UBT tourneys now open online

KenSmith

KenSmith

Administrator
Staff member
It's been a long time coming, but the wait is over.

I'll have a lot more to say about online UBT-style blackjack, but you can play it today, at UltimateBet.com.

I'll have a more complete post about this later today, but you can go ahead and get going immediately. Register an account and signup, and there are multi-table tourneys scheduled for this afternoon, at 1 PM and 4 PM Eastern.

Once you get logged in with the poker software, look on the left for 'Multi-Player Blackjack'.
See ya there! My username is BJT_Ken.

Click here: UltimateBet.com
 
What is Elimination Blackjack?

Here is the UBT online info from Ulitimate bet for those players that don't know what it is.

WHAT IS ELIMINATION BLACKJACK?


Welcome to the most exciting tournament game you’ll ever play. It’s called Elimination Blackjack and you’re going to love it.

If you've already played Blackjack, you're halfway there. In Elimination Blackjack, you still play each hand against the dealer. However, here's where it gets interesting:
  • You're also trying to accumulate the largest amount of chips along the way.
  • The player with the least amount of chips after hands 8, 16 and 25 is eliminated.
  • To make it even more interesting, we've introduced something called a Secret Bet. Each player has one Secret Bet per round, allowing you to bet a certain amount of chips without letting the other players know what your bet is. This introduces an element of bluffing not found in other versions of Blackjack.
Before you take a seat in a tournament, here’s what you’ll need to know:

ELIMINATION BLACKJACK AT A GLANCE
  • Each player starts with $25,000 in tournament chips (this is also the maximum bet). The minimum bet in the preliminary round is $500.
  • At the final table, you’ll start with $100,000 in tournament chips (this is also the maximum bet). The minimum bet at the final table is $1,000.
  • Elimination Blackjack features a rotating marker. Action starts on the button and rotates clockwise every hand.
  • You’ll have 25 seconds to make a decision. On Elimination Hands, you’ll have 45 seconds to decide what you want to do.
  • Hands 8, 16, and 25 are Elimination Hands. The player with the least amount of chips on these hands will be eliminated.
  • Each player is given one Secret Bet that can be used at any time. The secret bet allows you to place your bet without revealing it to the other players.
  • Whoever has the most chips at the end of Hand 30 wins.
 
UBT Rules

Here are the rules from Ultimatebet.com for the UBT tournaments.

RULES FOR ONLINE ELIMINATION BLACKJACK
  1. Tournament Rounds: Each Scheduled Elimination Tournament will consist of a minimum of two rounds depending on the number of participants. All tournament rounds, including the finals, will consist of six (6) or seven (7) players at a table depending on the number entrants. The number of rounds and number of players that advance will be determined after registration closes and before tournament starts.

    Each Elimination Sit and Go Tournament table will consist of six (6) or seven (7) players at a table depending on the number entrants. The number of rounds and number of players that advance will vary based on the event.

    Note about Scheduled Elimination Tournaments: At the time the tournament is scheduled to start, the minimum number of players that must be registered to play in that tournament is thirty-six (36). Otherwise, the tournament will be cancelled.

    Note about Elimination Sit and Go Tournaments: The tournament will start as soon as enough players have registered to fill all the available seats. Elimination Sit and Go Tournaments will consist of 7,14, or 21 player fields.
  2. Preliminary Rounds: Preliminary Rounds are the rounds leading up to the semi-finals.
  3. Semi-Final Round: Semi-final Round is the round from which you advance to the final table.
  4. Final Round: Final Round will be the final table for any tournament. The player with the highest value of chips after hand thirty (30) will be declared the winner or a player may be declared the winner if they are the only remaining player. If there is a tie after hand thirty (30) – then a playoff will be held to determine the winner. This will be governed by the playoff rules (See Section 15).
  5. Players & Protocol: To participate in the tournament a player must show up before the sixth hand begins or they will be disqualified. For each absent hand, the minimum bet will be placed for the player and then the player will stand on the first two (2) cards. If at any time during the tournament, a player disconnects or sits out more than five (5) consecutive hands – the player is eliminated.
  6. Entry Fee: The entry fee will vary based on the event.
  7. Starting Chips: For any tournament round before the final round each player will receive $25,000 in tournament chips with a minimum bet of $500 and a maximum bet of $25,000 in increments of $500. In the Final Round, each player will receive $100,000 in tournament chips and the minimum bet will be $1,000 and the maximum bet of $100,000 in increments of $1,000.

