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Blackjack Tournament:
Getting Something for Nothing - Free Hits
Here's a little addition to your blackjack tournament toolbox that can
give you an extra edge in many final hand situations. You may have heard
experienced tournament players talking about a tournament situation where a
player had a "free hit". In this article, we'll see what is meant by that
phrase, and see how you can learn to recognize the situations where it
applies.
Tournament experts sometimes seems to have a language all their own,
using phrases such as "taking the high", "taking the low", "playing for the
swing", or "free hit". Since all of these phrases describe circumstances
important to our topic, let's look at these one by one.
Taking the High: This means you've made a large enough bet so that
if all players win their bets, you'll be in the lead. This is easy to do
when you're in the lead, but may also be an option when you bet behind the
leaders at your table.
Taking the Low: This means you've left enough unbet chips in front
of you so you'll be in the lead if the dealer beats the entire table. By
making a small bet, you hope the dealer has a strong hand, and wipes out
your opponent's larger bets.
Playing for the Swing: This describes playing your hand in such a
way that you increase the likelihood that you will win this bet while your
opponent loses his or her bet. This means you'll be hitting to a higher
total than your opponent, and hoping the dealer ends up in between your
hands.
Free Hit: A free hit is a situation where busting your hand is no
worse than standing with your current total. Therefore, you can safely take
another card, with no cost if the card causes you to bust.
Hopefully, some examples will make each of these concepts clear. In our
examples, imagine a final table featuring only two remaining players, A and
B. Player A is on the button in the example, meaning he must bet and act
before Player B. The tournament allows betting limits of $5 to $500, and
surrender is not available.
Example 1: Player A leads, by a little.
Let's say player A has $1300, and player B has $1100. Player A has two
good choices for his bet. If he chooses to bet at least $455, he is "taking
the high", since no matter what Player B bets he has the bet covered if they
both win. Betting $305 actually takes the high as well, but causes problems
if Player B has a good double-down hand.
If Player A chooses instead to bet $195 or less, he has "taken the low",
by holding back more unbet chips than Player B's bankroll. If Player B
doesn't get paid, Player A wins the round.
If Player B is an experienced tournament player, Player A's chances are
best when he takes the low here, but we're not currently debating the merits
of these two approaches. Instead, we're just illustrating the choices.
Let's assume Player A bet $455 in this case, perhaps because he thought
Player B might make a max-bet behind him. However, let's assume that Player
B was more astute than that, and made an optimal bet of $250. Now Player A
has the high, and Player B has the low.
Player A is dealt a hand of 18 and stands, vs a dealer 6. Player B has a
hard 17. Here's where things get interesting. If Player B stands, he wins if
the dealer makes 19, 20, or 21. Any other result means a win by Player A.
However, this is a textbook example of a free hit opportunity for Player B.
Player B's hand at this point is almost meaningless. He has a hard total of
17, and doubling down has a much lower chance of success than standing. Note
however, that Player B has bet $250, and he trails by only $200. If the
dealer draws out to push Player A's 18, then a single-bet win by B eclipses
A's total. B in this case should hit to a total of at least 19. If he busts,
he's no worse off than he was by standing. If he happens to catch a total of
19, 20 or 21, he now wins if the dealer makes 18 in addition to the already
winning totals of 19,20 and 21.
And that's a "free hit" for sure. Hit the 17, and if you draw an Ace, hit
it again. It's a small extra percentage chance, but it comes at absolutely
no cost.
Example 2: Player A leads, by a lot.
Let's turn up the heat on Player B a bit. Player A has $1800 and Player B
has $1100. Player A should bet at least $305 here, to cover a double-down
max-bet win by B. In fact, since $405 covers a three-bet all-in win by B,
I'd advise that amount. Unfortunately, either of those two bets opens a
small window of opportunity for Player B. Still, it's worth the risk.
Besides, it gives us a chance to illustrate playing for a swing.
So, Player A wagers $405. Player B should bet at least $355, and I like a
max $500 bet because of the benefits of winning $750 with a blackjack. So,
let's assume B bets $500. Now what?
Player A has both the high and the low. If all bets win, he wins. If all
bets lose, he wins. Let's assume the dealer has a 6 up, and Player A stands
with 18. However, this time Player B has a (3,4) for a hard 7. For Player B,
standing has a 0% chance of winning, so eliminate it from the list. Doubling
is no better. The best card you can draw is the Ace, but that unfortunately
only matches A's total of 18.
It is apparent that Player B must hit, and he should hit to exceed A's
total by at least 2 points. In this case, that means hitting to a total of
20 or 21, or bust trying.
B wins if he draws to 20, and the dealer makes exactly 19.
B wins if he draws to 21, and the dealer makes 19 or 20.
This process of hitting to your opponent's total plus two points is
typical of "playing for the swing." Just remember, you must give the dealer
a total on which to land between you and your opponent. It's certainly not
much to get excited about, but it's your only shot.
Keeping your eyes open for similar situations can give you that little
extra edge that makes the difference.
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