Blackjack's Newest Millionaire...

Amazing Tammie! I suggest spending some of the money unwisely!

 

Wow

WOW CONGRATS ON YOUR AMAZING WIN
YOU AND DR BASS SHOULD HAVE A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF YOU
CONGRATS AGAIN BJ BEAUTY AND YOU TO DR BASS
WHAT A GREAT TOURNAMENT AND HOPE THEY WILL HAVE IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR:celebrate:celebrate:celebrate

 

Nice one!

I was glad to be there when you won your entry at the monthly event and really happy to hear that you took it all! Look forward to seeing you and Dr Bass again soon at a future tournament!

Pat

 

Poker players all seem to have nicknames:
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow
and Howard "Professor" Lederer.

We now have:

The Taminator!!!!

I wish everyone here could have been there to see Tammie take down the Million. What an amazing turn of events at the final hand of the final table. There weren't very many folks who stuck it out until the final card was turned at about 5:30 AM, but I'd bet that our screaming and hollering and stomping was heard all the way back to Dallas. Congratulations, Tammie. You've got guts, you've got moxie, you got world-class skill, and you've sure as hell got some serious card sense.

Dr. Bass did, indeed, honor me greatly by asking that I write up something about how things all went down. Of course I will, but not just yet. I'm trying to obtain some exact figures from the tournament staff because this story will be quite incomplete without them. You will understand when you see it.

On another related note, this tournament was not only the richest but one of the toughest in the history of BJT's. That's not my conclusion - not with my short career - but was gleaned from comments by folks who have been playing BJT's for nearly three decades. Winstar will take on all comers, there's no "invitation only" crap. Five monthly qualifying tournaments. Insane prize money. Multiple trips to the casino before it's all over. And you cannot get into the final 28 unless you earn it. No comps, no high-roller free passes, no invitations, no transferring an earned seat, no buying your way in. Anyone can play and you've got to navigate multiple rounds on your own. If you lose, then you're all done - there are also no "wild card" free passes. Therefore, I submit the following statement for your consideration:

CONGRATULATIONS TO TAMMIE BROWN​

THE 2008 WORLD CHAMPION OF TOURNAMENT BLACKJACK​

Sure looks good, doesn't it? :celebrate

 

Champion

MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK UP PRIZE WINNINGS
IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN SHE IS IN THE TOP FIVE FOR PRIZE WINNINGS FOR BLACKJACK TOURNAMENT-EINGER IS NOT WEARING A YELLOW SUITE BUT A GREEN SUITE WITH ENVY
OF COURSE I COULD BE WRONG-THIS WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW (NOT EINGER BUT THE TOP 5 ):laugh::laugh:
FOR SURE SHE IS IN THE TOP 5 FEMALE TOURNAMENT PLAYERS
MAYBE KEN S WOULD KNOW THIS INFO


LEFTNUT I CANNOT WAIT FOR YOUR NEXT POST THE LAST 5 HANDS


THIS NEEDS TO BE IN THE PLAYER INTERVIEWS AND THE PLAY BY PLAY SECTIONS

 

Amazing!

I am glad I stayed until 5:30am to watch the final hand! It was a gutsy and amazing finish by Tammie.

Even though "doc" had a near-lock (I believe that only a blackjack could have beaten him if he were to bet low), Tammie did what it takes to go for the gold and it was exciting to watch.

After doc's blunder on his double-for-less, Tammie was about a 3 to 2 favorite. When the dealer turned the face card, she became an instant millionaire.

 

Congratulations

It's great that someone that a lot of us know and respect won this baby.
Good going.

 

Congratulations Tammie. That is one heck of an accomplishment.

 

Deserved Title!!!

Women of the Blackjack Tournament World....we now have a LEADER!! Very proud of you, Tammie. And...what a way to start a life together. Best wishes to you and Dr. Bass. We know there will be many Final Tables in the future for the two of you.

Lee and Frank

 

"Excellent!"


Many congratulations.

