Ultimate Blackjack Tour!
Joe and I went to Vegas recently to go see the first episode of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour. The UBT is a really cool new show highlighting a series of elimination blackjack tournaments. In blackjack tournaments the players don’t play against the house, they play against the other players at the table. There is a distributed prize pool, just like in poker, with the highest percentage of the prize pool going to first place. To win you have to end the tournament with the highest number of chips. 30 hands are dealt and there is an elimination on hand 8, 16, 24 and 30. You can learn all the rules of the game at www.playUBT.com.
Anyway, this company filmed the first season this past October at Lake Las Vegas and Joe and I both got to play in it. I had never played a blackjack tournament before and was freaking because I knew I would be playing against the absolute best blackjack players in the world; people like Stanford Wong, Ken Eineger, Kevin Blackwood, MIT Mike and Hollywood Dave to name a few. These people are amazing blackjack players and are all definitely geniuses. I decided I would just try to have fun and it was a blast. I think it is really going to catch on because there is so much strategy and it is a really deep game but, at the same time, it is really easy to learn.
Well, the UBT invited all the players and investors to Las Vegas to come see the first show on the big screen at the Palms’ theaters followed by a cool party at the Ghost Bar. I was nervous about seeing the show because as much fun as I had playing in the events, I wasn’t sure how it would translate to TV. For years poker didn’t translate well at all, despite it being such an exciting game to play. Without the hole card cams it was like watching grass grow. I was worried the blackjack wouldn’t translate.
I shouldn’t have worried. The show was awesome! The production was really high end and they cut the show such that it was really engaging, suspenseful and entertaining. Without giving anything away, I will say that you couldn’t have scripted a better or more dramatic ending.
I am really excited about the UBT launching. Along with the TV show of the blackjack tour they will also be launching a website where you can play blackjack tournaments, like ultimatebet.com but for blackjack at playubt.com.
The party at Ghost Bar was really fun. I got to see a bunch of people who I hadn’t seen in forever—Russ Hamilton, Antonio Esfandiari and his girlfriend, Vicki, Shawn Rice, Krazy Kanuck, P0ker H0. I got to see Greg Pierson and Jon Karl, the founders of the original software company that developed the software for UB.com. I haven’t seen either of them in forever and it was really nice to catch up. I also haven’t seen one of my best friends in the world, Robert Williamson III, and his wife Cate in a really long time. It was just really nice catching up with them.
After the party, Joe and I went and ate at n9ne steakhouse. That is a special place for us as we had one of our very first dates there. We always try to go back when we are in Vegas since it is such a romantic spot for us.
After dinner I went and got the first part of a tattoo I am planning to get. This is my very first tattoo and I was really nervous! The part that got started was a saying “Say yes when nobody asked” . I have been wanting to get this lower back tattoo for a really long time. Eventually I am going to get a vine with flowers beneath that which will wrap around my hips and then above the saying a hummingbird. I am doing it piece by piece and should have it finished by the WSOP, but for now I am really happy with just the saying.
