FIELD MANUAL
How to Play Pontoon Online
British Pontoon for 1–5 players against a computer banker. Both banker cards stay face down, you twist, buy or stick on 15 or more, and pontoons and five-card tricks pay 2:1. Everyone starts with 1,000 chips and plays 8 rounds; the biggest stack wins.
01 // CONTROLS
Controls
- Choose a stake (minimum 10) and press Deal
- Twist, Buy, Stick or Split on your hand
- A countdown runs on your turn. On timeout the computer plays for you
02 // STEPS
Step by step
- 01
Place your stake
Every seated player picks a stake each round. Computer players stake too.
- 02
The deal
Each player gets two cards face up. The banker gets two cards face down. A banker pontoon is shown at once and beats every hand.
- 03
Twist or buy
Twist for a free card, or buy a card by adding your original stake again. You can buy before you twist, but not after. A hand stops at five cards.
- 04
Stick on 15+
You may only stick on 15 or more. Split a pair once into two hands.
- 05
Banker plays
The banker turns both cards over and draws until 17 or more.
- 06
Payouts
Pontoon (ace + ten-card) and five-card tricks pay 2:1, other wins 1:1. The banker wins ties, a banker five-card trick beats all but a pontoon, and a bust always loses.
03 // EDGE
Pro tips
- Buy on 9, 10 or 11 — one card cannot bust you.
- Twist on 15 and 16: the banker wins ties and usually makes 17.
- With four low cards totalling 11 or less, twist for a safe five-card trick.
- Split aces and eights.
04 // FAQ
Pontoon FAQ
Why can’t I stick on 14?
Pontoon rules only allow sticking on 15 or more, so low hands must keep drawing.
Who wins a tie?
The banker. That is the house edge in Pontoon.
Is Pontoon free to play in the browser?
Yes. Pontoon on My MP Games is free HTML5 — no download, no account, and no paywall.
Can I play Pontoon vs the computer?
Open the play page and choose Play vs Computer. You can also play Local vs on one device or share a room code with a friend.
Where are the Pontoon rules?
British Pontoon for 1–5 players against a computer banker. Both banker cards stay face down, you twist, buy or stick on 15 or more, and pontoons and five-card tricks pay 2:1. Everyone starts with 1,000 chips and plays 8 rounds; the biggest stack wins.