Blackjack Insider Newsletter, August 2003, #43

When you take a seat at a tournament table, you should be armed with a basic strategy of how you plan to approach the game. But there’s one unknown about your round that won’t be settled until you sit down at the table. Seating position can have a big impact on your chances for success in a tournament round. Most tournaments assign seats in a random fashion, by having the player draw from a blind set of seating choices. However, some tournaments allow players to choose their seats. When available, this option can give you an extra edge if you know how to take advantage.

Let’s take a look at why some seats are better than others. There are two main areas in which position matters. First, there’s the impact of the betting button. In tournament play, the first-base button moves around the table, and each player in turn must bet and act in sequence starting at the button. If you’re "on the button", that means you’re forced to choose your bet before the other players, and don’t have the benefit of knowing what they will bet behind you. Also, during play of the hand, you’ll have to play your hand before seeing any of your opponents play. By way of contrast, the player to your immediate right has a considerable advantage on this hand, being able to see all players bet amounts before making a decision.

By rotating the button around the table, each player has a roughly equal number of bets "on the button" and "last to act", as well as everything in between. But, not all hands of a round are of equal importance. In particular, the last hand is usually the determining factor of who advances and who is eliminated. With that in mind, there’s a big advantage to be gained if you manage to be last to act on the final hand.

Want to Read the Rest of this Article?

This article has been included in a new BJI e-book publication called, "How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments" by Kenneth R. Smith...

At last! Blackjack Tournament Pro and BJI columnist Kenneth R. Smith has written his first book, How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments, which summarizes the blackjack tournament strategies contained in his articles from Blackjack Insider (plus three new articles not available anywhere else!). Another BJI professional e-book publication. Ken Smith knows blackjack tournament strategy! And with his new e-book, you too can learn the strategies that Ken has used to become widely regarded as one of the best blackjack tournament players in the world. If you've watched any blackjack tournaments on TV, you've seen Ken demonstrating his skills at the table, including his stunning $50,000 first place finish in the premier episode of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour(tm) on CBS. 98 pages, 21 articles. Only $14.95 (US), available immediately after purchase as an Adobe Acrobat PDF e-book for viewing and printing on your computer. CLICK HERE to order now. NEW! How to Win EVEN MORE Blackjack Tournaments - Volume II is now available! Still only $14.95 for the new e-book, with dozens of new articles!