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.

We're back at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut for the third of five preliminary matches in 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.

Bradley Peterson
Defending World Blackjack Champion; Seton Hall grad; started playing blackjack freshman year of high school

Micky Rosa
22-year veteran; wrote college thesis on blackjack; character in book "Bringing Down the House"

Bobby J
Actor/pro gambler; once won $63,000 in 15 minutes in a cash game; Hollywood native

Cathy "Cat" Hulbert
Blackjack, poker AND slots pro; world's best female gambler; teaches poker to women

Ashwin Patel
Son of rich family; high roller at Mohegan Sun; been playing blackjack since age 14

Host Matt Vasgersian and gaming expert Max Rubin giving us the play-by-play. Our dealer is Tiki...so let's get to it! Bradley 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
Bradley BANK: $10,000	Micky BANK: $10,000	Bobby BANK: $10,000	Cat BANK: $10,000	Ashwin BANK: $10,000
Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $1500	Bet: $500
7-9 = 16	4-5 = 9	Q-3 = 13	7-8 = 15	2-4 = 6
DEALER: 4
STAND	DBLE: $200	STAND	STAND	HIT: A = 7/17 HIT: 6 = 16 STAND
Micky "doubled down", doubling his bet but only getting one face-down card. This is good strategy if you have a 9, 10 or 11 against a small dealer card (2 through 6) since the dealer stands a good chance of busting (going over 21). An Ace makes a "soft hand", since an Ace can be either 1 or 11 points.
DEALER: 4-3 = 7 HIT: 8 = 15 HIT: 8 = 23 *BUST*
	DD Card: 8 Total: 17
*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*
BANK: $10,100	BANK: $10,200	BANK: $10,100	BANK: $11,500	BANK: $10,500

HAND 2
Micky BANK: $10,200	Bobby BANK: $10,100	Cat BANK: $11,500	Ashwin BANK: $10,500	Bradley BANK: $10,100
Bet: $200	Bet: $100	Bet: $1200	Bet: $1000	Bet: $100
A-6 = 7/17	3-A = 4/14	K-Q = 20 (split)	10-A = 11/21	4-J =14
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: A = 8/18 HIT: J = 18 STAND	HIT: K = 10/20 STAND	STAND	BLACKJACK!	HIT: Q = 24 BUST
Ashwin did NOT have to take the Blackjack in tournament play. He COULD have called the Ace a one-point card and doubled down. But the safe bet is to take the 3-to-2 instead of risking losing it for a 2-to-1.
DEALER: 10-8 = 18 MUST STAND
PUSH	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN 3-to-2*	LOSS
BANK: $10,200	BANK: $12,000	BANK: $12,700	BANK: $12,000	BANK: $10,000

HAND 4
Cat BANK: $12,800	Ashwin BANK: $13,000	Bradley BANK: $10,100	Micky BANK: $10,400	Bobby BANK: $10,300
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $3000	Bet: $100
A-10 = 11/21	K-2 = 12	J-4 = 14	A-7 = 8/18	5-5 = 10 (split)
DEALER: Q
BLACKJACK!	HIT: 3 = 15 HIT: 7 = 22 *BUST*	SURRENDER LOSE $50	HIT: 7 = 15 HIT: 5 = 20 STAND	HIT: 9 = 19 STAND
Bradley "surrendered" his hand, feeling there was no way he could win. He loses half his bet. The other players goad Micky into hitting his 15, hoping he would get a "money" (face card) and bust. Thankfully, Mickey's too much of a gentleman to gloat upon making his 20.
DEALER: Q-Q = 20 MUST STAND
*WIN 3-to-2*	LOSS	LOSS	PUSH	LOSS
BANK: $12,950	BANK: $11,000	BANK: $10,050	BANK: $10,400	BANK: 10,200

HAND 8
Bobby BANK: $10,500	Cat BANK: $12,600	Ashwin BANK: $11,000	Bradley BANK: $10,300	Micky BANK: $10,100
Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $4000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100
A-3 = 4/14	J-Q = 20 (split)	5-7 = 12	3-10 = 13	6-4 =10
DEALER: 5
DBLE: $200	STAND	STAND	STAND	DBLE: $200
DEALER: 5-3 = 8 HIT: 2 = 10 HIT: 10 = 20 MUST STAND
DD Card: J Total: 14				DD Card: 4 Total: 14
LOSS	PUSH	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $10,300	BANK: $12,600	BANK: $7000	BANK: $10,200	BANK: $9900

