and as a general guide, buy when your two cards total 11 or less but twist when they total 12 or more (there are 16 tenths in the pack and they have a habit of coming up when you don't want them). Basic strategy shows it is generally prudent to stick on 16, but if holding four cards the gamble of taking a fifth card may be worth it.

An observant punter with a good memory has a decided advantage. Since the pack is only shuffled on a pontoon (or change of bank) it is sometimes possible to foretell the next card, or at least to calculate the rough odds of receiving a low card or a tenth for example.

A punter's guide to Pontoon

An Example Hand of Pontoon

Banker and five punters. The minimum bet is 1 and the maximum bet 5.

S= stick; T= twist; B= bust.

E elects to split his pair of deuces, so two hands: (i) and (ii). E may not bet on his fourth card of E(ii) as the five-card trick cannot be defeated. Nonetheless, the dealer would turn over a fifth card to complete the hand.

Banker announces 'Pay 19s'. A (21) wins two, B (17) loses five, C (19) wins four, D (bust) loses one, E (18) loses six and (five card trick) wins 12.

Variants

The game has no significant variants, but many minor variations in the play and betting rules are encountered. A common one is that on examining the first bank card banker may double the stakes. Another common rule is that a split pontoon does not win the bank.

A two-player game called Quinze has 15 as the limit hand, played to a standard stake. Ace is low and all cards are dealt face down. A player may stick on one card. If hands are equal, stakes are doubled for the next round. The deal alternates.

In Blackjack and related casino card games such as Baccarat, the house always runs the bank and as such has a house edge.