 

Working on it

Everyone -

I've got the notes regarding that final hand, but I have to apologize deeply because I won't be able to write it up until this evening. Some of us didn't win a Million and still have to work! :laugh:

I will tell you that Doc's chip stack going into that final hand was not double of everyone else's. Two players had a pinch more than half of his total, including Tammie. More later......

p.s. Don't respond to this post, as I'm going to remove it when I get this mini-novel posted. Any replies will look a little strange after that removal!

 

Can't Wait...

LeftNut:

Can't wait to work this out in my head! You might want to submit this as a HUGE Teaser to everyone, so that we can all make our calculations and submit to the FORUM our BEST RECOMMENDED BET based on everyone's chip count! It should have been very easy for him to make the right bet, since he was last to bet and they gave all of them, including Doc, so much time...

One thing is obvious!! He bet way too much on the last hand, and in addition should have never doubled down. That was a HUGE $750,000 mistake which he won't soon forget!!!!

In my opinion, based on the chip count as I know it, he should have bet enough money to give himself a "one chip lead" over everyone else if they all had won the hand! If I remember correctly, the other players, minus Tammie, weren't even trying to go after him...

FOR $1,000,000 YOU'VE GOT TO GO FOR THE GOLD!!!

Skipper :bomb::bomb::bomb::bomb:

 

BJ Beauty

I like that name.. and congratulate you on this great win.

I think it is great that a women has won



Best to you,
CP

 

What a great July August....... Tammie

Wow Tammie, :joker:
What a terriffic 2 months for you!

First you get into the finals in June, (beat Lou at Semi table) LOL :celebrate

Then you go on that awesome shopping spree and Win the car.....................

Then you tell me you & Larry got engaged!
and Finally you win the Million Dollar tourney!

What a :1st: 2008......I'm sure one you will Never forget!

Lou tells all of his friends about this great player that he always looses to, and now he has real proof!

Congratulations!!!:joker:!! to you and best wishes to you and Larry both!

Hope to see you both Soon!

Lou & Sue :cheers:

 

Wow!

Wow! I just pinched myself and, yes, I'm really awake. I must admit that I've spent a lot of time sleeping during the past 48 hours, trying to catch back those hours I lost during the filming of the finals. But, I'm back now, facing reality, and smiling a lot. The money is great, no doubt, but most of the smiles come from all the beautiful, emotional and sincere congrats that you all have posted, emailed and sent via voicemail. It takes an event like this to realize all the wonderful friends I've been able to make in the blackjack community, and I was proud to be able to carry the banner for BJTers into the finals of the Winstar tourney.

Thanks to all, especially those of you who supported me by staying awake till all hours during those stressful final hours of the tournament. It really meant a lot - and your energy helped carry me through till the end.

I look forward to seeing many of you in the near future. Larry and I are planning to get back to Vegas in Oct, Nov. and Dec., so we'll see a lot of you at the tables there,

Thanks again for all the good words and wishes.

Tammie

 

Well worth it...

Tammie:

Heartfelt congratulations to you again! Sorry I couldn't stay around to give you that HUGE hug I had for you! As it was, I got to the Oklahoma City Airport after a two hour drive just in time to gas up the rental car, turn it in and hop on the plane back to Vegas! I stayed long enough to see you holding that monstrous $1,000,000 check with your son at your side and the tears flowing. What a sight, that I won't soon forget!

All my best to you and Larry, MS. TAMINATOR...

Skipper :celebrate

P.S. Perhaps that massage and all of the "Talkin to the Cards" may have helped. lost my voice in the process.

 

OK, here we go. I've got the totals for the chip countdown (after hand 15 of 21), and the action on that amazing final hand. I do not have the action for the hands in between, however, so being able to re-create the last 5 hands as per Maxwell's excellent suggestion regarding adding this to Ken's archives here isn't possible - yet. We may still be able to get those numbers, depends on how closely the staff and the TV analysts were keeping track - and if they still have their notes. One must realize that we could not see the player's chip stacks nor bets from the seats in the Stadium during play. You will also note that there are a few somewhat inconsequential holes in the story. Please remember that everyone had been going for nearly 18 hours straight at this point, exhaustion was evident everywhere and some minor details may have been missed.

