For the 20^th consecutive year, Max Rubin hosted the Blackjack Ball at a secret location in Las Vegas. This year 80 invited blackjack professionals and guests, from arounbd the world, attended the gala that features some of the world's best active and retired blackjack players (as well as a smattering of gambling writers and attorneys). This unique group of professionals meets annually to renew old acquaintances, make new ones, exchange playing experiences, and compete for the coveted Grosjean Cup and title as the "World's Greatest Blackjack Player." . (The Blackjack Ball Cup was renamed the Grosjean Cup because blackjack pro James Grojean won three times and was banned from competing by Max; however, to recognize Grosjean for being the best of the best three times, the Blackjack Ball Cup was renamed the Grosjean Cup in his honor.)

The list of attendees included some of the greatest blackjack professionals in the world, including Rick Blaine, Andy Bloch, John Chang, Al Francesco, James Grosjean, Tommy Hyland, Don Johnson, Richard Munchkin, Darryl Purpose, and Arnold Snyder. Also present were members of several blackjack teams: Asian Assassins, Washington Solos, MIT, and others. In total, 11 out of 15 living members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame were in attendance. (Even if the above names are not familiar to you, trust me, they are to every serious blackjack player on the planet.)

The gala began at 5:00 p.m. and included champagne, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres followed by a delicious buffet courtesy of Barona Casino. (They sponsor the Blackjack Ball and in return, the players in attendance agree not to play blackjack in their casino ... pretty smart move on the casino's part). The only requirement to attend the Ball is that you must bring a bottle of "premium champagne" (preferably earned as a comp from a casino). The bottles of champagne are opened and consumed during the Ball (and in an after-the-Ball party, which ended at 3 a.m.). Attendees must also pay $20 at the door to help "seed" the pot for the evening's Calcutta auction.

Max Rubin does a yeoman's job organizing this event. He claims to spend "more than 100 man hours" on it, which involves tracking down APs to send them an invitation (many APs change their handle and email addresses so this isn't as easy as you think), responding to many emails from players who want to attend (you must be approved by the BJ Ball committee to be on the invited list), putting together the challenging 21 test questions, organizing the seeds for the Calcutta, and as the host of the event, keeping things moving along. Max says the Blackjack Ball is a labor of love; I know I speak for all blackjack players in thanking Max for taking on this task, and for a job well done.

What follows is the process used to choose nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame (written by Max).

Next on the agenda was the usual Calcutta, which is a sort of a pari-mutuel wagering where the attendees can bet on who will win the coveted Grosjean Cup. Below is the list of the seeds. Each attendee was slotted into an appropriate grouping. Max posted the opening odds of winning for each seed, and then attendees bid anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars up to $4000 on who they thought would win the Grosjean Cup. (The Men's Field, consisting of any male less than 60 years of age that was not on any other team, is usually the best bet, which is why it bid up to $4000.)

Bidding was lively amongst this group of advantage players. (The reason, of course, was due to the overlay created when we all chipped in $20 at the door to seed the pot. There was some serious money to be won in the Calcutta, and the group of advantage players knew it.) Max, of course, was the auctioneer, and he kept extolling the virtues of players in each seed to bump up the bidding, which was often fast and furious. (Note: The money collected from the highest bidder for each seed goes into a pool, and the prize money was disbursed to the persons who purchased the finalists finishing first, second, and third (win, place, and show), and 10% was awarded to the winning bidder for the fourth place finisher, in the competition for the "World's Greatest Blackjack Player.") Also, the attendees in each seed are allowed to purchase up to 50% of themselves from the highest bidder.

Here's the instructions from Max prior to all of us taking the test.

As always, to prevent advantage play, as you fill out your game card, you must mark every true or false question or multiple choice question and fill in the blank before we move on to the next question and they must be marked with Black Ink. You cannot change your answer once you have marked your card. If there are any blanks or changed answers on your card then when it is graded or handed in, you will be disqualified. It's happened before and it wasn't pretty, was it Dave?

Please write your name on your card now to make sure that your pens are working. If they aren't, hold up your hand and we'll bring you another one.

Also, anyone who looks at their cell phones for any reason, other than to take an emergency call, in which case we will all wait until that emergency has been dealt with, will also be disqualified from play. You are allowed to use the back of your playing card to calculate your answers.

I'll repeat each question twice. Ready?

(Copy of the BJ Ball Test is below.)

This year's test was very tough. Out of a possible 21 correct answers, two players had 10 correct answers (they were Blackjack Hall of Famers John Chang and Tommy Hyland). Ten players tied with nine correct answers; therefore, Max held a playoff to determine which four would advance. The ten players lined up and in sequence had to name a casino in the south. All ten made it through the first round, three were eliminated the second time through, and finally blackjack legend and Hall of Fame nominee Don Johnson was the last person eliminated when he repeated the name of a casino that already been named. The final six contestants, who advanced to the skills part of the competition, were Lee Jensen, John Chang, Tommy Hyland, J, WRX, and David. (Full names are excluded to protect the anonymity of the contestants.) These five contestants then competed in the next round of the competition (mostly card counting drills ... I'll describe them in next month's BJI).

Note: In next month's BJI, I'll share with you the answers to the Blackjack Test questions (courtesy of Max Rubin), the details of the semifinal and final round skills tests, and the names of the persons that won the coveted Grosjean Cup (for finishing first) and the Munchkin Award (for finishing in second place). (The Munchkin Award is in honor of Richard Munchkin, who also has been banned from the competition after winning three times.)

Until next month when I provide the answers, try answering the Blackjack Ball Test questions. Remember, you have only 30 seconds to answer each question and you can't use any mechanical or electronic device to help you answer a question. Good luck.

Henry Tamburin

Note: Special thanks to Max Rubin for reviewing this article and making additions/corrections to ensure its accuracy.

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