HOT CHIPS

BY TIFFANY MICHELLE

Diary Of A Blackjack Virgin

WHEN I GOT THE CALL TO BE A CELEBRITY GUEST on the latest season of the World Series of Blackjack on GSN, I was pretty excited. I couldn’t wait to take a crack at that million-dollar prize pool and, as a naturally competitive person with a card-playing history, blackjack seemed right up my alley. But in the midst of all my excitement I suddenly realized, I’m a poker player. I’ve never played a blackjack tournament before in my life! What am I doing?!

Granted, with all the casinos I frequent throughout the year on the poker circuit I wasn’t a complete stranger to the blackjack tables. Some of you may know me from my work with Pokernews (and other gaming news outlets) interviewing some of the top players in the gambling community, so I certainly had a head start over other blackjack novices. Ultimately, though, blackjack is just not poker.

Bottom line is, I had never diligently applied myself to this game and didn’t have any clue what tournament blackjack was all about, so a crash session was definitely in order. I quickly brushed up on my basic strategy, picked up the recommended Wong strategy book, crammed in a tourney blackjack session with friend Joe Reitman to explain this whole Elimination Blackjack concept to me, and packed my bags for Vegas.

Poppin’ The (Blackjack) Cherry
My showing at the WSOB wasn’t terrible. My first goal as a blackjack virgin was just not to be the first person eliminated from my table! I managed to make it down to the final three players (and even had the chip lead going into the final hand), but as fate would have it, the dealer had other plans and I came up one seat short of blackjack glory. Okay, maybe “blackjack glory” isn’t what was at stake, but I take my games seriously.
My experience in film and TV was helpful in preparing me for the bright lights and cameras that so many other players become disabled by, but I had other demons lying in wait. To be honest, as a non-math-nerd, I was mildly terrified of blackjack, what with stories of the MIT brainiacs, strategy books filled to the brim with charts and percentages, and too much time spent around the likes of “Hollywood” Dave Stann (who, despite the crazy punkish exterior, is a Mensa-certified human calculator). But after dipping my toes in the water at the WSOB and not ending up a complete loser, I quickly became determined to conquer my fears of mathematical inadequacy and take baby steps toward blackjack.

So I jumped on the tournament blackjack circuit and played every event I could. There may be several methods of learning and perfecting one’s game, but there’s just something to be said for practical experience. At the first blackjack tournament I played post-WSOB, for instance, I was ecstatic to have advanced all the way to the quarterfinals—only to surrender myself out of the entire tournament! Needless to say, I learned a practical (and painful) lesson that day that no book could have taught me. After spending the whole past year playing as much as I could, from UBT events at the Venetian and Barona to online blackjack tourneys, I’ve experienced many other hard lessons as well. But my game has never been better.

Turning The Tables
After a whirlwind year in blackjack, I’ve come to find that it’s actually pretty simple. I quickly discovered that I didn’t have to be a bona fide blackjack expert to show winning results in tournaments because (shhh, don’t tell anyone else) the majority of players out there are really bad! Average Joes who sign up for a blackjack tourney on a whim while vacationing in Vegas—or who decide to play an online tourney using the same “lucky system” they use at the blackjack tables—just don’t have a clue.

So if you have any concept of general tournament strategy or even basic blackjack strategy, you’re already a step ahead of the game. When I began playing online, I could practically min-bet my way through an entire tournament, letting all the clueless Average Joes self-destruct on their own. I would come out looking like a blackjack hero, but really I just let all the bad players eliminate themselves … leaving me on top to cash time and time again.

I’ve been very surprised (and relieved) to find that tournament blackjack parallels my already established poker background in many ways. If you understand poker tourney strategy you have a huge advantage simply because you instinctually understand concepts like playing your position, chip management, and psychology. These are concepts that the average gambling junkie convinced he’s a great player is not likely to come equipped with.

Hungry For More?
At the end of my rookie year in blackjack, this is how I’d sum it up:

1. If you’re afraid of the foreign waters of tournament blackjack, don’t be such a baby—just dive in, you might be surprised to find that you’re already more prepared than you think.

2. People are morons, especially many of the ones drawn to blackjack who are convinced that winning has more to do with lucky vibes and feelings than just cold, hard strategy. So prey off those novices just as you do in poker and claim your own blackjack glory at their expense.
3. Don’t be intimidated by the math nerds trying to spook you away from the game. Even non-math-nerds can still take down a blackjack tourney by means of basic strategy, practice, and an understanding of concepts behind those scary numbers and percentage signs.
There are first times for everything, but just like losing your virginity in certain other activities, blackjack may be kind of awkward at first but I promise you, the more you do it, the more you’ll like it.

When Tiffany “Hot Chips” Michelle isn’t burning up the felt, she can usually be found hosting and commentating for various poker media outlets. She’s most recognized for her WSOP and EPT coverage with Pokernews, and can be found online at TiffanyMichelle.com.