The second episode of CBS' brand new card show Ultimate Blackjack Tour (UBT) aired Saturday with what appears to be the highest rating ever for a televised gaming series. UBT's second episode drew over a million viewers nationwide, outscoring the launch episode's .7 with a .9, a 28% increase over a number already exceptionally high for a gaming program.

"The preliminary numbers look excellent," said UBT GM and Chief Marketing Officer Larry Kopald. "But we fully expect them to continue upward. After all, blackjack is a much more popular game than poker, and poker has done great on TV. Additionally, our new approach to the game, Elimination Blackjack™, is not your typical card game. It was created to make exciting television, and the episode two spike is indicative of the growing momentum of this new gaming phenomenon."

The high-velocity ten-episode first season of Ultimate Blackjack Tour features the world's top poker and blackjack pros in cut-throat action against the dealer, and one another. Chock full of forced eliminations, secret bets and smash mouth trash talking, the season also includes two special episodes: The Ladies of Blackjack, which showcases top female gamblers the likes of Annie Duke, Jennifer Tilly, Monica Reeves and Erica Schoenburg, and The Legends of Blackjack, which puts blackjack whizzes Stanford Wong, Anthony Curtis, Kenny Einiger and others in exciting, head-to-head competition.

Additionally, through its web site, www.PlayUBT.com, Ultimate Blackjack Tour is doing something never been done before. UBT is currently holding free online tournaments where winners earn seats to the UBT season two final tables to be televised on CBS in 2007. The site also provides Elimination Blackjack™ playing tips and in-depth analysis of the televised events.

In conjunction with the televised tournament and online action, UBT's worldwide tour kicked off on September 23 at the Radisson Resort and Casino in Aruba and will continue on to St. Kitts at the Royal Beach Casino on October 28. Other locations will include The Palms Las Vegas, Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino in San Diego, as well as major casinos in Atlantic City, Reno, and Paris, France. Information on tour schedule and how to enter can be found at www.PlayUBT.com.