World Series of Blackjack

What follows is a televised-hand-by-televised-hand account. Obviously, since it's only a one-hour show, most hands are not televised so you're going to see a lot of jumping of the dealer button.

Mohegan Sun Casino in beautiful southeastern Connecticut is the host of the WORLD SERIES OF BLACKJACK! No celebs, no "flush draws", no mile-high bets. Just 30 hands of nice relaxed strategic blackjack.

For rules on how blackjack is played, see the small tutorial in the first recap of the series. But know that this is a blackjack tournament, meaning every player starts with $10,000 in chips and must bet between $100 and $5000 on each hand. After 30 hands, the one with the most money wins $10,000 and a seat at the $100,000 Final Table. The runner-up gets a crack at the Wild Card Table, where all the runner-ups will play for the sixth and final seat at the Final Table. There is a "Dealer Button" which goes around the table, but it signifies who BETS and PLAYS first, not who the dealer starts dealing cards to first. This is significant, though, since betting is a HUGE part of tournament blackjack.

Joanna - Queen of Spades
Professional gambler and chiropractor; would have rather "played cards than dolls" as a kid

Ken Einiger
Owns a windshield company; has won over $150,000 in tournament blackjack

Susan Pikor
High-school administrator; turned $300 into $150,000 in one night of straight blackjack

Host Matt Vasgersian and gaming expert Max Rubin giving us the play-by-play. Our deal is Tiki...so let's get to it! Joanna will always be "first base", where the dealer starts dealing the cards. But the order shown, left to right, will be the betting and playing order starting with the "button".

HAND 1
Joanna BANK: $10,000	Kenny BANK: $10,000	David BANK: $10,000	Susan BANK: $10,000	Mike BANK: $10,000
Bet: $300	Bet: $100	Bet: $300	Bet: $100	Bet: $200
6-2 = 8	Q-Q = 20 (split)	3-K = 13	7-5 = 12	6-7 =13
DEALER: 10
As a rule, when a dealer has a 10-point card, s/he must check the face-down card to see if it's an Ace. If it is, the Blackjack is shown and the hand ends. If not, the hand continues.
HIT: 4 = 12 HIT: 10 = 22 BUST	STAND	HIT: Q = 23 BUST	HIT: 10 = 22 BUST	HIT: 5 = 17 STAND
DEALER: 10-J = 20 MUST STAND
LOSS	PUSH	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $9700	BANK: $10,000	BANK: $9700	BANK: $9900	BANK: $9800

HAND 2
Kenny BANK: $10,000	David BANK: $9700	Susan BANK: $9900	Mike BANK: $9800	Joanna BANK: $9700
Bet: $100	Bet: $600	Bet: $100	Bet: $300	Bet: $200
6-K = 16	6-2 = 8	2-5 = 7	J-A = 11 or 21	10-5 = 15
DEALER: 3
Dealers can NOT look at down cards for ANYTHING but a 10-point card or an Ace.
HIT: K = 26 STAND	HIT: 4 = 12 HIT: K = 22 BUST	HIT: 8 = 15 STAND	BLACKJACK!	STAND
Mike COULD, in tournament play, call the Ace as a 1-point card and double down instead of taking the Blackjack...but Blackjack is much safer.
DEALER: 3-6 = 9 HIT: 9 = 18 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	*WIN 3-to-2*	LOSS
BANK: $9900	BANK: $9100	BANK: $9800	BANK: $10,250	BANK: $9500
Blackjack pays 3-to-2, so Mike won $450.

HAND 3
David BANK: $9100	Susan BANK: $9800	Mike BANK: $10,250	Joanna BANK: $9500	Kenny BANK: $9900
Bet: $1200	Bet: $100	Bet: $200	Bet: $500	Bet: $100
7-8 = 15	8-A = 9 or 19	4-5 = 9	J-9 = 19	7-J = 17
DEALER: Q
SURRENDER LOSE $600	STAND	HIT: 7 = 16 HIT: K = 26 BUST	STAND	STAND
David "surrendered", feeling there was no way to win. He loses half his bet.
DEALER: Q-3 = 13 HIT: 7 = 20 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $8500	BANK: $9700	BANK: $10,050	BANK: $9000	BANK: $9800

