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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 Mel Edwards, Stanley Szajner, David Walton, George Long (Wild Card), Natalya Azbel, Eugene Nichols, Sam Vaughn.
We'll pick up the action on hand 24, just after the countdown.
| Seat | Player | Bankroll | Bet | Cards | Value | Win/Loss | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand 24 | |||||||
| 1 | Edwards | $5050 | $300 | 5 9 Surr | Surr | -$150 | |
| 2 | ==> | Szajner | $7250 | $600 | T 3 5 | 18 | $0 |
| 3 | Walton | -0- | |||||
| 4 | Long | $3350 | $300 | T 2 2 6 | 20 | +$300 | |
| 5 | Azbel | $4950 | $600 + $600 | 5 6 Dbl 3 | 14 | -$1200 | |
| 6 | Nichols | $4100 | $600 | T 6 Surr | Surr | -$300 | |
| 7 | Vaughn | $5500 | $100 | T 9 | 19 | +$100 | |
| Dealer | Upcard 7 | 7 A | 18 | ||||
| Hand 25 | |||||||
| 1 | Edwards | $4900 | $100 | T 8 | 18 | $0 | |
| 2 | Szajner | $7250 | $1000 | 5 3 T | 18 | $0 | |
| 3 | Walton | -0- | |||||
| 4 | ==> | Long | $3650 | $1200 | 8 5 T | Bust | -$1200 |
| 5 | Azbel | $3750 | $1500 + $1500 | 5 6 Dbl 3 | 14 | -$3000 | |
| 6 | Nichols | $3800 | $800 | A 4 4 | 19 | +$800 | |
| 7 | Vaughn | $5600 | $1600 + $900 | 6 4 Dbl 5 | 15 | -$2500 | |
| Dealer | Upcard 8 | 8 T | 18 | ||||
| Hand 26 | |||||||
| 1 | Edwards | $4900 | $400 | T 2 5 | 17 | +$400 | |
| 2 | Szajner | $7250 | $500 | T 5 | 15 | +$500 | |
| 3 | Walton | -0- | |||||
| 4 | Long | $2450 | $2000 | 6 8 | 14 | +$2000 | |
| 5 | ==> | Azbel | $750 | $100 | T 3 | 13 | +$100 |
| 6 | Nichols | $4600 | $700 + $700 | 7 3 Dbl T | 20 | +$1400 | |
| 7 | Vaughn | $3100 | $1500 + $1500 | T T / T 9 | 20 / 19 | +$3000 | |
| Dealer | Upcard 2 | 2 T T | Bust | ||||
| Hand 27 | |||||||
| 1 | Edwards | $5300 | $2500 | T 6 Surr | Surr | -$1250 | |
| 2 | Szajner | $7750 | $1000 | A T | BJ | +$1500 | |
| 3 | Walton | -0- | |||||
| 4 | Long | $4450 | $2200 + $1500 | 4 5 Dbl T | 19 | +$3700 | |
| 5 | Azbel | $850 | $100 | A 3 T 3 | 17 | -$100 | |
| 6 | ==> | Nichols | $6000 | $600 (Ins $300) | 2 2 T T | Bust | -$900 |
| 7 | Vaughn | $6100 | $1600 | T 2 Surr | Surr | -$800 | |
| Dealer | Upcard A | A 6 A | 18 | ||||
| Hand 28 | |||||||
| 1 | Edwards | $4050 | $2000 + $1000 | 5 8 Dbl 7 | 20 | $0 | |
| 2 | Szajner | $9250 | $2500 | T 6 7 | Bust | -$2500 | |
| 3 | Walton | -0- | |||||
| 4 | Long | $8150 | $1600 | A 8 | 19 | -$1600 | |
| 5 | Azbel | $750 | $100 | T T | 20 | $0 | |
| 6 | Nichols | $5100 | $2500 + $2500 | T 2 Dbl A | 13 | -$5000 | |
| 7 | ==> | Vaughn | $5300 | $2500 + $2500 | 6 7 Dbl 8 | 21 | +$5000 |
| Dealer | Upcard T | T T | 20 | ||||
| Final Standings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Final Bankroll | Place | Prize Money |
| Sam Vaughn | $10300 | 1st | $20,000 |
| Stanley Szajner | $6750 | 2nd | $10,000 |
| George Long | $6550 | 3rd | $6,000 |
| Mel Edwards | $4050 | 4th | $3,500 |
| Natalya Azbel | $750 | 5th | $2,500 |
| Eugene Nichols | $100 | 6th | $2,000 |
| David Walton | $0 | 7th | $1,500 |
Walton, in seat 3, was out on hand #13.
Vaughn's nice catch on the double certainly put the pressure on in the last hand. Still, two players could beat him. Szajner busted, and Long failed to double. Had Long doubled, he would have finished in second place with a push.