These days there is lots of competition for the attention of poker players: marketing meetings, promotional events, TV shows and even the occasional cash game. But when the folks behind Ultimate Blackjack Tour began courting players for a freeroll with a prize pool in excess of $1m, it certainly got their attention. For a week in October, poker’s elite – Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Mike Matusow – turned up to play in this invitational Blackjack tournament at the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas resort. The inducement was this: Win or place at two of the Hyatt’s tables and you advance to the finals in Los Angeles where the winner will receive $300,000.