HAND 9
Cat BANK: $12,600	Ashwin BANK: $7000	Bradley BANK: $10,200	Micky BANK: $9900	Bobby BANK: $10,300
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $100
10-6 = 8	2-2 = 4 (split)	10-6 = 13	10-J = 20 (split)	10-5 =13
Ashwin once got banned from a casino for taking a leak on a roulette wheel.
DEALER: 10
Blackjack is normally played in casinos with between two and six decks of cards. Hence why you see five 10s here instead of just four in a standard single deck.
SURRENDER LOSE $50	HIT: K = 14 HIT: 8 = 22 *BUST*	SURRENDER LOSE $50	STAND	SURRENDER LOSE $50
DEALER: 10-3 = 20 HIT: 5 = 18 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	*WIN*	LOSS
BANK: $12,550	BANK: $5000	BANK: $10,150	BANK: $10,000	BANK: $10,250

HAND 10
Ashwin BANK: $5000	Bradley BANK: $10,150	Micky BANK: $10,000	Bobby BANK: $10,250	Cat BANK: $12,550
Bet: $4000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $150	Bet: $200
3-7 = 10	K-K = 20 (split)	J-3 = 13	6-6 = 12 (split)	2-8 =10
DEALER: K
HIT: Q = 20 STAND	STAND	SURRENDER LOSE $50	HIT: 3 = 15 HIT: 8 = 23 BUST	HIT: 5 = 15 HIT: 2 = 17 STAND
DEALER: K-Q = 20 MUST STAND
PUSH	PUSH	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $9000	BANK: $10,150	BANK: $9950	BANK: $10,100	BANK: $12,350

HAND 13
Bobby BANK: $10,100	Cat BANK: $12,250	Ashwin BANK: $4000	Bradley BANK: $10,200	Micky BANK: $10,000
Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100
9-6 = 15	K-2 = 12	9-K = 19	A-6 = 7/17	3-Q =13
DEALER: Q DEALER: Q-A = 21 BLACKJACK!
When the dealer has Blackjack, EVERYBODY loses!
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS
BANK: $10,000	BANK: $12,150	BANK: $2000	BANK: $10,100	BANK: $9900

HAND 14
Cat BANK: $12,150	Ashwin BANK: $2000	Bradley BANK: $10,100	Micky BANK: $9900			Bobby BANK: $10,000
Bet: $100	Bet: $1000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100			Bet: $100
8-K = 18	9-K = 19	9-5 = 14	Q-J = 20 (split)			4-3 = 7
DEALER: 10
After Tiki checks her down card, Bradley asks if it's and 8 or a 4, and Tiki says, "It might be a 4." Dealers don't HAVE to say what their down card is but the players are more than welcome to try to figure it out one way or another.
STAND	STAND	STAND	SPLIT $100 apiece			HIT: 5 = 12 HIT: K = 22 BUST
			J-Q=20		Q-3=13 STAND
			SPLIT $100 @
			J-8= 18 ST	Q-3= 13 ST
It is NOT a very wise move to split (make two separate hands out of two equal-valued cards) 10-point cards, even if the dealer has a low card. It is most definitely NOT a wise move to split 10-point cards when the dealer has a high card like a 10...no mater WHAT she says she has. And, yes, you CAN split hands again and again. Micky has $300 riding on this hand.
DEALER: 10-2 = 12 HIT: 9 = 21 MUST STAND
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	LOSS			LOSS
BANK: $12,050	BANK: $1000	BANK: $10,000	BANK: $9600			BANK: $9900

HAND 15
Ashwin BANK: $1000	Bradley BANK: $10,000	Micky BANK: $9600	Bobby BANK: $9900	Cat BANK: $12,050
Bet: $1000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $100
Ashwin is all-in. If he loses this hand, he's out. The other players have been betting small in the hopes that Ashwin will bust out and make it a four-player game.
5-10 = 15	5-9 = 14	3-J = 13	J-K = 20 (split)	10-9 = 19
DEALER: 10
HIT: 7 = 22 BUST	STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND
DEALER: 10-4 = 14 HIT: 9 = 23 *BUST*
LOSS	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*
OUT!	BANK: $10,100	BANK: $9700	BANK: $10,000	BANK: $12,150