Before I proceed, I want to make sure everyone realizes that this is in NO way meant to be insulting to Seung. We had the pleasure of meeting him personally in the hotel lobby on the morning after this was all over, he is a fine gentleman, a sportsman, and a credit to the game. He's also a damn fine BJT player, a fact that should be obvious to everyone because you just cannot get that far in a tournament like this on dumb luck alone. There's just too many hands on too many tables to rely on luck!
_____________________________________________

The players were seated as follows:
Seat 1 - Tammie
Seat 2 - Howie (the 2nd place fellow from my own May qualifier)
Seat 3 - James
Seat 4 - Michael
Seat 5 - Frank
Seat 6 - Seung (a.k.a "Doc")

After the cards were dealt to determine the initial betting position, Larry (Dr. Bass) and I simultaneously realized that Tammie had gotten hosed bigtime. She was going to be betting first on the final hand unless someone bombed out. Not a good start for our heroine.

Everyone started out with $2,000 in chips, min bet $25, no max. All of the players were betting very small at the beginning. All, that is, except for Doc, who came out of the gate with guns blazing. $200 - $400 bets for him, and he just couldn't lose a hand. Blackjack? Thank you very much. Hard 14? Give me that 7, please, and make it in hearts. Splits, stiffs, doubles - it didn't matter, he got ahead of the pack and just kept pulling away. It finally got to the point that everyone else at the table, and everyone in the stands, had pretty much conceded the Million to Doc, barring some disaster for him on the last hand. The other 5 players appeared to be jockeying for chip stack position to have the best shot at 2nd place.

At the chip countdown after Hand 15, here's where it stood:
2100 Tammie
1700 Howie
2075 James
1700 Michael
500 Frank
4100 Doc

Frank had decided to take a shot at Doc's huge lead and got pounded hard. At that point, he simply started betting very small, possibly hoping that others would bust out and move him up the amazingly rich cash ladder. There was a total of $1,700,000 on the line at that table so I can't say that I blame him at all.

When the penultimate hand was concluded, there was a short pause while Dave Stann ("Hollywood") came out of the TV commentators/analysts booth to silently count everyone's stack. This was not revealed to either the players nor the spectators. Based on information I just received, I think this is where it stood. It may not be completely accurate as far as stacks to specific players, and my educated guesses are in red: Tammie (BR3) had 2200, must bet first. Howie (BR4) had 1400. Somebody (BR2) had 2500 for 2nd place. And Doc (BR1) was sitting mighty pretty with 3950 and was betting last. The other two are so short-stacked that they're pretty much out of it completely. Things are definitely not looking good for our heroine - or anyone else, for that matter. Except, of course, for Doc with his massive chip lead and perfect betting position. But he did not have everyone more than doubled, so there was still a chance for a miracle.

Tammie bet first and pushed out 2025 of her 2200. A superb bet, as it gives her the high over Howie's all-in 2:1 BJ and is easily enough to beat Doc's push. Howie shoves out a half-stack bet of 700. BR2 bet 2100 of his 2500. The two short stacks pushed all-in. Then things got a little weird. Doc took his 3950 stack and bet 1500, which was 75 too much as it now opened up the chance of a push-loss with BR2. But wait, it gets stranger.

Dealer had a 9. Tammie had a hard 13, pushed out everything she had left (except for one $25 chip to save place position over the two all-ins) for a DD-for-less. By golly, she snagged a 6 for 19 - and us spectators erupted into a cacophony of cheers and whistles. Howie stood on his hand, not sure what he had. BR2 hit to 14 and stopped, apparently unwilling to bust and give up prize position to the two all-ins and Howie. The two all-ins weren't important to determining the champion. Doc, who already had the high AND the low on the table, inexplicably doubled-for-less on his 11 for $300. thereby exposing himself to a second player's (Tammie) push-loss possibility. He gets a 3 for a 14. The dealer reaches for this hole card and..........

