Denny Hamlin details $300K blackjack tournament win in Las Vegas

Denny Hamlin didn’t finish first in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but he still came out a winner in the “Sin City.”

Hamlin won a $300,000 grand prize in a blackjack tournament on Saturday night, posting his winnings in an Instagram post.

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Speaking on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday, Hamlin detailed his blackjack tournament win, his second in as many years at Las Vegas.

Denny Hamlin goes all-in at the blackjack table

“We did not win on the racetrack for sure, but we made it on the final table again,” Hamlin said. “I’ve only participated in two blackjack tournaments [in] my whole life. And I only did it because the hotel gave me a position in it. The timing worked out where we were not on the track or not nearly on track at those times. And so, I was in town [and] casino host says, ‘Hey, we got a spot for you here if you wanna play.’ I definitely got nervous in that way more than I do in anything that has to do with driving. But I think that’s pretty normal.

“So, last year I made the final table. They decided to chop up the pot at the final table. There were six or seven guys in the final table last year, they chopped it, so I got a piece of the winnings. But interestingly enough, this year we got to the final table, and it was not a unanimous let’s chop the pot scenario. So, there was a gentleman who was very adamant that ‘I don’t wanna chop the pot, I’ve come this far.’ And then you had another saying, ‘Hey, how about let’s get down to the final three or four people and then we’ll renegotiate chopping, that way everybody gets more money.’

“So, we play it and the way you play is you play 15 hands. That’s it. Each table and then you gotta be one of the top-2 at each table to go onto the next table and the next table and the next table. I got through that process, got to the final. … For me, I was the third-highest chip stack of the four and I went all-in… I won the hand, so I doubled up… I leaped over both of them [chip leaders] and I won.”

Hamlin’s luck didn’t translate to the racetrack. He still, however, picked up a quality P8 finish, leading 16 laps throughout the race.