In each hand, each of the other players bets on having a better hand than the banker. The banker has an advantage, so the first banker is chosen at random (whoever cuts the highest card). Each player's basic aim is to form a hand whose total value is as near as possible to 21, without going above 21. The cards have values: ace is worth 1 or 11 at the holder's choice, kings, queens, jacks and tens are worth ten, and the remaining cards are worth their pip value. The players also need a supply of money or chips for betting. For a large number of players, say 8 or more, two 52 packs can be mixed together. Pontoon can be played by any number of players from two upwards - it works well with 5 to 8 players - using a standard 52 card pack.
The variation Shoot Pontoon makes the betting more interesting, by incorporating the betting mechanism of Shoot. The game Pontoon and its name are derived from the French Vingt-et-un (21). Pontoon is the British version of the internationally popular banking game Twenty-one, perhaps now best known in the form of the American Casino version Blackjack.
