Photo: ©Ryan Diehl

Pontoon (card game)

Pontoon is an unlicensed variant of the American game Spanish 21 that is played in Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean casinos,^[1] in Treasury Casino, Brisbane, it is known as Treasury 21. In Jupiters Casino, Gold Coast, it is known as Jupiters 21, in The Reef Casino, Cairns, it is known as Paradise Pontoon, and in Tasmania, it is known as Federal Pontoon.^[2]

It should not be confused with the British blackjack variant, which is also called Pontoon, found in the UK and Commonwealth, and played with regular 52-card decks. British pontoon uses the terms ("twist" (hit), "stick" (stand) and "buy" (double the bet, not to be confused with doubling down)) and a different set of rules. The rules for Buy-ing in Pontoon include allowing the player to buy on any hand of 2 - 4 cards, allowing the player to twist after he buys.^[3] Pontoon has proven to be far more popular in Australia than Spanish 21 has been in the United States.^{[citation needed]}