Best strategy for tournaments with no limit betting?

In 2 of the local tournaments I play, going "all in" is permitted. One tournament allows this on the last hand while the other allows this on all hands. This STUPID rule allows a greater than normal number of dumb lucky players (who know nothing about basic strategy let alone tournament strategy) to advance. Is there a strategy to handle "no limit betting" tournaments or is the only way to win is to down grade one's play to the "dumb lucky" level?

 

Best way to make money

Is not play in this type of event, but we all do if were out at a casino that is hosting one of them....LOL

What I have found is it's a coin toss at the end. I personally hate this format. I also hate the accumulative format as well.

Do I play in them yes sometimes, (I just flew to Tunica last weekend for the Gold Strike tournament). But let me tell you it is not fun being the high score (chip count) from your table and not advancing because another table had all 6 players score higher then you because their dealer keep busting.

Nor is it fun out playing everyone at your table only to get beat on the last hand in a no limit betting format, when some player bets all their chips and hit's a BJ on the last hand at 2 to 1 payoff.

But what the hell if it is meant to be it's meant to be, I'd rather be lucky then good and any tournament. Even the best players can't win if they don't have luck on there side.

So bottomline what should you do? Just like I tell everyone it's your money do what you want to with it. I would say 90% of the players would play if they were there while a tournament was going on anyway. What's really sad is I would be one from the 90% side...LOL.

Good luck if you play, you'll need it...LOL

 

Salt in the wound

At one casino here, they allow you to bet it all on the last hand and........
it is a blind bet. You don't know what the others have bet.
Other than that it is a good, well run tournament.

 

Which one?

Midnite....Eagle?

 

You what I thought.

I see that over 50 views were made to my question with no positive answers so I guess that getting DUMB LUCKY is the primary way to win.

Midnite: I see you have a similar problem but you do have one think going for you that I don't. The casinos here do not do a good job of running the tournaments. Maybe I should refer them to TXtourplayer to straighten them out?

TXtourplayer: Thanks for confirming what I suspected - just get DUMB LUCKY.
The first tournament I played at these casinos was in Nov, 2004 and I won first prize (drew a wild card for the semi-finals) - $5,000! The second time I won 5th (no wild card) - $500. I then had false illusions that these tournaments were like taking candy from a baby - the quality of play was really bad - but I was wrong. Now DUMB LUCKY players keep winning and I get eliminated on the first round. Oh well, met a lot of good people and it does kill a day. Made enough from the first 2 tournaments to keep playing them for years. Good Luck and thanks again for your replay.
PS - Don't you ever sleep? I see most of your posts are in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Sleep, what is that?

No I do catch a few winks now and then.

Getting back to the BJ tourneys, like I posted earlier when your on and have the luck it doesn't matter what tournament format or game your playing. Bottom line to me is winning, that is what we play for. Anyone that tells you they just love the game are full of shit (or have never won).

You need to deside what is best for you, remember it's your money. Example, two weeks ago in Vegas I sat at the dreaded 6-5 single deck and played and kicked they ass. Sure I lost some on my BJ's (very few of them), but I won money evertime I play the game (4 times in one day).

Now you now why I always say "I would rather win wrong then lose right". What would you rather do, win at a game with bad odds or lose at a game with good odds?

Do I recommend you play 6-5 single deck, no I didn't say that. All I am telling you is don't be scared of playing any of the games at the casinos as long as your winning and if your losing get up and leave the game. Same with your tournament, if you enjoy playing in it and making money play it.

You can't count on winning or being in the money in every tournament because of your playing ablity, in poker yes (more offten anyway), but blackjack no. If that was the case I could give you a list of 10 players now and at least one of them would be in the finals in every tournament. As of now they are lucky if one of them makes a final table once out of a dozen tournaments.

So don't get upset when someone without a clue win's a tournament, it happens all the time....lol

 

I Play As A Hobby

Live BJ and tournaments in particular are a hobby for me. If I travel overnight for a tournament, I often win enough at live BJ (I never play 6:5 games) to pay for the trip. Since I am retired, I can up and leave almost at will (say Vegas to my wife and she is on the phone making reservations before I can finish asking her if she wants to go).

The local tournament I mentioned at the beginning of this thread (only on the last hand can you go "all in") is a positive equity one. Entry fee is only $60 with a guaranteed pize pool of $10,000. The most the casino takes in on entry fees is about $7,200. That, plus the people I meet, is why I will continue to play. I tried to suggest some changes to the tournament surpervisors but it falls on deaf ears - damn those slot machine supervisors.

