Online Blackjack Tournaments

I’ve told you that this is my new favorite place to play online blackjack tournaments. I like it because this is the style of blackjack tournament that I enjoy playing.

It’s one thing to be betting against the dealer with the abstract idea such as a high score as your objective. It’s quite another to go toe to toe with other blackjack players as you try to determine how you bet in order to be one of the three highest scores in a group of 6.

I’m going to make this a pretty extensive post; and the reason for this is because I have seen some people have some confusion while playing in these blackjack tournaments. So I will go through the process from registering to playing to winning.

Registering at 5Dimes

This is the first step. Click here to go to 5Dimes. You will see a link in the upper-righthand corner that says Register Here. You are going to be asked the usual questions (name, address, etc) so you can set up an account.

You can play 5dimes software for free and they do have freeplay blackjack tournaments, but the next step in my example is to make a deposit. You can deposit between $50 and $500 at one time. When you try to make a deposit, you may be asked some verification questions such as “Do you recognize a street that is near you?” or “How long have you lived at your address?” or other questions that should be hard information to find.

You will be given an account number that starts with 5Dxxxxxxx. You are going to want to remember this. Put in your password and press enter. Don’t worry about the drop-down selection as you will be taken to the main screen for your account.

At the top of your account screen, you will see the main categories. You are going to want to select the Casino category and go to blackjack tournaments, which is at the bottom of the list. You will then see the following screen:

The next thing that you do is select the green Lobby button. Where you will be transported to this screen:

You will have to create a screen name in order to create your tournament profile with 21Gnet which is the company that runs the tournament software. If you select a username that is used, you will receive an error. Just select another name and click create again.

5Dimes Blackjack Tournament Lobby

Here is a picture of the lobby as you will first see it:

Notice how it shows the single table tournaments by default. You can play at one of the single table tournaments, but the tournaments that I am looking for are the Multi Table blackjack tournaments. Click on the Multi Tournament button to see the different tournaments being held.

There are multiple tournaments every day to play. You will be able to see how much time you have left to register for a tournament. Once registration is complete, you will have 10 minutes before the tournament starts.

Registering for a Blackjack Tournament

Click on any tournament that has not started and you will see the screen above. The important information to be aware of is the time left and the entry fee for the tournament. To register for a tournament, click the Register in this Tournament button on the left side of the screen. This section will change to let you know that you are now registered for the tournament.

When the time expires on the registration, you will see this screen in the tournament lobby. You will then have to wait approximately 10 minutes before the tournament starts. The table that you will be seated at is highlighted in light green along with a yellow player icon. Click on that table and click the Join button in the middle of the screen.

One important thing to note for the screenshot above: In the right hand side of the screen, you will see the blackjack tournament structure. The first table you play at will be Level 1, which has no payouts and only 2 players advance to the next level in this example. Under that, if you make it to Level 2, only three of the remaining six players will win money in this tournament with the majority of the money going to the top player. This info will differ between tournaments.

You will now see where you are sitting at your table. The important things to notice are the starting chips (usually 2000), the number of rounds or hands to be played (usually 5, 10 or 15) and the Min and Max bet at a table. This is all really important information when it comes to betting. You can also click the Lobby button in the upper-right corner of the screen to go back to the tournament lobby.

Back in the tournament lobby, you can see which table you are at under the section labeled My Tables. Click on the green box with your table number to go back to your tournament table.

When the time to wait for the tournament is over, you will see a Countdown to start. The blackjack tournament is now about to begin.

Playing in a Blackjack Tournament

The first thing that you will see is the dealer shuffling the deck. Every player will be dealt a card to see who will be given First Base, which means the person who will be betting first in the initial round.

You will receive a prompt to bet. You will have a total of 20 seconds to place a bet; if you do not make a bet in time, you will automatically place the minimum bet for the round. You can either click on the chips and press bet. You can bet Max, bet your Last bet, or Clear your bet if you want to change the amount you want to bet.

When it is your time to play, you will see the bar pictured above. You can double down or surrender at any time as long as you have not already hit. You can split any two 10′s, but otherwise you can only split pairs.

You will be offered a chance to take insurance if the dealer is showing an ace, but not when the dealer shows a 10 and has an ace in the hole.

When you get close to the end of the level of a tournament, watch for people making large bets in order to catch up. Depending on whether 2 or 3 people advance to the next round, you may also want to make a large bet.

For more information about betting, visit the blackjack tournament strategy page.

If you qualify for the 2nd round, you will go back to the tournament lobby. There you will see if any of the other tables are still playing. You can click on a table still in progress and press Join to watch or you can wait for all tables to finish. Once all tables are finished playing, you will be able to enter the new combined table. Players will have a minute before the next round begins.

If you cannot play in the tournament after you register, you will have until the 7th hand in a 10 round tournament or the 12th hand in a 15 round tournament to return. After that, you will be disqualified and will not be eligible to play in the next round.

At the end of the last round of the final table, you will see the winners results and see the amount won by each player.

Cashing Out

Let’s not forget about the importance of cashing out. For players in the United States, your options are limited as far as taking money out of your account. I have the payout methods open so you can see the choices. Unfortunately, players in the US cannot use Money Bookers, NETeller, InstaDebit or Click2Pay.

In order to request a Bank Wire, you must withdraw at least $1501. In order to request Fed Ex, you must withdraw at least $1001.

If neither of those are options, you should choose the ACH or Electronic Check.

You are going to need to provide your banks routing number and account number as well as the Bank name and address. There is a $25 fee for using this method.

On your first withdrawal, you will also need to fill out this verification form which 5dimes will send to your email address. This only needs to be complete once upon your first withdrawal request.