Thomas Hyland
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hyland is a well known card counter at the casino card game
of blackjack
. Since 1979, he has also been the manager of the longest-running blackjack team in history.
In a 2002 Blackjack Forum
interview, Tommy Hyland reported that he started his playing career in 1979 after having been inspired by Lawrence Revere's
book Playing Blackjack as a Business. His original blackjack team had four players who each put $4000 into the team bankroll. The team was launched when Atlantic City casinos offered blackjack with a rule called Early Surrender, which gave knowledgeable players an edge off the top. Within a few months, the Hyland team had built their bankroll to roughly $50,000.
When conditions worsened for card counters in Atlantic City, Hyland's original teammates headed to Asia to play. But Hyland stayed in Atlantic City and recruited golf buddies to form a new team. Among the professional gambling techniques Hyland's blackjack team has used through the years are computer play, shuffle tracking and ace sequencing, all methods that gain players a higher edge than card counting and make it more difficult for casinos to detect winning players.
In 1994, members of the Hyland blackjack team were arrested after an ace sequencing team play at Casino Windsor in Windsor, Ontario
, Canada
. A Blackjack Forum article documents how three Las Vegas casinos influenced authorities in Windsor to prosecute the players for cheating. The case was seen by professional gamblers as an attempt to establish a legal precedent finding blackjack team play and ace sequencing strategies illegal. However, the judge
in the case, referring repeatedly in his written decision to expert testimony from Arnold Snyder
, ruled that the players' conduct was not cheating, but merely the use of intelligent strategy.
The longevity of the Hyland team is unusual among blackjack teams, which often fall apart due to discouragement or suspicion among team members during losing streaks. Many former members attribute the Hyland team's success not only to Tommy Hyland's knowledge of gambling, but to his exceptional ability to engender loyalty and trust among team members. Tommy Hyland was elected by professional gamblers as one of the 7 original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
of blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
. Since 1979, he has also been the manager of the longest-running blackjack team in history.
In a 2002 Blackjack Forum
Blackjack Forum
Blackjack Forum was a trade journal for professional blackjack players, founded in 1981 and published by noted blackjack author Arnold Snyder. Originally a 100-page quarterly journal, it expanded into an online forum which is frequented by professional gamblers, attorneys, industry people,...
interview, Tommy Hyland reported that he started his playing career in 1979 after having been inspired by Lawrence Revere's
Lawrence Revere
Lawrence Revere was an author, casino pit boss, and professional blackjack player best known for his book Playing Blackjack as a Business. Revere played under multiple aliases, including Leonard "Speck" Parsons and Paul Mann...
book Playing Blackjack as a Business. His original blackjack team had four players who each put $4000 into the team bankroll. The team was launched when Atlantic City casinos offered blackjack with a rule called Early Surrender, which gave knowledgeable players an edge off the top. Within a few months, the Hyland team had built their bankroll to roughly $50,000.
When conditions worsened for card counters in Atlantic City, Hyland's original teammates headed to Asia to play. But Hyland stayed in Atlantic City and recruited golf buddies to form a new team. Among the professional gambling techniques Hyland's blackjack team has used through the years are computer play, shuffle tracking and ace sequencing, all methods that gain players a higher edge than card counting and make it more difficult for casinos to detect winning players.
In 1994, members of the Hyland blackjack team were arrested after an ace sequencing team play at Casino Windsor in Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A Blackjack Forum article documents how three Las Vegas casinos influenced authorities in Windsor to prosecute the players for cheating. The case was seen by professional gamblers as an attempt to establish a legal precedent finding blackjack team play and ace sequencing strategies illegal. However, the judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in the case, referring repeatedly in his written decision to expert testimony from Arnold Snyder
Arnold Snyder
Arnold Snyder is a professional gambler and gambling author. He was elected by professional blackjack players as one of the seven original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame for his record as a blackjack player and his innovations in professional gambling techniques...
, ruled that the players' conduct was not cheating, but merely the use of intelligent strategy.
The longevity of the Hyland team is unusual among blackjack teams, which often fall apart due to discouragement or suspicion among team members during losing streaks. Many former members attribute the Hyland team's success not only to Tommy Hyland's knowledge of gambling, but to his exceptional ability to engender loyalty and trust among team members. Tommy Hyland was elected by professional gamblers as one of the 7 original inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.