Blackjack Hall of Fame: Tommy Hyland
The history of blackjack is a long chain of intertwining links. If you read up on the Blackjack Hall of Fame and study the biographies of its members, you will find that they are all inter-related and overlapping. Each one is a fan of the other, many have played on the same blackjack teams, and a few have co-authored books or, in the very least, been inspired by them. So it is with Thomas Hyland, one of the original Blackjack Hall of Fame members inducted in 2003.
Tommy Hyland is blackjack player par excellence. He is a famous card counter and he has stood at the head of one of the best blackjack teams in history. As an example of the linkage between Hall of Fame members, Hyland has been quoted as saying that he got his start in blackjack — in 1979 — as a result of being inspired by Lawrence Revere's classic book, "Playing Blackjack as a Business." One member influences another and the rest is blackjack history.
Hyland Heads the Eternal Blackjack Team
Off and on, with different members and even different locales, Tommy Hyland has skippered the longest-playing blackjack team ever. The team was originally based in Atlantic City and made tons of money off the casinos in that town. Hyland's team members were crack blackjack card counters and shuffle trackers and were experts at disguising and camouflaging their techniques.
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Eventually and inevitably, members of the teams were nabbed and a few were arrested for cheating. At the ensuing trial, Arnold Snyder — Hyland's subsequent fellow Hall of Famer — testified for the defense and Hyland's colleagues and protĂ©gĂ©s were found to be innocent. They weren't cheating — they were just really good blackjack players.
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The fact that Tommy and his team have been playing blackjack for almost three decades is most unusual in the blackjack arena. Amazingly cohesive, Hyland's team has played all over the world and continues to rake in millions with their unbeatable style of play. Hyland has the dubious honor of having his photo in the Griffin book, but that hasn't stopped the sly guy from pursuing what he loves most — playing blackjack and doing it with style.
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