A Guide to Blackjack Online Tournaments

Online blackjack tournaments offer you a chance to go up against other players who’re all vying for the same prize. You also get to show off your skills and prove to everyone that you’re good enough to compete for a nice cash reward.

If that sounds interesting, my guide to online blackjack tournaments can help. I explain how they work and offer you a few tips that’ll help increase your chances of winning.

What Are Online Blackjack Tournaments?

Online blackjack tournaments are competitions played between you and other online casino players. Generally speaking, the tournaments run for a few days and often require you to pay an entry fee. You’re also not trying to beat the dealer as you normally would, at least in most of them.

Most online blackjack tournaments cost real money to enter, but some are also free for regular customers. The payouts and rules vary greatly, so you can easily find a suitable event for your bankroll and skill level.

If we have to sum it up in one sentence – you pay an entry fee, you do your best to accumulate as many chips as possible, and you win prizes if you’re among the top players.

That’s the core of all blackjack tournaments online, but certain rules might vary. Let’s take a look at the different types of competitions for on that.

Types of Blackjack Tournaments

Blackjack tournament variations will often force you to adjust your strategy and style of play. They can present unique challenges that require a lot more stamina and bankroll discipline from players.

Here are the most common types of blackjack tournaments online.

• Elimination Style: This is one of the more common formats – it’s popular among online and land-based casinos. Players with the lowest chip counts are eliminated at the end of every round. Depending on the number of players, elimination-style tournaments can last up to five rounds. A typical round also consists of 20-30 hands.
• Non-Elimination: This is the exact opposite – players get to compete in every round of the tournament. The main goal is to have more chips than any other player. Players often avoid taking bigger risks when competing in the non-elimination format.
• Sit ‘n’ Go: The SNG format typically involves six people, which is enough to fill up a normal blackjack table. Once the required number of players have entered, the tournament begins. The winner is determined after a specific amount of time elapses.
• Mini and Major Tournaments – Mini online blackjack tournaments typically take only a day to complete. Buy-ins are also very affordable, costing players roughly $10-20 to enter. However, prize pools are not very substantial. Major tournaments, on the other hand, require a larger buy-in and involve a lot more players. They can also last for several days.
• Rebuy Tournaments – Rebuys are essentially when you have the opportunity to re-enter tournaments for an additional fee when you’ve already been eliminated. The extra amount you pay to rebuy often costs the same as the original buy-in. Rebuys allow casinos to increase the prize pool and payouts.
• Freerolls – Online casinos also offer blackjack tournaments where you don’t have to pay to enter. The prize pool comes from the casino itself instead of the players. The downside is that free-entry blackjack tournaments are often exclusive to VIP members.

These are all among the most common formats used in online blackjack tournaments. Players will get aggressive or remain cautious based on what each individual competition demands. Again, the rules will often dictate your strategy.

Tips for Blackjack Tournaments Online

Your strategy for blackjack tournaments can always use some improvement. If you decide to play the game consistently, you might want to prepare yourself. That would give you an edge over players that have no plan.

Here are my best tips for blackjack online tournaments.

Study the Tournament Format

It’s an old saying that remains true to this day – knowledge is power. Once you study the rules and structure of the tournament, you’ll improve your chances of winning significantly. Here are a few factors to consider:

• The number of rounds and hands per round
• The number of players competing
• Gameplay rules – minimum and maximum bets, surrenders, etc.

Most blackjack online tournaments are straightforward in terms of the rules. I always advise that you pay close attention to your opponents and focus on how the tournament is unfolding. This way, you’ll know when to get aggressive with your bets.

Follow the Live Standings

Most online casinos will provide you with updates on the leaderboards and chip counts. You never want to keep your head down and not pay attention to your position in the tournament. Instead, you have to adjust and make bets according to any advantage that you may have.

If you are in a good spot, you can try to protect it by applying a more conservative style. The opposite is also true for many situations. If you are about to get eliminated or you’re way behind with only a few hours left, it’s time to go crazy and take more risks.

Compare Buy-Ins and Prize Pools

Before you decide to enter an online blackjack tournament, make sure the prize pool corresponds to the buy-in. Ask yourself this question: Is there any way that you can make a profit? Make sure that you’re not going over your limits, especially with rebuy tournaments.

If you’re going to enter them, you should plan for at least 3-4 rebuys on top of the entry fee. That’s how you calculate the overall cost, or you will often spend more than expected.

Best Casinos for Online Blackjack Tournaments

The best blackjack casinos online offer plenty of tournaments for players seeking to win some extra cash. The rules are simply, the prize pools are high, and the competitions are very entertaining.

On top of the cool blackjack tournaments at your disposal, there are also various bonuses and promotions that can increase your returns.