Heads Up Blackjack Tournament
Here we teach you how to master Blackjack Tournaments. Learn the best strategy for blackjack tournament games & how to get the best value during events.
Blackjack tournaments are a great alternative to traditional blackjack. If you like poker tournaments and the premise that you’ll play against your peers instead of the dealer, you should consider giving blackjack tournaments a shot. This article will explain everything you need to know to get started.
The article is about the heads-up blackjack tournaments, which are held daily at All Slots Casino on different bets. Only two individuals are necessary for the tournament, and tournaments start as soon as a sufficient number of participants will be ready. Blackjack Tournaments 2020 - Find Tournaments and Events in your area. (USA) heads up. Discussion in 'Blackjack Events (USA)' started by george, Oct 16, 2013. Our site features full length introductions to the most popular casino table games, including baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette, but there’s a whole world of new and different free table games available. The purpose of this page is to provide introductions to some of these other games, even though a complete listing would be impossible. 100k Heads-Up Blackjack Tournament $499,00 entry fee, $100.000 prize pool, This is pretty straight forward with an elimination format. There lots of goodies that the casino promises.
What are Blackjack Tournaments?
Blackjack tournaments are a mix of traditional blackjack and poker tournaments. Just like a poker tournament, you buy-in once for a set number of chips. Then you sit down to play.
Blackjack tournaments are usually played over several short rounds. Unlike a poker tournament where the length of each round is determined by minutes, each round in blackjack tournaments is determined by a number of hands — usually 20-30. Once the hands have been played, the round is over.
Once the round is over the winners are determined by the number of chips they have — the more, the better. Blackjack tournaments use an elimination format, so the top (two) chip earners will advance, and everyone else will be out of the tournament. Players that lose all of their chips will be out of the tournament, too. They can’t re-buy for more chips. The top players will be paid, according to the number of players that entered and the tournament structure.
Types of Blackjack Tournaments
Blackjack tournaments are played in one of the following 3 formats:
Heads Up: This format is played with two players over the course of 10 rounds. The player with the most chips wins (winner takes all).
Sit n Go: A blackjack sng tournament is played with 3-6 players over 10 rounds. The top two players will receive a payout.
Blackjack MTT: Larger blackjack MTTs (multi-table tournaments) can have as many as 30-100+ players. For example, a typical tournament might look like this:
- First round – 102 entries seated at 17 tables. 68 players are eliminated.
- Second round – 34 players left seated at 5 tables. 24 players are eliminated.
- Third round – 10 players seated at 2 tables. 6 players are eliminated.
- Fourth round – Final tables. 4 players play until a winner is declared.
Each tournament will vary, in regards to length and payout, on the number of players entered.
Blackjack Tournament FAQs
Can I play blackjack tournaments for fake money?
Not in a brick and mortar casino, no. However, many online casinos provide 'freerolls,' which are blackjack tournaments that have no buy-in. Sometimes these freerolls have real money prizes that the casino puts up, and other times you just play for free money credits.
Where can I find blackjack tournaments?
Everywhere. We have several casinos listed on this page that offer blackjack tournaments. I recommend reading our reviews to find the casino that has the games, promotions and banking methods that will work for you. If you’re a US player you’ll want to find a US accepting (blackjack tournament) casino.
Why should I play in a blackjack tournament?
For a couple of reasons:
- Instead of playing against the house you’re playing against other players. That removes any disadvantage you may have and creates an even level playing field.
- Tournaments are easier on your bankroll. All you stand to lose is your buy-in. In exchange, you get hours of entertainment and, if you win, a nice chunk of change.
How much can I win playing blackjack tournaments?
That depends on a number of factors like the buy-in, number of players and the payout structure. But you could buy in for $10 and be in the running for a $500 first place prize, or $1,000 buy-in and a 6 or 7-figure score. It just depends.
What is the optimal strategy for blackjack tournaments?
Chip management plays a big role in blackjack tournaments.
An optimal strategy is similar to poker – do the opposite of your opponents. If your opponent is betting small, it might make more sense to take a risk and bet big to get ahead of them (in the chip count). On the other hand, if they are betting big and taking risks, it might make more sense to bet small until the last few hands and then start betting big to catch up and hopefully pass the field.