    For each Round before the Final Round, each player will receive $25,000 in tournament chips with a minimum bet of $500 and a maximum bet of $25,000 in increments of $500. In the Final Round each player will receive $100,000 in tournament chips and the minimum bet will be $1,000 and the maximum bet of $100,000 in increments of $1,000.
  8. Betting: A rotating marker will be used to determine the betting and playing order at each table. The seating position will be determined by a random draw prior to the play of the first hand. The marker will always start at seat #1 and will rotate one position clockwise around the table. Betting will proceed in a clockwise rotation beginning with the position occupied by the marker. Players must bet in order. Each player must place their desired bet before each hand begins within the time limit specified (See Section 12). Once the hand is over, the dealer will pay winners and collect from losing hands. At the end of any hand, if a player has a total amount of chips that is less than the table minimum wager, then that person is immediately Eliminated from the tournament and unable to compete in any further hands for that event.
  9. Dealing: The dealer will deal from a 6-deck shoe with cards shuffled after every hand. The dealer will deal both initial cards face-up to the players and the dealer will receive one card up and one down. All double-down cards and second cards on split aces will be dealt face-down. All second cards on any other split pairs will be dealt face up.
  10. General Rules: The general rules of casino blackjack will be in force. Specifically, the dealer must hit on soft 17 or below and stand on hard 17 and above. Players may split and re-split up to four hands, except on aces, which may be split only once and receive one card down on each ace. Players may double down any first two cards including after split. Late surrender and insurance are available. In the event that the player has a blackjack and dealer shows an ace, the player must have chips to make an insurance bet. Insurance pays 2 to 1 and the player may wager up to one-half (1/2) their original bet.
  11. Blackjack: A blackjack (“natural”) is a total hand value of 21 in the first two cards. A player will be paid three to two (3 to 2) on blackjack unless the dealer has blackjack also, which will be considered a push. If the player splits a pair of aces or 10-valued cards and makes a two card 21, it does not count as a blackjack. A player may elect to double down on a blackjack instead of taking three to two (3 to 2).
  12. Player Time Limits: Play of the hands must be completed within the time limits specified. Players have twenty-five (25) seconds on any non-elimination hand. Players have forty-five (45) seconds on any elimination hand (hand 8, 16, and 25) and on the thirtieth (30th) hand of the round. Using the secret bet button does not extend your time. If a player does not place a bet within the allotted time, the bet will automatically be the minimum. If the player does not act on a hand within the allotted time, the hand will automatically stand.
  13. Secret Bet: Each player has the option of placing one “Secret Bet” per Tournament Round. When the Secret Bet is used for the wagering portion of a hand, the player may also choose insurance and double down wagers or surrender and stand actions, secretly by selecting these options from the Secret Bet menu. At the end of the hand, after the dealer has completed play, the amount of the Secret Bet and any subsequent hand playing action will be revealed.

    If a player wishes to split on a Secret Bet, the player must have an equal or greater amount of chips relative to their original bet to split. If you don’t have enough to chips to split, you won’t be given the option.

    If a player wishes to double down on a Secret Bet, the player may select the option from the secret bet menu. The player may double for the table minimum up to the full amount of the original wager.

    If a player wishes to conceal their action on a Secret Bet of not taking any hit cards as being either a stand or a surrender, the player may do so by denoting their decision of this option as selected from the Secret Bet menu.
  14. Elimination Hands: Each Elimination Hand (8,16,25) must result in one player being eliminated after the hand is completed regardless of whether a player was eliminated on a previous hand or if the player was eliminated at the beginning of an Elimination Hand for not having the minimum bet. The eliminated player will be the one with the lowest amount of chips when the hand is completed. Additionally, any player who does not have enough chips to make the minimum bet on any hand will be eliminated.

    NOTE: When players tie for low on an Elimination Hand and those players are in contention for an advancing spot, a playoff will be held between those players to see who is eliminated (See Section 15).
  15. Playoffs: At the conclusion of Elimination Hands 8, 16, and 25, the player with the lowest total value of remaining chips will be eliminated. If two or more players are tied for the lowest total value of remaining chips, a playoff will be held. The number of hands in the playoff will be equal to the number of players tied at the beginning of the playoff. At the beginning of the playoff, the tied players will start with an amount equal to 20 times the value of the minimum bet. The first bettor in the playoff shall be the player who is naturally positioned to be next following the preceding hand. If any player(s) are still tied for low chip count at the end of the playoff, those remaining players start the playoff sequence again.

    After the playoff is completed, the remaining player(s) will begin the next hand with the same amount of chips they had prior to the playoff. Players cannot gain or lose chips during the playoff.
  16. Prize Pool: Prize pool will be determined based on number of entries times the amount of the buy in. The percentage paid to the various spots will be determined by the Tournament Director and posted in the tournament details at the start of the tournament.
Good luck and have fun!
 
I'm On

Not played a game yet but I have registered.

When I messed up my date of birth it asked me to contact customer services if I was over 120 years old.

Funny!!!

Andy
 
So far, there are 101 players registered for the 4 PM Eastern tournament.
$1.10 entry fee, with a $600 prize pool. Limited to 200 entries.
First place pays $204.15. UltimateBet.com
 
This one just kicked off with 137 players. Not bad for their second open tournament ever!

UPDATE: I'm out in record time, either the first or second player eliminated in the entire tournament. I won a minimum bet on hand 1, and then lost hands 2,3,4 and 5. That's one thing about elimination style tourneys. If you have a losing streak early, you just aren't gonna make it. :-)
 
Last edited:
KenSmith said:
I'll have a more complete post about this later today, but you can go ahead and get going immediately. Register an account and signup, and there are multi-table tourneys scheduled for this afternoon, at 1 PM and 4 PM Eastern.
Click to expand...

