Australian Blackjack Rules
Pontoon is a derivative of Spanish 21 played mainly in Australia and Malaysia. Most land-based Australian casinos offer some version of the game. It is not to be confused with the British blackjack variant of the same name.
Pontoon’s popularity in Australia and a number of Asian countries stems from its comparatively low house edge. While the exact figure can fluctuate from game to game depending on which hole card rules are in play, you can find pontoon games with a house edge as low as 0.38 per cent.
How is Pontoon played?
Blackjack switch is a blackjack variant which allows the player to do what is normally considered a classic cheating manoeuver, trading cards between two hands. The player must make two bets of equal size and is allowed to switch the second card dealt to each hand. To get the most fun from your game, you need to know the rules of blackjack. Without these, you may make the wrong moves and lose games that you could have won. These are the 14 key rules that you need to know when playing free blackjack games. 14 key rules to follow when playing online blackjack. Your aim is to get a score of 21 or a higher.
Pontoon is played with a 48-card deck, often referred to as a “Spanish deck”. This is simply a standard 52-card French deck with the face-value 10s removed.
The game can be played with four to eight Spanish decks, either in a traditional shoe or an automatic shuffling device. Australian pontoon tables are almost identical to regulation blackjack tables in appearance, with eight betting boxes and an insurance line.
The game is dealt in exactly the same manner as a regular blackjack game. The croupier deals a face-up card to each player before taking a face-down card and then dealing each player a second face-up card. Insurance and/or surrender is offered if the dealer’s card is an Ace or picture card, and then each player may complete their hands by taking the following actions: hit, stand, double down, or split a pair of equally ranked cards.
As in blackjack, the aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s score without exceeding 21 points. An initial two-card hand of an Ace and any picture card (Jack, Queen, or King) is called pontoon, or a ‘natural’, and is paid 3 to 2. There are a number of other increased payouts for specific hands of 21 points, while winning hands of 20 points or less pay 1 to 1.
Australian pontoon rules
There are 10 universally accepted rules for pontoon in Australia:
1. The dealer does not take a hole card.
2. The dealer always hits on soft 17.
3. Doubling after splits (DAS) is allowed.
4. Doubling is allowed on nine, 10 and 11 only.
5. Late surrender is available when the dealer’s initial card is a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace.
6. If you have a total of 21, you are paid out immediately.
7. Unlike most blackjack games, in pontoon you can surrender after doubling down. This ‘double down rescue’ rule requires you to forfeit half your total bet. For example: if your initial stake was $15 and you double your bet to $30, you can then opt to forfeit $15 and keep the remaining $15.
8. Five-card 21 pays 3 to 2, a six-card 21 pays 2 to 1 and a 21-point hand of seven or more cards pays 3 to 1. However, these bonuses do not apply if you have doubled down.
9. A total of 21 made up of either Six, Seven and Eight or of three Sevens pays 3 to 2 in mixed suits, 2 to 1 in the same suit and 3 to 1 in Spades only.
10. If you have three suited Sevens and the dealer’s show card is also a Seven, you win the Super Bonus. Bets between $5 and $24 pay $1,000, while wagers of $25 or over win $5,000. Furthermore, everyone with a bet on the table receives a $50 “envy” bonus.
Besides that set of core rules, there are several other conditions which can vary from game to game:
– Number of Spanish decks used can range from four to eight per shoe.
– Number of splits/re-splits allowed.
– Re-splitting Aces may or may not be allowed.
– Some games only permit doubling on the first two cards of a hand, while others allow it on any number of cards as long as the points total is between nine and 11.
Hole card rule variations
As with Australian blackjack games, and any other version of 21 where the dealer takes no hole card, pontoon may use one of four special rules to govern what happens when the house draws a natural.
Original Bets Only (OBO)
If the dealer makes a pontoon when you have splits and doubles on the table, all you lose is your original bet.
Busted Bets Plus One (BB+1)
If the dealer makes a pontoon, you lose any busted bets and an amount equal to your original bet (if you have that much left).
Original and Busted Bets Only (OBBO)
If the dealer makes a pontoon, you lose any bets that have busted during play but only lose original bets on doubles. Thus, it’s possible to lose all splits and yet only forfeit half of a double.
European No Hole Card (ENHC)
If the dealer makes a pontoon, you lose all doubles, splits and original bets.
What else is Pontoon known as?
Many Australian casinos have their own branded versions of pontoon. While there are slight rule variations from venue to venue, each of these incarnations carries a house edge of between 0.3 and 0.5 per cent – much better value than the vast majority of land-based blackjack in Australia.
- Treasury 21 – Treasury Casino, Brisbane – BB+1
- Jupiters 21 – Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast – BB+1
- Paradise Pontoon – Reef Casino, Cairns – BB+1
- Federal Pontoon – Wrest Point Casino, Hobart, and Country Club Casino, Launceston – BB+1
- Crown Pontoon – Crown Casino, Melbourne – BB+1
Australian and Malaysian pontoon rules also share much in common with the American casino game Spanish 21, including bonus payouts, the ‘double down rescue’ rule and the 48-card Spanish deck. The only major differences from pontoon are that the dealer takes a hole card and that players are usually allowed to double down on any points total.
Online pontoon options
Australian Poker Rules
Those who have played real money pontoon online might be confused by the game we’ve described here. That’s because the digital versions found at most Internet casinos follow the rules of British pontoon – a wholly different game, albeit another offshoot of blackjack.
If you want to play Australian pontoon games online, we recommend Spanish Blackjack Gold. Available at leading Microgaming casinos like RoyalVegasCasino.com, this Gold Series title is almost identical to Aussie-style pontoon and has a house edge of only 0.38 per cent.
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
Introduction
Blackjack switch is a blackjack variant which allows the player to do what is normally considered a classic cheating manoeuver, trading cards between two hands. The player must make two bets of equal size and is allowed to switch the second card dealt to each hand. Of course, nothing good comes without a trade-off. In this case a dealer 22 results in a push against all non-busted hands and blackjacks pay even money.
The game goes by the name Blackjack Exchange at the Bregenz Casino in Austria.
Rules
- All rules are based on conventional blackjack unless otherwise noted.
- Six or eight decks are used.
- Dealer usually hits a soft 17. I hear in Ontario, Canada, the dealer stands on soft 17.
- The player must make two bets of equal size.
- Cards will be dealt face up.
- Dealer will peek for blackjack with an ace or ten up. If the dealer has a blackjack all player hands will immediately lose, except a player blackjack will push.
- The player may switch the second card dealt to each hand. For example, if one hand has 5,10 and the other has 10,6, the player may switch the 10 and 6 to have two hands of 11 and 20. The player may also switch cards to form a blackjack.
- If the player switches to a blackjack, it counts as 21 points.
- Player may double on any 2 cards.
- Player may double after a split.
- Player may resplit up to four hands.
- Winning player blackjacks pay even money.
- A dealer total of 22 will push against any player total of 21 or less. A player blackjack will still beat a dealer 22.
Russian Rules: Same as the rules above, except early surrender allowed (sometimes not against an ace), dealer does not take a hole card, and dealer stands on soft 17.
Playing Strategy
The following tables show the basic strategy under the 8-deck Las Vegas rules after the switch decision has been made. The reason for the differences compared to conventional blackjack strategy is the push on 22 rule.
If 6 decks are used the player should double 9 against a 5.
How To Play Blackjack In Australia
At this time I have not created a strategy for the Russian rules or Ontario rules.
Simple Switching Strategy
The following is the 'Cindy Liu Simple Switching Strategy,' appropriate under the Las Vegas rules. It is based on the following list of hands in order of strength:
- 21
- 20
- 19
- AA
- 11
- 10
- 9
- 18 or 8
- 8,8 with 2-8 up
Following is how to use it.
Against a dealer 7 or 8, balance the hands, by making the weaker hand as high as possible, using the above scale of hands, if you can.
Against any other dealer up card, maximize the strength of the higher hand, using the scale above, if you can.
If you can't achieve one of the desired hands in the list, then make the strongest hand possible from the following list, in order of strength:
- 7 or 17
- any hand that should be split
- any 12
- any 13
Exceptions:
- With A,A + 3,8 — keep the aces together.
- With A,A + 2,9 — keep the aces together if the dealer has 2-6
- With A,A + 2,8 — keep the aces together
The simple strategy, compared to optimal strategy, results in a cost of errors of 0.17%. It results in an error once every 18.6 hands, and an error with an expected value of more than 10% once every 82 hands.
