How to Play

Shoot Pontoon is a British-style Pontoon variant in which the banker posts a progressive side-bet kitty called the Shoot; Punters back their hands with ordinary stakes plus optional Shoot bets against the kitty, and the bank passes when the Shoot is emptied.

Shoot Pontoon is a British Pontoon variant that adds a secondary, escalating pool called the Shoot to ordinary hand-by-hand play. The banker puts up a fixed kitty (the Shoot) at the start; before their hand is resolved, each player may place an additional side bet (called 'the Shoot bet') against the kitty on top of their normal stake. Shoot bets from losing hands are added to the kitty, swelling it; winning hands are paid out of the kitty. When the kitty is ever fully emptied by a winning round, the bank passes on. The underlying game is standard Pontoon: each player tries to beat the banker by making the strongest hand using the 'Pontoon > Five-Card Trick > 21 in 3 or 4 cards > everything else' hierarchy, without exceeding 21.

Players

2 to around 10 players. One player is the Banker, who also runs the kitty; the others are Punters. The banker keeps the bank as long as they make money overall and until either they choose to sell it or a single winning round empties the Shoot. The deal does not rotate automatically; it passes only on bank turnover.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Card values: Ace = 1 or 11 (the player's choice); King, Queen, Jack each count 10; all other cards count their pip value. Suits do not matter. Most British house rules reshuffle after each deal; in longer sessions two packs are alternated.

Objective

Each Punter aims to hold a higher-ranking Pontoon hand than the banker without going over 21, and thereby win both their main stake and any Shoot side bet. The banker aims to collect losing stakes and keep the Shoot intact.

Hand Rankings (high to low)

1. Pontoon: an Ace plus any 10-value card dealt as the initial two cards (21 on two cards).
2. Five-Card Trick: five cards totalling 21 or less, regardless of the exact total.
3. 21 on three or four cards (not a Pontoon, but still hitting 21 exactly).
4. Any total 20 down to 16: ranked by total, higher is better.
5. Anything 15 or under, or a bust over 21: the banker wins.
6. The banker wins ties at every level.

Setup and the Shoot

1. Pick a banker (high cut of the deck, or by agreement). The banker places a fixed amount into the centre as the Shoot (for example 50 chips). This is both the banker's running kitty and the cap on total side-bet winnings possible in a single deal.
2. Each Punter places a standard main stake in front of them (subject to any agreed minimum and maximum).
3. Before the deal, Punters may also stake a Shoot bet on top of the main stake; the combined Shoot bets across the table must not exceed the remaining Shoot. In some rules Shoot bets are placed before the second card and before the fourth card, not only at the start.
4. The banker deals one card face-down to each player (including themselves), then a second card face-down to each player. Players look at their own two cards privately.
5. The banker checks their own two cards for a Pontoon. If the banker has Pontoon, they reveal it; all Punters pay double their main stake and all Shoot bets go into the kitty. No further play this deal.

Gameplay

1. If a Punter holds a Pontoon they announce it by placing the Ten (or ten-value card) face-up on top of the Ace face-down; they do not draw any more cards and will be paid at double the main stake (and win their Shoot bet).
2. Otherwise each Punter, starting on the banker's left and proceeding clockwise, takes one of the following actions, in any legal combination up to five cards total: Stick (stand; requires a hand of 15 or higher), Twist (draw the next card face-up, free), Buy (draw the next card face-down, costing an extra stake at least equal to the original and no more than twice it), or Split (if the two dealt cards are equal in rank, separate them into two independent hands each with its own stake).
3. Buy then twist: You may Buy cards as long as you still have fewer than five; once you Twist, every subsequent card on that hand must also be a Twist (you cannot buy again).
4. Buy limits: Each Buy may raise the stake by between one and two times the original stake, but you never raise past five times the initial stake total on the hand.
5. Busting: Any hand that exceeds 21 is busted; the Punter announces it and turns their hand face-up. The main stake and any Shoot bet are lost immediately.
6. Five-Card Trick: A Punter who reaches five cards without busting has made a Five-Card Trick and reveals their hand; they will be paid at double the main stake.
7. After every Punter has played, the banker reveals both hole cards and resolves their own hand under banker's rules.