Will they have tournaments at other times? I work 6AM Central to 5PM Central M-T so I can't play at those times. I'd like to play in the tournaments but would need it at a time I can play.

I'll register tonight and see if I can find that way also.
 
They just posted a $1000 freeroll for tonight at 7 PM Eastern, that can handle up to 800 players. It just appeared on the schedule, and there are already 137 people signed up. Look for more events popping up all the time.

There are also Sit and Gos for 7, 14, or 21 players.
 
Action Stations!

If you crave online TBJ action get over to UB because they are lining up to play!

Cheers

Reachy

Ps. I haven't won yet and watch out for the "autobet" button!
 
Last edited:
KenSmith said:
They just posted a $1000 freeroll for tonight at 7 PM Eastern, that can handle up to 800 players. It just appeared on the schedule, and there are already 137 people signed up. Look for more events popping up all the time.

There are also Sit and Gos for 7, 14, or 21 players.
Click to expand...

I'll check it out tonight when I get home. Unfortunately it's usually after 7 PM Central when I get home so I'm expecting to miss a lot of them.

And now Wednesday are bad anyway since my bowling league starts tonight.
 
I'm $1 up!

Just played my first game, a 7-person, £1 + 0.10 S&Go.

Lots of over-betting early on; by the first elimination round there were only three of us left.

It was down to two by the second elimination round, and I was a slight BR1 and acting 2nd. My opponent used his secret bet; I kept the low and lost to a BJ. :rolleyes:

My first impressions are that I quite like it. The interface will take a while to get used to, as will the quirks of this format. The more wild players dropping out early was actually quite problematic; I kept thinking I was safe for the next elimination round, only to find myself in last place again due to people disappearing.
 
Anyone earned any 'Ultimate Points' yet?

I've played a few $1 games and my account still shows 0.00 points.

I'm wondering if they are only awarded in poker; I would probably lose more than I would gain if I tried to convert my pending bonus $$$ into real money by playing poker. :sad:
 
No points for BJ

London Colin said:
I've played a few $1 games and my account still shows 0.00 points.

I'm wondering if they are only awarded in poker; I would probably lose more than I would gain if I tried to convert my pending bonus $$$ into real money by playing poker. :sad:
Click to expand...
The following quote is from the FAQ list on the Support page for Elimination Blackjack.
Can I earn Ultimate Points when playing in Elimination Blackjack Games?
Currently, you cannot earn UltimatePoints™ when playing EBJ. This will be added in a future release. Be sure to watch your e-mail for ongoing updates!
Click to expand...

--jr
 
Jackaroo,

Sorry, I somehow missed your reply until today. Thanks for that.

I actually gained a solitary UltimatePoint at the month end, apparently awarded for time spent playing (but this might have been from briefly visiting a poker table as a spectator).

I also managed to win 80 points in a freeroll poker tournament recently (despite being the world's worst poker player :D ).

However, my bonus dollars remain unaffected. I suspect that all UltimatePoints are not created equal and only those awarded due to bets in poker cash games or buyins in poker tournaments count towards redeeming your bonus.
 
Another reason to play on Bet21...

Bonus dollars as a result of blackjack AND poker play!

from Bet21.com website:

"You can convert bonus dollars by playing in Elimination Blackjack™ and poker tournaments and Sit 'n' Gos. Bonus dollars will be converted to real money for play on the site at the rate of $1 for every 30 Bet21 points you earn at our Elimination Blackjack and poker tournaments and Sit 'n' Gos. Bonus dollars will be converted to real money for play on the site at the rate $1 per every ten Bet21 points you earn at our Raked Poker Ring Games table."


See you at the tables!

-hd.
 
Hollywood said:
Bonus dollars will be converted to real money for play on the site at the rate of $1 for every 30 Bet21 points you earn at our Elimination Blackjack and poker tournaments and Sit 'n' Gos.
Click to expand...

One more piece of information is needed, the earning rate. One earns 6 Bet21 points per $1 of entry fee. So, this equates to $1 bonus per $5 of entry fee.
 
Well it seems like the play on Bet21.com has definitely improved. When elimination blackjack (EBJ) first came out I remember there were sit-n-go tables that only tooth 5 minutes before they were over. Those poker players were used to going all-in and boy did they.

Lately however, the number of players has decreased and the level of play has increased. I was in the 8 pm tourney on Wednesday night and it lasted until 10:20 and I missed the 10 pm tourney. That was unheard of just two weeks ago. Seems that the learning curve for some players is definitely shrinking.

Last night I was playing on BJ21.com and when you doubled down they deal the card up vs. down in EBJ and boy does that one thing change how I played. Allowing you to dd for less is a great feature and the pace of the game is good on Bet21 – not too fast and not too slow. Overall I’m very pleased with EBJ and I look forward to learning more and more.
 
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