Tournaments
docdoom said:
How do blackjack tournaments work? Is it the same as poker tournaments? Buy in and then play against the dealer until the last guy with chips is standing? That could be a place for me to start.
That's not usually how it works. The formats tend to vary a lot more than in poker, but generally there are two basic types -
Accumulation Tournaments.
You play for a fixed number of hands or period of time, after which your score is compared to everyone else in the tournament. The top scores advance to the next round, where the process is repeated (usually reverting back to equal numbers of chips, rather than carrying your score forward), or if it is the final round you are paid according to where you finish.
The only real skill here is to assess what score you are likely to need, based on the number of competitors, and size your bets so as to give you the best chance of achieving it. You can also sometimes delay your entry until after some scores have already been posted, giving you more information to work with.
Elimination Tournaments
Most people would agree that this is the more interesting format. You play a fixed number of hands (typically 20 to 30), with only the people at your table to beat. The format will state how many of the top scores from each table advance to the next round.
Again, you do not carry your score forward to the next round, so the goal is not to achieve a big score, just to make sure it is bigger than enough of your rivals' in order for you to advance.
There is a button which rotates around the table, indicating where the action starts in terms of betting decisions and playing actions. If you are to the left of your opponents on a crucial hand, you have a big advantage.
There are lots of strategic considerations -
Bet sizing is determined by your opponents' scores, your assessment of their skills (and therefore likely future betting patterns), your position in relation to the button, and the number of hands to go.
In the final few hands, and particularly on the final hand, basic strategy goes out of the window and your decisions are driven as much by your opponents' hands as by your own, as you may need to either match a particular player's win/lose result or to 'swing' them, winning your hand while they lose theirs.
There is also a variation in which there are a number of separate 'elimination hands' along the way, in which the player with the lowest score at the table is eliminated. This adds other considerations.
From what you've said, it sounds like this might be something you would enjoy. There's a lot more information available over at
https://www.blackjacktournaments.com/.