HAND 7
Kenny BANK: $9800	David BANK: $6200	Susan BANK: $9600	Mike BANK: $10,050	Joanna BANK: $8800
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $300	Bet: $700
6-9 = 15	K-10 = 20 (split)	K-Q = 20 (split)	A-6 = 5 or 15	A-4 = 5 or 15
DEALER: 6
STAND	STAND	STAND	DBLE: $600	DBLE: $1400
Mike "doubles down", doubling his bet but only getting ONE more card (face-down). When the dealer has a low card (2 through 6) and you have a "soft" hand (one with an Ace without Blackjack), it's usually a good idea to double down.
DEALER: 6-5 = 11 HIT: 2 = 13 HIT: 3 = 16 HIT: 10 = 26 *BUST*
*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*
BANK: $9900	BANK: $8200	BANK: $9700	BANK: $10,650	BANK: $10,200
Mike and Joanna don't have to show their face-down cards; when the dealer busts (goes over 21 points), EVERYONE who hasn't busted automatically wins. Susan was cheering for a 5 to the dealer so that it would make 21. Everyone would have, most likely, lost, but SHE would have lost the LEAST, which is an advantage in tournament blackjack

HAND 8
David BANK: $8200	Susan BANK: $9700	Mike BANK: $10,650	Joanna BANK: $10,200	Kenny BANK: $9900
Bet: $1200	Bet: $200	Bet: $100	Bet: $200	Bet: $100
David has made his sixth straight bet of over $1000. Usually, the tournament blackjack player bets conservatively until the last few hands.
K-7 = 17	4-4 = 8 (split)	A-4 = 5 or 15	A-7 = 8 or 18	K-10 = 20 (split)
DEALER: J
STAND	HIT: 8 = 16 HIT: A = 17 STAND	HIT: Q = 15 HIT: 10 = 25 BUST	HIT: 9 = 17 STAND	STAND
DEALER: J-2 = 12 HIT: 9 = 21 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $7000	BANK: $9500	BANK: $10,550	BANK: $10,000	BANK: $9800

HAND 9
Susan BANK: $9500	Mike BANK: $10,550	Joanna BANK: $10,000	Kenny BANK: $9800	David BANK: $7000
Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $300	Bet: $100	Bet: $2500
David NORMALLY bets big, but THIS time it was strategically sound. Everyone else bet small and, since he's the last to act, he SHOULD bet big.
J-9 = 19	K-J = 20 (split)	7-A = 8 or 18	10-2 = 12	3-Q = 13
DEALER: 2
STAND	STAND	STAND	HIT: 7 = 19 STAND	HIT: 7 = 20 STAND
Conventional wisdom says that, when the dealer has a low card, you stand on anything 13 or more. But David's been UNconventional with his bets all night, so why not? It gave him a good hand...
DEALER: 2-4 = 6 HIT: 2 = 8 HIT: 3 = 11 HIT: Q = 21 MUST STAND
...just not good enough!
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $9400	BANK: $10,450	BANK: $9700	BANK: $9700	BANK: $4500

David makes a mild comeback doing the non-televised hands...but STILL bets big...

HAND 13
David BANK: $8000	Susan BANK: $9300	Mike BANK: $10,750	Joanna BANK: $10,900	Kenny BANK: $9800
Bet: $1300	Bet: $300	Bet: $250	Bet: $500	Bet: $100
10-Q = 20 (split)	7-9 = 16	K-6 = 16	6-Q = 16	9-K = 20
DEALER: 2
STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND
DEALER: 2-8 = 10 HIT: 7 = 17 MUST STAND
*WIN*	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	*WIN*
BANK: $9300	BANK: $9000	BANK: $10,500	BANK: $10,400	BANK: $9900
David starts rubbing it in about how he's now beating Susan...and Susan doesn't like it at ALL. Trash-talking is as important in tournament blackjack as any other gambling tournament.

HAND 16
Joanna BANK: $10,700	Kenny BANK: $10,400	David BANK: $9250	Susan BANK: $8500	Mike BANK: $10,700
Bet: $500	Bet: $300	Bet: $1300	Bet: $500	Bet: $200
8-3 = 11	9-4 = 13	5-J = 15	5-6 = 11	Q-J = 20 (split)
DEALER: 5
DBLE: $1000	STAND	STAND	DBLE: $1000	STAND
One should ALWAYS double down with 11 showing; the chances of getting 21 are very good. But they say NOT to double down against a dealer's Ace.
DEALER: 5-Q = 15 HIT: 2 = 17 MUST STAND
DD Card: A Total: 12			DD Card: 3 Total: 14
(Hey, I said the chances of getting a 21 were GOOD, not guaranteed!)
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	*WIN*
BANK: $9700	BANK: $10,100	BANK: $7950	BANK: $7500	BANK: $10,900