HAND 18
Bobby BANK: $9800	Cat BANK: $12,250	Bradley BANK: $9900	Micky BANK: $9700
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $100
10-7 = 17	2-J = 12	2-2 = 4 (split)	3-9 =12
DEALER: 9
STAND	HIT: 7 = 19 STAND	HIT: K = 14 HIT: 10 = 24 BUST	HIT: 7 = 19 STAND
DEALER: 9-K = 19 MUST STAND
LOSS	PUSH	LOSS	PUSH
BANK: $9700	BANK: $12,250	BANK: $9800	BANK: $9800

HAND 19
Cat BANK: $12,250	Bradley BANK: $9800	Micky BANK: $9800	Bobby BANK: $9700
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $2500	Bet: $100
This is Bradley's first bet all night that WASN'T $100!
J-9 = 19	3-5 = 8	A-7 = 8/18	10-4 =14
DEALER: 9
STAND	HIT: 7 = 15 HIT: 3 = 18 STAND	HIT: K = 18 BUST	HIT: 5 = 19 STAND
DEALER: 9-8 = 17 MUST STAND
WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN
BANK: $12,350	BANK: $11,800	BANK: $12,300	BANK: $10,700

HAND 21
Micky BANK: $12,100	Bobby BANK: $8200	Cat BANK: $12,350	Bradley BANK: $11,800
Bet: $400	Bet: $2100	Bet: $1200	Bet: $1800
J-Q = 20 (split)	6-3 = 9	6-8 = 14	6-3 = 9
DEALER: 6
STAND	DBLE: $2900	STAND	HIT: Q = 19 STAND
Some casinos allow you to "double for less" like Bobby did. This means you just put in more money but not twice the bet on a "double down". This is perfectly acceptable in most tournaments.
DEALER: 6-A = 17 MUST STAND
Though it's a "soft" hand, the dealer must stand on ALL hands 17 and over.
	DD Card: 8 Total: 17
*WIN*	PUSH	LOSS	WIN
BANK: $12,500	BANK: $8200	BANK: $11,150	BANK: $13,600

HAND 23
Cat BANK: $8150	Bradley BANK: $13,500	Micky BANK: $11,200	Bobby BANK: $6700
Bet: $2500	Bet: $100	Bet: $100	Bet: $1700
J-6 = 16	5-J = 15	J-8 = 18	10-A =11/21
DEALER: Q
Tiki has had a 10-point card face-up 12 out of 23 hands.
SURRENDER LOSE $1250	STAND	STAND	BLACKJACK!
DEALER: Q-3 = 13 HIT: 10 = 23 *BUST*
LOSS	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN 3-to2*
BANK: $6900	BANK: $13,600	BANK: $11,300	BANK: $9250

HAND 24
Bradley BANK: $13,600	Micky BANK: $11,300	Bobby BANK: $9250	Cat BANK: $6900
Bet: $100	Bet: $2000	Bet: $100	Bet: $3000
4-6 = 10	Q-J = 20 (split)	J-6 = 16	10-J = 20 (split)
DEALER: 2
HIT: 6 = 16 STAND	STAND	STAND	STAND
DEALER: 2-8 = 10 HIT: 9 = 19 MUST STAND
LOSS	*WIN*	LOSS	*WIN*
BANK: $13,500	BANK: $13,300	BANK: $9150	BANK: $9900

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.

In the non-televised 25th hand, Micky bet and won $3000 to take the lead, Bradley and Bobby each nudged $100 more...and Cat bet $200 and busted, pushing her back into last place.

HAND 26
Bobby BANK: $9250	Cat BANK: $7900	Bradley BANK: $13,600	Micky BANK: $14,300
Bet: $4250	Bet: $5000	Bet: $3600	Bet: $3000
A-J = 11/21	2-2 = 4 (split)	4-7 = 11	6-A =7/17
DEALER: 3
BLACKJACK!	HIT: A = 5/15 HIT: J = 15 STAND	DBLE: $7200	DBLE: $6000
$5000 is the maximum ORIGINAL bet. But you can double down to up to $10,000...and splits can make the bets endless...as long as you have the chips.
DEALER: 3-6 = 9 HIT: 5 = 14 HIT: J = 24 *BUST*
		DD Card: Total:	DD Card: Total:
*WIN 3-to2*	*WIN*	*WIN*	*WIN*
BANK: $15,625	BANK: $12,900	BANK: $20,800	BANK: $20,300
This is the first time all tournament that any ONE person has gone over $20,000 in chips...let alone TWO!

