What is Elimination Blackjack?

If you’ve ever heard of the World Series of Poker then there’s a good chance that you know what it did for the game. It led to increased levels of excitement and brought a whole new audience to this card game. It’s the success of the World Series of Poker that we have to thank for the creation of Elimination Blackjack.

This variant of the classic blackjack game is hugely popular both online and at land-based casinos. If you’ve yet to give it a try, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Read on as we explore just what this game has to offer and why you should be playing yourself.

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Elimination Blackjack

The origins of Elimination Blackjack

We’ve already said that we have the World Series of Poker to thank for the existence of Elimination Blackjack, but this is perhaps even truer than many people realize. That’s because it was the 1994 WSOP winner, Russ Hamilton, who actually created the game. He had a vision of creating the ultimate blackjack tournament in a format that would be similar to WSOP. 

Hamilton already had a huge understanding of blackjack and he used this knowledge to tweak the game. This led to a variant where players were forced to play more aggressively and at pace. These changes were introduced as Hamilton believed that they would make for better viewing when it came to TV audiences. He was right.

In 2006, his idea saw the light of day as The Ultimate Blackjack Tour appeared on the CBS Sports show. The Elimination variant was an instant hit and viewing figures were far beyond what anyone had expected. Hamilton himself never really benefited from this success. His involvement in a betting scandal saw him fall from grace, but his creation remained hugely popular. 

Let´s start with Elimination Blackjack basics

The good news for players of regular blackjack is that the majority of the rules here are exactly the same. That means that it’s extremely easy to learn and experienced players can pick it up in an instant. The only differences are the slight tweaks that were made to ensure that the game was even more exciting for TV viewers at home. 

As you’d find with the traditional game, the dealer is there to represent the house and there can be as many as 7 players at the table. The two main differences can be found firstly by looking at the minimum and maximum limits and secondly by looking at who players are trying to beat. Usually, this game is all about beating the dealer. In Elimination Blackjack, players compete against each other to take the main prize. The main prize is usually significant down to the fact that the minimum buy-in is usually set at $10,000.

A closer look at the gameplay

The minimum buy-in level is similar to what you’d find with a poker tournament. Once you’re in, each player will receive an equal amount of chips. Depending on the exact tournament you’re entering, you could find the minimum buy-in rising from $10,000 all the way up to $100,000. Generally, there is no upper betting limit. The winner is the player who has the biggest stack of chips after a full 30 hands have been played. 

The actions that you take will be different to those that you’d take in a regular game. That’s because you’re not just against the dealer. The need to emerge with the most chips means that you need to have an awareness of what other players are doing. The number of chips that they have, as well as the amount that they’re betting, will have an impact on what you decide to do. Basic strategy is still a must, but it gets a little more complicated in this game. 

The hands

Players don’t get a say when it comes to seating positions. Whereas in a usual casino, players can be tactical when it comes to choosing a seat, in Elimination Blackjack it’s the tournament director that tells you where you’ll be positioned for the game. It is not always the player in the first seat that starts the game. The table features a button and the player who has this next to them is the one that goes first.

As the game plays out, it looks pretty much the same as a regular game of blackjack. Players have the options to hit, stand, split or double. Dealers must stand on 17 and hit on 16. There may be occasions when the blackjack rules will allow the dealer to hit on soft 17

The elimination aspect

Elimination Blackjack takes its name based on the fact that there are eliminations in the game. The first thing that could lead to a player being eliminated could be that they have no chips left. It could be that a player has fewer chips than other players when they reach rounds 8, 16 or 25. That’s why if you look like you’re behind at these points your only option is to go all in and this really adds to the excitement of this casino game.

Elimination Blackjack payouts

Elimination Blackjack comes with the standard 3:2 payout for a blackjack. The only exception to this is if the dealer also has blackjack. If this happens then there’s a push. As with other variants of the game, insurance pays out at 2:1 if it transpires that the dealer has blackjack.

Remember, when it comes to winning this game, you need to have the most chips at the end of 30 rounds. This means that you need to take care when placing your bets and sometimes smaller ones will be the best option. 

Final thoughts 

You will find that the majority of online casinos offer some form of Elimination Blackjack. That being said, it’s live casino tournaments when this game really comes into its own. These tournaments are best suited to high rollers and the tweaks to the rules lead to one of the most exciting games that exist. 

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