played the tournament at a table of friendly people which is always a nice change of pace…on hand number 8 I was chip leader by about 500 - I put up the 500 in an effort to pull a 1973 Belmont on everyone - I got dealt a 7,4 versus a dealer King and doubled - I was dealt a 2 - Dealer flips over a 2 of her own, followed by a 4, followed by an Ace, followed by a 9 and then , finally a 3 for 19
ok so now I was no longer the chip leader and had 1500 left - I went all-in - BLACKJACK!!!!!!!!!!! !From that point onward I had the chip lead and never relinquished it
ROUND 2 at 3pm PST
So, 3pm arrived and Round 2 began - The lady who beat me yesterday on the last hand of the first round was seated at my table yet again and she actually remarked that I was “being cold” towards her — really?!? Oh well, I was my usual effervescent self and the round began…I could not win a hand–meanwhile the guys to my left and right could not lose a hand - After the 10th hand, everyone’s chips were counted – as two people from each table would advance from this round to the semi-finals, it was key to know where we all stood in relation to one another — needless to say, I was in last place with only 400 of my 1000 in chips remaining — the next lowest was the woman at third base with 625 — the other three were all in the 1300-1600 range - I determined that I needed to make a great run to make it to the semi-finals — and that’s exactly what I did – I put up my 400 and won, then left the 800 up and won — I then left the 1600 up and was at 3200 — basically securing my spot in the semi-finals
Semi-final…Five of us sat at the semi-final table, with only one of us heading to the final table - The guy to my immediate right went all in on the first hand and lost – one down, three to go - The other three players hung in there but, after the 10th hand, I was in the lead with 1350 — the others having 850, 300 and 200 - Player 3 and I both pushed so stayed where we were - Player 4 went all in on hand 11 and lost–two down, two to go - Player 5 got a blackjack all in on that hand and was now up to 500 - On the next hand Player 3 bet 100, Player 5 went all in again with 500 and I bet 50–BUT-WATCH OUT-A MISDEAL–I had a 20, Player 2 a 17 and Player 5 an 18 BUT the dealer had skipped giving himself a card – the pit crew called it a misdeal – we were all annoyed as we thought we all had good hands as the dealer was showing a 6 - It was re-dealt and the dealer got a blackjack, wiping out Player 5, leaving Player 2 with 750 and me with 1300 - so it was left to Player 2 with 750 and me with 1300 - I was in the unenviable position of having to bet first–and so I put up 600–which, if I won and Player 2 was dealt a blackjack on an all in bet, I would still win–however, betting first is really a disadvantage because Player 2 decided to go for a strategy I have used quite often, betting low and hoping the other player loses the hand–Player 2 bet 25–meaning he needed me to lose in order to win - The cards were dealt–I had a 13 and Player 2 had a 20 - The dealer was showing a 9 - I hit my hand and was dealt a 6 for a 19 - All I needed was a push and Player 2’s minimum bet would not be enough and I would advance to the finals - The dealer flipped over his down card and it was an Ace for a 20 – of all the cards!!! Pretty much the only one that would hurt me — yet again, I had lost on the final hand. I think it stings more the further you get without winning in a tournament – alas, it was not meant to be and I turned my attention back to recouping my actual losses on this trip.
Over the course of this evening, I played about 5 mini-sessions, picking up between 100 and 300 each time (including 125 on roulette using some promo chips I had for advancing in the BJ tournament) – ultimately, picking up 1675 and leaving my trip at -6025 (rather than -10k as it was early yesterday)
I am taking a break and still deciding on whether I will play anymore tonight…