How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home
The concept of tournament blackjack has been around for a long while, and tournaments have taken place in live casinos all over the world for many years.
- How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Order
- How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Depot
- How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home E.on
- How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Run
- If the dealer does have blackjack, you will win your side bet but lose your original bet. This may get you back some money in the short-term, but long-term the bet makes the casino money. Beginner players have no way of knowing if the dealer has a card worth ten points face-down under an ace. Card counters however have a better idea and can use.
- Roulette, blackjack and poker should be the stars of the show but If your friends have gambled before, you can offer more complicated games like craps and baccarat. You can also hire slot machines.
- Having friends over to play Blackjack can be a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. The equipment needed to play the game at home can be as simple as a table, chairs, and a standard deck or two of 52 cards. Counters or poker chips can be used for wagering in place of cash.
A Blackjack tournament will let you, for a small entry fee, have a preset number of tournament chips then you will be given a certain amount of time to win as much as you can from these chips. The idea is to get yourself onto the Blackjack tournament leader board and pick up a cash prize for filling one of the top spots.
Towards the end of the 20th century, they had fallen out of favor somewhat, possibly due to the fact that many casinos stopped offering them as they did not want to encourage the use of card counting skills.
However, blackjack tournaments have become increasingly popular in recent years. This could be at least partly attributable to the growth in popularity of poker tournaments.
Casino bosses have seen how many people they can attract, and offer blackjack tournaments hoping for the same effect. Online casinos have also had an impact. Many of them offer blackjack tournaments on a regular basis, making them far more accessible to players.
On this page we explain what blackjack tournaments are all about, and also look at the different types.
Blackjack Tournament Basics
The basics of blackjack tournaments are quite straightforward. The game is still played in essentially the same way, with players trying to beat the dealer on each hand to win chips, but the players are also competing against each other.
When entering a blackjack tournament, players must pay an entry fee. This fee goes into the prize pool, usually with the casino taking a small cut. Entrants then receive a number of chips, known as the starting stack, which have no real monetary value but are otherwise used in the same way as chips normally are when playing blackjack.
A tournament can take place over one single round, or several rounds. Each round is played over either a fixed number of hands or a fixed period of time. Participants play blackjack as normal during a round, winning or losing chips against the dealer on the outcome of each hand.
The order of play changes during each hand, so that it’s not the same player acting first every time. This makes things fair, as players do need to make decisions based on how their opponents are doing.
What happens at the end of each round depends on the exact rules of the tournament. If just a single round is to be played, then the chips are counted up and player positions are determined based on how many chips they have at this point.
The prize pool is then distributed according to the payout structure. In some tournaments, the winner will take the entire prize pool, while in others it will be split among those in the top few positions.
If multiple rounds are to be played, usually some players are eliminated when each round ends. These eliminations are based on the number of chips held, and the remaining players all progress into the next round. The cycle then continues until a winner is determined.
There are, however, a few different types of blackjack tournaments where certain rules vary.
Blackjack tournaments can be categorized in a number of different ways, with most tournaments falling into one or more category. Below is a list of the most common types of tournaments, along with explanations of each.
- Elimination
- Non-Elimination
- Single Table
- Multi Table
- Sit and Go
- Scheduled
- Freeroll
- Guaranteed
- Rebuy
- Satellite
With an elimination format, a number of players are eliminated after each round. It might be a case of a single player with the least chips, or everyone except the two players with the most chips. The exact rules of elimination can vary, but this is the basic idea.
With a non-elimination format, there is usually just one single round. The player with the most chips at the end of the round is the winner, with other positions determined by the number of chips players have at this point.
Players can still be eliminated during the round if they lose all of their chips however.
Single Table & Multi Table Tournaments
The difference between these two formats is both simple and, given their names, fairly obvious. Single table tournaments are played on just a single table, while multi-table tournaments are played over multiple tables.
Multi-table tournaments are often played with elimination rules, and the number of tables used then decreases as players are eliminated. The tournament ends up being played on a single table with the last few players.
These differ purely in the way they start. A sit and go has no fixed start time, and will begin as soon as enough players have entered.
