Michael Dalton (born 1955) is a

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and founder of the Blackjack Review Network. He is best known for his ''Encyclopedia of Casino Twenty-One'' (formerly titled ''Blackjack: A Professional Reference'') and ''Blackjack Review Magazine'', which was published from 1992 through 1998. Dalton became interested in blackjack and advantage play while working for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

in the 1980s. After receiving his master's degree in Space Technology in 1985, Dalton found

card counting Card counting is a blackjack strategy used to determine whether the player or the dealer has an advantage on the next hand. Card counters are advantage players who try to overcome the casino house edge by keeping a running count of high and low ...

to be an exciting diversion. Dalton's passion for blackjack (and now poker) prompted him to create and maintain a blackjack and poker

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...

providing free access to his ''Encyclopedia of Casino Twenty-One'' and public blackjack and poker forums. In 2004, Dalton published the controversial book ''Blackjack Ace Prediction'' by David McDowell. This book received initial praise from the leading blackjack authorities until Arnold Snyder's analysis in 2005 indicated some technical problems with the strategy. Dalton is a recipient of the

NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal is an award of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration established in 1991. The medal is awarded to both civilian members of NASA and military astronauts. To be awarded the medal, a NASA employee ...

and a graduate of ''

Florida Institute of Technology The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. App ...

''. He resides in

Merritt Island, Florida Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and so ...

and is married. He also enjoys playing the great highland bagpipes and performing with the ''City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums'' and the '' Space Coast Highlanders''. Dalton has a 2nd degree black belt in

Tae Kwon Do ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

and retired in 2009 after 31 years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Books by Michael Dalton

*''Encyclopedia of Casino Twenty-One'' *''Blackjack: A Professional Reference''

External links

Encyclopedia of Casino Twenty-One
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, Michael American blackjack players American gambling writers American male non-fiction writers Living people 1955 births People from Merritt Island, Florida