Ken Smith, what are the correct BJ tournament strategies?

S

ssho88

New Member
Hi, Ken Smith

My BJ tournament strategies at different stages are as follow:-

1)Early Rounds

a) What are the strategies if all other players are betting small?
strategy : minimum bet

b) What are the strategies if all other players are betting big?
strategy : Large bet

c) What are the strategies if there are a few wild bettors at the table?
strategy : minimum bet


2)Mid Rounds

a) if you are ahead and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : minimum bet

b) if you are ahead and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : match bet size of closest opponent

c) if you are behind and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : minimum bet

d) if you are behind and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : bet differently then others. If the leader is betting small, then you should bet big and vice versa


3)Final Rounds

a) if you are ahead and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : minimum bet

b) if you are ahead and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : match bet size of closest opponent

c) if you are behind and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : Rules of 2,4 and 5

b) if you are behind and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : Bet agressively


4)Final Hand

a) if you are ahead(by a lot) and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : Bet amount = 2 x max bet - your bankroll + 1 unit

b) if you are ahead(by a little) and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : Bet amount = max bet + opponent bankroll - your bankroll +1 unit

c) if you are ahead and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : match bet size of closest opponent

d) if you are behind and you have to bet before other players ?
strategy : Bet amount = maximum bet and consider the BJ and Double down possibility(if the remaining bankroll is more than max bet)


e) if you are behind and you have to bet after other players ?
strategy : Bet amount = maximum bet and consider the BJ and Double down possibility(if the remaining bankroll is more than max bet)



Your comments would be much appreciated

Regards

ssho88
 
Can you put some totals together?

ssho88 you have some great questions for Ken, but some of them are to vague. Without knowing what all the players hav, it is hard to know what the correct bet might be. Example: are you up by 1 unit or up by 2 1/2 max. bets. The amount you have vs what they have is what determines your bet.

Also be aware of where the puck is on the last hand. If you are first to act on the final hand you may want to play a little more aggessive before the last hand.
 
Last edited:
Most of the items in your list are good rules of thumb. A few things I think can be improved upon:

Minimum bets from the lead are OK, but you usually want instead to put some of your excess chips to work to try to 'climb the ladder'. Search the archives of BJ Insider for an article about that concept.

Same thing with matching bets when you're the leader betting after others. It's usually a decent play, but there are usually opportunities to do something with the excess chips again.

Final hand ideas:
Your item 4b describes betting the max less your lead plus a chip. That exposes you to a loss if both you and your opponent win double downs. A better rule is max less half your lead plus a chip.

While it is good to have general rules like those you state, every situation really is different.
 
When to swing or to gain on your opponent?

Thanks for your advice, Ken

May I know when is the most suitable time to swing* or to gain** on your opponent? Should I implement this type of play only during the last hand since normally the bet is large and the chances to get bust is very high?

*playing your hand in such a way that you increase the likelihood that you will win this bet while your opponent loses his bet,draw to at least 18 and two points more then your opponent has.

**playing your hand in such a way that you win, while she or he pushes, or you push while she or he loses, draw to at least 17 and one point more then your opponent has


Your comments please.

Regards

ssho88
 
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