Our Michael Mayo has the big story today: The state's legislative leaders are asking George Skibine, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, to shut down the Seminoles' blackjack while the compact is being negotiated.

Here we go...

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The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is holding invitation-only blackjack tournaments.

According to a release Tuesday, Mark M. of Fort Lauderdale won the weekend's tournament and $75,000.

It's the first news of such tournaments to be released, probably because the Seminoles didn't want to do anything to inflame the discussion about their gambling compact with the state.

Trying to get more info.... if anyone out there has some, help me out.

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When you sit down at the blackjack tables at the Hard Rock, you need to check the rules.

Some tables are now hitting on "Soft 17," (say, an ace and a six), which is a change from the rules the casino first used when it began blackjack in June 2008. The rules are spelled out at whichever table you sit at. (My hunch is they're hitting it at the lower-limit tables; I'm still asking the paper for expense money to play.)

The change came last month and makes the casino "more consistent with comparable casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas," Public Relations Manager Ryan Rogers said. (I.E., keeping up with the industry standards; both gambling meccas began hitting it a few years ago.)

When the casino started blackjack last year, I worked out the math using Blackjack Insider and WizardOfOdds.com and came up with a house advantage of 0.43 percent, if players use perfect strategy. (Like most casinos, the Hard Rock itself won't spill what the house advantage is.) Hitting on Soft 17 gives the house another 0.2 percent advantage, according to the site.

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The Seminole Casino Immokalee has started $5 blackjack and promises to have it 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- at least for a limited time.

The promotion started July 17.

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Here's what I have after my interview with Joe Giaimo. I had to do a phoner, so I missed getting to walk around the tables and get eyeball details:

Ten-dollar blackjack players have their wish: The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino promises to have low-limit tables all the time.

Blackjack arrived at the Hard Rock on June 22, 2008, with a minimum bet of $25 and 41 tables carrying $100 minimums. Had minimums been lower during the public’s opening-weeks rush, wait times for a table would have been even longer, Hard Rock officials noted at the time.

Within a couple of months, the minimums dropped to $15 and, sometimes, to $10 — depending on crowd size. In October, the casino announced it would operate $10 tables from 7 a.m. to noon weekdays.

That changed last week, when casino officials announced there would be $10 tables round-the-clock.

The reason for the switch? Customer demand. Also, the action is a little slower this time of year, said Joe Giaimo, the Seminoles’ regional vice president of table games. Las Vegas and Atlantic City, for example, have busy summers and slow winters; South Florida has the opposite, he said.

“Business has declined slightly, but not that much,” he said. The Seminoles don’t release revenue figures.

There will be at least four $10 tables in the mornings, and about 12 when all of the casino’s 64 blackjack tables are running, Giaimo said.

Having $10 tables has been the No. 1 request pertaining to blackjack, he said.

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Looks like the lower-limit players now have a place to play, whenever, at the Hard Rock.

I'm talking to the Hard Rock's VP Joe Giamo Monday.

Anyone have questions to ask? Has blackjack gone like you thought it would this year?

From the release:

Just one year ago on June 22, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino launched South Florida’s first legal games of Blackjack, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Let it Ride, and Three Card Poker at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, creating a myriad of excitement, nearly 1,000 new jobs and increased tourism dollars. To celebrate this important milestone, the casino is expanding special $10 minimum bet Blackjack games to be available 24/7... In addition to the excitement of the change in the regional gaming landscape, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the State of Florida celebrated the creation of new jobs needed to operate the games and support the increase in staff. Presently, the Seminole Tribe of Florida employs 45,000 individuals directly and indirectly at all of its Seminole Casino facilities as the introduction of table games created destination and expansion opportunities.

“This has been an incredible year for Seminole Gaming,” said Joe Giaimo, regional VP of table games for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. “Today, we celebrate a significant move that gave Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and South Florida an opportunity to shine as a signature gaming destination with a first-rate hotel, top-name entertainment, world-class dining and increased leisure tourism. Plus, as one of the largest employers in the state, we’re proud to have had a positive impact on the economy. It’s been a tremendous win-win opportunity for everyone involved.”

According to Giaimo, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino table games have been at full capacity since their introduction. Based on conservative calculations, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood estimates that more than one million players will have tried their luck during the first year of Blackjack and other table games.

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