Everything came to an abrupt halt. TV Time-Out, I guess. There was a lot of moving of cameras, chatter onstage with the TV crew and the tournament staff, and Dave came out of the booth again to take a hard look at the chip situation. He disappeared, then came out a second time to re-count the chips. Then a third time!! He told me later that he was so amazed at what had transpired that he wanted to make damn sure he had things right, especially for this much cash. At the end of his third visit, we could hear him explaining to the players what the situation was. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear him well enough to understand what he was saying, so we didn't have a clear idea of how things stood at this point, right before the dealer rolls the hole card. Dr. Bass, Deb, and I were sure that the game was Tammie's if the dealer turned that 9 into 17 or 18, and it was Doc's if the dealer made 19, 20, 21, or bust. Remember, we couldn't see chip stacks!

More time passed as the TV crew and stage director got everything the way they wanted it. She instructed the players that whoever won needed to proceed as immediately as possible to the stage area behind the players to be interviewed by Michelle and Rob, the hosts. The clock is still ticking, the players are agonizing since the dealer's final result will create some large money swings for everyone. I'm sitting there looking at Doc's stack, trying to see, and I suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have as much held back as Tammie had in the circle. If that's the case, a 19 gives Tammie a push and makes her the winner. And the dealer's showing a 9!!! Elbowed Larry, told him of my suspicions, he didn't want to believe it was possible simply because - hey, we're talking about a MILLION here.....

Finally, the TV crew was ready. At least a half-hour has passed since the action stopped. Quiet on the set. We're still not sure about the effect of a dealer 19. Dealer slowly reaches for the hole card, rolls it - and puts the most beautiful coat of paint on that 9 for the 19! My suspicions about Doc's bankroll were confirmed when Tammie leaped from her seat and started pumping both fists in the air - and we all went totally berserk. Tears and hugs, screaming and yelling, huge confetti falling everywhere like an avalanche, feet stomping in the seats and shouts of TAMMIE! TAMMIE! TAMMIE! reverberated through the whole stadium. Our friend had won it all and the 18 hours we'd all spent watching it happen was so well worth it.

______________________________________
The final chip counts:
2200 Tammie
2150 Doc
2100 Michael
750 Howie
375 James
175 Frank
______________________________________
Some postscripts:

1. Doc told me in the hotel lobby the next morning that he had simply miscounted Tammie's chips. Since she was in seat 1 and he was in seat 6, I can easily see how that might happen due to the distance. Especially under the incredible pressure of playing for that much cash!!! Did he choke? Perhaps. And perhaps not. Whether he did or didn't isn't important, in my opinion. Nobody gets to the point of being the final table chip leader going into the last hand of one of the most rigorous blackjack tournaments in history without having a damn good idea of how to play the game.

2. Yes, I know some of the numbers don't add up perfectly. Tough.

3. Some of you may remember my comments about Deb's getting booted out of the June tournament when an opponent hit a hard 16 on the final hand and caught the 5 to lock her out. Yes, folks, that was Doc. It was a two-advance table, and do you know who the other winner was? Yup - it was Tammie Brown.

 

In blackjack tournaments, are you not allowed to ask the player or dealer for a player's chip count? You must count the other player's chips yourself?

 

Outstanding play by play reporting by Leftnut

What a great job of capturing not only the facts, but the emotions and excitement of the final hands. Leftnut, you may have a new career as blackjack analyst!

All I can add to his analysis is the frustration most of us in the audience felt by not being able to see chip stacks and know what was really happening during that last hand. Leftnut was right, I was afraid to really believe that Doc had overbet - opening up the push for Tammie's win. Thankfully, he was right!

I can't begin to acknowledge all the supporters who were there to watch the final rounds - but I want to offer special thanks to Brian, Deb, Tammy E, Dave, Bob and Skip for their loyalty and encouragement. Both Tammie and I will never forget it.