No matter if you play Blackjack for fun or for money, there is one thing that everyone can agree on, it is big fun and can bring in big bucks if you know what you are doing. In fact, there was one group of people, known as the MIT Blackjack Team that traveled throughout the world attempting to beat casinos in black jack from 1979-1990. They did have great success, supposedly making between one and ten million dollars. However their team met their fate in 1990 and now all of the members of the original team are either barred or retired. There are a few members that have turned their knowledge into a business selling blackjack betting and counting systems and running seminars.

Not surprisingly, black jack has become so popular that casinos are not the only places that people are playing the game. There are now blackjack tournaments; blackjack bingo and even original game spin off’s like pontoon blackjack are in style (which we will look at below). Many people find that once they start playing one form of blackjack, they want to try several others. The instructions for the various forms of blackjack are extremely easy to learn because they all stem from the original game of blackjack. If you were new to the game, I would advise that you take the time to learn the blackjack charts before venturing to the tables. There are many charts you can print online that you can bring with you when you go. They are a big help.

Pontoon Blackjack

Pontoon blackjack, the British version of blackjack, has been around for a long time. In fact, it is debated whether or not it is actually the original form of the game. In Pontoon, a pontoon, or five-card hand pays 2 to 1. One of the big differences is that there is no dealer up card and the dealer wins on ties. A few others rules you should know about are as follows:

• The dealer will deal two cards face up to each player and two face down to him or herself. The dealer will check to see if he or she has a pontoon. If indeed the dealer has a pontoon, he or she will immediately turn it over and collect all wagers and cards.
• A player may stand on a total greater or equal to 15, or on any 5-card hand.
• A player may hit at anytime, including after doubling.
• A 2-card 21 after splitting aces counts as a pontoon.
• Aces and a ten after splitting aces are 21 points, but note that it is not a pontoon.
• There are additional rules, and you should check them before you play, as many are quite different from the original blackjack game