Casino Tournaments

By Wild Bill

Tournaments have seen a large upswing in interest from gamblers mostly thanks to televised poker tournaments.  Players seem to love the format, which mixes gambling bravado with intellectual skill.  Tournaments for casino games, mostly for blackjack and craps, seem to be slowly gaining momentum and deserve a closer look for dedicated casino players.

In a casino game tournament common sense will dictate how to play most hands or tosses of the dice, but if you can't get creative and put caution to the wind as you get to the key rounds you won't do well.  End-game strategy rules in casino game tournaments, far more than what players might see in poker tournaments.

In poker tournaments you might see a player make a final stand with a decent, but not great hand.  The proper strategy is to wait for at least a semi-decent hand, then move in and hope to survive.  In blackjack or craps tournaments, the change in strategy is far more drastic.


Blackjack tournaments and craps tournaments are played with pretty open information, the only uncertainty comes from the amounts your opponents are going to bet.  Play proceeds with something like a button seen in poker, with players making their bets in turn leading to strategic reactions from other players.  Play of the hands follows in similar fashion, making position as important as it is in poker.

The end-games are fascinating as a result.  There are set numbers of hands played or dice rolls completed which end the tournament, or determine when the cut for future rounds are made.  Making the cut is everything in casino tournaments, it is what you are really playing for.  Whether you managed to win a lot of chips or just lose fewer than your fellow opponents does not matter.  There is plenty of time to outmaneuver or just get luckier than opponents with more chips on the next table, but you have to get there first.

Therefore don't be surprised when you see players do things you would never do in your wildest dreams.  On the final hand before the cut you might have a decent hand, say an 18, but your opponent has 18 as well and the dealer has a six showing.  Based on his bet you won't make the cut if you both win this hand.  What do you do, hope the dealer draws a better hand or attempt to beat your opponent outright?

In some cases the best option is to hit or double down!  The last hand before a cut can be breathtaking.  You might get lucky and catch a 2 on your double down, miraculously pulling ahead.  He may have no choice but to take a hit and pray there is another ace or deuce awaiting his move.  All the while other players are also maneuvering, some hoping you fail so they can advance.  Poker rarely gets as exciting or surreal as this. 

The beauty of casino tournaments is that you will face plenty of opponents who don't quite understand proper tournament strategy.  To them playing in a tournament is much like regular play, you just have to get lucky to win.  Help reassure them they are right, while making proper strategic moves to optimize your potential. 

Can you completely disregard theoretical values of chips and purely pay attention to where you stand at any given moment?  Can you creatively solve problems and come up with tough-to-beat strategies?  If so sign up for a tournament and see if you can effectively make the switch from casino player to tournament expert. 

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