While televised poker tournaments generate thousands of dollars, Blackjack remains shy and hidden. Poker professionals and tournament organizers want to change that with the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, a televised blackjack tournament.

Russ Hamilton, winner of the World Series of Poker in 1994, came up with the idea of the new program. He gathered several investors, mainly poker pros, who supplied millions of dollars to film the first 10 episodes at Casino Montelago at Lake Las Vegas.

Supporters of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour expect the show will do for blackjack what televised poker tournaments, like World Poker Tour, have done for poker: give it popularity and encourage amateur players to sharpen their skills in casinos and online poker rooms.

The show is expected to debut sometime during this fall.