Greetings! Blackjack is my answer to an "empty nest". When last kid went to college a few months ago....I started lurking on this site....ordered books and BS cards and started learning how to count. There aren't a lot of casinos in my area....but enough for a part time gambler like myself. My favorite local casino has weekly tournaments. I've entered 5 times and lucked out enough to get first place twice. Last night I earned my spot at the final round. On the previous win...I got to the finals as the wild card. Cash prizes depend on entries...and really don't amount to much compared to what I've read about here....but pretty good for the small investment. I won $433 last night and $380 the first time I won. The entry fee is $12 (minus a $5 matchplay). The tournament rules include: $1,000 non negotiable chips; min $25, max $500; BJ pays 2-1; double anything;early surrender and each player can request one chip count. Here are some highlights from last night: first round: I surrendered about 25% of my hands, but lucked out and got 3 blackjacks...including one on my final "all or nothing" bet, which is the only way I made it to the final round. final round: out of the first 4 hands, I surrendered 3 and pushed one. I was betting slightly more than most of my opponents ($225 me to $150-$200 others). When dealer made her hands, I came out less of a loser than others by surrendering. About half way through first round, I was right in the middle of the pack. Lucky for me, the button had passed and I could bet what I needed to hold or gain ground. I lucked out and got a BJ on a $300 bet and moved up to what I estimated to be third place. 2 players did not have their chips stacked and I could not tell exactly what they had. I asked about a chip count...but one of those players with unstacked chips made fun of me and said it was way too soon...I should just be patient and wait until there were 3 hands left. (It might be worth mentioning that I was the only female at the table). When we got to the chip count (a few hands after my inquiry), I was in second place. Leader (unstacked chips guy) had $2,500 and I had $2,200. I had to bet before him. I bet $300. He bet $100. Dealer busted. Now I had $2,500 and he had $2,600 with 2 hands to go. Lucky for me the button passed and I could see his plan before making my own. He bet $300, I bet $500. I had a 14 against a dealers 7. My opponent had 16. I sweated over the choices of hit, stand or surrender. In the end, I decided I'd rather go out fighting....so I hit it and LUCKED out with lovely 7!! Opponent stood on his 16. Dealer had a 10 under her 7, so I won, moved up to first place. For final hand I bet the minimum of $25. The now second place player tried to goad me into betting max....but I didn't take the bait. I was a little surprised that he didn't bet $500 max for final round...but I guess he wanted to secure 2nd place. I know this is a long message...and not that easy to read...but if any seasoned players have any suggestions or advice for me on tourney or counting or basic strategy....I am all ears. I intend to keep playing.....I can't give up my day job yet...but if my lucky streak continues, I might be able to retire earlier than expected. btw....I currently use hi-low...played mostly at double deck initially...but as my counting proficiency increases, I am finding 6 deck shoes more profitable. Thanks to all....
Yaay! Congratulations on your win! And nice report! If you're behind acting first and think the leader will match your bet, a good policy is bet double his lead. That way if he hold back one more unbet chip than you did you can always double down aggressively and cover him. I would stay away from surrendering all the time just to cut your losses on bad hands. You want to "surrender aggressively" when making catch up bets. But in early to middle hand play surrenders will hurt you if the dealer subsequently pays your opponents. It's like being swung. Another problem with surrendering a lot is that it reminds mediocre opponents that the option exists. They sometimes forget. You want to give your opponents the opportunity to make a mistake in casino tournament play. Depending on how far ahead you are and how many opponents are left in the fight, minimum bets on the last hand are almost always a mistake. On a final table if you're the leader you'd rather try and guess what your opponents will bet and then cover that. If you're not confident in your guess of what they will bet, you are better off in the long run taking first high in these situations. If it's not a final table then you almost always take first high. You only take first low if they can double down to cover you AND they are all strong players. I would recommend studying the tournament strategy threads on this site and get the e-book "How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments" by Ken Smith. You should also get Stanford Wong's "Casino Tournament Strategy" and subscribe to BJInsider, which contain a wealth of tournament strategy knowledge.
thanks I appreciate your review and suggestions! i will order the books ASAP! I definitely plan to continue playing in tournaments. I played in one last night (different casino)..and tied for second place. last nights game did not offer surrender...but there were times I missed the option. i have never had so many crummy hands...,I think I lost close to 70 percent of my hands. the only thing that saved me was bad or unlucky betting decisions of other players . most players bet really small until at least half way. almost all of them had close to the same amount if chips until the last quarter. I lost more hands than most..but when i won one it was enough to make a difference. I plan to read all I can on this site!
Hey Mica Congrats: From your description of play u already show a knack. Don't lose that by over analyzing all that you can and will read. There are thousands of "tools" out there each for a special occassion that comes up one in a thousand times. Nail down "chip count" and position strategy to your inate abilities and relax and go have fun.
