Famed Blackjack Card Counter Tommy Hyland still out there.

Counting Legend Hyland

I have been hearing his name a lot lately as I visit US casinos on a game-protection training tour.

It certainly appears Hyland and his latest blackjack card-counting team are currently in full swing, and casino surveillance departments from coast to coast are talking about it.

I have heard differing accounts of Hyland's latest exploits. One has him playing at high stakes, often making $500 bets off the tops of new shoes. Seems rather high to me and does not seem like normal card-counting. It smacks more like some serious high form of advantage play.

I don't want to speculate what he may be doing but I'd bet it's something profitable.

Another account of Hyland's resurgence has him using himself as a decoy and purposely getting spotted in casinos so that his unknown cohorts can count down and play hot shoes while casino surveillance teams busy themselves following Tommy around the casino.

This does not seem probable to me, though you never know what someone as sharp as Tommy Hyland may be up to. In spite of that, no one loves counting down and playing hot blackjack shoes as much as he does.

In any event, Hyland, who's been active on the professional blackjack card-counting scene for some 40 years, is one of the most prolific counters ever and is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.