A syndicated gambling columnist and blackjack efficiency expert Mark Pilarski was recently asked if it’s ever a good time to split 10’s. He mentioned a particular scenario in which winning blackjack tournaments could rely on breaking that golden rule by splitting, winning both bets, and doubling up to stay alive in the tournament.
That led to a new question from a reader in which Pilarski replied by giving various tips to winning blackjack tournaments.
How Blackjack Tournaments Work. To gain entry to a tournament you’ll have to register and pay the entry fee. This entry fee will usually come in two parts, such as $5 + $0.50, where the $5 will go towards the prize fund, while the $0.50 will go to the house for hosting the tournament. Players can find many types of Blackjack Tournament poker games at online casinos, and all of them require skill, strategy, and a bit of luck. Texas Hold'em is the most popular poker game in the world, but three card poker is one of the quickest to learn.
The reader’s question wasn’t really a question at all; more of an observation. ‘Bob W.’ said that Pilarski’s recent write-up on splitting 10’s reminded him of his “favorite casino story”, in which he watched a craps tournament wherein a mid-stacked participant bet it all on Box Cars. A pair of sixes were rolled, and the lucky bettor went on to win the tournament, which Bob W. said,“led me to conclude that what happens in the last round of any tournament a) is insane and b) has nothing to do with reality.”
Pilarski responded by saying there aren’t many players who can successfully track their bankroll in relation to all others, especially in the “final frenzied moments of a tournament”. However, he disagreed with the reader’s assessment of the final round being “insane” or “having nothing to do with reality”.
After detailing the typical wagers of players in a craps tournament, wherein the leaders generally follow the betting patterns of those who are close behind, while the lagging players try to place opposite bets compared to the leaders, Pilarksi said blackjack tournaments are completely different. Blackjack does not present a multitude of opposing betting options like Craps, thus players cannot make a wild wager on a high-paying prop bet and cross their fingers.
“When it comes to a blackjack tournament, the most important thing to remember is that all players are competing against the same dealer,” wrote Pilarski. “The implication of this is that players tend to have similar outcomes on any given hand. If the dealer busts, the results on the table tend to be the same: a win. If the dealer has a blackjack, everyone loses.”
Players then play an allotted number of games of blackjack, which constitute the first round. Players that run out of chips are eliminated immediately and may not buy back in to the tournament. At the end of the first round the top players will move on to round two. How To Play Blackjack. While the name of the game originates from its preceder, twenty-one (vingt-et-un), it has now manifested itself as a deep game. As the game gained more popularity over-time, it evolved into the extensive game which is now known to us as Blackjack.
Pilarksi’s Advice on Winning Blackjack Tournaments
First and foremost, Pilarski points out that the winners of blackjack tournaments are most often those who “play each hand correctly”. Using (or better yet, memorizing) a strategy chart that coincides with the exact rules of the variation being played will ensure proper decision making on every hand. Of course, Pilarski also noted that “winners usually have better cards than their competitors.” So it’s a combination of perfect blackjack strategy and the favor of Lady Luck that most often determines the winner.
“However,” the blackjack expert continued, “in those final moments, you can gain ground by both betting and playing your hand differently than the others at the table.” Near the end of an elimination round or the final round of blackjack tournaments, anyone who is falling behind must make a move, or face an inexorable loss.
At such a juncture, the player’s strategy must be taken up a notch. They can bet the maximum amount, and if their cards allow, may need to split and/or double down to ensure maximum win potential. Then again, if a player is last to act and all others have busted, a more cautious approach may be required.
#1 Tip for Winning Blackjack Tournaments
Mark Pilarski said the best advice he could give for winning blackjack tournaments is to get as much experience as possible without any monetary risk. He recommended playing “as many free online tournaments as possible.” He was quick to point out, “playing with no skin in the game”, and the only way to play free blackjack tournament is online.
You can definitely play online blackjack to test your strategies and get used to the gameplay to better prepare.
“Playing countless hands, especially at high speeds, helps you figure out how to keep from getting knocked out, especially when you get to elimination hands, betting strategies, hand play, understanding position, and chip counting,” he concluded.
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How to Play (and win!) Online Blackjack Tournaments
Ask anyone to name a casino game of choice and it’s a sure bet that it won’t be too long before blackjack comes up. The game is one of the most talked about at the casino, with many books written about the game over the years, indeed, some of them even making it to the big screen. When online casinos came along, blackjack moved across almost seamlessly, with casino sites sites offering a large selection of games, the vast majority of them being the classic head to head between the player and the dealer. However, a growing phenomenon are the blackjack tournaments, where instead of playing against the dealer, you are actually up against other players, competing to see who performs the best.
In this article I start by describing how a blackjack tournament works, detailing the format and structure of these events. Then I move onto to look at some of the strategy you could use to improve your chance of winning these tournaments. Finally, I look at the advantages of playing in blackjack tournaments.
How Blackjack Tournaments Work
To gain entry to a tournament you’ll have to register and pay the entry fee. This entry fee will usually come in two parts, such as $5 + $0.50, where the $5 will go towards the prize fund, while the $0.50 will go to the house for hosting the tournament. Of course, you will find some free roll tournaments where no money changes hands at all.
The players in the tournament will usually be split across a number of tables, with the best performing players at each table progressing to the next round. All players at a table will start with exactly the same amount of chips and the aim is to have more chips than your fellow competitors at the end of the round. Each round will have some kind of time limit, whether that be a set number of minutes, or a set number of hands to be played in the round. The tournament will continue until there is just one table remaining, where you’ll usually find that all of the players are now ‘in the money’, although the biggest prizes are obviously reserved for the top performing players at this final table.
Blackjack Tournament Strategy
The first thing you have to realize when playing a blackjack tournament is that you are no longer playing against the house. It’s no good having more chips than you started with if every other player has a higher chip stack than you, so the most important piece of advice is to know exactly how many chips all of your competitors have.
Popular advice is to start out somewhat conservatively, ensuring you don’t bust out early and keeping an eye on your fellow competitors. For example, if playing a 50 hand tournament, you might want to take it easy for the first 30 hands and then evaluate exactly where you stand. If you’re lagging behind, then you can start to increase your bet size, or if you’re sitting pretty, you can carry on in the same vein. The last 3 or 4 hands will be majorly important as every player will now be scrambling for their tournament lives, a number of players betting all their stack – this is where it becomes especially important to know where you stand. There is nothing more disappointing than exiting a tournament simply because you got the bet size wrong on the final hand!
Much of your strategy will depend upon exactly how many players qualify – a tournament which sees only a small number of players proceed (maybe 1 from each table) would need a more aggressive strategy. The same could be said about the final table, where you’ll need to be more aggressive if you are aiming to grab that 1st place prize, or take it easier if you are happier to take home a solid middle position prize.
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Advantages of Playing Blackjack Tournaments
Blackjack tournaments can give the game a whole new level of excitement. Blackjack is a card game with a high level of strategy anyway, but tournaments add another layer of strategy to the game and instead of beating just one player in the dealer, winning a tournament sees you triumph over a whole host of players.
Blackjack tournaments also offer the opportunity to play a great number of hands for a set fee, so you’ll know exactly how much the session will cost you before you start.
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Another key advantage is that Blackjack is a relatively low odds casino game, most hands offering you even money. Playing in a tournament however, gives you the opportunity of making many times your starting stake, especially if you can go all the way and win the tournament.