blackjack tournament

[Cav57]

If you are thinking on hosting a blackjack tournament I thought I would write about my experience from the other night. This was a group of friends getting together for a good time. We were no doing it to win money but there was a small entry fee and some prize money.

I held a blackjack tournament for 14 people ( 2 tables of 7)

I only have one blackjack  table
I used a shoe with 8 decks. ( I didn't want to shuffle during the tournament )
Started with $4,000 in chips.
Minimum  bet was $100
No maximum bet.
Each round was 21 deals
Dealer button moved after each hand
After the 20th hand a chip count was taken and announced.
The 21th hand was a secret bet written on a piece of paper and place in the betting circle.
The top three money winners went on to the final table.
Money won in the  preliminary is brought forward.
No extra money given to the players at the final table.
Final table was 6 players only.
Same rules as the preliminary rounds.

I used:
an 8 deck shoe
a discard rack
all $100 chips. (but had $25 chips for when needed)
a cheap 6 deck card shuffling machine. (it worked out ok)
I used a 21 chips number 1 - 21 as the dealer button. (that was I kept count on what hand we were on  and who plays first)

What I thought would happen.

35 minute round.
everyone knew how to play blackjack
everything would run smoothly.

What happen:

45 minute rounds, as there was a lot of talking and joking around.
most people who played knew the basic but did not know things like staying on 14 when the dealer shows a 6 up. 
Too much time wasted waiting for the finals
Basically it did run smoothly.
Everyone seemed to have a good time.  (the beer helped too)

What I would change:

Use two set a cards 6 decks each.
Have help with the shuffling.  ( have a non player shuffle the new shoes cards)
I would have the overall top 6 money winners go to the finals (not just from each table)
I would try to have two preliminary tables going at the same time (that is, if I could find another good dealer)
I'm thinking on paying a blackjack double instead of 3-2 ( so I don't have to fool with the $25 chips.) Not sure on this one yet

Would I run a blackjack tournament again?  Yes, because it was a lot of fun and it is a good social game.

What do you think ? Opinions, comments?

[KPrather]

I'm thinking on paying a blackjack double instead of 3-2 ( so I don't have to fool with the $25 chips.) Not sure on this one yet

I deal a blackjack tournament at the casino where I work, and this is what we do. If you pay someone $150 on their $100 blackjack, and then they bet $125 and get another blackjack, you're stuck.

As for players deviating from basic strategy, that's in some ways what's great about a blackjack tournament. Based on the size of your bet vs. the other players' bets, you might WANT to screw up the hand. Also, if you have a big bet riding, you have to be able to compensate for other players' plays. All of this psychology is why I absolutely love blackjack tournaments.

[Martini]

If you don't want to mess around with smaller denominations on a 3:2 payout then you could always just round down and leave it up to the player if they want to bet in an increment where they would get shorted if they made blackjack.