In the new elimination-style format used by the Ultimate Blackjack Tour (UBT), the lowest bankroll player is eliminated after hand 8, hand 16, and hand 25.  Those hands can be pretty stressful, especially if you're among the lower bankrolls heading into the hand.  But even the higher ranked bankrolls can be at risk.  This month I want to focus on ways that you can plan ahead to get a "free ride" on an elimination hand.

In last months issue of BJI, I talked about some key ideas that are important in Elimination Blackjack, and one of the most important is the observation that "Hovering near the back of the pack is deadly!" It only takes a few elimination-style rounds to learn the importance of not being in last place heading into an elimination hand. Otherwise, you'll often find that the entire table will make a large enough bet to cover your all-in win, and you're forced to hope for the much less likely "swing" outcome, where you win while they lose. Attempting to stay out of last place often means making large bets or even going all-in a hand or two before the elimination hand to improve your position.

In this article I want to focus on the other end of the spectrum, and talk about how to play from a strong bankroll position as an elimination hand approaches. Being in the chip lead doesn't automatically mean you're safe on an elimination hand, and your risk is increased if you are in early position on or near the button. At times like that, it's a real relief to see...

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