I would like to know from those of you that are experienced in playing BJ Tournaments; Which tournament format do you prefer? I am very experienced with Poker tournaments and I look for tourneys with the most play for the money (I want skill to be more of a factor than luck). Is that how y'all approach a tournament? Or are you more concerned with whether it's a handheld game or shoe? Perhaps the type of gift or awards dinner is a determining factor when choosing an event? Any info you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks! dhiggy
Most players prefer elmination-style events over accumulation-style. In elimination style, you're competing only against your table, while in accumulation events you try to accumulate more chips than the entire player field. (Interestingly, good players might have a bigger edge in the "less skilled" accumulation format. Definitely not as much fun though.) Beyond that, we'd like longer rounds rather than shorter ones, for the same reasons you state. In reality though, rounds seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Unfortunately, with very limited open tournament choices out there, we can't be too picky these days.
Tournament Formats: My one and half centavos. Don't need no stinking banquet, designer gift bag or embrodiered casino bauble. What's the payout to entry? Rather win one "big" one than 10-20 mini's. Prefer elimination, preferablly two advance as many rounds as possible. Observation that accumulation, just as in dice or some of the other games, I don't know about, tend to qualify most of the people from one table. Is 15 hands too short? Is 40 minutes and 5 hands too long? Min bet? Max bet? What's the spread? Doesn't matter to me. Adjust. Though the starting bankroll max bet scares me. Now if we can only resurect what about two years ago were plenty of open 100% or close to it return tourney's, we'd have plenty of King's or Queen's for a day.
What would be the best strategy for a Brit visiting Vegas who wants to play in a BJ tourney? Is it relatively easy to find events to participate in or would I have to plan a trip around a particular event or events? Please bear in mind that I have minimal experience and a small BR. Cheers Reachy Champion - Online Players Union Blackjack Tournament Freeroll (Global Player) May 2006 (lol!)
Avoid No Max Bet I like to avoid tournies that have no max bet. I played a couple of times in the Chicago area where they had all in max bet available on the last hand. I feel that this removes a lot of the skill factor and have seen players advance on with desperate "all in" bets only to catch a 2:1 Blackjack on the last hand. Good Luck, Dan
Max bet Vs Unlimited bet In the Western Washington Area, there are 2 tournament circuits. North of Seattle, where most of the tournaments are unlimited betting, and south of Seattle where most have Max bet limits. The northerners hate limit bet and the southerners hate unlimited. It's a typical case of liking what you've learned to deal with first. I started in the north and now play both. At first, I thought that limit bet games would be just shoot outs. In fact, some end up that way, but most still start out slow (By the way, almost all are 14 hands long). Unlimited vs limit skills unlimited requires more patience, but leaves the maximum availability to use last hand math skills. This also means that position is more important. Last hand luck plays a great deal in the final outcome. Limit vs Unlimited In limit bet games you often find that you need to start your catchup betting earlier than in unlimited games. In rounds where the leaders are 2 or more max bets ahead, position is really not too important in the last hand. In limit games, you need luck throughout the late game. My advice to those who like limit bets and find themselves in an unlimited game: Take another look at (practice) last hand betting with larger bankrolls. Pay close attention to your last hand bet position, If it's bad, shoot for a good lead earlier, and hope that others drop chasing you and thereby improves your final hand position. If you are facing a good last hand bet position, hold on to your BR as best you can. My advice to those who like unlimited bets and find themselves in an limit game: Don't wait too long to chase. When the BR's get to be in the range of 3-4 max bets with a wide spread from high to low, you'll find a lot of max bets come out. It's hard to catch up when all typically win or lose together. Hope this helps. PapaTreat (friend of Re-Buy Bob) papatreat@yahoo.com
