WSOBJ Finals: Round 1, Match
2
Thank heaven for little
favors. Because of programming on other networks, Im not able to watch the
show live, but thats what HVRs are for.
Last episode was a wild one as
George Mandilaras advanced to the semis. Now its time for five more players to
test their Blackjack might in Mortal Kardbat. And they are:
Joe Malc
(Super Satellite Winner) |
Juan Cloud
(LV Hilton Qualifier) |
Kami Lis
(2nd place, WSoBJ II) |
Jeff Swenson
(Super Satellite Winner) |
Lon Johnson
(Soaring Eagle Qualifier) |
Consultant
Las Vegas, NV |
High Roller
Monterey, Mexico |
Pro BJ Player
Warsaw, Poland |
Engineering Consultant
Simi Valley, CA |
Contractor
Lansing, MI |
It certainly looks like the
world has come out to play this World Series match, so lets get started.
Joe apparently won his seat
through being absurdly aggressive, and he starts the match off with an
appropriate Historic Moment, being the 2nd person to bet max on the 1st
hand. With a 9 vs Jessicas 2, he doubles down to do all-in! While hes at it,
he Power Chips his doubler to see if its any good. A 7 wont cut it, so it
gets mucked. Meanwhile, Jeff has Pocket Rockets and splits to two good hands.
Dealer turns 4
14
19! Uh oh, Joe may be out faster than he got in
A Queen for
the doubler! Joe makes 19 himself and survives a kamikaze run at the cost of
his Power Chip.
2nd verse is the
same as the first for Joe. Blackjacks come out for Juan and Jeff, but Jessica
turns one up herself which negates any gain, but no money is lost.
3rd verse is the
same as the 2nd for Joe, but now its all or nothing. Good thing he
got Kings. Kami gets her own Blackjack for 4500. Dealer shows 17, so Joes
back at even, and now everybodys close.
4th verse
well you
get the idea. Joe hits to 20, but that only ties the dealer. Speaking of ties,
Jeff has beaten 15,000+:1 odds by pushing on all four hands.
5th verse, yeah.
Joes stuck with 17 vs. an 8. Dealer shows 10...21! Jessica sweeps the table
and Joes back down to half his stack, but he stays the course for hand 6 and
draws 20. Meanwhile, Lon has 13,000 on a soft 13 and gets an 8! Dealer shows
20 and Lon makes some space in the lead.
Joes a broken record, all-in
for the 4th of 7 hands. Juan finds 11 so doubles for another 5,000.
Joe has 9, then 12, then 16, then a commercial! Okay, the 16 gets hit
KING!
Joe Malc is out, but does get the requisite $1,000 cash. In the meantime,
Jessica busts (finally) and Juan takes the lead.
In the interim, the 1st
Knockout card is drawn which initiates Phase II of the game. At hand 12, Juan
gets another Blackjack for 4500. Hand 18 sees a Blackjack for Lon for 13,500.
As a side note, Juan Six-Card Charlies a 20 (even though there is no Six-Card
Charlie). Thats too bad for Kami as the next card that comes is a face, which
busts her $21,000 hand.
Hand 19. Kami goes halfsies on
her $87,000 bank. Her reward: the 2nd Knockout Card en route to a
15. She Power Chips the 6 away for
an ACE! Jeff will double for $2,000 (out
of 6) on his 10. Dealer draws to 17, which beats Jeff, but not Kami who
slingshots into contention as we head into the Knockout Round.
Kami leads off the betting for
this hand with $50,000. Jeff goes 35 to cover Lon going max, and Juan goes for
46. However, Jeff doesnt cover Lon getting Blackjack for $75,000! Kami has 14
vs. a 10, so she hits to
20! However, should she have doubled? Jeff doubles in
full on his 14 and uses his Power Chip. He keeps it, but isnt too thrilled.
Perhaps a 4 is under there? Lon will get paid on his Maxjack and will move onto
the final phase with 197. Juan doubles his 15 in full and Power Chips the
face-down. He mucks an Ace of Spades (prettiest card in the deck) and he makes
his situation that much more risky. Dealer shows 12
20! Kami pushes back up to
130-5, which will allow her to keep her seat if at least one of the
double-downers lose. We start with Jeffs
it is a 4, which gives him
only 18 and knocks him down to 68, but he can still advance if Juan loses. His
face-down is
a Jack! Juan Cloud is out with $2,000 and we have our Final 3 for
the Final Five.
Kami (No Chip) |
Jeff (No Chip) |
Lon |
130,500 |
68,000 |
197,000 |
Jeff starts the Blue Card
Special with a max bet, but its Kami and Lon that get Blackjacks for 22-5 and
7500 respectively. Luckily for Jeff, Jessica busts, so Jeff stays in
contention. He goes to the well again for the next hand, but Kami gets a
two-bagger for $40,500 and the lead! Jeff is stuck with 13 against an 8. Since
in all likelihood, hes only hitting once, he doubles down to put 100K on the
table. Dealer busts, so Jeff can see the light. What is his double
down
seven! Thats good for 20 and Jeff yanks the lead from Kami.
All of a sudden, we have a race
with 3 to go. Kami leads the betting of 25-15-30. Jeff finally hits a
Blackjack, but Lon gets one, too! Jeff will get 22-5 and Lon gets paid 45.
Kami stuck on 13, but Jessica busts again, so Kami keeps herself in the game.
19-34-50 are the bets. Kami
gets 20 with her max on the table against a 10. Jeff splits 3s for a 6, 11, 18
and 11, 20. Lon doesnt want to double the 11, and gets 17. Dealer shows
16
26! Everyone gets paid, which will make for another interesting finale
Kami (No Chip) |
Jeff (No Chip) |
Lon |
268,500 |
278,500 |
270,500 |
FINAL HAND.
To no ones surprise, everyone goes max. Kami has 9, Jeff has 20, and Lon will
lead off with 5 against a Jack. Lon hits to 11, and then to 16. Yuck, but
wait! He uses his Power Chip to take a mulligan, but instead gets a 3 for 14.
He hits again, but gets 24, which will end his day at 220-5. Kami has lots of
options, and surrenders! This mean Jeff will fork over his 20 and will win the
game with 253,500 in chips. Hell get $25,000 and move on to the semis. Kami
gets the wild card spot and $5,000 and Lon is stuck with $3,000 and hoping for a
miracle.
I must say thats in
interesting way to end things. Id say Tune in next time to see if theres
another interesting ending, but Hollywood Dave is on next week, so perhaps you
should skip it. Good thing Im around. TTFN. |