I was recently invited to play in the Daily Invitational Blackjack Tournament at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Tournament blackjack differs a great deal from the regular version, and my tournament strategy would - at best - be considered a work-in-progress. I've played in a few in the past, though, and had a lot of fun time and again, so I headed up to 'The Woods' for the day.
Their tournament structure is pretty straight-forward. Each player begins each round with 5,000 in tournament chips, and a preliminary round is played. If a player has the most chips at their table after 25 hands he advances to the semifinals. In the semis, the player with the most chips after 25 hands goes to the final table. At the final table everyone's in the money; the player with the most chips after 25 more hands would win $5,000 in cash.
I had just barely squeaked by in the preliminary round to win my session. Me and two other players were neck-neck-and-neck going into the final few hands. One of the ladies I was up against busted out with one hand to go, while I got a blackjack on my big bet, pulling me ahead with a decent chip lead. It came down to my opponent going all-in and needing to win her hand to beat me out for the session.
She had a hard 14 against a dealer's ace - big trouble. She had practically no choice but to hit as I helplessly stood there holding my breath. I chant to myself, "Break! Break! Break," and the dealer delivered my opponent the news. Nine. Game over.
I was the only finisher for that session with about 2,700 in chips. A pretty ugly session all in all, but a win's a win. That session was the kind of nail-biter that left me tingling all over, and it's that rush that brings be back with every invite they send me. That, and the fact that they tend to draw spectators is pretty nice, too!
My semifinal round would turn out to be the most memorable. It seems I wasn't quite done with the ugly winning just yet.
Many tournament strategists recommend players start out conservatively for the round. Most of us weren't very conservative, but we weren't very aggressive, either. I started betting 700-900 a hand and cards were going my way the first several hands. Blackjacks were dropping right in front of me, and got some really good double down hands. I just went with the flow, and before long I had a lead of about 4,000 on the nearest contender. The other players had some catching up to do, so at this point, I decided to try for a little fun, hopefully at my opponents' expense.
I started to play low - betting smaller than the others with the hope that everyone loses the hand. I bet the minimum of 100 while the others went for 1000-1500 to catch up to me. It wasn't so much about me winning or losing the hand since I only bet 100. If the other players lost, it would increase my chip lead. One hand I had a hard 16 versus the dealer's 6. In a regular live game, of course, no one would EVER even think of touching the hand. I decided to hit - amid gasps and groans from the other contestants, of course - and busted with 26.
It turns out, that just as I was hoping, I 'took the dealer's bust card' and 'sabotaged' the hand. If I left my hand alone like I very well should have, the dealer would've broke and everyone would've won. Instead she drew to 20 and everyone lost. My opponents were clearly rattled and a sea of dirty looks shot my way.
Next hand, I got an 11 against a 6. Again, I had a 100 bet so I was more focused on the others losing. I didn't double down the hand. I didn't even hit the hand. I decided to stay on the 11. The ensuing Jack that was meant for me helped the dealer make a tidy 21. Everyone lost again, and all of a sudden I had a 9,000 point chip lead. Everyone is now furious!
I had such a large chip lead at that point, I practically cruised through the rest of the session. I won the session by 11,000 points and made it to the final table, but not before getting a tongue lashing from one of my opponents.
"I've never seen anyone play the way you did."
"What? Are you talking about that 'sixteen versus six' hand?"
"Yeah. That was really, really nasty. Really nasty! You don't play much, do you?"
"Oh, I play all the time."
"You'd get beaten up [at the regular tables] if you played like that."
"Of course I would. I would never play like that regularly."
>From there she went into this whole sob story about "doing these tournaments to have a good time" and that I "ruined the fun for her."
"Look, this is a tournament. A tournament that's paying five grand in cash money to the winner! So, I did what I had to do to win, and now I'm off to the finals. Trust me, it was nothing personal."
In all fairness, let me stress that the 'sabotage' tactic doesn't really work, at least not in the long run. Any reputable blackjack player knows a 'saboteur' is just as likely to hurt the table than he is to help it. A sad fact of the matter is that the average blackjack player is bogged down in superstition - 'taking the dealer's bust card' is just one of dozens of them - so the whole idea of sabotaging hands is merely a psychological trick.
