Greetings to all: I was invited to the Rio in Vegas to play in a tournament May7-9. I have never played in a tournament before but I signed up anyway...it was free, plus all the comps that go with it. I am a casual casino player- I normally hold my own but have never played with the big boys before- really don't know why I was invited. Am I way over my head with this tournament? I don't know the rules or even how they operate. I don't want to look too much like an idiot- (not hard for me to do) any advice on basic tournament strategy? Help!!! Much thanks, Renee
Good luck! Are you over your head? Absolutely not. Luck is the biggest factor in these events, so even with no experience you have a definite chance of finishing in the money. My advice for someone new to the game is to bet conservatively in the early part of the round, but around the middle part of the round you should probably start making pretty sizeable bets. If you get on a roll, it won't matter how much you know about tournament strategy, because you'll have a nice chip lead over your opponents. For further ideas, here's a recent article that talks about the basic ideas of tournament strategy: http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bjtourn-basics.php Have a great time, and good luck!
Don't DD on hard 19! Renee, in case you watched Ken in the finals of the World Series of Blackjack, "Don't Double Down on a Hard 19". Ken is a trained professional, this is not a move for a begginer...LOL. All kidding aside just do what Ken said in his post and you'll do fine. Let us know how you come out.
