Daily and weekly tournaments are held during the week to attract players into the casino. Daily tournaments usually have a modest entry fee. In some cases you may even find a free tournament although these are not as common as the free slot tournaments.
Invitational tournaments are sometimes held as a reward or comp for loyal players. These are by invitation only and are not open to the general public. Some of these last two or three days and include free lodging.
Before you enter a tournament here are some things to consider.
What are the prizes?
If you have to pay an entry fee you want to know how much money will be returned to the players. The best paid tournaments to enter are the ones that give back all the entry fees in the form of prizes. The majority of the entry fees should be returned to the players. Casinos hold tournaments to attract players into their establishments. They will be making money from additional play made by the entrants. If the tournament is free the prize money should be enough to justify your time to play. Is the prize money guaranteed? Casinos should list the prizes and make this information available before your enter. You can take a look at the prize structure of a tournament and determine how much is being returned to the players. If the tournament is free you need to assess if it is worth your time to participate.
What are the rules?
How many rounds will be played and how long will they last. Not all tournaments are run the same way and you want to make sure you know all the rules before you start. Tournaments that last a few days usually have a Welcome Party where all the rules are given to the players. I suggest that you find out ahead of time what the rules and prizes are before you travel to play in a tournament. If the promoters are hesitant about giving you all the rules up front, you may want to pass on a tournament.
How Much Time Is Involved?
You should know how much time it will take. Some tournaments have you play an early round to qualify with the final rounds later in the day. This is done to ensure that you will stick around and play while you are waiting for next round of the tournament.
What is the cost?
Will you be using your own money or will you be given tournament chips? Tournaments that use chips give each player a certain amount of starting chips. These tournaments have a fixed cost. Some of the blackjack tournaments require the player to use their own money.
Registering to play.
Some tournaments let you sign up day in advance but most of the smaller ones have registration a few hours before the tournament starts. The first thing and you will do is visit the registration table. This is where you will pay your entry fee and receive your time and table assignment. You should have already read the rules but this is a good time to take another look at them. If you have any questions about the rules this is the time to ask, not after the tournament has begun.