Deal Florida casinos in for next hand of blackjack

— -- Blackjack lovers will be able to legally ante up in Florida, starting this weekend.

The "21" card game is coming to the Sunshine State, starting Sunday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

It will be the first of the state's casinos to offer the popular table game. The Seminole tribe's six other Florida casinos will introduce blackjack later. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa will be next to offer blackjack and other table games such as baccarat starting in the fall.

Florida casinos now offer slot machines and poker games. State law says banked games such as blackjack — in which a gambler tries to beat the dealer's hand — are illegal. But Seminole spokesman Gary Bitner says the tribe received an exemption from the state in return for a share of revenue.