Advanced Switching Strategy
The following is the 'Cindy Liu Advanced Switching Strategy,' appropriate under the Las Vegas rules. To use it, add up the points for each hand for both ways to play them, and play the one with the greater number of points. In the case of a tie, use the the simple strategy.
Let's look at an example. Suppose you have 8+4 and A+8 against a dealer 6, where the underlined card is the second one dealt. So you can play (1) 12 and soft 19, or (2) 8-8 and soft 15. Which pair of hands is better? According to the table, the 12 is worth 0 points and the soft 19 is worth 1, for a total of 1. For the alternative, 8-8 is worth 1 and the soft 15 is worth 1, also for a total of 2. So the odds favor switching to 8-8 and soft 15. Note that the simple strategy would incorrectly advise the player to not switch. My Blackjack Switch appendix 1 shows that the combined expected value of 12 + soft 19 is -0.2108+0.3634=0.1526, and 8-8 + soft 15 is higher at 0.1461+0.0365=0.1824.
Blackjack Rules By Casino
The cost of mistakes in the advanced strategy, compared to optimal strategy, is 0.08% only. The player will make an incorrect decision once every 24.5 hands, and a mistake with an expected value over 10% once every 250 hands.
I also have a printer friendly version (PDF) of both switching strategies, as well as the basic strategy.
Arnold Snyder Switching Strategy
The Big Book of Blackjack by Arnold Synder contains an easy and intuitive switching strategy. Out of respect for copyright, I won't say more than that about how it works. According to Cindy Liu, the Sndyer strategy results in a cost of errors of about 0.2% compared to optimal strategy. Besides that, I highly recommend the book for breaking new ground in blackjack, which is not easy to do any more.
Switching Calculator
My Blackjack Switch calculator, courtesy of Jing Ding, will advise when to switch in any situation. The calculator is based on the Playtech rules and an infinite deck assumption.
House Edge
Under the standard Las Vegas rules, with six decks, the dealer hits a soft 17, and a switched blackjack counts as 21 points, the house edge is 0.58%, assuming optimal strategy. Follow are the effects on the house edge of some rule variations:
- Eight decks: +0.02%
- Switched blackjack automatically wins: -0.40%
- Blackjack automatic winner: -0.21%
- Dealer stands on soft 17: -0.30%
The house edge under the Russian rules is 0.20%, assuming early surrender against an ace is allowed.
Side Bet
There is also a Super Match side bet based on the player's initial four cards. The following table shows the paytable, probability, and return of each hand:
Super Match Side Bet
| Hand | Combinations | Probability | Pays | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pair | 136401408 | 0.352205 | 1 | 0.352205 |
| 3 of a kind | 7577856 | 0.019567 | 5 | 0.097835 |
| 2 pair | 5941728 | 0.015342 | 8 | 0.122738 |
| 4 of a kind | 138138 | 0.000357 | 40 | 0.014268 |
| Nothing | 237219840 | 0.612530 | -1 | -0.612530 |
| Total | 387278970 | 1 | -0.025485 |
The lower right cell shows a house edge on the side bet of 2.55%.
C4
The Casino Bregenz in Austria offers Blackjack Switch under the name Blackjack Exchange. They add a side bet called the C4, which is based on the poker value of the player's initial four cards. The table below shows a house edge of 14.32%, based on six decks.
C4 — Six Decks
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four of a kind | 500 | 138,138 | 0.000337 | 0.168425 |
| Straight | 20 | 3,649,536 | 0.008899 | 0.177988 |
| Flush | 12 | 5,647,896 | 0.013772 | 0.165269 |
| Two pair | 10 | 5,871,528 | 0.014318 | 0.143177 |
| Three of a kind | 8 | 7,502,976 | 0.018296 | 0.146368 |
| All other | -1 | 387,278,420 | 0.944378 | -0.944378 |
| Total | 410,088,494 | 1.000000 | -0.143152 |
With four decks, the house edge of the C4 is 18.02%. With eight decks it is 12.40%.
Other Switch Pages
- Printer friendly basic and switching strategies (PDF).
- Appendix 1: Expected value table for each initial hand, for purposes of making accurate switching decisions.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to Cindy Liu for both her simple and advanced switching strategies, Jing Ding for his switching calculator, and to Gabor for his mathematical contributions.
External Links
- German translation of this article.
- Interview with the inventor of Blackjack Switch Geoff Hall
Written by: Michael Shackleford