Banker's Hand

1. The banker now turns up their two cards and draws as they wish, aiming to beat or match each surviving Punter. The banker may Stick or draw cards face-up freely; there is no fixed 'must hit on 16, stand on 17' rule in British Pontoon.
2. If the banker busts, they pay each surviving Punter their main stake (and Pontoons, Five-Card Tricks, and split hands pay double). Winning Shoot bets are paid out of the kitty to each winning Punter up to the size of their Shoot bet.
3. If the banker makes a hand, compare it to each surviving Punter using the ranking above. The banker wins all ties.
4. Punters who lose their main stake also lose their Shoot bet; losing Shoot bets are added to the kitty, swelling the Shoot for future deals.

Bank Turnover

1. If the Shoot is ever paid down to zero in a single deal (winners collected more from the kitty than was left in it), the banker loses the bank and it passes to the next player clockwise, who must post a new Shoot.
2. The banker may also voluntarily sell the bank at any point between deals; the price is by agreement.
3. If the banker declares a Pontoon themselves, they both collect their double wins and keep the entire Shoot intact for the next deal.

Scoring and Payments

1. Ordinary win: Banker pays each winning Punter 1 × main stake (plus Shoot bet from kitty, if staked).
2. Pontoon or Five-Card Trick by Punter: Banker pays 2 × main stake (plus Shoot bet).
3. Banker Pontoon: All Punters pay 2 × main stake (plus any Shoot bets go to kitty).
4. Bust: Instant loss of the main stake and any Shoot bet on that hand.
5. Tie: Banker wins; Punters lose main stake and Shoot bet.
6. The banker's net profit for the session is the kitty remaining plus any winnings from the main stakes.

Winning

• A single deal is won by either the banker or each surviving Punter individually (each Punter plays against the banker, not against each other).
• Session winner: The player with the largest net chip position when the group agrees to stop.
• Bank limit: If the banker chooses to set a maximum Shoot size (for example, 500 chips), any winnings that would grow the kitty above that cap are paid out to the banker instead; this is a common house rule to bound the banker's exposure.
• Misdeal: A misdealt card is exposed and the deal must be restarted; no bets change hands on a misdeal.

Common Variations

• No-peek banker: The banker does not check for a Pontoon before players act; suspense is higher, but a banker Pontoon at showdown is still paid at double.
• Double Stakes: Punters may double their main stake after looking at the first two cards and before any Twist or Buy; a single Twist is then allowed but no further Buys.
• Progressive Shoot: Every losing main stake from a deal also adds a fixed amount (say, 1 chip) into the Shoot, which inflates the kitty faster.
• Split Pontoon: On a Pontoon, some rules pay triple instead of double if the Ten is specifically a Jack of Clubs (the 'Pontoon' card namesake) or similar house-prescribed combinations.J♠10♠
• Reserved Shoot: The banker holds only a portion of the Shoot at the table; the rest is held in reserve and only paid out if the bank is broken, making the Shoot feel like a jackpot progression.

Tips and Strategy

• Only stake big Shoot bets when holding 18+ on the first two cards, or when already committed to a Five-Card Trick attempt with a low-valued 3-card total. The Shoot is the big payout, so size it in line with your odds of winning the hand.
• Always stick on 21 and almost always on 20. Twisting a 20 to try for a Five-Card Trick is a losing play unless you are chasing a very large kitty.
• Buy rather than Twist when your hand is strong (16-20) and you want to keep another option open; Buying lets you still take a Twist on the very next card, while Twisting locks you out of further Buys.
• Split pairs of tens, Aces, and face cards almost always; split 8s against a low banker up-card; never split 5s.
• As banker, remember that ties win. A careful banker can stand on 17, collect on any 21 or under, and let ties do a lot of the heavy lifting.
• Watch the Shoot size. A large kitty incentivises aggressive Shoot bets from players; the banker may want to stand on weaker totals to let Punters bust themselves rather than chase risky hits.

Glossary

• Shoot: The side-bet kitty posted by the banker; winning Shoot bets are paid from it, losing ones are added to it.
• Shoot bet: A Punter's side stake against the kitty, over and above the main stake.
• Pontoon: An Ace plus a 10-value card as the first two cards, the top-ranking hand.
• Five-Card Trick: A hand of five cards totalling 21 or less; beats any total under 21 on fewer cards.
• Stick: Stand; requires a total of 15 or higher.
• Twist: Draw the next card face-up, free of extra stake.
• Buy: Draw the next card face-down at an added stake of 1-2 times the original; not allowed after a Twist.
• Split: Separate a pair into two independent hands each with its own stake.
• Bust: Exceed 21 and lose immediately.
• Banker: The player who posts the Shoot and deals; keeps the bank until the Shoot is broken or voluntarily sold.