Blackjack is back in the Sooner State
Under a new law approved by Oklahoma voters last year, blackjack and poker are legal at tribal casinos in the Sooner state. Many Oklahoma casinos now offer blackjack, but admittedly, it sucks. The casinos charge a commission just to play, usually 50 cents a hand. The reason casinos are allowed to charge a commission is that player losses, by law, are supposed to go into a "player pool" rather than the casino profits. The casinos are required to return most of the "player pool" money to the players. To my understanding, they can return the pool money by giving away prizes, paying premiums on certain blackjack hands (like triple 7s) or holding tournaments.
I know of several casinos that have opted to disperse the player pool through tournaments. To my knowledge, all these casinos require that to be eligible for a tournament a player must have played blackjack at the casino before. Otherwise, the tournament formats vary widely. In some cases, tournament players are awarded playing chips based on the time they spent at the casino tables during the previous quarter or month. For instance, if someone played 100 hours at a casino, they might receive 100 additional chips at the start of the tournament. In other tournaments, all players start on equal footing regardless of their prior action. Buy-ins are small or free for these tournaments.
I think these "player pool" tournaments are the only good thing about Oklahoma blackjack now, with high payouts and little or no buyins. I mostly play at Thunderbird Casino near Norman, Okla. The casino has had three tournaments this year with prize pools ranging from $100K to $250K and buyins ranging from $20 to $50. Thunderbird requires you become a member of its blackjack club to be eligible for the tournaments. But club membership requires only minimal play and all players start on an equal basis in the tournaments. I have probably played less than 5 hours at the Thunderbird tables this year. (I don't like the six-deck shoes and 50-cent commissions.) I entered a $100K tournament in May with a $20 buy-in and won $35K first prize. There were less than 300 contestants. I think this kind of tournament is the best opportunity in gambling.
Firelake Casino in Shawnee, Okla., now has monthly $100K tournaments, no buy-in and equal starting chip totals for all players. And I've heard that two large tribal casinos near Lawton, Okla., have big tournaments, although their regular players start with a chip advantage based on hours played. (Someone more familiar with these casinos please correct me if I've got the facts mixed up.)
There may be other tournament play in the state, but before I enter a tournament I would be sure the bulk of the prize money comes from the player pool rather than entry fees. I don't expect that to be the case in all instances. I understand from another regular on this site that one large Okie casino near Texas staged a tournament where entry fees would exceed the prize pool. If that's true, then shame on them for not using their player pool.
I think tournaments are the fairest way to return the player pools, and if the casinos fail to stage lucrative tournaments, it will cast suspicion on their handling of the money. Time will tell if good tournaments prevail or greed turns Oklahoma blackjack into just another rip-off.
Thunderbird Casino is hosting a $77,000 tournament later this month. I'll post most details in a day or two. It will stretch over two or three days, which is probably the biggest drawback for out-of-state players. I'll also post more info on the Firelake tournaments.
Under a new law approved by Oklahoma voters last year, blackjack and poker are legal at tribal casinos in the Sooner state. Many Oklahoma casinos now offer blackjack, but admittedly, it sucks. The casinos charge a commission just to play, usually 50 cents a hand. The reason casinos are allowed to charge a commission is that player losses, by law, are supposed to go into a "player pool" rather than the casino profits. The casinos are required to return most of the "player pool" money to the players. To my understanding, they can return the pool money by giving away prizes, paying premiums on certain blackjack hands (like triple 7s) or holding tournaments.
I know of several casinos that have opted to disperse the player pool through tournaments. To my knowledge, all these casinos require that to be eligible for a tournament a player must have played blackjack at the casino before. Otherwise, the tournament formats vary widely. In some cases, tournament players are awarded playing chips based on the time they spent at the casino tables during the previous quarter or month. For instance, if someone played 100 hours at a casino, they might receive 100 additional chips at the start of the tournament. In other tournaments, all players start on equal footing regardless of their prior action. Buy-ins are small or free for these tournaments.
I think these "player pool" tournaments are the only good thing about Oklahoma blackjack now, with high payouts and little or no buyins. I mostly play at Thunderbird Casino near Norman, Okla. The casino has had three tournaments this year with prize pools ranging from $100K to $250K and buyins ranging from $20 to $50. Thunderbird requires you become a member of its blackjack club to be eligible for the tournaments. But club membership requires only minimal play and all players start on an equal basis in the tournaments. I have probably played less than 5 hours at the Thunderbird tables this year. (I don't like the six-deck shoes and 50-cent commissions.) I entered a $100K tournament in May with a $20 buy-in and won $35K first prize. There were less than 300 contestants. I think this kind of tournament is the best opportunity in gambling.
Firelake Casino in Shawnee, Okla., now has monthly $100K tournaments, no buy-in and equal starting chip totals for all players. And I've heard that two large tribal casinos near Lawton, Okla., have big tournaments, although their regular players start with a chip advantage based on hours played. (Someone more familiar with these casinos please correct me if I've got the facts mixed up.)
There may be other tournament play in the state, but before I enter a tournament I would be sure the bulk of the prize money comes from the player pool rather than entry fees. I don't expect that to be the case in all instances. I understand from another regular on this site that one large Okie casino near Texas staged a tournament where entry fees would exceed the prize pool. If that's true, then shame on them for not using their player pool.
I think tournaments are the fairest way to return the player pools, and if the casinos fail to stage lucrative tournaments, it will cast suspicion on their handling of the money. Time will tell if good tournaments prevail or greed turns Oklahoma blackjack into just another rip-off.
Thunderbird Casino is hosting a $77,000 tournament later this month. I'll post most details in a day or two. It will stretch over two or three days, which is probably the biggest drawback for out-of-state players. I'll also post more info on the Firelake tournaments.
Last edited:
