Well I finally found a blackjack tournament,(they don't have them on the east coast) my first in fact. I had been working in europe for the last 4 weeks, including over my wife's b'day, so as a present (more to me than to her if the truth be known) we came back to new york the old fasioned way, on the Queen Mary 2. Never having been on a cruise before I don't have anything to compare it to but the phrase "out of this world!" comes to mind, anyway back to the cards. The game was 20 to enter, play 7 hands with 1000 in tournament chips, top 7 made the final later in the day. I played early on and posted 2700 with the leader at 3100 and thought that'll do, went back to my cabin for a rest before the final at 3:45, got down to the casino at 3:30 just in case I got knocked off which I did so quickly put another 20 down and seven hands later posted 4000, which put me in seconds. Well people were re entering 5, 6 and more times, all for a $500 first prize, the table must have taken 4 to 5k in entries. So I make the final, 7 hands, I'm playing like Ken, betting minimums until a coulpe of leaders start pulling away, I up it to stay in the chase and get luck with a blackjack. To settle a tie they count up each players chips after the 6th hand, I'm leading with 3700 the second place guy has 3100 and no one else is in the running. Unfortunately it's me to open the betting so I bet 700, thinking he has to bet 100 leaving him 3000, if we both lose I win on the count back. He bets 1400, I think so that if we both win he wins. We are both delt 8-6 (14) dealer shows a 10, I'm thinking do I buy a card in this situation or what, not sure so I just hit, get a 10 bust. He stands on the 14 so I'm praying for the dealer to flip a 7 or better (winning my first tournament , how cool would that be). Dealer flips a 2 then a 4 for 16 then................A bloody King!!!!!!! My freind on second base (who spent 120 just to quallify by the way) walks away with the 500 bucks!!! and I get a keychain and a baseball cap. What an emotional rollercoaster that was, so my question is, did I play the last hand correctly? Thanks Kevin
QM2? I'm envious! Kevin, nice venue for your first tournament! You asked for a play critique, so here goes: With a $600 lead, a bet of $500 is better than a bet of $700 because of the possibility of you losing while he pushes. In general, if you plan to "take the low" with more unbet chips, do it outright, covering a push as well. (Note: That advice rarely is appropriate if you're betting behind your opponent, when you're more likely to give up the push for the ability to cover both the high and low.) Your reasoning on how to arrive at the $700 bet was suspect as well. You mention that he must bet at least $100, but if he does so, you'll just tie him if you both lose. But, back to the actual situation, with your $700 bet and his $1400 bet. Once the cards are dealt, and you both have likely losing hands of 14 vs a dealer ten, you're looking pretty good. However, you did have a nice shot to make another way to win. Your description of "buying a card" is exactly what your best play would have been. You already have more unbet chips than him ($3000 compared to his $1700). Thus you win if he loses the hand. However, you have some extra chips that you can risk and still have more unbet chips. Lots, actually. You could bet up to an extra $1200 and still have the low. Thus you can double your $700 bet, and if you catch a good card, he'll be forced to double as well. If you bust, you're no worse off than you were before. You still win if the dealer beats him. So, there's room for improvement in your play, but had you made these changes, you still would have lost the round. You'll learn that this can be a frustrating game! Welcome, and feel free to ask for further clarification if needed.
Queen Mary 2 It sounds like you were on the same cruise as I except I was on the maiden cruise from Ft Lauderdale to South Hampton. I have cruised many times & do not recommend this ship to anyone for several reasons. First, it is to big. It is very difficult to navigate on board & I was there for 17 days. Many people never find their way around. When in port, the logistics for shore cruises are awesome. I saw as many as 28 buses waiting to take passengers on tours. And most of the places it stopped, except Lisbon, were not big enough to accomodate the throngs of people. Secondly, the cruise price and everything sold abord are nearly twice the price you find on most other cruise ships. And third, even though I was eating in the dining room for suite passengers, the food was a long way from gourmet. The service and atmosphere were outstanding, but not the food. Next time try Celebrity Lines where you get a lot more for your money. I have cruised with them many times & am going to the Greek Isles with them in May '05. Now for your answer to the blackjack question. In retrospect I learned that one should not even play at all. The "tournament" I played in had 120 entries times $20 each equals $2400. With a $500 pay out the odds do not seem reasonable to me. The ship wins it all. By the way, do you know that Carnival Curise Lines owns the Queen Mary2?
