 
| ||
|
|
|
TOURNAMENT BASICS:
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
by Kenneth R Smith
Tournament expert Ken Smith has appeared on all four seasons of GSN's World Series of Blackjack, and had several appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS. He is the author of the e-book.
How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Supercharge Your Game. Ken hosts the popular website www.BlackjackInfo.com as well as the online tournament community at www.BlackjackTournaments.com. You can subscribe to his free email newsletter at http://www.blackjackinfo.com/news/. Ken also recently released his new pocket blackjack strategy cards, which are available in our BJI store.In the early 2000s, the tournament world was a busy place. Blackjack tournaments were everywhere, and avid players had to pick and choose between competing events. Little did we know then that the party was ending, at least temporarily. The reasons for the decline are difficult to state with certainty but the economy was a big factor. Formerly generous prize pools decreased in size, and fewer events were worth the travel expense. It takes a lot more EV to make expenses when those costs include airfare and a rental car.
Interest in tournaments was down, and many casinos were not happy with the amount of side play they were getting from the participants. In addition, the big newcomer to the tournament scene, Ultimate Blackjack Tour, fell prey to legislation in 2006 that killed their business model, which was funded by online play.
For all these reasons, my travel itinerary became quiet. In recent years, I haven't flown anywhere specifically to compete in a blackjack tournament. Yes, I've taken in a few events on casino trips, but I miss the days of planning events three months out to make sure the schedule works.
That's why I've been particularly pleased to see some improvement in the schedule lately. It is a gradual thing, but I do see an increase in the number of events being offered. The Tunica markets and the Midwest area have been hosting regular events of at least medium size. Other venues around the country, where events were either missing or strictly invitational, are getting back into the tournament scene with open events. Will the trend continue? Who knows? If players support these events, I think we may well be on the brink of a tournament recovery (I hope so).
The time seemed right for me to get involved in tournament travel again, and I picked the recent...
...enter your member login information below to read this article/newsletter...
Paid Members-Only Article
You have clicked on a link to a Blackjack Insider web page or article for paid subscribers. You must have a paid membership to the Blackjack Insider newsletter to view this content. About 1/2 of the articles in each issue of the Blackjack Insider are for paid members only, while the rest are viewable by everyone. Your purchased membership will allow you to read all Blackjack Insider articles for 12 months.
Enter your user name and password below (they were listed and e-mailed to you after you purchased your Blackjack Insider membership):
Forgot your membership id or password? Click here.
How do I get a membership?
A membership can be purchased online at our secure store with your credit card for only $19.95 per year. You will receive a user name and password immediately by e-mail which you can use to read the all past and future members-only articles for 12 months, as well as the regular free articles.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP NOW... only $19.95
Do I have to buy a membership?
No. Blackjack Insider will continue to be published as a free monthly e-newsletter. But about 1/2 of the articles each month will be for paid members only. Subscribers without a membership can still view and read the non-members articles for free.
What happens after I buy a membership?
Immediately after you complete your purchase, you will receive a unique login user name and password. These are displayed on the final purchase page, and are e-mailed to you. When you click on a members-only article in our web site, you will be prompted for this user name and password (as shown above). Simply enter them, and enjoy the article! Note: make sure you turn on the checkbox above when you login, to save the user name and password so that you don't have to re-enter them every time you view members-only articles.
Why did you switch to paid memberships?
Blackjack Insider is a professional monthly publication with top-notch articles by world-reknown gaming experts. In addition, we have regular reporters that monitor game conditions and tournament schedules throughout North America. We use a partially paid subscriber model to enable us to continue getting the best content for our readers from leading authors on blackjack and gaming.
|
|
©2015, DeepNet Technologies. No material to be copied without express permission of DeepNet Technologies.
This site developed by
DeepNet Technologies, Ontario, Canada. Contact webmaster @ bjinsider . com
if you have problems.
This site is best viewed in a 800x600 graphics mode, or higher.