The latest casino game to become a big TV hit is poker. It has really been turned into a mesmerizing television fare. Blackjack is by far a more popular game than poker. We can expect it to be turned into the next big TV hit. It has already been re-tooled so as to respect the requirements of reality TV.

Reality shows about gambling are extremely popular among TV viewers. Proof of that are the Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS and the World Series of Blackjack on GSN. There is something about gamblers competing for big money that keeps people glued to the TV screen.

Reality gambling shows are now more exciting than ever. Thanks to the introduction of mini “rail cams” we can now see exactly what poker hand each player has. This technology can also be applied to blackjack, but there are still a few problems, as this is not as easy as it may appear.

There is a fundamental difference between poker and blackjack. Poker players compete against one another. Blackjack player on the other hand all compete against the dealer. There is no rivalry between them. In fact a feeling of camaraderie is formed. After all, all of them are trying to beat the dealer and not one another. In regular games there really isn’t a competitive factor. There is one in tournaments of course, but I honestly doubt there is a competitive factor outside of tournaments.

Here is another important difference between poker and blackjack. Poker is all about mind games, reading your opponent, and doing all you can to win. As far as blackjack is concerned, the best strategy to use is basic strategy. This could make for a very boring game play.

Take some liberties with the traditional version of blackjack, add some high-tech enhancements, mix in some good old-fashioned promotional hype and you may have a winning recipe. This can make for entertaining television after all.

Let’s take the Ultimate Blackjack Tour for example. The format is patent-pending and it includes forced eliminations, secret bets and a mini rail cam. Thanks to the mini rail cam we are always aware what card the dealer is holding.

One ingenious way of making this more entertaining is to take well known celebrities from the world of poker such as Phil Helmuth and Annie Duke and make them compete against professional blackjack players. It is an interesting crossover.

The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS offers a huge $1 million prize. CBS is also making sure that it will be a high profile event by scheduling it Saturday afternoons as a lead-in to NCAA football. This is the first of 10 shows that will be aired starting September 16th.

The second season will include a world-wide tour. The public will be able to participate. By going to UBT’s official Website playubt.com you can take part in free elimination competitions. The winner will be invited to compete for a seat at the final table

The third season of the World Series of Blackjack on GSN, the Network for Games, has just ended. Work is currently going on the fourth season.

According to the producers some game twists have been added. One such twist is the AOL “Knockout” card. This means that the low man on the chip totem pole after the deal on which the card is drawn is automatically eliminated. Another twist is the Burger King “Power Chips”. They give players a form of “Mulligan” which they can use to trade in a bad card for a new card.

Out of the 40 participants 2 were selected from the 300,000 people that entered for a chance to win seats in a qualifying blackjack tournament. The event was taped exclusively for AOL, GSN’s marketing partner in this venture. AOL even created a new blackjack domain: aol.com/blackjack.

This year the competition will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton. The prize pool is well over $1 million. The 1st prize winner will get $500,000 in cash.