Poker Superstar Robert Williamson III, a member of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour (UBT), triumphed at the Battle of the Superstars Tournament held January 19, 2007. 27 of the best blackjack and poker players in the whole world battled it out for the right to take home the $100,000 prize. The competition at the final table lasted for approximately 10 hours.
Williamson, who will also take home the UBT Medallion aside from the cash prize, said that he is very happy and honored to be able to take part in the Ultimate Blackjack Tour and its continuing success. The Battle of the Superstars, which has been taped for a later broadcast, will be shown on CBS during the second season of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour.
The UBT made their debut last Christmas with surprisingly good ratings for a card game program. The other competitors in the competition are Anthony Curtis, Kenny Einiger, James Grosjean, Johnny Chan, Blair Rodman, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth and Williamson. After a long day, 6 players remained at the final table. The competition began with an elimination tournament of the game of blackjack and then switched to no-limit Hold-Em Poker during the final competition that day. The 2nd to 6th place players in the tournament are Kenny Einiger, Hollywood Dave, Annie Duke, James Grosjean and Adrianna Jade.
Williamson stated that winning the title was really a dream come true for him. Ultimate Blackjack Tour founder, Russ Hamilton, commented that the Battle of Superstars is a very tough competition because you have to be particularly good at poker and blackjack. The Elimination Blackjack is similar to the "21" casino game which features force eliminations. It also gives players the chance to conceal their wagers from their competitors. The twist is that the players are playing against each other with the dealer.
Tuesday, March 20 , 2007
Kim Watson