Basic EBJ Strategy

Elimination Blackjack tournament strategy differs from traditional blackjack in that your primary objective is to beat the other players. Even if you lose to the dealer you can still win an Elimination Blackjack tournament by losing less than your opponents. EBJ tournament strategy can be very complicated, but understanding a few basic concepts will take you a long way.

• Bet your money - The most important thing to remember is that it's generally better to be aggressive than timid. That is, betting more is usually better than betting less—especially for beginners and when playing EBJ tournaments. The all-in move in particular can serve beginners well, as an all-in win often provides a lead that forces the other players to win big bets to catch up. As the pros like to say, "When in doubt, put it out."
• Be aware of position - Acting after an opponent is advantageous, so monitor the players nearest to your right (whom you will bet after most often). In Elimination Blackjack tournaments, where only the low chip count will be eliminated on Elimination Hands, you can gain a big edge simply by staying ahead of one of the players to the right (you can match his bet if you are ahead).
• Calculate the button - This is another positional consideration. At the start of a tournament, after an opponent busts out, or after an Elimination Hand, you should count the hands till the next Elimination or final hand to determine your betting position. If you will be betting early on the next important hand, you should be more aggressive leading up to it. If you will be one of the later bettors, you can play a little more cautiously.
• Count chips - One of the most important aspects of tournament play is being able to count chips. Count the chips as often as you can to help formulate your bets in live tournaments, and pay attention to the provided counts when playing online.
• Be willing to make unconventional plays - You must be prepared to make plays you wouldn't make playing regular blackjack, especially on Elimination Hands or the last hand of a tournament. This might involve splitting tens or doubling on a hard 19. If you need more chips to advance, then make the play. Remember, you're not playing blackjack, you're playing tournament blackjack.
• Secret Bets - The strategic advantage to the Secret Bet is that no other player can see the amount you bet until the end of the hand. Because other players formulate bets based on what they see at the table, the Secret Bet can be used tactically during a crucial Elimination Hand and can be a powerful move when you must bet early, because you leave opponents no option but to guess at what you have done. The Secret Bet gives players an option that is familiar to poker tournaments—the option to bluff!
• Surrender - Players may elect to forfeit half of their original bet after seeing their original two cards, provided the dealer does not have a natural. This is called "late surrender." While many tournaments do not offer surrender, Elimination Blackjack tournaments at ClubWPT, which can open up a grab bag of options for savvy players.
• Double Down - In a tournament, a double down is often used to get more money into play, especially during an Elimination Hand or the final hand of a tournament.
• Splitting - Similar to doubling, splitting pairs is a good way for tournament players to get more money into play.

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Sit & Go Elimination Blackjack Rules

• These are single- and multi-table tournaments that begin as soon as the set number of players has registered.
• Once registered for an event, players may unregister at any time up until all seats are filled, and receive a refund of any Tournament Points or Play Chips used to register.
• Players are seated at random. Seat changes are not allowed.
• All players begin with equal chip amounts.
• The minimum and maximum bets are set according to the Elimination Blackjack tournaments structure posted on the site.
• The button is assigned to the player in seat #1 at the start of a round.
• Tournaments are played for 30 hands or until one player remains.
• Players who do not act during their turn will be forced to place the minimum bet and/or stand, and will be sat out.
• Players who do not act for five consecutive hands will be eliminated.
• The general rules of casino blackjack will be in force. Specifically, the dealer must hit on soft 17 or less and stand on all hard 17s or more. Players may split and resplit up to four hands, except on aces, which may be split only once. Players receive one card, face down, on each ace. Players may double down with any first two cards, including after a split. Late surrender and insurance are available.
• In the event that the player has a natural (blackjack) and the dealer shows an ace, the player must have enough chips to make an insurance bet in order to be paid even money on the hand. Insurance pays 2-1 and the player may take insurance for up to one-half the original bet.
• To split, the player must have an equal or greater amount of chips (relative to the original bet) to split.
• Each player has the option of placing one Secret Bet per tournament round. The player may use the Secret Bet for the wagering portion of a hand.  The player may also choose secret insurance and double-down wagers or secret surrender and stand actions. 
• If the player uses the Secret Bet only on the playing portion of a hand, after placing a bet in the open, it will constitute the full use of the option and that player will not be allowed further Secret Bets during the play of that round.
• At the conclusion of any hand, if a player’s total chips are less than the table-minimum wager, that player will be eliminated from the tournament.
• Each Elimination Hand must result in one player being eliminated at the conclusion of the hand, regardless of whether another player was eliminated on a previous hand or directly prior to an Elimination Hand for not having enough chips to make the minimum bet. The eliminated player will be the one with the lowest amount of chips when the hand is completed.
• For multi-table tournament, the number of players advancing will be posted in the lower left of the table.
• The button indicates the first player to act, and moves clockwise around the table, one player each hand.
• In tournaments when two players get eliminated in the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips gets the higher finish and awarded the corresponding prize pool for that placement. If the players began the hand with the same amount of chips, they will tie and the prize pools will be combined and equally distributed. (For example, if two people who started a hand with the same number of chips are eliminated at the same time and would be 9th (which pays $60) and 10th (which pays $40), their standings would show tied for 9th and each player would be paid $50)
• A playoff will occur if two or more players are to be eliminated at the end of a hand, and the remaining number of players is less than required to advance to the next round.  Also, a playoff will occur if two players tie for first place at the end of the tournament.
• The number of hands in a playoff will equal the number of players tied at the beginning of the playoff. The tied players will each start with an amount equal to 20 times the value of the minimum bet.  (These chips are not carried over into the hands following the playoff.) The first bettor in the playoff shall be the player who is naturally positioned to act first on the next hand. If players are still tied for low chip count at the end of the playoff, the playoff sequence will be repeated with only the players who have tied in the preceding playoff.
• During game play, players are prohibited from chatting about the play of their hand and/or their opponents' hands until all actions for that hand are complete. Such chat could result in disqualification or other penalties.
• In the event a tournament is cancelled due to technical difficulties at ClubWPT, the remaining players in the event may be given an entry into a substitute event with an equal prize pool, or the prize money may be awarded based on the standings of the players at the time the event stops running.  Club Management will contact the players affected to communicate the decision.
• Soft playing or chip dumping is not allowed. Players involved in these or other unethical activities may be eliminated from a tournament and/or have their accounts terminated.
• ClubWPT reserves the right to alter the rules and make final decisions on all tournament related issues as they arise, and at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
• In case of disputes decisions made by ClubWPT are final.

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Scheduled Multi-Table Elimination Blackjack Rules

• Registration for multi-table Elimination Blackjack tournaments is open until the tournament’s posted start time.\
• Once registered for an event, players may unregister at any time up until 30 minutes prior to the event’s posted starting time, and receive a refund of any Tournament Points or Play Chips used to register.
• Tournament registration must meet the minimum requirement for that event or the tournament will not run, in which case all Tournament Points and/or Play Chips used to buy in will be returned to the players' accounts
• Players are seated at random. Seat changes are not allowed.
• All players begin with equal chip amounts.
• The minimum and maximum bets are set according to the Elimination Blackjack tournament structure posted on the site.
• The button is assigned to the player in seat #1 at the start of a round.
• Tournaments are played for 30 hands or until one player remains.
• Players who do not act during their turn will be forced to place the minimum bet and/or stand, and will be sat out.
• Players who do not act for five consecutive hands will be eliminated.
• The general rules of casino blackjack will be in force. Specifically, the dealer must hit on soft 17 or less and stand on all hard 17s or more. Players may split and resplit up to four hands, except on aces, which may be split only once. Players receive one card, face down, on each ace. Players may double down with any first two cards, including after a split. Late surrender and insurance are available.
• In the event that the player has a natural (blackjack) and the dealer shows an ace, the player must have enough chips to make an insurance bet in order to be paid even money on the hand. Insurance pays 2-1 and the player may take insurance for up to one-half the original bet.
• To split, the player must have an equal or greater amount of chips (relative to the original bet) to split.
• Each player has the option of placing one Secret Bet per tournament round. The player may use the Secret Bet for the wagering portion of a hand.  The player may also choose secret insurance and double-down wagers or secret surrender and stand actions. 
• If the player uses the Secret Bet only on the playing portion of a hand, after placing a bet in the open, it will constitute the full use of the option and that player will not be allowed further Secret Bets during the play of that round.
• At the conclusion of any hand, if a player’s total chips are less than the table-minimum wager, that player will be eliminated from the tournament.
• Each Elimination Hand must result in one player being eliminated at the conclusion of the hand, regardless of whether another player was eliminated on a previous hand or directly prior to an Elimination Hand for not having enough chips to make the minimum bet. The eliminated player will be the one with the lowest amount of chips when the hand is completed.
• For multi-table tournament, the number of players advancing will be posted in the lower left of the table.
• The button indicates the first player to act, and move clockwise around the table, one player each hand.
• In tournaments when two players get eliminated in the same hand, the player who started the hand with the most chips gets the higher finish and awarded the corresponding prize pool for that placement. If the players began the hand with the same amount of chips, they will tie and the prize pools will be combined and equally distributed. (For example, if two people who started a hand with the same number of chips are eliminated at the same time and would be 9th (which pays $60) and 10th (which pays $40), their standings would show tied for 9th and each player would be paid $50)
• A playoff will occur if two or more players are to be eliminated at the end of a hand, and the remaining number of players is less than required to advance to the next round.  Also, a playoff will occur if two players tie for first place at the end of the tournament.
• The number of hands in a playoff will equal the number of players tied at the beginning of the playoff. The tied players will each start with an amount equal to 20 times the value of the minimum bet.  (These chips are not carried over into the hands following the playoff.) The first bettor in the playoff shall be the player who is naturally positioned to act first on the next hand. If players are still tied for low chip count at the end of the playoff, the playoff sequence will be repeated with only the players who have tied in the preceding playoff.
• During game play, players are prohibited from chatting about the play of their hand and/or their opponents' hands until all actions for that hand are complete. Such chat could result in disqualification or other penalties.
• In the event a tournament is cancelled due to technical difficulties at ClubWPT, the remaining players in the event may be given an entry into a substitute event with an equal prize pool, or the prize money may be awarded based on the standings of the players at the time the event stops running.  Club Management will contact the players affected to communicate the decision.
• Soft playing or chip dumping is not allowed. Players involved in these or other unethical activities may be eliminated from a tournament and/or have their accounts terminated.
• ClubWPT reserves the right to alter the rules and make final decisions on all tournament related issues as they arise, and at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
• In case of disputes decisions made by ClubWPT are final.

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