I've playes quite a few tournaments on U.B. the past month or so and really enjoy elimination blackjack. I've thought about giving live tournament play a try but am confused about how to get an accurate chip count of other players? Can you ask for a chip count from the player? Or have the dealer count your opponents stack for you? Thanks in advance.
Hey Hoff, good idea but be careful whom you ask.... In a live EBJ tourney the do a chip count before the elimination hands, other than that you're on your own. Every tourney has different rules about WHEN they do a chip count. Unlike poker where you can ask the dealer for a chip count on another player with TBJ YOU'VE gotta do it yourself. Follow this link to playubt.com for a short but sweet intervew with Max Rubin about his take on it: http://www.playubt.com/ubt_teamubt_article.aspx?ply_id=21 On a final note - lets say you ask a player how many chips they have and they do a quick count and say 9,500 and you believe them and make a bet to cover them by one chip (500). Now at the end it turns out they really had 10,500 and you're 500 short! Oops.
I'll be the donk with the pen, paper and calculator working feverlishly right before each elmination hand. OR do all the donks do this?
Card Counting vs. Chip Counting This just posted at www.playubt.com - thought you might find it helpful... The great debate continues: Card counting vs. chip counting. Which is the more effective tool in Elimination Blackjack tournaments? Mike Castellana weighs in. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "In an Elimination Blackjack tournament, card counting is worthless, or close to it, because it is a tool that is most effective over a long period of time." You are a master card counter. How much does this particular skill factor in the game of Elimination Blackjack and why? In an Elimination Blackjack tournament, card counting is worthless, or close to it, because it is a tool that is most effective over a long period of time. It assumes an ongoing, never ending event. But an Elimination Blackjack tournament is a finite event, or more accurately, a series of finite events called tournament rounds, which are no longer than 30 hands each. Also, a good card counter waits for the perfect opportunity to raise his bets. Well, hold on there! This is Elimination Blackjack. Somebody gets eliminated on hands 8, 16 and 25. Add to that the fact that you're not just playing against the dealer but against the other players as well and you'll find that you truly don't have the luxury of waiting. You have to eat or be eaten. In short, card counting in Elimination Blackjack is useless. How important is chip counting? Chip counting is a different story. It is a valuable skill, because it's always advantageous for a player to know his opponents' bankroll. It can help you make the right bet or tell you whether it is a good time to make a split or a double down (especially when you're considering making it at an unconventional or non-basic-strategy moment). In short, knowing your opponent's chip count is always a good thing. Which of the two skills would benefit a new player the most? For Elimination Blackjack tournaments, chip counting is by far the more valuable skill or tool. If a player wants to better his live blackjack game, then card counting is the better skill of the two, but utilizing it correctly requires acquiring many other skills, which are not easy to learn. "For a new player, I would suggest setting up piles of chips on a table at home and to simply use your eyes. Write down what you think the stack size is then count the chips by hand for verification." How do you suggest a new player learns to chip count? Are there some practice exercises you can recommend? Counting chips came naturally to me, perhaps due to my many years of playing. It wasn't a skill I trained for. I was a natural at it! For a new player, I would suggest setting up piles of chips on a table at home and to simply use your eyes. Write down what you think the stack size is then count the chips by hand for verification. It doesn't get any simpler than that. It's not a glamorous process, but it works. Crawl before you walkâthen run. Which card counting method do you think would be most appropriate for a new player to learn? A new player need not learn any of the complex card counting methods. A simple plus/minus system is sufficient. In fact, most professional today, who play multiple deck games, prefer the simple plus/minus systems over the more complicated multi-level counting system that Anthony Curtis, Joe Pane and I employ. The plus/minus counting method I usually recommend to new players is one where 2,3,4,5 and 6 are considered small cards and valued at +1; the 7,8 and 9 are considered neutral cards and valued at 0; and the T,J,Q,K and ace are considered large cards and are valued at -1. Are there any other skills or techniques that new players should learn and practice? All new players should be proficient in basic strategy. It will help them play their hands properly and with the utmost efficiency. It's the basis for playing a winning game. That is probably why it's called basic strategy! http://www.playubt.com/ubt_teamubt_article.aspx?ply_id=22
Funny chip counting story... During this years WSOB filming, I had a celebrity sitting next to me who wanted to know where they stood against the other players (amount of chips). The celebrity slide over their stack of chips next to mine to measure and then over to the other players. It caught me off guard, but I just laughed it off. It was really pretty clever of them to think to do that or for that matter to even know to count the chips. I had a pretty cool celebrity at my table and we had a good time playing our round.
