Winning blackjack tournaments is all about playing aggressively and really entering into the spirit of the competition. A little tournament strategy knowledge can go quite a long way in helping you pick up the prize, and while optimal blackjack strategy can and does of course help, it’s not only that you’ll need to know.
Winning in any tournament is about managing your risk effectively and in blackjack tournaments you’ll need to make sure that you’re getting as much value as possible out of every hand that you have a winning chance with. Sometimes this may mean playing outside of optimal strategy, making bets that maybe you wouldn’t normally make, and it’s all about risk and reward. Remember that when playing blackjack tourneys, once you’re out on a bad hand, you are out so you have to pick and choose very carefully when to go big, and when to stay small.
Blackjack Tournament Tips
The first thing you should do is create a strategy that allows you to preserve and even increase your chip stack into the latter stages of the tournament. If you can head into the final rounds of a tournament with a good stack intact, you will have a great chance of winning. Part of your strategy covering the early rounds of a blackjack tournament should be whether you’re going to be aggressive or conservative. The conservative approach will mean guarding your chips carefully, placing larger bets very rarely and maybe not even taking the risk of doubling when you can. The aggressive start means really going for it and attempting to build a chip stack that can carry you into the later stages of the tourney. They both have their pro’s and cons and this is the first decision you should make. The conservative approach is used by many, this guarantees longer at the table, as an aggressive player on a bad run, will find themselves eliminated very quickly. However, it is very important to know when to raise your bets, and your level of aggressive play.
Watching your opponents bets is a major factor in success. Many players will wait until the dealers button has just passed them, meaning that they get to see what other players do before deciding on their move. This strategy can pay dividends, and it’s one adopted by many players.
Similar Outcomes at The Table
Remember that there are many times when there will be the exact same, or at least similar outcomes at the table, i.e the dealer hits blackjack and therefore everyone loses, or maybe the dealer busts and most players win. These outcomes can work both for and against you. If you’re playing smaller bets when the dealer busts for example, your opponents may be earning more than you from the play, should they be wagering at a higher level. The opposite will happen of course when the dealer hits blackjack, in that players with smaller bets will lose less.
Once you have the lead in the tournament it’s important to stay there, and this means watching other players very carefully, often mirroring your closest rivals bets. If you are doing the same as them, i.e losing and winning the same hands and the same amounts, then at the end of the tournament you will have the bigger stack.
