CBS Sports bets on "Blackjack"
 

CBS Sports has agreed with the Ultimate Blackjack Tour for a series of hourlong programs that will run Saturday afternoons in September and then return for a second season in the spring.

Ultimate Blackjack Tour will have 10 episodes, including seven championship shows featuring top players as well as three special shows. All will be in the so-called "Elimination Blackjack" format. The first season begins September 16.

When "Ultimate Blackjack Tournament" returns next year, there will be a tour schedule and it will feature not only world champions but also average players.

In the past five years or so, poker has exploded on television with such networks as ESPN, Bravo, FSN and Travel Channel riding the wave. CBS Sports is launching its own poker show next month. But this could be one of the first times that another card game, Blackjack, is given a center stage.