Gambling news from http://casino.pokernews.com/
The Ultimate Blackjack Tour (UBT) will hit the small screen this weekend, and poker fans will recognize a few familiar faces.
The UBT premiers at 2pm EST, September 16 on CBS and will a few of the biggest names in poker against the world's top blackjack players for a cool $1 million prize pool.
The first season of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour will see around 100 players attempting to fight their way through elimination tournaments. Each match will see the lowest stack at the table eliminated after hands number 8, 16 and 25. The winner of each elimination match will be the player with the most chips after hand number 30.
The rise and rise of poker in recent years has resulted in many poker professionals becoming household names, and the UBT and CBS hope to capitalize on that, with the inclusion of poker superstars Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth, both World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet winners. They, along with all the other entrants, will be attempting to dethrone the 2005 World Series of Blackjack Champion, Ken Einiger.
Poker pro Robert Williamson III believes that, by season's end, a few of the blackjack pros will end up being at least as captivating as many poker players have become. Williamson participated in the first season about to be aired on CBS, and said: "Poker players go from boring all the way to eccentric. The top blackjack players in the world? They have us hands down beat on the eccentric side."
Several blackjack pros attempted to change their names to play in the UBT's first season. Some attempted to hide their identities by playing in costume or even changing their appearance. The reason they went to such lengths is to avoid being banned by casinos from the blackjack tables after the show goes to air.
The UBT has introduced new rules to add excitement to tournament blackjack. One such rule incorporates a 'secret bet' – each player has the opportunity to conceal their bet once in each match.
The personalities on television in shows like the UBT will largely influence the chances of blackjack having the same level of success poker enjoyed. CBS and UBT will be hoping the characters playing in UTB Season One come to the party with some entertainment.
|
|
