Obtain a standard pack of 52 cards.
Ensure the jokers are removed.
Agree on a maximum or minimum stake, or leave it open, or do not play for stakes play just for fun.
Obtain some chips (a set number of sticks, cards, dollars whatever, the number will depend on how long you want to play).
Distribute the stake evenly where playing with stakes.
Assign one of the players to be a banker.
Either #1, deal out cards face-up until someone gets a jack. That player then becomes the banker, and will remain so until another player gets a winning pontoon (see note*), or #2 deal out cards face-up to each player including the dealer and whoever gets the highest card, that player becomes the banker.
If in doubt or there is a quarrel as to method choose option #1.
There are certain advantages to being a banker in that the bankers hand wins out where a his or her hand is equal to the other players hand.
Note*: A player who has pontoon who is not the dealer and has not split acts as the next banker. If there are multiple players who fit this criteria the next banker will be the player left of the original banker.
The banker deals each player, a single card face down starting to the left, including him or herself as the final card dealt.
Starting with the player on the left of the banker or dealer and working to the right, players look at their card, keeping it to themselves, and then place their initial bets based on the card.
As a guideline, aces are excellent as they can count as one, or eleven, tens, jacks, queens and kings are good as the chances of getting another ten are high then giving the player a total near to 21, cards like fives or sixes are not so good as if you get a ten as the next card it may be difficult to get near 21.
The banker deals a second single card face down to each player starting to the left of the banker, including him or herself as the final card dealt.
The players can then can look at their two cards.
The banker can look at their hand, but there is not much point, unless the banker is good with psychological tricks as they cannot play their hand until all other players have played their hand.
Then from left to right the players make their turn.
For the turn: If the player in question has an ace and a ten point card (ten, Jack, Queen King), they must declare pontoon by placing their ten point card face-down and thier ace face-up on top of it.
Play then passes to the right.
If the player in question has two cards with equal value they can choose to split their cards.
If you have two equal cards (e.g. a five and a five, or a ten and a ten, a queen and a queen) you can split them.
In doing so, separate each card into two hands, put them face-up, and place an equal bet to your initial bet beside your hand of cards.
The banker deals two cards face down to each hand. These hands are played one at a time as below with separate cards and stakes.
If any of the new cards is equal to the first two you may split again (theoretically speaking this could result in four hands if four of the same card are dealt in order from the pack).
Optional: The player can choose to burn the two cards they have if sum to 13 or 14.
Some play that any player whose two cards total a "hard" 13 (i.e. not A-2, which can be 3 or 13) is allowed to "burn" their hand. These two cards are shown and discarded, and two new cards dealt open or can be bought blind.
Some play that it is two cards making a hard 14 (not A-3) that can be burned, rather than, or as well as 13, so for example with a pair of sevens you can either burn or hope for a third seven to make a Royal Pontoon if that is a option you are playing with.
It is possible to burn after burning and to burn either hand after splitting.
The player then chooses to stick, buy, or twist until the player is as satisfied they are as near to a sum of 21 as they can get without going over 21.
In regard to the hand or hands (in the case of a split) the player has;
#1 If their hand is less than 21 they can BUY a card by saying, BUY one. If the player chooses to buy a card they must increase their stake an amount equal but not more than twice the initial stake. As an example, if there was an initial bet of three sticks, they may stake between three sticks and six sticks. The banker then deals another card face-down. If their hand’s total is still less than 21 they may buy a fourth card, on this bet they may stake an amount equal to the initial bet and no greater than the amount the third card was bought for. For example, in a hand where the initial bet was three sticks and the third card was bought for six sticks, the fourth card may be bought for anything between three sticks and six sticks. If need be, a fifth card may also be bought, following the same rules.
#2 If your hand is less than 21 they may want to TWIST by saying, TWIST. The amount which they have staked is then unaffected. The banker deals one card face-up for their hand. If their total is still below 21 you may ask for a fourth (or even a fifth) card to be twisted.
Note:* After a player has twisted they are not allowed to buy cards anymore, they may only be TWIST more cards.
#3 If the sum of your hand is at least 15 say STICK. They are choosing to stick with their cards and their stake remains unaffected. Play moves to the next hand.
During the game, if your hand any of the players hands (in the case of split) exceeds 21 through either buying or twisting, they have gone bust. The cards of the player must be thrown to center face-up. The banker collects the stake of the player at this point and the cards collected from the player go then to the bottom of the banker’s deck of cards.
Play then passes to the right until the banker is reached.
The banker then plays his or her cards as above.
The banker flips the two cards owned face-up.
(As above, cards belonging to others should be face down unless they have a pontoon, twisted, split, or gone bust).
The banker may choose to add more cards, face-up, to their initial two as above.
Once the banker is satisfied with their hand they can choose to STICK or continue to deal more cards as above.
The banker pays out, or collects any bets where his or her cards match or are better or the same than the other players hands.
A banker who stays at 21 or less with four cards or less will collect stakes from players with lower value hands and pay out to players with higher value hands an equal amount of their stake.
The players with pontoons or five card tricks are paid double.
For example, a dealer who stays at 17 will say, “paying 18.” The banker will then pay out to all player with hands 18-21, with players with a pontoon and five card trick earning double.
If the banker makes a five-card trick they pay out double to players with a pontoon only.
All other players, including those who may have a five card trick, pay in double their stake to the dealer.
In the event of a tie the banker always wins.
Optional: Royal Pontoon
Some play that if a hand contains three sevens only. It pays out a triple stake. (The banks does not pass on though as with having Pontoon in the hand).
If one of the players has pontoon and the banker does not, the bank passes to the player with the pontoon.
As per prior Note* A player who has pontoon who is not the dealer and has not split acts as the next banker. If there are multiple players who fit this criteria the next banker will be the player first left of the current banker.
Any player can choose to buy the bank at this point if the banker agrees to the price.
The play then continues as above until someone has won all the chips or no-one can go on anymore.
Anyone who looses all their chips is out of the game.
If the banker goes bankrupt, the player to to left of him or her goes out and that person becomes the banker.