Blackjack tournaments are similar to “normal” blackjack in that players all play against a dealer, but that is where the similarity ends. In tournament play the real money is not the chips that are bet, it is the remaining size of each players stack at the end of each round.

Typically tournaments take place over a number of “rounds”. A round is a set number of hands (from as few as 10 to as many as 30), and players begin each round with an equal number of chips. At the end of each round the player(s) with the highest stacks win and advance to the next round. Some tournaments may be quick single table tournaments – in these the player with the most chips simply wins the tournament.

Taking the single table tournament as an example, a player is able to wager the tournament entry fee (say $100) and play against typically 5 other players to win the total pot ($600) if he ends up with the most chips. Because the game is not played against the house it pays out 100% (less any tournament entry fees) and could be perceived to be a fairer game than blackjack against the house.

Because the first player to act is at a disadvantage, there is a dealer “button” which is a chip indicating the first player to act that is passed around the table. That way each player takes turns to go first. In most tournaments the dealer positioning on the first hand is decided randomly. One way is by either dealing each player 5 cards and then the highest poker hand being the “dealer”. Another method is to deal players one card at a time until a player gets an Ace and becomes “dealer”.

Tournaments Types

Continuous or Sit and Go
These tournament types are only found online.

Continuous (or Instant) Tournaments start immediately as long as there are sufficient players. They have a brief pause after the final hand and they then begin again with whatever players are seated.

Sit and Go Tournaments are similar to Continuous Tournaments except that they wait for a table to completely fill before beginning, and only last for one round. Sit and Go Tournaments may involve one or more tables, although usually not more than 4.

Knock Out
Knock Out tournaments are similar to Poker Heads Up Tournaments. Players are pitted one to one against other players in an elimination ladder. From each 2-way bout the winner progresses to the next round.

Elimination
Elimination Tournaments are more like conventional Poker Tournaments, where players are seated at 6 player tables for rounds of up to 30 hands, with the top 1 or 2 players from each table progressing to the next round until the winners are found.

Strategies for Winning

Play against the other players
The goal for tournament Blackjack is quite different to that for Blackjack against the house. It’s possible to win a tournament round without even winning a single hand! By making the minimum bet for each round when the house is “hot” you will beat all players who are risking higher amounts on the hands.

The fundamental concept in tournament play is to watch the other players, and vary your play accordingly. Your single goal in the game is to be the player who ends the final hand with the most chips. It is thus critical to pay close attention to other player’s chip stacks, and vary your play accordingly.

Bear in mind that the outcome of a hand is to a large degree dependent on the dealer’s result. So in a way all players are exposed to the same opponent. Given that you are playing basic strategy on your bets (typically), and assuming that the other players are as well, the winner will be the player who manages the balance between risk and reward most carefully. The outcome of a hand will be to a large degree the same for all players.

Your big bets will be the determining ones for your tournament result. They are your biggest risk, and should be used wisely. One strategy would be to bet big when all other players are betting small, and vice versa. For this to work you would have to be well positioned – if you don’t get to see your opponent’s bets until after you have placed yours then clearly you cannot react to his bet. Whatever happens, it probably doesn’t make sense to simply bet an average bet each hand. You may as well go for the max on a hand or stick to the minimum and conserve your stack.

Size your bets to achieve your goal of the highest stack in the round. Lets take an example - you are 100 behind the leader with 800 to their 900. They act before you and bet 100. Assuming they win they will have 1000 after the hand. You need to win 200 to get even, so bet a bit more to end the hand ahead without risking all your stack. Your 300 bet will look just fine when the dealer busts and you have 1100 against your opponent’s 1000. Worst case you lose and are down to 500 rather than risking your entire stack for the same reward.

Position
Position is important since your strategy will depend on what your opponents do more than on the cards themselves. This means that the player that is last to act has an advantage over the other players. In the last hand of a round this is the single most important factor, since as the last to act in the tournament you will have available the maximum information to plan your strategy at this final table.

Some players work out where the button will be at the final table (by assuming all players remain and then counting around the table for each hand) and vary their play accordingly, playing more conservatively when they know they will be last to act at the end. Needless to say, these players will need to recalculate their position if players are eliminated mid-round.