Next hand, I got an 11 against a 6. Again, I had a 100 bet so I was more focused on others losing. I didn't double down hand. I didn't even hit hand. I decided to stay on 11. The ensuing Jack that was meant for me helped dealer make a tidy 21. Everyone lost again, and all of a sudden I had a 9,000 point chip lead. Everyone is now furious!

I had such a large chip lead at that point, I practically cruised through rest of session. I won session by 11,000 points and made it to final table, but not before getting a tongue lashing from one of my opponents.

"I've never seen anyone play way you did."

"What? Are you talking about that 'sixteen versus six' hand?"

"Yeah. That was really, really nasty. Really nasty! You don't play much, do you?"

"Oh, I play all time."

"You'd get beaten up [at regular tables] if you played like that."

"Of course I would. I would never play like that regularly."

From there she went into this whole sob story about "doing these tournaments to have a good time" and that I "ruined fun for her."

"Look, this is a tournament. A tournament that's paying five grand in cash money to winner! So, I did what I had to do to win, and now I'm off to finals. Trust me, it was nothing personal."

In all fairness, let me stress that 'sabotage' tactic doesn't really work, at least not in long run. Any reputable blackjack player knows a 'saboteur' is just as likely to hurt table than he is to help it. A sad fact of matter is that average blackjack player is bogged down in superstition - 'taking dealer's bust card' is just one of dozens of them - so whole idea of sabotaging hands is merely a psychological trick.

If you play low and try to rattle 'the flow of cards' (I'll go into 'card flow' and all other blackjack superstitions at another time) more often than not one of two things will happen. You 'save' table with your bad play, and your opponents will think "OK, he's an idiot, but I'm not mad at him because he made me win." Or, if you kill table, you're right where you want to be - inside your opponents' heads.

An observation I've made through several years at tables is that anger and frustration can rattle even most disciplined player. Many times - as was case with my opponents this particular day - this causes them to bet more aggressively than they probably should, and make riskier double down plays and splits to offset your earlier 'mistake,' which usually paves way to self-destruction. On last hand that sealed fate of my nearest rival in semis, She doubled down a 7 against a dealer's 7 and lost it all.

If a down-and-dirty approach to gambling is your cup of tea, perhaps you should give this strategy a shot.

In case you were wondering, I went on to finish in 5th place for tournament.

Until next time, best of luck to you in casinos, and in life.

Number 28, black, even.

I went absolutely crazy! I screamed and pumped my fists, hollering and running up and down aisle as dealer paid me $440 on my $40 bet - eleven to one - and floor supervisor tried in vain to get me to calm down. My family was in as much disbelief as I was that I had such a dramatic comeback.

Just like that, I got my money back! I tipped dealer $5 leaving me with exactly as much money as I came with. I'll take a draw over a loss any day! On that note, we left and headed home. Dinner that night was on me.

It'd be irresponsible of me to recommend you try something like this on a regular basis. American roulette has a house edge of 5.26%, so over long run this move will lose you more money than you'll win - theoretically 5.26% of what you bet. Roulette's not best game to play if you plan on sticking around table for hours and hours because of this house advantage. For a single spin, however, it's pretty much a given that you're relying on luck, so house edge really doesn't matter as much.

If you do choose to try this out next time your back's against wall, here are some recommendations:

It's better to bet in a way so that you get just enough to be even for day as opposed to trying to hit a home run, so to speak. If you're down $350, try betting $10 on a number straight up for a possible 35-1, or $45 on a corner (4-number) bet which would pay 8-1. Sure, you could win more if you bet, say, $25 straight up on one number and it hits, but odds of it happening are a bit on long side, and you'd be down that much more money if play didn't hit.

Consider this type of play a last resort. If it doesn't work first time, don't try it again! If you do, you could easily be caught in trap of chasing your money, where your bets would get bigger and bigger with hopes of hitting just once. Rarely does a bank-chasing situation have a happy ending.

A blind-luck roulette play could very well get you through your next day at casino, but here hoping it doesn't come down to all that.

Until next time, take care and good luck in casino!