Rules for a skilled tournament!!!

[Cardcounter]

If blackjack touranments were designed to favor the skilled player they would have a format like this. You would start of with chips a 100 times the maximum bet and 10,000 times the minimum bet. You would get to play at least a 100 hands of blackjack instead of 20-30. Next doubling down on any two cards and after a split would be allowed. Next the tournament would be played with only two decks and would not be shuffled after every round but only when needed. The betting would rotate in a circle and be changed after every hand. Next insurance and blackjack would pay what they normally pay 3 to 2 for blackjack and 2 to 1 for insurance not the inflated payouts of 2 to 1 for blackjack and 3 to 1 for insurnace.

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

If blackjack touranments were designed to favor the skilled player ...

Are you saying that BJ tourneys do NOT favor skilled players? zg

[Cardcounter]

I'm saying that blackjack tournaments have a pretty even playing field for a novice with average playing abilities or an expert player who gets barred from the casino when playing cash blackjack. An average player can easily win a single hand when he puts all his chips in the middle on any given hand but given some time he will come out loser a lot more often!

[KenSmith]

If you expanded tournament rounds to 100 hands, the format will still favor tournament skill over card-counting skill. To give a skilled counter the edge, I think you'd need one thousand hands or more.

Now, 100 hand rounds WOULD eliminate some of the really bad players who give up a lot of EV with bad play. However, in a 100 hand round, I'd still take a mediocre basic strategy player who has tournament skills over an expert card counter with no tournament skills.

(Of course, finding a player who is skilled at tournament play but not knowledgeable about basic strategy is not likely in the real world.)

[Automatic Monkey]

Originally Posted by KenSmith

If you expanded tournament rounds to 100 hands, the format will still favor tournament skill over card-counting skill. To give a skilled counter the edge, I think you'd need one thousand hands or more.

Now, 100 hand rounds WOULD eliminate some of the really bad players who give up a lot of EV with bad play. However, in a 100 hand round, I'd still take a mediocre basic strategy player who has tournament skills over an expert card counter with no tournament skills.

(Of course, finding a player who is skilled at tournament play but not knowledgeable about basic strategy is not likely in the real world.)

Still not enough. You'd need >10K hands to tell a BS player from a counter and years of hands to tell a really good counter from an average one. The last tournament I played in at Foxwoods paid 2:1 for naturals. I don't know if that equalizes things by making the game more dependent on the luck of getting naturals, or gives a counter an advantage because naturals he predicts will pay more.

What would be really neat is to see tracking/sequencing skills used in a tournament. But I don't think the casinos want to go there.

[zengrifter]

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

I'm saying that blackjack tournaments have a pretty even playing field for a novice with average playing abilities or an expert player who gets barred from the casino when playing cash blackjack. An average player can easily win a single hand when he puts all his chips in the middle on any given hand but given some time he will come out loser a lot more often!

Your post didn't emphasize counting. So you do acknowledge that a skilled tournament player has a significant advantage nonetheless? zg

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

If blackjack touranments were designed to favor the skilled player they would have a format like this.

They are and they do.

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

…doubling down on any two cards and after a split would be allowed.

They often do allow that.

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

Next the tournament would be played with only two decks and would not be shuffled after every round but only when needed.

They often do deal out the shoe without shuffling after every hand.

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

The betting would rotate in a circle and be changed after every hand.

Yup, that’s what the button is for.

Originally Posted by Cardcounter

Next insurance and blackjack would pay what they normally pay 3 to 2 for blackjack and 2 to 1 for insurance not the inflated payouts of 2 to 1 for blackjack and 3 to 1 for insurnace.

I’ve never heard of a BJ tournament with 2:1 BJs and 3:1 insurance. Anyone else?

-Sonny-

[KenSmith]

Here's a tournament you should consider. The Imperial Palace in Las Vegas runs a couple of tournaments each year (April and December usually IIRC), where the first round is 2-deck, dealt to the last card. The second and subsequent rounds are dealt from single deck, dealt to the last card.

They deal every card. When they run out of cards in the middle of the hand, they shuffle the discards and keep going.

This is one fun tournament.