Exciting short-court Jai-alai action at its best concluded on November 23rd at Magic City Jai-Alai in Miami with (8) games of exciting PMW (Pari-Mutuel Wagering) games and (4) nail-biting H2H Doubles sports betting matches which followed at 5-pm. Be sure to watch the replays of H2H games on the new exclusive H2H website at watchjaialai.com
The PMW game replays are still on The Jai-Alai Channel on YouTube.
Here is the complete list of Non-Monetary and Cash Awards for the 2022 Magic City Jai-Alai Regular Season (May 1 thru Nov 23)
Non-Monetary Awards (Apple product awards):
- Most Improved Singles Player – Ben
- Most Improved Doubles Player – Cool Fitness
- Coach’s Award – Tennessee
Cash Awards
Singles Championship:
- First – Douglas with 64 wins (30.3%) $15,000
- Second – Ben with 59 wins (16.0%) $10,000
- Third – Julen with 58 wins (15.8%) $5,000
- 4th and 5th were Benny (52 wins, 14.5%) and El Barba (50 wins, 15.0%)
- 6th were Anderluck and Ikeda tied with 43-wins each
- The remaining players were 37 wins or less
The complete Singles Championship stats can be found on SayHili.com under Wagering Info
2021 Doubles Tournament #3
- First – Kubala-Benny with 26 wins (25.5%) $10,000
- Second – Diaz-Douglas with 18 wins (20.7%) $5,000
The complete Doubles Tournament stats for all teams can be found on SayHili.com under Wagering Info
November 23rd Jackpot Force-Out Info
- Jai-5 ($1 Pick 5 Jackpot Wager) – (2) winning tickets with 5/5 correct winners paid $1,000 each
- Mighty Ocho ($1 Pick 8 Jackpot Wager) – (3) winning tickets with 6/8 correct winners paid $1,666.60 each
Regular Season Singles Stats (top 5 highest Win % and ITM %)
- Win %: Douglas 30.3, RonRon 23.6, Ben 16.0, Julen 15.8, Spinner 14.7
- ITM %: Douglas 59.7, RonRon 55.7, Spinner 48.7, Benny 47.2, Bueno 42.6
2022 Schedule (PMW and H2H games)
Here are the 2022 pari-mutuel wagering season and H2H sports betting match dates known at this time (last updated 11/14):
- February 14 through April 19: PMW (pari-mutuel wagering) on Sunday, Monday & Tuesday at 1:30-pm and H2H matches at 5-pm
- May 1 through August 14: PMW on Sunday, Monday & Tuesday at 1:30-pm and H2H matches at 5-pm
- break for the 2022 USNJAC Tournament
- end of August through November: PMW on Saturday, Monday & Tuesday at 1:30-pm and H2H matches at 5-pm
Other Info and Roster Will Be Expanding
The players have December off and will have a team meeting on January 15 with practice starting on January 17. There will be some roster additions of Dania players (to be announced after the conclusion of the final Dania season, closing day Sunday 11/28). All contracts have been executed. Stay tuned for the roster additions. I understand that roster additions are due to the expansion of H2H with more matches expected to be available for sports betting in 2022.
A few players will also be Jai-Alai Judges. Note that if a player Judges in PMW games they won’t be playing in PMW games, and likewise for H2H games. Some players will only play in PMW or H2H games; however the majority of the 2022 roster will participate in both PMW and H2H.
We’ve been “teased” by Stu that there could be changes to PMW doubles game tournaments with more teams? Stay tuned for more info on this.
Amazing Singles Point During Game 4 of PMW on November 23rd Closing Day
You must see this incredible long point played between Ben and Ikeda. Check out the replays on The Jai-Alai Channel if you missed this one! This could be the longest singles point I’ve ever witnessed since watching Jai-Alai games in 1978. Lots of great catches and shots by both players!
H2H Jai-Alai Match Sports Betting Now Legal in 3-States
Magic City Jai-Alai H2H sports betting is now legal in three states (Iowa, Illinois, Arizona) with more states expected to get approved soon. I’m told that state approvals can happen pretty quickly and hopefully more will be ready for the February 2022 H2H games. Currently the Jai-Alai H2H sports wagering is done through BetRivers.com.
Background Info on the Reduced SayHiLi Content Since September
Blog stories and info on SayHiLi were greatly reduced from September through the end of the meet. I apologize for that and want to explain. Starting in November 2020 I had several strokes, one a mini-stroke and another much more serious one in mid-April this year (actually on a Friday night after the conclusion of watching Dania games). This led to lots of testing to try to find out what was causing the strokes. In September I was diagnosed with a severely hardened aortic valve which needed replacing. I had to undergo several procedures to help determine the best way forward and then on November 9th I had the TAVR procedure for that valve replacement. I was released from the hospital the following day and have been recovering the last two weeks.
When I first awoke after “coming to” after surgery, the first thing I said was “I think I was just at a Jai-Alai match.” Of course I then realized “Oh shit” the recovery room nurses probably think I’m crazy and have no idea what I was mumbling about and I felt the need to explain what “Jai-Alai” was. When my wife was allowed into the hospital room I was moved to, she said I was “rambling on” about Jai-Alai to those nurses when she walked in. Hopefully, God willing, I will be able to continue helping to support the SayHiLi website in an increased capacity going forward. I’m grateful that Magic City short-court Jai-Alai survives and hope more Jai-Alai fans make the transition to watching these games and wagering on PMW games to help keep the PMW games alive.
The Magic City 2022 season will be the best season yet and the quality of play at Magic City Jai-Alai keeps on getting better. To the current “nay-sayers” of Magic City I would say, please watch and give it the fair chance it deserves. This is all we have left now and your support is needed! The Magic City short-court Jai-Alai games are the fastest and most exciting Jai-Alai games I’ve ever seen, trust me on this, you won’t be disappointed!!
Happy Holidays!!
Steve M.