Blackjack Tournament Betting Strategy
The 1-3-2-6 blackjack betting strategy is not as exciting as the Martingale strategy, and that's a good thing. This betting strategy doesn't require a huge bankroll and is a lot more suitable for. Blackjack Tournament Strategy One of the more interesting and exciting sides of casino gaming comes in the form of tournaments. Events organized by the casino are certainly worth attending, offering players the opportunity to have a great time and to bring in some extra rewards.
Tournament Blackjack is unlike the basic game in several important ways. First and foremost, tournaments are played against the other players at the table, not against the house. Therefore, a participant’s ultimate goal is to finish up with more chips than any other player. This is quite different from playing against the dealer at a usual Blackjack table. Losing can actually be a viable strategy, as long as all of the others at the table lose even more.
Second, Blackjack competitions are played with non-redeemable tournament chips. In return for an entry fee, each player receives exactly the same fixed number of chips. During the course of play, if a player loses all of her/his chips, that player is eliminated from the competition. There is no repurchase option, although some tournaments allow reentry at a different table in a later round if an additional entry fee is paid.
Third, in multi-table tournaments, when a round ends, the winners move on to the next table and leave their chips behind. No chips may be taken from one table to another. Each new round begins with al players having exactly the same number of chips; there is no accumulation of winnings.
Obviously, Basic Blackjack Strategy will not apply in all cases when participating in tournaments. A different approach is required in order to win. It will based not so much on what cards are dealt but on how much needs to be bet in order to take the lead or remain the chip leader. The size of opponent’s chip stacks is much more important in tournament play than what card the dealer’s up card is or whether the deck is rich or poor in tens.
A fourth difference between tournaments and straight-forward cash games is that no matter how aggressive the betting or wild the card play, losses are limited. No player can lose more than the entry fee that’s been staked. The potential payout for finishing “on the podium,” however, is enormous relative to the cost of entry.
As a result, high risk-taking is a key element of tournament play and conservative tactics often lose. In fact, Stanford Wong, who is ranked among the world’s most successful tournament players, says, “Succeed or go bust.” Advancing to the next round is the only way to win, so nothing should be held back.
Most multi-table tournaments have two or more elimination rounds to determine who sits at the final “money” table. Although token cash prizes may be paid to table winners in the qualifying rounds, the majority of the prize pool is divided among the last six or seven players remaining, according to their final chip rankings.
When a tournament involves nine tables of six players, with three rounds of play—a common format—the chip leader and runner-up at each table advance to the next round of play. Winning the most chips is a sure way to continue in the tournament, but playing for second place is just as effective for qualifying.
All players at the table face the same dealer and play the same number of hands, typically 30 per round. Statistics show that each player should expect to win thirteen hands, lose fourteen or fifteen of them, and push two or three. The dealer will catch at least one natural Blackjack during the 30 hands, as will each of the players. That means everything comes down to what is wagered and when.
The opening five to seven hands reveal player characteristics—aggressive, passive, calculating, wild, and so on. Some will “go for broke” in beginning; others will bet small, playing “wait and see.” Strong players play moderately, looking for information about opponents—who leads, who follows, who threatens, and who wilts.
During the next eighteen to twenty hands, players jockey for position. Some will aggressively attempt to build a stack of chips. Others will do their best to protect a dwindling supply. Card counters can use their knowledge of the deck to guide to betting. Many use betting position to direct their wagering, betting heavier when on
third base” and lighter when on “first base.”
By the time the last five hands come around, it should be clear who has set the pace and who needs to catch up. Those in or near the lead can dominate the action, forcing others to stay with them or fall even further behind. By the final hand, it should be clear what needs to be wagered in order to win as well as how to play the cards. Finishing on top of the leader board may require splitting 10s against the dealer’s 6 or even doubling down on a hard total of eighteen—whatever it takes to end up with more chips than the others.
Some good tips for beginners at tournament Blackjack include: Bet big when behind, stay with the pack when ahead; to catch a chip leader, bet big when he/she bets small and small when he/she bets big; make it a goal to be in the lead or near it by the fifth to last hand; and in a close finish, bet all but one chip on the last hand, hoping every one busts and a single chip is enough to win.
Introduction
Blackjack tournaments have become more popular over the last 3 years or so. They add an element of competition since you are playing against other players and not against the dealer. The prize pool for a tournament is usually 100% of the entry fees paid by the players. There are enough 100% payout tournaments that you can ignore any tournaments that pay out less than 100%.
Types of Tournaments
Tournaments are played in two different formats - elimination and non-elimination. In elimination tournaments, players at each table compete against only the players at your table and the player with the most money at the end of the round advances to the next table. All of the other players are eliminated from the tournament. A round of elimination blackjack is usually about 30 hands in length. Elimination blackjack was invented by poker player Russ Hamilton. The game combines the rules of blackjack with the betting elements of No-Limit Texas Hold'Em and is played exclusively on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. UltimateBet, a sponsor of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, offers online elimination blackjack tournaments.
In non-elimination tournaments, every player is competing against all of the other players at all of the tables and they are trying to win the most money after a certain number of rounds. In this format, no players are eliminated - they simply win or lose at the end. Elimination tournaments are more popular than non-elimination today.
Attraction of Blackjack Tournaments
One of the attractions of blackjack tournaments is that you can develop into an advantage player by learning tournament strategy. Knowledge of optimal tournament strategy hasn't become widespread the way that poker strategy has over the last 5 years or so. There are only 2 blackjack tournament books on the market that deal exclusively with blackjack tournaments - and only 1 really good one.
Another attraction is that the tournament may have an overlay where it pays out more than 100%, and therefore the average player will have a positive expectation.
Blackjack Tournament Strategy
In order to be successful at playing blackjack tournaments you will definitely need to get lucky. But aside from that, there are still strategies and philosophies that you can learn in order to maximize your expectation.
The key philosophy you should learn about tournament blackjack is the same one learned for poker tournaments - that it isn't about cards, it is about betting. To consistently win blackjack tournaments, you need to play, and bet, aggressively. Think of it as 'win big or go home'. Good poker tournament players are not afraid of going broke.
Now, when it comes to strategies, the most important thing you need to do is to monitor the size of the other players’ stacks so you will know where you stand and then play accordingly. Keep in mind that tournaments are all about your relative position.
When you're behind in the tournament you need to bet big to try to catch up. More specifically, you need to bet bigger than other players to create swings.
Now, when you're ahead, it is just the opposite - you don't want swings. This means that you should generally bet the same as the other players. If you bet big and lose you give other players the chance to catch up, but if you bet small, then you are also giving them a chance to catch up by being more aggressive.
Anyone inquiring about blackjack strategy will naturally wonder about the role of card-counting. Card counting by itself will not be the determining factor in winning or losing blackjack tournaments. This is mainly due to the reason we stated earlier - that it is about the betting and not the hands. Counting cards, however, can add to your advantage because the count will possibly tip you off as to what other card counters will be betting. For example, if you are behind in the tournament and the count goes negative, you will know that the card counters will likely bet small. This creates an opportunity for you to bet big and overtake them. You may be able to take advantage of card counters who will play a 'count-optimal strategy' at the expense of a 'tournament-optimal strategy' and give you an edge over card counters who have a rigid style of play and don't have the flexibility to break out of the card-counting mindset.
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Betting Strategy For Blackjack Tournament
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Blackjack Tournament Betting Strategy
HPG ADMIN on March 1, 2013