HAND 27
Cat BANK: $12,900	Bradley BANK: $20,800	Micky BANK: $20,300	Bobby BANK: $15,625
Bet: $5000	Bet: $3200	Bet: $3800	Bet: $100
Q-J = 20 (split)	K-9 = 19	A-9 = 10/20	7-K =17
DEALER: A
When a dealer shows an Ace, s/he must ask players if they want "insurance" against a dealer Blackjack. The players would give up half their bet (or a maximum of that in tournament play) and, if the dealer has Blackjack, would lose their bet but win 2-to-1 on their insurance bet. Pros know it's a sucker bet...but, later on in a tournament, they might consider it to protect their leads. Bradley flips a coin and decides not to take it.
No Insurance	No Insurance	Insurance = $300	No Insurance
DEALER: A-10 = 21 BLACKJACK!
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS (Original) WIN INS ($600)	LOSS
BANK: $7900	BANK: $17,600	BANK: $17,100	BANK: $15,525

HAND 28
Bradley BANK: $17,600	Micky BANK: $17,100	Bobby BANK: $15,525	Cat BANK: $7900
Bet: $5000	Bet: $4400	Bet: $100	Bet: $5000
K-K = 20 (split)	8-3 = 11	8-A = 9/19	A-9 =10/20
DEALER: 4
STAND	DBLE: $5600	STAND	DBLE: $7900
Cat is now all-in. She's end up in fourth place is she loses. You should ALWAYS double on an 11-point hand (except when the dealer has an Ace); the chances of you hitting a 21 are VERY good!
DEALER: 4-2 = 6 HIT: 2 = 8 HIT: A = 19 MUST STAND
	DD Card: 10 Total: 21		DD Card: A Total: 21
See? Told ya so.
*WIN*	*WIN*	PUSH	*WIN*
BANK: $22,600	BANK: $22,700	BANK: $15,625	BANK: $15,800

HAND 29
Micky BANK: $22,700	Bobby BANK: $15,525	Cat BANK: $15,800	Bradley BANK: $22,600
Bet: $100	Bet: $5000	Bet: $5000	Bet: $5000
5-5 = 10 (split)	Q-9 = 19	A-3 = 4/14	10-K = 20 (split)
DEALER: 3
HIT: 7 = 17 STAND	STAND	DBLE: $10,000	STAND
DEALER: 3-Q = 13 HIT: 7 = 20 MUST STAND
		DD Card: K Total: 14
LOSS	LOSS	LOSS	PUSH
BANK: $22,600	BANK: $10,525	BANK: $5800	BANK: $22,600

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. Cat is essentially out of the running thanks to that blown double-down....but there's still a SLIM chance she can at make runner-up.

*FINAL HAND!*
Bobby BANK: $10,525	Cat BANK: $5800	Bradley BANK: $22,600	Micky BANK: $22,600
Bet: $5000	Bet: $5000	Bet: $5000	Bet: $400
The low bet has almost assured Micky of at least a runner-up placing.
K-A = 11/21	4-8 = 12	J-6 = 16	10-J = 20 (split)
DEALER: A
No Insurance	No Insurance	Insurance = $2500	Insurance = $200
The dealer does not have Blackjack, so Bradley and Micky lose their insurance bets and the hand continues. Bobby now has a chance.
BLACKJACK!	HIT: 8 = 20 STAND	STAND	STAND
If the dealer does anything but bust, Micky wins and Bobby comes in second. If the dealer busts, however, BRADLEY wins and MICKY comes in second. Busts only happen about 11%of the time when a dealer has an Ace showing.
DEALER: A-3 = 4/14 HIT: 4 = 18 MUST STAND
*WIN 3-to-2*	*WIN*	LOSS	*WIN*
BANK: $18,025 RUNNER-UP!	BANK: $15,800	BANK: $15,100	BANK: $22,800 WINNER!

So the money flows as follows: Ashtin, who busted out first, gets $500. Cat, 4th place, each get $1000. Bradley, who went from 1st place to 3rd place in one hand, gets $2500. Bobby, the runner-up, gets $5000 and the Wild Card seat...and Micky Rosa gets the 10 grand and the seat at the $100,000 Final Table!