Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas NV: Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament III Qualifier, June 2004
The final table of the Las Vegas Hilton Million Dollar Blackjack Tournament III qualifiers has 28 hands, played with a bankroll of $5000 in non-negotiable chips. Betting limits are $100 to $2500 in increments of $100. Late surrender is allowed.
Finalists, starting in seat 1 were Patrick Lim, Scott Benson, Charlene Ono, Gigi Dong (Wild Card), Rolf Steinhuebl, Marvin Ornstein, and Joe Pane.
We'll pick up the action on hand 24, just after the countdown.
| Seat | Player | Bankroll | Bet | Cards | Value | Win/Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand 24 | |||||||
| 1 | Lim | $4500 | $1000 | 5 J Surr | Surr | -$500 | |
| 2 | Benson | $4400 | $100 | 5 T J | Bust | -$100 | |
| 3 | ==> | Ono | $2000 | $1000 | Q 7 Surr | Surr | -$500 |
| 4 | Dong | -0- | |||||
| 5 | Steinhuebl | $3900 | $600 | 7 7 Surr | Surr | -$300 | |
| 6 | Ornstein | $5000 | $500 | 7 9 Surr | Surr | -$250 | |
| 7 | Pane | $2450 | $1200 | 5 T Surr | Surr | -$600 | |
| Dealer | Upcard J | J 3 | 13 | ||||
| Hand 25 | |||||||
| 1 | Lim | $4000 | $500 | J J | 20 | +$500 | |
| 2 | Benson | $4300 | $100 | 4 T ? | Bust | -$100 | |
| 3 | Ono | $1500 | $700 | A K | BJ | +$1050 | |
| 4 | Dong | -0- | |||||
| 5 | ==> | Steinhuebl | $3600 | $600 | A 5 | 16 | -$600 |
| 6 | Ornstein | $4750 | $400 | 6 6 4 | 16 | -$400 | |
| 7 | Pane | $1850 | $1700 | A 7 2 | 20 | +$1700 | |
| Dealer | Upcard J | J 9 | 19 | ||||
| Hand 26 | |||||||
| 1 | Lim | $4500 | $900 | J 6 Surr | Surr | -$450 | |
| 2 | Benson | $4200 | $100 | J 4 9 | Bust | -$100 | |
| 3 | Ono | $2550 | $1200 | 7 A K | 18 | -$1200 | |
| 4 | Dong | -0- | |||||
| 5 | Steinhuebl | $3000 | $1500 | J 8 | 18 | -$1500 | |
| 6 | ==> | Ornstein | $4350 | $800 | J A | BJ | +$1200 |
| 7 | Pane | $3550 | $1700 | 9 4 7 | 20 | $0 | |
| Dealer | Upcard Q | Q Q | 20 | ||||
| Hand 27 | |||||||
| 1 | Lim | $4050 | $2000 | A 8 | 19 | +$2000 | |
| 2 | Benson | $4100 | $100 + $100 | 3 8 Dbl T | 21 | +$200 | |
| 3 | Ono | $1350 | $1300 | 6 2 Q | 18 | $0 | |
| 4 | Dong | -0- | |||||
| 5 | Steinhuebl | $1500 | $100 | K J | 20 | +$100 | |
| 6 | Ornstein | $5550 | $1300 | 2 3 Surr | Surr | -$650 | |
| 7 | ==> | Pane | $3550 | $1700 | 3 T 7 | 20 | +$1700 |
| Dealer | Upcard 9 | 9 9 | 18 | ||||
| Hand 28 | |||||||
| 1 | ==> | Lim | $6050 | $2200 | A K | BJ | +$3300 |
| 2 | Benson | $4300 | $2100 + $2000 | 7 6 Dbl 7 | 20 | +$4100 | |
| 3 | Ono | $1350 | $1300 | T 2 Surr | Surr | -$650 | |
| 4 | Dong | -0- | |||||
| 5 | Steinhuebl | $1600 | $1500 | Q 6 Surr | Surr | -$750 | |
| 6 | Ornstein | $4900 | $2400 + $2400 | T 7 / Q 5 | 17 / 15 | -$4800 | |
| 7 | Pane | $5250 | $2500 + $2500 | K A Dbl Q | 21 | +$5000 | |
| Dealer | Upcard 5 | 5 2 A | 18 | ||||
| Final Standings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Final Bankroll | Place | Prize Money |
| Joe Pane | $10250 | 1st | $20,000 |
| Patrick Lim | $9350 | 2nd | $10,000 |
| Scott Benson | $8400 | 3rd | $6,000 |
| Rolf Steinhuebl | $850 | 4th | $3,500 |
| Charlene Ono | $700 | 5th | $2,500 |
| Marvin Ornstein | $100 | 6th | $2,000 |
| Gigi Dong | $0 | 7th | $1,500 |
Note a rarity in hand 24, where 5 out of 6 players surrendered.
Pane's win is remarkable, given an extremely bad run of cards mid-round. At one point his bankroll was down to $1400.
Gigi Dong, the wild card, made an early exit after the first few hands took most of her chips. She left the table on hand 18.