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The
American public is generally aware of the famous annual
"World Championship of Poker" event because of
the regular newspaper and TV coverage it has received each
year. An organization named World Championship of Blackjack,
Inc., came up with the idea of running a similar contest
for Blackjack players, and interested the Sahara management
in offering the tourney
.
The first WCB was run at the Las Vegas Sahara in December
of 1978 and was a total success, drawing over 1,400 entries.
The rules are enticing for a player hoping to win the tournament.
The game is single-deck dealt face up to a full table. Betting
limits are $5.00 to $500. Playing rules are typical Las
Vegas Strip, with resplitting allowed. To insure no advantage
in seating position, a rotating marker is used to determine
the betting and dealing order. The player directly in front
of the marker begins the betting, and the other players
bet in turn.
In the first round, players are divided into table groups
of seven for a two-hour playing session. Each participant
is required to buy in at each round with $500. The player
with the highest winnings at each table at the end of the
round proceeds to the next round. Remaining players can
keep any winnings (or suffer any losses). Since Blackjack
authors or teachers are barred from entry, amateur players
have a fair chance of moving up. The total announced prize
package of the first tourney was $125,000, so the championship
seemed like a great opportunity for the average player.
If you ignore the fun factor or snob appeal of being able
to tell your friends you were a contestant and work strictly
on logic, the tourney is a bad bet. The entry fee is $250
($225 is submitted early) per participant. With exactly
1,408 entries in December 1978, this meant the tourney grossed
between $317,000 and 5352,000 in entry fees. With an announced
prize package of $125,000, this is a tidy initial profit
of over $200,000. The difference comes out of the contestants'
pockets. The player could expect to win only $89 ($125,000
divided by 1,408 players) for his or her $225 or $250 entry
fee. |