A scheduled tournament will start at a fixed time, with registration opening some time in advance.
Freerolls
Freerolls don’t cost any money to enter, but they still offer some prize money. They are typically held by casinos either as a reward for regular players, or as a way to attract new players.
The amount of prize money on offer is usually fairly low.
These have a minimum prize pool regardless of the number of entrants. The prize pool will be paid out even if the entry fees paid by players do not cover it.
When a casino puts a guarantee in place, it is usually to make a tournament particularly attractive to players, which means that very often the guarantee will end up being covered by the entry fees in any case.
Rebuy Tournaments
In a rebuy, players can purchase more chips if they lose their starting stack. This enables them to take more risks without the fear of being eliminated.
How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Order
There is a charge for rebuying, however, which is usually similar to the original entry fee. Rebuy fees are generally added straight into the prize pool.
Satellites do not offer cash prizes to winners, but rather entry into other, higher value tournaments.
How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Depot
Having friends over to play Blackjack can be a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. The equipment needed to play the game at home can be as simple as a table, chairs, and a standard deck or two of 52 cards. Counters or poker chips can be used for wagering in place of cash.
How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home E.on
Those with more elaborate visions of their home game may wish to check out Blackjack accessories offered by gambling supply stores or online. They include specially marked felt tablecloths, folding tables, or table tops; dealer shoes for use with 2~8 decks of cards; professional-grade acrylic discard holders; and colored plastic, poker-size “cut cards” for cutting the decks. Professional dealer tables with dedicated Blackjack layouts made for home game rooms are also available, with prices ranging from $550 to $2,000.
When inviting others over for Poker or Bridge, more thought usually goes into the snacks and beverages to be served than preparing for the game itself. But when setting up for Blackjack at home, a bit of extra attention needs to be given to how the game will be played. That’s because the house holds an advantage over the player and rules need to be established so that the game is fair to all participants.
It is a good idea to involve the other players in creating the rules, so that nobody feels disadvantaged. The organizer can use the following list of questions as a guideline, then write down the choices made so that they can be referred to during play should any disputes arise.
How To Have A Blackjack Tournament At Home Run
- How many decks will be used for play?
- What minimum/maximum bets are allowed?
- Does the dealer hit or stand on soft 17?
- On what two-card totals can players double down?
- Can players double down after splitting?
- How many splits are allowed?
- Can Aces be split/re-split?
- Can split Aces be hit or doubled down?
- How are pushes (ties) settled?
- Is early/late surrender allowed?
- Is insurance offered?
- What is the payout for a natural blackjack?
Just as important as preparing the list of game rules is deciding how the bank will be handled. The simplest approach is for the game’s organizer to take on the role of banker, putting up the funds for which the others play, assuming all risk in return for the house edge. In effect, the organizer becomes a casino owner. The unfairness of this to all involved should be rather obvious, but some home Blackjack games thrive this way.
A more fair procedure is to collect a fixed “subscription” fee from every participant and use that as the bank’s initial pool of funds. Alternatively, chips can be sold at face value and all money collected becomes the bank’s fund. Players then attempt to recoup their investments and some profits as they play. Re-purchase of chips or re-subscription may be allowed to let players back into the game if they “go broke” during play.
A third way of organizing is for players to take turns being the bank for a fixed number of deals, one shoe, or a limited time period. Whatever is won or lost during the turn is kept, and the next banker puts up the funds for a new round. This procedure avoids some of the problems associated with maintaining a central pool of funds and how to divide it up at the end of the session.
Hoyle’s “Rules of Games” is a much referenced guide to home card parties. It recommends changing the bank/deal on the occasion of any natural Blackjack, with the winner becoming the new banker/dealer. It also suggests spicing up the game by allowing the dealer to win on all pushes and collect double from each player when he/she has a natural Blackjack. As long as everyone has an opportunity to be the banker/dealer, this can be a fun way to play.
The main thing is to avoid disputes and enjoy the game. The best way to achieve that is to make sure everyone agrees on the format and rules before setting up a home Blackjack game.