If you've ever watched a horse race, you know that there are two types of racers; those who rush out to a quick start to set the pace early on and those who conserve energy for a burst of speed near the finish line. Those who conserve their energy sometimes win because the early front runners wear themselves out in the beginning of the race. When playing in a free online blackjack tournament, stocking up for a sudden burst at the end can prove to be a fruitful strategy.

Setting Up For Success

Many online blackjack tournaments last 20 rounds. Play the first 10 hands as conservatively as possible, but keep track of the top players on the board; don't fall too far behind in the standings. Once the first 10 hands are completed, the men will be more than likely be separated from the boys, so to speak. After the first 10 hands are dealt, get more aggressive with betting. Increase the stakes of the bet and take more risks for the final 10 hands; whip the horse and spring toward the finish line. Always keep an eye on the competition; don't fall too far behind or it will become impossible to catch up to the pack. Adjust the aggressiveness of betting to stay near the top third of the tournament. As long as the betting is done correctly, increasing the bet amounts for the final few hands should pay off handsomely with a tournament victory.

Playing the Bet Spread

The "bet spread" doesn't become vital until the last few hands of a blackjack tournament. If the bet spread is between $5 and $250, conserve money until the late rounds of the tournament and bet small. Smaller bets range between $5 and $50, while larger bets hover more toward the $250 range. Ideally, placing in third place or higher by the time the final few hands are reached creates a scenario that makes it difficult for the competition. In order to win, the competition will have to take excessive risks in order to catch up, if they can catch up at all. These excessive risks often result in failure, which assures you a top spot in the tournament.

Maximum Bet on the Last Hand

Placing far behind on the last hand opens up all sorts of possibilities. Falling behind by $220 in a tournament with a table limit of $250 isn't an impossible scenario to overcome; bet it all. The worst that can happen is that you lose, which changes nothing; the best scenario that can happen is that you double your earnings and rocket ahead of the competition. However, falling behind by $300 in the same tournament proposes a difficult set of circumstances. Only a blackjack or doubling down after an all-in bet can result in victory. Even then, the odds aren't in your favor. The rule of thumb is to keep yourself in a position that is no larger than one maximum bet away from the current leader of the tournament.

As long as you're winning a hand here and there, playing conservatively during the first half of an online blackjack tournament and then aggressively can be a fruitful money management technique that results in victory. However, if you're not winning at all, there's no betting strategy that can bail you out.