How to Play Elimination Blackjack - Rules of Tournament

Elimination Blackjack is not very difficult to play if you already know the games of blackjack and poker: these two games combined are the origins of Elimination Blackjack. Remember also that this blackjack variant has a tournament format, so some tournament blackjack rules also have a place to be here; your aim will be not only to beat a dealer but also stay the last at your blackjack table by beating all other players too. So, if a dealer beats you, nevertheless, you have a chance to become a winner of Elimination Blackjack tournament.

So, what are the tournament blackjack rules?

As well as any other game, Elimination Blackjack has its rules; being a combination of conventional blackjack and Texas Hold’em (a variant of standard poker), elimination blackjack holds some rules of both these games though there is nothing very difficult here.

Try to remember:

1. Elimination Blackjack is played with a shoe of 6 decks.
2. No more than 7 players can be at the table while playing Elimination Blackjack.
3. Elimination Blackjack is a 30-hand tournament: some of these 30 hands are to be “elimination” ones.
4. Each player has 25 seconds for making a decision; 45 seconds are given if it is an “elimination” hand.
5. Each player has one Secret Bet: it can be used any time during a game.
6. A player can split his pairs only 4 times during a game (but not Aces).
7. A player should double down two cards.
8. A player can surrender and lose a half of his bet in this case.
9. A casino dealer must stand if he has hard 17 (or more) and hit if he has soft 17 (and less).

What are soft and hard hands?

1.  A player’s bet should be within the min and max limits allowed at the table.

What is an “elimination” hand?

Each player can be eliminated from the tournament if:

• he loses all chips
• he does not have enough chips to make a bet
• he has the lowest amount of chips after a number of hands

There are some hands which are called to be “elimination” ones and after which some players definitely leave the tournament if have the lowest amount of chips. The “elimination” hand is each 8th, 16th and 25th hand of the tournament: during these hands some players leave the game even if another player has been already eliminated in previous hands.

What is Secret Bet?

Secret Bet is allowed to be used by a player only once per game and he can use it any time during a game: other players will not know the amount of this bet till the time that player finishes his hand.

Who is the winner?

The winner of Elimination Blackjack tournament is the one who is left at the table or the one who has more chips after 30 played hands.