HAND 17
Kenny BANK: $10,100		David BANK: $7950	Susan BANK: $7500	Mike BANK: $10,900	Joanna BANK: $9700
Bet: $100		Bet: $2550	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $700
3-3 = 6 (split)		8-4 = 12	8-5 = 13	K-2 = 12	10-2 = 12
DEALER: 2
SPLIT $100 apiece		HIT: 9 = 21 AUTO STAND	STAND	HIT: Q = 22 BUST	HIT: 3 = 15 STAND
3-6=9 H:5=14 STAND	3-10=13 STAND
When a player has two cards of the same value, he can "split" them into two separate hands, though he must match the bet of the original hand for the second one. David MUST stand on 21. I mean, it'd be STUPID to hit and go OVER, wouldn't it?
DEALER: 2-A = 3 or 13 HIT: 4 = 17 MUST STAND
Even though the dealer has a "soft" 17, she MUST stand on ALL 17s, soft or hard.
LOSS	LOSS	*WIN*	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $9900		BANK: $10,500	BANK: $7400	BANK: $10,800	BANK: $9000
David has gone from a mere $4000 to second place.

HAND 18
David BANK: $10,500	Susan BANK: $7400	Mike BANK: $10,800	Joanna BANK: $9000	Kenny BANK: $9900
Bet: $650	Bet: $400	Bet: $100	Bet: $400	Bet: $100
Max Rubin talks about "negative progression" strategy that David used. You lose, you bet more. You lose more, you bet even more. You then win, you've broken even and you return to smaller bets. This is EXACTLY what David has done: now back in 5 digits, he's returned to more conservative bets.
7-9 = 16	J-K = 20 (split)	A-6 = 7 or 17	3-J = 13	Q-3 = 13
Susan CAN split, even though the two cards aren't the same. They are the same VALUE (10), though, and that's all that counts.
DEALER: 8
SURRENDER LOSE $325	STAND	HIT: 6 = 13 HIT: 8 = 21 AUTO STAND	HIT: 4 = 17 STAND	HIT: 5 = 18 STAND
DEALER: 8-J = 18 MUST STAND
LOSS	*WIN*	LOSS	LOSS	PUSH
BANK: $10,175	BANK: $7800	BANK: $10,900	BANK: $8600	BANK: $9900

HAND 20
Mike BANK: $10,700	Joanna BANK: $8100	Kenny BANK: $12,950	David BANK: $9525	Susan BANK: $7000
Bet: $100	Bet: $500	Bet: $3250	Bet: $1300	Bet: $1000
Q-7 = 17	3-A = 4 or 14	8-9 = 17	J-A = 11 or 21	4-2 = 6
DEALER: 5
STAND	DBLE: $1000	STAND	BLACKJACK!	HIT: 3 = 9 HIT: 3 = 12 STAND
DEALER: 5-5 = 10 HIT: 10 = 20 MUST STAND
Dealers cannot split, cannot double down, cannot surrender. Hit or stand are their only options.
	DD card: J Total: 14
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	*WIN 3-to2*	LOSS
BANK: $10,600	BANK: $7100	BANK: $9700	BANK: $11,475	BANK: $6000

HAND 21
Joanna BANK: $7100	Kenny BANK: $9700	David BANK: $11,475	Susan BANK: $6000	Mike BANK: $10,600
Bet: $800	Bet: $100	Bet: $300	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100
Susan made an "anger bet", when you get so frustrated that you bet big in the hopes of recovering your losses. It's similar to being "on tilt" in poker.
5-6 = 11	7-8 = 15	K-2 = 12	10-8 =18	K-7 = 14
DEALER: 4
DBLE: $1600	STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND
DEALER: 4-3 = 7 HIT: 9 = 16 HIT: 7 = 23 *BUST*
*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*
BANK: $8700	BANK: $9800	BANK: $11,775	BANK: $8000	BANK: $10,700
Susan was hoping for a 10-point card to give the dealer 17. That way, SHE'D win while everyone else would lose (including Joanna, who shows that her DD card was an Ace, giving her only 12).

The final few hands of a blackjack tournament is where the most strategy is used. You have to figure out just how much to bet and when to bet it so that you'll in position to take the lead and the win with the final hand. It is also when the largest wagers are made. It's sort of like any horse race. For the most part, you jockey for the right position...but, down the stretch, you go for the whip and hope the horse doesn't collapse under you.