If you play low and try to rattle 'the flow of the cards' (I'll go into 'card flow' and all the other blackjack superstitions at another time) more often than not one of two things will happen. You 'save' the table with your bad play, and your opponents will think "OK, he's an idiot, but I'm not mad at him because he made me win." Or, if you kill the table, you're right where you want to be - inside your opponents' heads.
An observation I've made through several years at the tables is that anger and frustration can rattle even the most disciplined player. Many times - as was the case with my opponents this particular day - this causes them to bet more aggressively than they probably should, and make riskier double down plays and splits to offset your earlier 'mistake,' which usually paves the way to self-destruction. On the last hand that sealed the fate of my nearest rival in the semis, She doubled down a 7 against a dealer's 7 and lost it all.
If a down-and-dirty approach to gambling is your cup of tea, perhaps you should give this strategy a shot.
In case you were wondering, I went on to finish in 5th place for the tournament.
Until next time, best of luck to you in the casinos, and in life.
About The Author
Shawn Tinling runs 21 Nights Entertainment (www.21nights.com), a casino entertainment and events company in New York City. (c) 2004-2005 Shawn Tinling
Blackjack is one of the most popular games in the world. Millions of people worldwide play blackjack in live casinos, at home with friends and even on the Internet. However, only a small percentage of these blackjack players wins consistently. If you truly want to win in the game of blackjack then you need to learn about blackjack strategy.
There are options for blackjack strategy. If you...
So you want to improve your blackjack game? There are lots of guides and articles around saying what you should do to improve. They are full of information and comprehensive but this can also be the problem; some are too technical and others take too long to read and reinforce. So here are a few blackjack moves for you to avoid, which will help get you started immediately.
Standing - Choose a...
Blackjack card counting is an advanced technique to win on blackjack. A player must first learn the basic strategies of blackjack before learning “counting”. By learning the technique of counting you will have the odds with you.
The basic concept of blackjack counting is that a deck filled with 10s and aces will be to your advantage. While the deck of the dealer is filled with...
When playing, look after a table with happy players and a friendly dealer, in order to enjoy your blackjack game. Also, think positively to keep an emotional balance and to take maximum advantage of your blackjack skills.
The casino blackjack varies, but the most known forms of it are the classic blackjack and the blackjack tournament. The difference between the two is that the first is a game...
If you're new to gambling, you might be wondering why blackjack strategies are so important. The blackjack strategies are based on your total card count, versus the dealer's visible card. Basic blackjack strategies are not difficult to master. If you are a casual gambler and you are not very serious with your game, then learning and using blackjack strategies are not that important. Blackjack...
Blackjack is one of the few casino games that are beatable in the long run. It means that by using a basic blackjack strategy you can have an advantage over the casino and eventually step away from the blackjack table as a winner. Here you can find the basic blackjack strategy explained in a simplified manner.
The blackjack strategy is based on the mathematical probabilities of the game...
Play Smart, Act Smart
To win by gambling, all of us need to play smart and act smart. Blackjack is a game with a very potential and if you play well, you can double your profits (but I advise you not to try making more than the double because that’s very unlikely).
If you’re unlucky and loose every time on other games like Roulette, Craps, Poker, etc. you can give a try on a...
Before we get started, counting cards isn't about knowing what exact card is next (like the 9 of clubs), but about knowing what type of cards are left in the deck. It's not like the movie Rainman. And it's not going to help you unless you play at real casinos, not online ones. That said, let's get going.
It's pretty well known that Blackjack is a game that gives players a real advantage to win...
Oh yeah, it's throw down time at your favorite online casino. I love playing Blackjack online and apparently so do millions of other people around the world. Sure, you can spend hundreds or thousands flying to Las Vegas for some hands of Blackjack, but why not just login to an online casino?
In some ways, online casinos have brought back the old days of true gambling. You get a pure gambling...
What separates winning Blackjack players from losing ones? Is it all luck? No. Winning Blackjack players adhere to a set of rules that gives them the best opportunity to walk away from the Blackjack table as a winner.
Today, I will share three such Blackjack fundamentals with you. Put on your thinking caps and commit these to memory. If you already know them, you're ahead of the game....
