[quote name=\'hmtriplecrown\' date=\'Jan 17 2004, 06:14 PM\'] The Travel Channel has aired a one hour summary of a $1M blackjack tournament a few times the past month. Watching the highlights of that tournament was the equivalent of watching paint dry. The psychological aspect of poker isn't there with blackjack since everybody's trying to beat the dealer, not trying to outwit, outdraw, or outbet an opponent. [/quote]
I'm one of the few players here that actually prefers playing blackjack to poker, so as with many things with me, my opinions are quite jaded. I play lots of blackjack at the casinos (I bet upwards of $25-50 per hand and not break out in a sweat doing so), and there are things about it I like, besides of course winning money.
But remember, these televised blackjack games are coverage of tournaments (as opposed to ordinary games), where the players are at the table are indeed trying to outwit and outbet each other, since after all, the player with the highest total at the end of the round advances. That's when you get into betting strategy and the possibility of big catch-ups when the chips are down. The poker series on ESPN and Bravo have worked because you're following along with the players and their bankrolls and strategies. Blackjack might work also, although to what degree is still uncertain. Blackjack seems to go at a faster pace than poker with more hands dealt out. And of course there's more to blackjack than hitting and standing; there's doubling, splitting, and in some cases, surrendering. If this blackjack series is going to be set up like a tournament, then it just might get an audience.