Thanks again for the responses.

 

Commomsence vs. Casino marketing

If you are talking to the casino marketing then you are talking to deaf ears in most cases, (welcome to my world).

Most casino marketing departments won't let commonsence stand in there way either. Once you deal with them you'll see what I mean...lol

 

All in

Mike-Yep, it is at the Eagle.
The table games manager there is open for new ideas.
I have suggested a few and some of them he has used.
He wouldn't change the all in on the last hand or the blind bet, though as most of the other players like it that way.

Being able to bet it all, on the last hand is bad enough, but not knowing what the others have bet, makes it tougher......
It now makes it more like trying to get a "read" in Hold Em.

I did make the final table last time, but managed to snatch defeat, from the jaws of victory and was the first out......

 

Poker

Midnite - Saw you mentioned poker. Do you play a lot of Hold 'Em?

I am familiar with the casino you are talking about, but haven't been there for three years or so. Can you please help me out about their Hold 'Em game? What are the stakes? Limit and No Limit? Are the games loose, tight, passive, aggressive? and of course, what is the rake?

Thanking you in advance.

 

Poker

BanoMan- No I don't play a lot of poker, but I do play some.
They have a Hold Em tournament every Thur. and the buy in is just $5.00.
The Hold Em game is limit $3 to $6.
Harrah's has more Hold Em games, but their BJ sucks.

 

Beat The Heck out of Me!

Well, your record is MUCH better than mine. The only time I've been able to get into the tournament, I lost in my first qualifying round and in my second, made it to the 18th hand. Wish I could get up there more often. Verna and I are wanting to go to the Eagle but don't think it's going to be possible before we fly to Vegas at the end of June.

That was a wild qualifier. Had to almost bet the max on every hand in trying to turn $500 into $3,400 in 20 hands (or was it 21...never made it that far!)

 

Let's get back to "all in" blackjack tournaments.

All this discussion about poker is fine but let's face it guys - poker discussions belong under "OTHER GAMES TOURNAMENTS" (see Forum Home page). Please don't be offended, I'm only trying to get answers to my "all in" blackjack question.

I have never played at the EAGLE but if they allow "all in" bets, I would not bother to travel overnight to play. If they also have secret bets - ARE THEY NUTS?

Getting back to the purpose of this thread, does anyone have any further suggestions on how to handle the situation I presented at the beginning of this thread?

 

Bj

Toolman1- Mike was talking about a BJ Tournament.
If you hate this type of format, just don't play in it.
If you do play in it, I would to "go with the flow".
You can't wait too long, making small bets, if most of the other players are winning big bets.
In most tournaments (regardless of the format) you are going to have to "take your shot" and shove the chips out at some point.

 

My Error

Toolman1 – My apologies for the poker question (and I didn’t get an answer about the type of game and rake anyway).

About your post and question. I agree with you and others that those type of tournaments are “dumb luck”, and I do not think there is any strategy that is going to change that. You would be just as well off playing the slots or even keno.

 

No apologies necessary

Midnite and BanjoMan:

No apologies are necessary. I hope I did not sound rude. That was not my intention.

I know the rules are bad but since I'm turning into a BJ TOURNAMENT JUNKIE
I keep playing anyway. These tournaments are only an hour away from home and its something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Meet a lot of good people and have a good time in spite of the bad tournament rules. Who knows, maybe I'll get "DUMB LUCKY" and win some day - stranger things than that have happened.

Have a good day and best of luck to both of you in your future tournament play.

 

BJ Tournament

The tournament at the Golden Eagle I mentioned and that I asked Midnite about, was one in which players started out with $500 in tournament chips. There was a $500 maximum bet imposed until the final hand which had no limit. There were about a dozen qualifying rounds and after the last one, the top 26 chip holders progressed to the semi-finals. When I attempted to qualify, the 26 place on the board was $3,400. You had to come out pretty strong in this tournament. I started with $250 and for several hands and stayed alive. My prayer was to make it to the final hand with enough in chips to go all in with enough to qualify if I won. Not a lot of skill happening here since you are not playing against the others at the qualifying tables but rather against the lowest position on the leader-board.

 

KenSmith – Of course the “skilled” player would have an “edge”. A skilled player has an edge over an unskilled player in virtually any game. However, in a format of the type described this edge would be miniscule and would take a mega amount of tournaments to manifest itself.

IMO, the only way to play these tournaments is for “entertainment value” and a mental attitude of “I hope I get lucky”.