HOLLYWOOD - The "Blackjack coming soon" signs have been replaced at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with a June 22 date, stirring Mark Salazar and others who love the game.
"I'll be here playing, without a doubt," said Salazar, of Tamarac. "I'm not a high roller, but until now, all I've been able to do is play video blackjack."
On Friday, Seminole Gaming CEO James Allen announced the start date for blackjack and five other card games. The first cards will fly at 6 p.m. June 22. The casino will place 68 tables in six pods in the main slots area and the high-limit gaming area.
A few days later, three more tables will be set up in the Seminole Paradise restaurant-and-bar area.
A 2006 survey by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. showed 65 percent of players call blackjack their favorite table game. They like it because it's easy to follow and they have some control because they decide whether to take another card or not.
Gamblers say by keeping track of "high cards" and "low cards" they sometimes have an advantage over the house. But movies such as 21 greatly exaggerate how much advantage, they say.
For those who follow the game, the Hard Rock will have rules "as favorable to the player and competitive with similar size casinos," the tribe's chief operating officer, John James, said.
Dealers will stick on "soft 17," blackjack will pay 3-to-2 and players can double down on any two cards.
The tables will have $15 minimum bets during slow periods and $25 or higher minimums during peak hours, depending on how many people are playing.
Allen said the casino has hired about 800 people, mostly dealers, but also pit bosses, floor personnel and management. Because it wanted experienced dealers, most are not from South Florida, he said. It is the first area casino to have blackjack, although the game is available on cruise ships.
Allen said the next Seminole casino to add card games would be the Hard Rock in Tampa. He declined to give a timetable for the Seminole Hollywood or Seminole Coconut Creek casinos.
The Seminoles began reconfiguring the Hard Rock casino and installing blackjack surveillance cameras soon after agreeing to a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist in November 2007 that gave them the right to conduct casino card games, install Vegas-style slots and expand their poker offerings in exchange for giving the state $100 million a year.
Crist's authority to create such a compact is being challenged in court, and a separate case filed Tuesday by The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano Beach asks the federal government to prevent the games. But the Seminoles point to the Department of Interior's acceptance of the compact.
"Certainly everybody has the right to take anything to court, but the way our country works is when something goes into the Federal Register, it's law. So we're moving forward," Allen said.
"I'll be here playing, without a doubt," said Salazar, of Tamarac. "I'm not a high roller, but until now, all I've been able to do is play video blackjack."
On Friday, Seminole Gaming CEO James Allen announced the start date for blackjack and five other card games. The first cards will fly at 6 p.m. June 22. The casino will place 68 tables in six pods in the main slots area and the high-limit gaming area.
A few days later, three more tables will be set up in the Seminole Paradise restaurant-and-bar area.
A 2006 survey by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. showed 65 percent of players call blackjack their favorite table game. They like it because it's easy to follow and they have some control because they decide whether to take another card or not.
Gamblers say by keeping track of "high cards" and "low cards" they sometimes have an advantage over the house. But movies such as 21 greatly exaggerate how much advantage, they say.
For those who follow the game, the Hard Rock will have rules "as favorable to the player and competitive with similar size casinos," the tribe's chief operating officer, John James, said.
Dealers will stick on "soft 17," blackjack will pay 3-to-2 and players can double down on any two cards.
The tables will have $15 minimum bets during slow periods and $25 or higher minimums during peak hours, depending on how many people are playing.
Allen said the casino has hired about 800 people, mostly dealers, but also pit bosses, floor personnel and management. Because it wanted experienced dealers, most are not from South Florida, he said. It is the first area casino to have blackjack, although the game is available on cruise ships.
Allen said the next Seminole casino to add card games would be the Hard Rock in Tampa. He declined to give a timetable for the Seminole Hollywood or Seminole Coconut Creek casinos.
The Seminoles began reconfiguring the Hard Rock casino and installing blackjack surveillance cameras soon after agreeing to a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist in November 2007 that gave them the right to conduct casino card games, install Vegas-style slots and expand their poker offerings in exchange for giving the state $100 million a year.
Crist's authority to create such a compact is being challenged in court, and a separate case filed Tuesday by The Isle Casino & Racing in Pompano Beach asks the federal government to prevent the games. But the Seminoles point to the Department of Interior's acceptance of the compact.
"Certainly everybody has the right to take anything to court, but the way our country works is when something goes into the Federal Register, it's law. So we're moving forward," Allen said.
From:
Blackjack Debuts At Seminole Casino
POSTED: 10:38 am EDT June 22, 2008
UPDATED: 10:51 am EDT June 22, 2008
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Blackjack and baccarat are among the card games making their debut at a Hollywood casino.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is set to unveil Sunday 71 new card tables, including about 55 for blackjack. The rest will be divided among mini-baccarat, pai gow, Let It Ride and Three Card Poker.
One of the hotel’s competitors, the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, filed a lawsuit earlier this month alleging the games and a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist allowing them are illegal.
The Pompano casino said the agreement between the state and U.S. Interior Department violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allows tribes to play only those games already authorized in Florida.
Blackjack Debuts At Seminole Casino
POSTED: 10:38 am EDT June 22, 2008
UPDATED: 10:51 am EDT June 22, 2008
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Blackjack and baccarat are among the card games making their debut at a Hollywood casino.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is set to unveil Sunday 71 new card tables, including about 55 for blackjack. The rest will be divided among mini-baccarat, pai gow, Let It Ride and Three Card Poker.
One of the hotel’s competitors, the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, filed a lawsuit earlier this month alleging the games and a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist allowing them are illegal.
The Pompano casino said the agreement between the state and U.S. Interior Department violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allows tribes to play only those games already authorized in Florida.
From:
Blackjack Debuts At Seminole Casino
POSTED: 10:38 am EDT June 22, 2008
UPDATED: 10:51 am EDT June 22, 2008
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Blackjack and baccarat are among the card games making their debut at a Hollywood casino.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is set to unveil Sunday 71 new card tables, including about 55 for blackjack. The rest will be divided among mini-baccarat, pai gow, Let It Ride and Three Card Poker.
One of the hotel’s competitors, the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, filed a lawsuit earlier this month alleging the games and a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist allowing them are illegal.
The Pompano casino said the agreement between the state and U.S. Interior Department violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allows tribes to play only those games already authorized in Florida.
What about the one in Hard Rock in Tampa? Are they offering the same thing?
