Musings on BJ Tournament Play

Quote: Minty

That's great news! I'd love to play more, but unfortunately anywhere close to me the heat is too high right now to show up. Do you like them more than standard blackjack as well?

I do like tournaments but, it seems there is always some rule discrepancy that takes way too much time to figure out

Quote: Minty

That's exciting! I get much more enjoyment out of tournament play than regular BJ at this point. There's a certain thrill in the competition isn't there?

I agree completely. Tournaments have strategy while regular BJ is very rote and boring.

Quote: theoriemeister

Well, a good strategy, but you do have to get the cards in order to catch them! lol Today I never saw so many people stand on 13-15 v. dealer 8-10 in my life! Doubling a 7 v. dealer 10??? Splitting 10s v. dealer 10???

As the tournament nears the end of the round, sometimes the only variable that matters is getting enough money into action. I have been in situations where doubling on hard 19 was my only play to have a chance to win.

Watching Final Jeopardy is a great way to learn proper last round betting strategy also.

Quote: FCBLComish

As the tournament nears the end of the round, sometimes the only variable that matters is getting enough money into action. I have been in situations where doubling on hard 19 was my only play to have a chance to win.

Agreed. I was sitting in 5th place on the next-to-last (24th) hand. The four above me were fairly close to each other and each was afraid to bet too much; if I recall the largest bet was maybe $100. I put out the max bet ($500) and would have leapfrogged into 2nd place (I think) had I won. Alas, I was dealt a 14 v. dealer 8, hit and busted.

p.s. at an earlier tournament I did watch a guy double on a hard 19--and receive an ace!! He almost won the table in the last 2-3 hands.

I played in a tournament this week where all of the entrants were ranked, with the top 18 - out of all entrants - sent on to the second round.

Play began with six players at each table, with eleven "rounds" or hands played at each table. At the end of the eleven hands, the amount of chips held by the survivors was recorded, and when everyone had played the top 18 moved on.

The idea of knocking out the other players at your table was meaningless. You could be the top finisher at your table and not move on, because 18 other players you never saw scored higher than you did. At one table all six players crapped out and so all their final scores were zero.

The "deal" rotated, but the rules seemed to me to negate any of the strategies I've read about in tournament play. What's the point of finishing first or second at your table since how you finish at your table has no bearing on whether or not you advance.

Oh yeah. CSMs. So every round was just like dealing it from a fresh deck.