Blackjack Tournament Rules

Tournament play is very different. Do not play in a tournament without first studying the game. Following are a few variations.

Ø  Rotate First Bet – With this nearly universal rule, players must bet in order and the first player to bet rotates clockwise each hand. This removes the seat advantage that otherwise would have existed if one player could always see the bets of the other players before making a bet.

Ø  Secret Bet Allowed – This option allows each user to make one bet per round where the amount bet is not known to the other players. Generally, you would save this bet for near or at the end of a round.

Ø  Two Players Advance – With this rule, the two players with the largest bankrolls advance to the next round instead of just one when a round has completed.

Ø  Two Players First Round – This is the same as the above except that two players advance to the next round only in the first round. This is more common than the above option.

Ø  Re-entry Allowed – In some tournaments, if you lose a round, you may re-enter by paying the entry fee again.

Ø  Keep Bankroll – In nearly all tournaments, every player starts each round with the same number of chips. In a few tournaments, your bankroll moves from one round to the next.

Ø  Timed Tournaments – In some tournaments, each round lasts a set number of minutes. This is an uncommon rule, but such tournaments do exist. Also, some tournaments require decisions within a specified time.

Ø  Knockout Card – A special card is shuffled into the deck and when it is dealt during a round, the player with the lowest total chip value is eliminated from that round.

Ø  Power Chip – This is a special chip given to each player at the start of each game. When a player uses the Power Chip he gets to exchange one of his cards for the next card in the shoe.

Ø  Elimination Rounds – Some rounds can be declared in advance as elimination rounds where the lowest player is eliminated.

This is only a small subset of tournament variations. For more information, read Ken Smith’s How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Supercharge Your Game.

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger