Introduction to Online Blackjack Tournaments

Blackjack tournaments are structured differently no matter where you play. When they became popular in the late 1970's, they were big-money events at large hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip that attracted thousands of players. They were developed by an entrepreneur named Ed Fishman who later became the founder of Players Club International. After being successful, blackjack tournaments began appearing at casinos everywhere and now at online casinos.

There is a common thread running through all of these blackjack tournaments - they are designed so that the recreational player has as good a chance to win as a skilled blackjack player. The rounds of play in tournaments are short as they are designed to be fast-paced which does not support long-term game play that would normally create a real distinction between expert, intermediate and novice players.

Of course, from a marketing standpoint, that is exactly what the online casinos want to do. They aren't looking to be exclusionary in the way they present their promotions; they are trying to be inclusive. They also don't want people to be intimidated by the prospect of playing in a tournament, so the rules are tailored accordingly.

Online blackjack tournaments bring a new dimension to that way blackjack is played because even though they involve playing against the casino, they also involve competing against the other blackjack players, so even if you lose money to the casino, you can still be the winner of the tournament if you lose less money than the other players.

In short run situations luck is a key factor and when you play online, which is where much of the tournament activity has shifted these days, there is no real room for counting cards, so the advantage between players is relatively level. Certainly, as in all blackjack game, money management is always going to be a critical component, as well as the ability to play Basic Blackjack Strategy. If you understand betting techniques such as catch up betting, you will increase your odds of winning blackjack tournaments online. Finally, if you are able to catch a luck streak, that comes in very handy as well.

Playing in online blackjack tournaments is fairly easy because you can literally go to hundreds of online casinos and find a regular tournament schedule and many of them come with free entry or very minimal entry fees. Simply register a ‘Real Money’ account with a casino and you'll be able to play. There are blackjack tournaments going on 24 hours a day, so if you're so inclined, you're never going to be out of action!