The World Series of blackjack (WSOB) features 40 top Blackjack players who qualify for the tournament through games played at 14 casinos in the US. The World Series of Blackjack Tournament was aired from the Las Vegas Hilton this year and viewers could watch it on the Game Show Network.
The first World Series of Blackjack was a phenomenal success, which prompted GSN to introduce more tournaments to cash in on the enthusiasm showed by audience. The hosts for the first were Matt Vasgersian, broadcaster from San Diego Padres, and Melana Scantlin (Average Joe). They were assisted with Max Rubin. The first WSOB comprised of 5 games, 1 Wild card game to determine the 5 second place finishers, and a final championship round. The prize money for the winner was $100 000. Organized at the Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort, the first season of the World Series of Blackjack was won by MIT Mike.
The second WSOB was held in the year 2005 at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. The second season was hosted by Matt Vasgersian along with his new co-host Megan Riordan. This was the season where the tournament revised its playing field to 40 players. There were 8 preliminary games, 2 wild card games, 2 Semi Final games and the final championship round. In the 2005 season, Ken Einiger had won the tournament and took home a prize money of $250 000.
The third year of the WSOB has been equally successful so far. Like the previous season, the World Series of Blackjack comprised eight 5 player preliminary rounds, two semi-final rounds, two Wild card rounds and the final decisive round. The winner of the third season will take home a whopping 500 000 dollars. From 25 players in the first season, the WSOB has grown tremendously to feature a 40-player field. The WSOB has been broadcast from 3 different locations each season. The increase in prize money has also attracted Blackjack players.
The third season is being held at the Hilton Hotel and Casino. The 40 player format wasn’t changed from the second season due to its huge success. Two of the competitors in the third season of WSOB were selected through a qualifying game that was organized prior to the tournament. This qualifying game comprised of 6 lucky contestants who came through a contest conducted on AOL games.
For more excitement, the third season of the WSOB tournament included three special rules. These are The Knockout card, the Burger King Power Chips and the Second Chance draw. The second chance draw offers eliminated players an opportunity to return to the game by virtue of a draw. This season also has a new host in the form of John F. The addition of John has introduced an element of wit and light-hearted bluntness to the tournament.
Thomas Johnson