Blackjack Tournament Tips
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Blackjack tournaments have special rules.
Blackjack image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
Blackjack, sometimes referred to as 21, is a card game where the player's goal is to get his hand as close to 21 as possible without going over. Numbered cards have the value of the number on the card, while 10s, jacks, queens and kings are each 10. An ace can be either 1 or 11, which is up to the player.
Playing Against Other Players
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One of the biggest differences between normal blackjack and a tournament is that you actually play against the other players in the tournament. In conventional blackjack, you play against the dealer (or the house) and the other players at the table make no difference to your game. Due to this variation, tournament strategies should center around beating other players or gaining and keeping the chip lead. There are also two different types of blackjack tournaments, elimination and non-elimination. Elimination games, the most common kind, have a set number of time or hands played. At the end of each round, the players with the most chips move on while the rest are out. In non-elimination games the goal is to simply have more chips by the end of the game than all of the other players.
Play Style
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When playing elimination blackjack it helps to have an "all or nothing" mentality toward the game. If you play conservatively, chances are you'll get eliminated. You don't get to continue unless you're a chip leader so play as aggressively as good strategy will allow. If you're already in the lead then it becomes more of a risk to make large bets. Playing more conservatively once you're in the lead will help you stay there. The lower you are in chip ranking, the more aggressively you should play, making big bets until you can catch up to the other players.
Online Tournaments
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For those just starting out with blackjack tournaments or want good practice, you may want to try online blackjack tournaments. RoundersPalace.com states that online casinos often offer free or low buy-in tournaments. These online games can be a great place to familiarize yourself with tournament blackjack and gain more experience through practice.
The Last Five Hands
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The last five or so hands in a blackjack tournament are the most important. Players often play either much more aggressively or defensively, depending on their rank. Going into these last few hands, always know exactly how many chips you need to get to take the lead or move on to the next round in the tournament. Don't be afraid to go all out on the last hand. If you're going to lose anyway you might as well make that last-ditch effort to come back.
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- Photo Credit Blackjack image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
