BJX is a great game for home play. Tournaments are especially fun, and since more people know the basics of 21 than poker, you can widen your social circle by hosting this brand new game. Our test games reveal BlackJack eXtreme to be very popular with women and couples who normally avoid playing poker.
The tournament can be set up for any number of players. 6-9 at a table is a comfortable number. You can use 2 decks and a “shoe”, or a single deck with more shuffles. The blind bets, made before the deal, will increase on a regular basis.
Increasing the blinds propels the game toward a resolution. Players are forced to work with the cards they’re dealt or go broke waiting for the perfect hand (just like poker). The blind structure suggested by the chart below, works well with increases every 10 to 20 minutes. You can purchase “dealer buttons” with built-in timer to keep track. We recommend using only two levels of blinds, the large and the small at first. More experienced players can also use the middle blind to increase control over their chip stack. Once the top level is reached just double the blinds every new level.
We like to limit the tournament to less than two hours by speeding up the increase structure to five minutes per level. You can also do this at a predetermined blind level.
Two common mistakes are raising on a pat hand – requiring at least one card and turning over the hidden cards prematurely. We like to keep it friendly and work around the mistakes. Just like blackjack.
You can play the game with the cards and chips you already have, but we find you will want to start with a stack of about 2,000 or more. You can “color up” as the game progresses. Our blind charts are even numbers so the 3:2 win for blackjack or the ½ surrender can be more easily paid.
A good place to find chips, cards, shoes and blind-timer dealer buttons is www.pokergamingsupplies.com.
You can download a pdf of the complete rules and blind chart. We welcome your comments and suggestions. You can use the contact us form to email us.
Have fun.
| Blind Bets | |||
| Small Blind | Medium Blind | Big Blind | |
| Level 1 | 20 | 40 | 60 |
| Level 2 | 40 | 80 | 120 |
| Level 3 | 60 | 120 | 180 |
| Level 4 | 80 | 160 | 240 |
| Level 5 | 100 | 200 | 300 |
| Level 6 | 150 | 300 | 450 |
| Level 7 | 200 | 400 | 600 |
| Level 8 | 250 | 500 | 750 |
| Level 9 | 300 | 600 | 900 |
| Level 10 | 400 | 800 | 1,200 |
| Level 11 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,500 |
| Level 12 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| Level 13 | 2,500 | 5,000 | 7,500 |
| Level 14 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 15,000 |
