In the past year, poker has emerged as a viable profit center for many casinos, largely because of the demand built on the back of the phenomenal success of televised poker tournaments. Blackjack tournaments are hot on the heels of the poker phenomenon, with the recently aired "World Series of Blackjack" on GSN garnering record ratings; "Celebrity Blackjack" and the "World Blackjack Tour" are slated for broadcast later this year.

This is the first of three interviews with directors of blackjack tournaments that were successful even prior to the televised boom. The first interview is with Iris Meyrick, Director of Player Development at Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino in San Diego, which recently hosted an invitational winner-take-all million-dollar tournament.

The format was simple. Each player paid $10,000 to enter. Entries were limited to 50 bona fide premium gamblers and Barona added $500,000 to the pot. The three-day event was limited to invited premium players with $100,000 in front money in the cage or casino credit.

Q. First of all, would you declare this tourney a success?
A. Definitely.

Q. Success is measured in many ways. Given that you added an additional half-million to the pot and you had to have had a lot of associated expenses, how do you qualify that success?
A. Well, we had a lot of new customers, everyone had a great time, and the tournament went almost perfectly. We put ourselves on the map with some of the biggest gamblers in the world, and we had nothing but great comments from everyone who played here and they loved our casino. I'd say that's a success. Wouldn't you?

Q. Not necessarily. What was your budget on this thing?
A. That I allocated for this event?

Q. Yes.
A. About $800,000.

Q. I won't be so crass as to ask if you won or not, but how was your theo?
A. A lot more than I expected.

Q. Enough to pay for the event?
A. And then some.

Q. I know you planned on 50 players. Did you get that many?
A. No, we had 42.