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Considered as one of the most popular personalities that have ever played on the green felt, Tommy Hyland has also been added to the Blackjack Hall of Fame. Hyland is best remembered in casino gambling circuits for having led the team of professional blackjack players that have won millions of dollars.
Tommy Hyland was born in New Jersey in 1956, and his initial foray at gambling was at the tender age of 10 years old. It was at that age that he gambled by tossing coins, although for him, the activity was all for its entertainment value. During high school, he began to develop an interest in sports and tried his hand at sports betting. For Hyland, it seemed that gambling is always intertwined in everything that he does. It was also during this period when began playing poker and golf.
Hyland acknowledged that things are still up in the air and as far as he was concerned, nothing is definite. It was while in college that he gradually developed an interest in blackjack, and together with a friend, began reading books and guides on blackjack. One particular book had a great influence on Hyland. The book is entitled “Playing Blackjack as a Business.” He tried to apply the techniques and tips contained in the book and he got some pretty decent results while playing blackjack.
However, it was the book authored by Ken Uston that really propelled his career as a professional blackjack player. It was what he learned from the book of Uston that made a significant difference to his budding career as a blackjack player. He actually learned how to become a big winner on the green felt and it was through the strategy of Uston that Hyland was able to snap wins in frenzied succession. Spurred by his strong confidence and faith in the system, Hyland organized his own team and started applying the counting system in blackjack games. The team consists of 2 players and several card counters. His team immediately hit pay dirt and became an instant success. During the peak of the team’s operation, their members reached 40 players and card counters. The team was able to obtain winnings that amounted to millions of dollars.
Hyland’s gambling career span more than a couple of decades, and it was only during the massive crackdown of card counting activities and the subsequent arrests of several members of his team that he decided to lie low.
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