The weather outside was cold and snowy, but inside it was sizzling hot as a group of very nervous Blackjack professionals vied to become one of the final players selected to compete in the World Series of Blackjack, to be held in Las Vegas.

The competition was fierce, in part because seats at the coveted tournament are scarce. Unlike the World Series of Poker, which had thousands of people compete in the Main Event, there are only 40 players from around the world that compete in the Blackjack W.S. That means that each and every qualifying tournament is "a war", as one card player put it.

The Ute Mountain Casino, located in Towaoc, Colorado is home to three such satellite tournaments, which means that Blackjack pro players from around the world flock there to try and win a seat.

In this tournament, 21 of the initial contestants made is to the semifinals, which also means they made back their $100 entry fee. Of those who did not make it to the semifinals, one is drawn from a random pot of the names as a 'wild card' who joins the six who made it to the final table on their own to compete for the grand prize and a berth to the Series.

The Game Show Network was there to film the festivities for airing at a later date to be determined.