HAND 26
Joanna BANK: $8700	Kenny BANK: $9650	David BANK: $12,925	Susan BANK: $4000	Mike BANK: $8900
Bet: $600	Bet: $3300	Bet: $100	Bet: $1000	Bet: $300
This is Kenny's first bet over $300 all tournament!
3-5 = 8	K-8 = 18	J-K = 20 (split)	J-J = 20 (split)	10-6 = 16
DEALER: A
Before the dealer looks at her down card, she asks if players want "insurance" against Blackjack. The player who want it would give half the amount of their bets for the insurance, knowing that, if the dealer has Blackjack, they'll essentially get a push.
No Insurance	No Insurance	No Insurance	No Insurance	No Insurance
Pros know this is a sucker bet, so nobody bites. Tiki checks and sees she DOESN'T have Blackjack (though she does a good psyche-out) and the hand continues
HIT: K = 18 STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND	SURRENDER LOSE $150
DEALER: A-9 = 20 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	PUSH	PUSH	LOSS
BANK: $8300	BANK: $6350	BANK: $12,825	BANK: $3000	BANK: $8650

HAND 27
Kenny BANK: $6350	David BANK: $12,825		Susan BANK: $4000	Mike BANK: $8650	Joanna BANK: $8300
Bet: $3100	Bet: $100		Bet: $4000	Bet: $100	Bet: $800
Susan is all-in. If she loses this hand, she's out of the tournament.
7-J = 17	2-2 = 4 (split)		J-8 = 20 (split)	4-4 = 8 (split)	A-9 = 10 or 20
DEALER: 4
STAND	SPLIT $100 apiece		STAND	HIT: K = 18 STAND	STAND
	2-A=3/13 DD:$200	2-6=8 DD:$200
David has two 2-of-spades. Blackjack is played with between two and six decks of cards at most casinos. And, yes, you CAN double down on split hands.
DEALER: 4-4 = 8 HIT: 10 = 18 MUST STAND
	DD: 7 Tot: 20	DD: Q Tot: 18
LOSS	WIN	PUSH	WIN	PUSH	WIN
BANK: $3250	BANK: $13,125		BANK: $4000	BANK: $8650	BANK: $8900

HAND 28
David BANK: $13,125	Susan BANK: $4000	Mike BANK: $8650	Joanna BANK: $8900	Kenny BANK: $3250
Bet: $100	Bet: $4000	Bet: $5000	Bet: $1600	Bet: $3250
Susan and Kenny are BOTH all-in now...and David says Kenny's "going home."
2-5 = 7	7-4 = 11	J-10= 20 (split)	J-6 =16	6-Q = 16
DEALER: 5
Susan cannot double down because she has no more chips to double down with.
HIT: A = 8 or 18 HIT: 2 = 10 or 20 STAND	HIT: 5 = 16 STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND
DEALER: 5-Q = 15 HIT: 4 = 19 MUST STAND
WIN	LOSS	WIN	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $13,225	*OUT!*	BANK: $13,650	BANK: $7300	*OUT!*

HAND 29
Mike BANK: $13.650	Joanna BANK: $7300	David BANK: $13,225
Bet: $400	Bet: $5000	Bet: $900
4-9 = 13	8-3 = 11	8-8 = 16 (split)
DEALER: 4
STAND	HIT: 5 = 16 STAND	SPLIT $900 apiece
		8-5 = 13 STAND	8-2 = 10 DBLE: $1800
DEALER: 4-3 = 7 HIT: 10 = 17 MUST STAND
			DD Card: 6 Total: 16
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $13,250	BANK: $2300	BANK: $10,525

It all comes down to one last hand. Whoever is ahead at the end of this hand wins the $10,000 and a spot at the Final Table. Whoever gets in the Runner-up spot gets $5000 and a seat at the Wild Card table for a SHOT at the Final Table.

*FINAL HAND!*
Joanna BANK: $2300	David BANK: $10,525	Mike BANK: $13,250
Bet: $2300	Bet: $4750	Bet: $3000
6-K = 16	6-A = 7 or 17	A-6 = 7 or 17
DEALER: 4
HIT: 2 = 18 STAND	DOUBLE DOWN: $5900	DOUBLE DOWN: $6000
Joanna HAD to hit, since she was certain the men would double down on soft hands vs. a low dealer card. She would stand a decent chance for second place...but David, however, has doubled down for LESS than double. This is legal in most casinos...as well as in tournaments. This effectively shuts Joanna out. If the dealer busts, Mike wins with David. If she doesn't, the double-down cards will decide.
DEALER: 4-8 = 12 HIT: 4 = 16 HIT: K = 26 *BUST*
WIN	WIN	WIN
BANK: $4600	BANK: $16,425 RUNNER-UP!	BANK: $19,250 WINNER!

So the money flows as follows: Kenny and Susan, tied for 4th place, each get $750. Joanna, 3rd place, gets $2500. Dave, the runner-up, gets $5000 and the Wild Card seat...and M.I.T. Mike gets the 10 grand and the seat at the $100,000 Final Table!