Blackjack strategy is all about winning. Nobody plays with strategy unless they are looking to win. Part of blackjack strategy is understanding how to play different hands. In blackjack there are hard hands and there are soft hands. A soft hand is a hand that includes an ace when it can be played as either a one or an eleven. Hard hands do not contain an ace that can be played either way....
You can, and will gain an advantage that will give you an edge in playing for long term consistent profits, if you make the required effort by learning the basic strategy, card counting and play to a predetermined plan.
Here are 10 blackjack tips to help you win
1. Learn the Basic Strategy
Statistically, there is one perfect action a player can make, for each of the hands he is dealt,...
Blackjack is a game in the casino that gives you choices and the dealer none at all allowing you to achieve success at blackjack.
Blackjack gives you a chance to tilt the odds in your favor and WIN.
You can win and consistently so, but you must know the secrets of the game. Here they are, and if you follow them, you can win and achieve blackjack success.
Secret #1.
Never play a casino that...
Blackjack is an easy card game. That is, of course, if you know how to use the various strategies in the game. And card counting is one of those important tricks each blackjack player ought to learn.
One of the simplest tricks that can be learned is the card counting method. It is based on the system of giving particular values to all the cards dealt. One deducts one for every ten or face...
In the game of blackjack, the final hand you hold can only be one of the following - a blackjack, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16 or less, or bust. If you bust, you have lost, whereas if you hold blackjack the worse case scenario is a tie with the dealer with the best case scenario being you get paid a bonus of 1.5 times your stake. You probably realize that the chances of winning if you stand on your 17...
Blackjack Basic Strategy, played perfectly in a game with favorable rules, will reduce the edge against you to about one half of one percent, the best odds of any game in the casino.
But still - it's a negative edge. While you can win in the short term on any given day, in the long term that one half percent edge against you will eventually grind you down if you play long enough and frequently...
If you really want to win by gambling, then you have to play smart and act smart, not only on the table itself but outside it as well. Hence, if your skills are not worth anything when it comes to poker and you have the worst luck when it comes to the slot machine and the roulette wheel, then it may be time for you to switch gambling careers and focus on another game…like blackjack....
Blackjack Betting is something that needs to be taken into careful consideration by players. It is a matter of knowing when to make the right move, depending on the value of the cards in your hand. The best thing that you can obtain to help you with your Blackjack Betting is to get a blackjack strategy card. This card will inform you when it is best to hit, stand, double, split and so on. You can...
Betfair offers some great features and ways to bet that you'll be hard pushed to find anywhere else like Zero Casino, that’s all the usual casino games but with 0.0 house edge, Roulette, Blackjack, Craps now you can play these games on an even playing field.
If that's not throwing out the rulebook enough their Sportsbook betting lets you bet directly against other members. You decide at what odds you want to bet and wait for the bet to be matched by someone else, sporting events are bet on right to the wire which leads to massive odds being offered and truly exciting betting with the potential for great profit.
888.com is the largest online casino in the world with over 13 million members. Although its massive success could be put down to its huge real world marketing campaign 888 certainly deliver on the gaming software too. With a massive array of games to play great graphics and regular big cash poker tournaments, along with lots of sign up incentives including bonuses for referring friends, if your not already a member 888 is well worth a look.
Ladbrokes is a long established Sports Book and casino and has won awards for its gaming software. It has a huge number of free play games that you can test out without even having to register.
Throw in the option to be able to play games for real online, without needing to download any software, along with low min bet games like 25p European Roulette and you'll see why Ladbrokes is at the absolute top end of casino and betting websites.
100% FREE CASINO TIPS AND SYSTEMS
NO POP UPS
NO SPYWARE
LINKS TO SAFE CASINOS BOOKMARK US
Typical House Edge
Roulette (EU) Single "0" Wheel
2.7%
Roulette (US) Double "0" "00" Wheel
5.2%
Blackjack
0.6%
Baccarat
1.23%
Craps
1.52%
Above is a rough guide only House edge can vary on different bets - and some systems will let you tip the Edge in your favour explore the site to find out more!!!
EasyWinningSystems accepts no responsibility or liability for losses which may be incurred by persons using the information contained herein.
Use the information provided on this site at your own risk All articles are Copyright there respective owners.
