Gambling has always attracted adventurous spirits. From ancient times till the era of online gambling, people were excited by big-win prospects. Hence, people will always be tempted to take chances at slots and card tables. In fact, every now and again, a random gambler appears only to get a big win, often making a career out of it.
All famous and successful gamblers have their own approach and strategies, favorite games, and unique backgrounds that allow them to prosper in the gambling world. So, let’s see some of the most successful and known gamblers in history.
Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer is a perfect example of how big and successful players can also spiral into some of the largest losses in gambling history. Thus, Packer is known for his daring bets and large victories. He always goes for big numbers and often brings them. Thus, back in the 1990s, Packer won over $20 million in less than an hour. He was placing large bets, increasing them with each victory.
However, Packer has also entered gambling history as a player with the unluckiest casino year. Thus, between 1999 and 2000, Backer lost over $40 million in gambling in London and Las Vegas. Fortunately, most of Packer’s wealth came from a family business, so gambling was never his first career choice.
Billy Walters
Walters chose an even riskier area of gambling and went all into sports betting. It is fair to say that after his 40-year career in sports betting, he is one of the most successful gamblers in history. Walters has won over $100 million in sports bets alone. He started betting young after moving to Las Vegas. He moved slowly, developing and testing his betting strategies till he discovered the most successful patterns.
Walters has also been mainly focusing on collegiate-level sports. The betting pool there is not as diverse and large, allowing him to score big victories by placing extraordinarily large bets. The gambler had rarely had any unlucky strikes or big losses in his career. Unfortunately, Walters was convicted of insider trading and served four years in prison. Yet, his legendary betting strategies still greatly impacted the future of sports betting.
Tony Bloom
One of the wealthiest gamblers in the world, Tony Bloom, is also somewhat of a mystery. Bloom appeared in the gambling scene out of nowhere and immediately started his winning strikes in poker. Soon, he gained the nickname ‘The Lizard,’ which perfectly describes his cold, focused game style.
Over the years, Bloom played in several famous poker tournaments, such as Poker Million IX and the World Poker Tour, where he moved to the top five players and earned around $2.5 million. We know that Bloom has a degree in mathematics, so perhaps his love of precision in numbers helped him on his gambling journey.
The majority of his wealth, though, comes from his betting firm, Starlizard. His enterprise is one of the largest betting platforms on football in the world and has contributed to creating over a $1.5 billion network.
Edward Thorp
A mathematician, writer, gambler, and technological expert, Edward Thorp, has already become a living legend in the gambling world. His first famous book, Beat the Dealer, was published in the early 1960 and brought him immediate fame. To this day, this is one of the most relevant and fascinating books full of helpful insights into the gambling world.
Also, this famous gambler even hacked roulette, discovering algorithms that help predict the results. Not only that, but Thorp is also the author of the first successful card-counting system for blackjack. Overall, his contribution to gambling popularization in the general public and the new betting system. Edward Thorp is 90 years old, and his network comprises around $800 million, mainly earned by gambling and stock market investments.
Archie Karas, also known as “The Greek,” is a professional gambler known for his incredible winning streaks in the 1990s. He is famous for turning a $50 bankroll into over $40 million by playing high-stakes poker, craps, and other casino games.
Archie Karas
Finally, how could we avoid Archie Karas while listing the most successful gamblers in history? Karas, also known as the Greek, gained instant recognition in Las Vegas after he managed to score over $40 million, starting with only $50 in his pocket. Karas’ lucky streak in poker was legendary. He arrived in Las Vegas in the early 1990s and soon started beating some of the best poker players in the world.
Karas has long enjoyed his winning steaks at card tables, including craps and baccarat. He often played big, winning thousands or even millions of dollars over several weeks. However, eventually, Karas’ luck faded. Karas lost $11 million in just three weeks and couldn’t return to the top since that defeat. Karas was also accused of fraudulent activities, burglary, and other gambling-related offenses.
Bottom line
The lives and careers of these famous gamblers show what it takes to become a casino legend. Their lives are composed of big wins and rapid downfalls. However, their willingness to risk it all is what makes them the big players they’ve become. Fortunately, these days, people who just want to gamble in their free time can just open wolf gold pokie on their phones and have some fun gambling online.