BlackjackTournaments.com members make a strong showing at MDBJ2

I'll have to post more to be a regular as well

What a weekend!

I'd like to hear from the other semifinalists here as well.[/QUOTE]


Making it to the tough semi final table with two of the "regulars" and not on to the finals was an honor as well as both an inflating and deflating experience. Perhaps I'll have to stop playing under my real name!

It was very nice to have met several of you at the event. I wish that I had known about the dinner.

 

Ah Respect!

Being of Italian descent, this is very important

No worries Ken and I wasn't trying to shame you into putting me on the list. My posts have been few and far in between. However, after rereading what you wrote about Norm, perhaps I outpost him!

It is nice to come across a competitive group such as this that wages battles against each other yet is still friendly and helpful to each other. Even those that one doesn't have a piece of. Although losing in yet another semifinal table last night, I enjoyed all aspects of the Monday night event at the Fitzgerald's.

Ken, how could they let you get away with playing greens on their double deck heads up right under their uniformed non tournament noses?

 

The Finals

I am still wondering how such an awesome weekend could be over so quickly!

My first round was the most intense money amount wise. Ended up with $18,050. I skidded past my second round table by a $400 win for second place and the rest is just a blur until the semi-finals.

Right before the second semi final table, the filming crew asked us to be lively and act as though we were having fun, maybe talk a little because the first table was so quiet. Our table was quite a talker and a little comical. Should be interesting what they edit. I couldn't have asked for a better table to lose to. I am sure you are all wondering what the heck I was doing lowering my bet to $500 on the 27th hand...well my thought was if I lose this hand as well, then I am out of it. If I bet fairly small, I will at least be here to the very end and maybe get lucky on the last couple of hands-no such luck.

What I can't quit thinking about is if I would have bet minimum on the 26th hand and then increased my hand on the 27th, I could have perhaps double downed on my blackjack and had $10,000 in purples at that time. Will have to watch and see when it airs. Needless to say, woulda, shoulda, coulda. I immediately knew it was a mistake to put out the $2500 on the twenty sixth hand after I did it.

I had a 1 in 18 chance of being a housewife again and raising our girls...oh ya and playing lots of tournaments LOL! Now it will have to be just a few per year for now.

During the post interview, they were asking me about the last five hands and at that time, they were all just a blur to me. I hope they edit my entire post interview because I was a bumbling idiot.

I did comment that this was one of the best experiences and was an honor to play with professionals such as Ken Smith. I want to extend that compliment to the rest of you.

Overall, it was the best experience ever because I had great friends to share it with and met many more great friends to continue to share it with.

Thank you all.


P/S
The film crew said the MDBJ2 will be on the Travel Channel sometime in August.

Hey TxTour, who won the calcutta?

 

"Fantasy Calcutta"

Angie asked who the calcutta winner was. I was thinking about this on my flight home today (it was a long day of traveling). There was no calcutta, but who would have won if there had been? Of course that's dependent on who participated. I don't know if it would have been members only or open to all, and I don't know them all anyway. Sam would be the obvious winner if he participated, but on the flight I was thinking of Ken and Angie, and how the favorite horse came in. I don't think there's much doubt that Ken would have been a big favorite and the most expensive player by far. One could also argue that it was a dead heat since both players lasted 30 hands in the semis. I don't know the rules for this, but I decided Ken was the winner based on having a legitimate chance of advancing on the final hand.
That being said, I would not have put money on Ken because of the price, but I did find out who I would invest in for future events if the calcutta ever happens. My choice would be cmonseven and gflan! A terrific showing by both.

 

Thanks Walt

I agree that Ken would have been the favorite along with S. Yama and Bradley Peterson. I would have been the long shot for sure.

 

A Group Thanks

MDBJII was both an exciting and humbling experience. I thought I was a decent BJ player until I watched you all play at the Hilton and Starust. I also thought I was a good dancer until I got out on the floor at the banquet with Regina!!!
I can't believe the film crew had to ask Angie to act excited. Anyone who would go out and buy a new wardobe after winning her table in the quarters had to be on a major high. And being more talkative ? She's Hollywood without the explicatives. In the future we're all in trouble, this lady is too young to be this good. Nice job C-7.
Although I didn't make the semis, the opportunity to meet and talk with all of you was a real learning experience. I'm looking forward to the coming year.
And to all the new posters to the site, the Hilton Million is the Superbowl of blackjack and well worth trying to qualify for.
Thanks also to Ken for the info and help which allowed me to qualify this year. Based on the support for him during the filming, I'm not the only one who has gained an advatage from his articles.
IG

 

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

They're was no Calcutta, we couldn't get all the names from the Hilton and most of the players didn't seem all that interested in it anyway. Next year we may try to hold one and sell groups instead of individuals so all the players will be sold. Then the winner of the tournament will be the Calcutta winner, wild card or not.

This year was going to be 1st = 50%, 2nd = 30%, 3rd = 20%. It was just for the players who were interested and only who went further without getting beat, (Wild Cards didn't count) out of that group.

This years winners would have been:
(based on who had talked to me about getting in)

Tie for 1st:
Ken - would have been one of the early favorites.
Angie - would have be the longshot that came in.
Bradley - another early favorite.

All would have split the pot three way's by advancing to the semifinals unbeaten. Any other semifinalist that were interested were wild cards and had already lost in a earlier round.

 

What a Great Week!

A special thanks to all of the people I had the good fortune to meet during an unforgettable week. I knew that I was “hooked” after the March MD2 preliminary but this past week has only made it worse.
On my way home on the plane, I had a vision of several of us playing in tournaments 20 years from now (like some of the people I met at the Hilton and Stardust). Although I did not share the success of many of my new friends, it was a great learning experience and tremendous fun!
I’m not sure that I like that my most memorable play is now Ken’s worst play of the week. Here I thought that it might have been my best play!
On a serious note, I am very grateful that my new board friends are so approachable and willing to share insight into the best play in a given situation. This week was so much fun and I sure hope that we can all do it again next year! You all are the best.

 

I was only teasing!

I forgot to put LOL in my post but thanks anyway for the nice words. Gayle

 

#@!*^%~ Chuck!

That's funny...I can't find that wardrobe anywhere? Since I have been teased about this and have reflected back to my March qualifier...I did lose after changing clothes during that tournament as well. So thanks to Instagator and TxTour...I have a new saying...

It's not "All in the cards"...it's "All in the clothes!"

@#%* Instagator I don't know what you are about! (That was the "D" word for all of you under 21. If you are older, other explicitives may be substituted) .

Thanks Chuck . I think you did a great job too!

 

Is it really the clothes...mmmm

Funny the things we come up with when we win or lose. I started this as a joke with Angie about changing prior to the semifinals. Earlier in the day I was kidding Ken who came to round 2 in slacks and a sports jacket. He was by far the nicest dress player early on in the tournament, I told him he looked like $25,000, but he needed a tie to look like a million...LOL.

I felt bad for Ken after his semifinal loss, of all the participants in this years event he seemed to be the most focused and after several all in Blackjacks in earlier rounds to advance, I thought with this luck and his focus was the person to beat.

Ken, S. Yama, Norm, and Bradley, were the players most likely to advance to the finals (who were in the semi's) in my opinion, (not knocking the other players in the semifinals). They were just the more experienced players in the semifinals (that I knew).

Just goes to show how important luck is in a Blackjack tournament, none of the four made the final table. They must have all worn the wrong clothes...LOL.

 

Its not the clothes

Ken.
When you and I change clothes nobody notices. When Angie changes clothes everyone pays attention.
IG