Anyone who has ever been exposed to duplicate bridge will quickly understand what I am trying to get to here. I think most everyone who plays tournaments willl agree that there is a large amount of luck to get to the semi-final or final tables when one is playing against the entire field. I would be interested to learn if a different format would be feasible, i.e Puck position & table position would be established as usual. All players at one table would each place a bet on their spot. Then one Player Hand and one Dealer Hand is dealt. All participants use the original 2 card Players Hand Starting at the puck position, each player could 1 Stand, by not drawing a card, with him retaining the original player hand. 2 Hit(s) to associate with the original Players hand where he could then bust or draw to a Stand. 3 Draw cards to double or split in association with Players Hand. Each player would be paid depending on the individual results in relation to the Dealers final hand. Something like this could be developed to make the game of more skill and less luck. Comments are invited!
Different I always am willing to try something different, but I am not sure I understand how this would be more skill and less luck? If I understand what you are saying, the first person gets a hard 15 VS. dealers 9. Then everybody plays with a hard 15 to start out? If this is correct the basic play and highest percentage play would be to hit, but most would probally lose and anyone lucky enough to draw out and win how can you call that skill? Or if you stand and the dealers busts then you got lucky. Like I said above I am willing to try most any type of tournament once, but if you want one with the most skill level go play the New Frontier in Las Vegas.
It's called Match Play Wong's book has a section on this idea, and I think it's quite an interesting idea. Apparently, there were tournaments that used this format long ago. However, studying these ideas is no longer irrelevant. Les Thacker at the Las Vegas Hilton is planning to use this format for his next invitational tournament, sometime early 2005! And, TxTour, the players share the drawn cards as well. In other words, everyone's cards are identical. Let's say the hand is the hard 15 you describe. Player A could stand, while B & C hit. One more card will be dealt. Let's say it's an Ace. Now Player B might choose to stand on 16 while player C hits again. Make sense? Around the table the first time, everyone decides between hit, stand, double or surrender (and maybe split). Then a card is dealt, and those players who still have a decision decide again to hit or stand. Repeat.
Okay So each player signal's their play (hit or stand) before the card is played. I was thinking each Player went and order getting different cards for each hand. But it still seems to me like there is no more skill level that way then with a regular elimination format. The skill level comment is what I didn't understand. What the hell, like I said earlier I am willing to try any tournament format once.
Apparently, the Hilton has run these style events before, years ago. He described a tournament held there with several hundred players competing in one big room, with only two hands in play, the dealer and the player hand. Les is a pretty innovative guy.
