answered my on questions
Anthony Curtis is low bankroll with $48,000 and Joe Pane is second low with $62,000. The hand 8 EH is close, and Joe, betting first, realizes that Anthony's impending all-in will put him in a bind. When you're the second-low bankroll and the low bankroll moves all in with an EH around the corner, you have to either move all in with him or bet enough to cover his win. This is because if you bet small, whether he wins or loses, you will become the low bankroll (you'll be passed if he wins, and he'll be gone if he loses). Knowing this, Joe bets $35,000 to stay ahead of Anthony's all-in, $97,000 to $96,000. It's the right idea, but if both lose, Joe will have only $27,000. In this situation it would have been better for Joe to go all in to maximize the win if he got it. Joe knew it as soon as he bet, and got lucky when he pushed, but going all in is the move that has to be made in this spot.
See Hand 6
Note
Jennifer Tilly was eliminated on this hand, but only because Johnny Chan made a bet that made that happen. When you're considering the low, you can overbet your lead and surrender back, bet the gap, or bet the gap minus a chip. The case for the third option is made here in Johnny's bet. With his bet, in addition to advancing with a lose/lose, he also advances with a lose/push. Jennifer has the high and gets a 20, but the dealer turns a 15 into 20. Johnny loses while Jennifer pushes and Johnny's decision to save a chip for the pure low on Jennifer pays off big time. Jennifer is eliminated by a mere $500, $90,500 to $90,000.
See Hand 8
Note
What a hand. What a play. Poker powerhouse Annie Duke brings a dimension of her primary game to tournament blackjack that hasn't been seen before. This is complicated stuff, so we're gonna crib a bit from someone who's taken the time to work it all out. The following comes from an upcoming "House of Pane" article by Joe Pane for ALL IN magazine. Joe may have made a small error on hand 6, but he knows blackjack tournaments and is all over this play. Here's Joe's analysis.
With so many players being lost early, the match's final hand will be hand 25. It's now heads-up between Annie Duke and Hollywood Dave.
By now, everyone's seen Hollywood's act where he talks trash to his opponents, hoping to get them to make a mistake. But on this hand, Annie turns the table on the Bad Boy of Blackjack and it's not with trash talk. It's with a brilliant plan that screws with Hollywood's thinking. Annie is not only one of the top poker players in the country, but she has a brilliant mind to go along with her poker skills. She can now add having some awesome blackjack-tournament chops to her resume. Here's the scene. (See Hand 25)
Annie has wisely saved her Secret Bet for this last hand and she wagers $22,000. Hollywood bets $39,000, which he has to do in the open after spending his SB earlier. The cards are dealt and neither is strong: Annie has a 13 and Hollywood has a soft 13. Buckle up, 'cause it gets a little complicated from here.
Annie uses her Secret Action to double for $20,000, which is a good move that gives her the high if she converts the double ($175,000 to $164,000) and the low if the dealer beats their bad hands ($91,000 to $86,000)—that is, if Hollywood plays his hand by the book. This is where Annie really turns her brilliant mind toward bluffing Hollywood out of surrendering.
When Annie comes out of the Secret-Bet booth after doubling, Hollywood says, "So what did you do?"
At this point Hollywood has already gone into his usual banter about how he thinks the hand should be played and he seems to be leaning toward surrender. Annie—the only one with complete information at this point—doesn't want this, as his surrendering will give him the low if the dealer beats both players ($105,500 to $91,000), which looks be the way the hand is going.
Annie says, "I won't tell you what I did, but I'll show you what I bet."
This has never been done before as far as I know. In fact, the tournament director is asked if Annie can reveal her Secret Bet and he rules that she can if she wants to. Annie opens up her card and shows "$22,000." In doing this, she makes Hollywood consider the ramifications of the options she could have taken, making him conclude that he can't surrender.
Think about it. If Hollywood surrenders, he can be locking himself out of any chance to win (if Annie has surrendered in front of him).
Man, this is brilliant stuff, and it was all conceived within two minutes under the pressure of lights, TV cameras, and a screaming live audience. This lady is a top-notch professional no matter what card game she's playing.
Hollywood takes the bait and hits his hand, allowing Annie to own the high and low as intended.
Annie was still in a tough spot, having to convert the hard double, and she didn't. But her play was tremendous, earning the praise of all the blackjack pros, who don't give it up easily.
See Hand 25