How do they determine which players act first each round or hand?
Blackjack tournaments use a 'button' just like they do in poker. Every hand the buttons moves one seat to the left. That player will go first.
Are there any downsides to playing blackjack tournaments?
A couple, yes. One downside is that the larger tournaments start at a scheduled time. So you might not be able to play because it conflicts with your own schedule. And two, a tournament runs until someone wins. It’s not like a cash game where you can get up, leave, and come back whenever you want. So you need to set aside an afternoon to play. The more entries there are the longer you should expect the tournament to last.
| National Heads-Up Poker Championship | |
|---|---|
| Created by | NBC Sports |
| Narrated by | Ali Nejad and Matt Vasgersian |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Golden Nugget Las Vegas (2005), Caesars Palace (2006 - 2013) |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | 2005 – 2013 (no 2012 event) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The National Heads-Up Poker Championship was an annual poker tournament held in the United States and produced by the NBC television network.[1] It is a $25,000 'buy-in' invitation-only tournament[2] organized as a series of one-on-one games of no limitTexas hold 'em matches. The participants include many of the world's most successful poker players, as well as celebrities.
The championship was the first poker event to be televised on and produced by a major U.S. television network.[1]
In October 2011, NBC announced that the National Heads-Up Poker Championship would not return in 2012, ending the championship's seven-year run.[3] After a one-year hiatus, the tournament returned for a final time in 2013.[4]The $25,000 buy-in event ran from Jan. 24 through 26 at Caesars Palace, the same venue where the event was held from 2006 through 2011.
In February 2014, NBC announced the National Heads-Up Poker Championship would not return in 2014.
Heads Up Poker Tournament Rules
The Heads-Up Championship had been sponsored by online poker companies before Black Friday. The World Series of Poker (WSOP.com) is the new presenting sponsor.[5]
Structure[edit]
The single-elimination tournament is modeled after college basketball tournaments. Players who win a match advance to the next round; the player who wins six matches is crowned champion.
The first round is seeded randomly the night before the tournament begins. Players are divided into four brackets – Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. A participant advances by winning a heads-up match against his or her randomly drawn opponent. The structure of the brackets then determines every match thereafter. The semifinals consist of one player from each bracket, with the winner of the Spades bracket playing the winner of the Clubs bracket, and the winner of the Hearts bracket matched up against the winner of the Diamonds bracket. A best-of-three final match then determines which of the two finalists is crowned champion.
Brief history[edit]
The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is an invitation-only event. In contrast, the World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an open event with a maximum participation of 128 players.
The 2005 event took place at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas between March 4 and March 6. It aired weekly on NBC from May 1 to May 22 with commentary from Gabe Kaplan and Matt Vasgersian.
The 2006 edition took place from March 4 to 6 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. NBC began its coverage by broadcasting one part of the opening round on April 16. The semi-final and championship matches aired May 21. Kaplan and Vasgersian returned as commentators.
The 2007 edition was broadcast from April 8 to May 20. Ali Nejad took Gabe Kaplan's spot as commentator due to Kaplan competing in the tournament.
Results[edit]
Heads Up Poker Tournament
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Best-of-three final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Phil Hellmuth | Chris Ferguson | 2–1 |
| 2006 | Ted Forrest | Chris Ferguson | 2–1 |
| 2007 | Paul Wasicka | Chad Brown | 2–0 |
| 2008 | Chris Ferguson | Andy Bloch | 2–1 |
| 2009 | Huck Seed | Vanessa Rousso | 2–0 |
| 2010 | Annie Duke | Erik Seidel | 2–1 |
| 2011 | Erik Seidel | Chris Moneymaker | 2–0 |
| 2012 | no tournament | ||
| 2013 | Mike Matusow | Phil Hellmuth | 2–1 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abNBC Spot in the Cards for Poker Tourney February 2005 article from the Las Vegas Sun
- ^NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Inks Four-year Deal with Caesars, a May 2008 article from pokernews.com
- ^'NBC Cancels National Heads-Up Poker Championship'. PokerNews. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^'NBC Brings Back National Heads-Up Poker Championship'. PokerNews. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ^'National Heads-Up Poker Championship returns to Caesars Palace'. Retrieved 14 January 2013.