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Tournament expert Ken Smith has appeared on all four seasons of GSN's World Series of Blackjack, and had several appearances on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS. He is the author of the e-book. How to Win More Blackjack Tournaments: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Supercharge Your Game. Ken hosts the popular website www.BlackjackInfo.com as well as the online tournament community at www.BlackjackTournaments.com.  You can subscribe to his free email newsletter at http://www.blackjackinfo.com/news/. Ken also recently released his new pocket blackjack strategy cards, which are available in our BJI store.

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In the October issue of the BJI, I began the tale of a recent tournament at Horseshoe Southern Indiana that I played in. Last month's article left you in the middle of my decision-making during the final hand of round two. Two players were to advance from my table at the end of the 15-hand round. The starting bankroll was $1500, with a minimum bet of $50 and no max bet.

In my previous article, I should point out that the bankroll rankings listed were all askew due to an editing mistake by me. The bankroll amounts were accurate though, so, hopefully, it was obvious that my player rankings of BR1 to BR5 were erroneous.

I'll recap the situation, this time with accurate ranks:

Going into the final hand, in button order.

Player	Bankroll	Bet	Cards
BR2 (me)	$2075	$1800	T5
BR5	$1675	$1675	A9
BR1	$2300	$500	T5
BR3	$1900	$1650	A4
BR4	$1750	$50	62

Dealer: Ten up

I was on the button here putting me at a distinct disadvantage betting first. With the no max bet rule, it was reasonable to assume that aggressive bets would be coming from most of the trailing bankrolls. With two players advancing, I made a bet to guarantee second high. (First high can't be guaranteed since I'm in second place.) I bet all I could afford, leaving $275 unbet. While that token chip stack is probably not going to accomplish much, you never know. Especially with the no max bet rule, it is possible that all my trailing opponents go all-in and leave me a low in addition to my second high.

Once the bets are made though, I have only first high and no low, as several players held back more chips.

Now I have a decision to make. Hard fifteen against a dealer ten is never a pleasant hand, and I'm in serious trouble with that hand here. The question is, do I hit, or do I stand...

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