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Without a doubt reading about people that have thrown caution to the wind absolutely fascinates all of us.
The guts, passion, willingness to risk it all and the courage that professional gamblers exhibit gets the adrenaline and day dreaming to a level that we rarely get to experience. Ahhh what if I could do this?.
Not so fast. You have the opportunity to strike it big and strike it rich however you must be willing to risk it all in order to achieve this. 99.9% of the people in the world do not have the courage, guts and brains to take a shot at a dream that we all dream.
This is why we all revere those who have had the courage to risk it all dream big and strike it big and sometimes go bust.
Most professional gamblers sooner later or often go bust many times before striking the big time. This holds true for any professional gamblers such as commodities traders; real estate speculators, high flying businessmen (and woman) sports gamblers, black jack, Poker, any form of casino gambling and horse racing. |
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The road to riches is paved with many bodies though my friends.
Most people don’t realize that life itself is a gamble. Every single day, every activity that we conduct has an element of risk to it.
The great thing about speculation and gambling is that there is an opportunity for any person to strike it big any day of the week 24 hours a day.
It does not matter if you’re from a poor family, if your black, white, Latino, well educated, no education, down and out, recently broke, years of struggling, a bum or a millionaire. It does not matter what your resume looks like. YOU have the opportunity to make it happen. Your own business and the only requirement is courage, perseverance, hard work, some luck (we all need some of that in life) and some capitol. |
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History is replete with some of our greatest speculators, business tycoons and gamblers coming from poverty and bad beginnings.
Gambling has been around as long as man itself. Gambling was a popular pastime going back to ancient times.
There are of course many names associated with gambling, however the beginning of modern gambling started with Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel .
The Jewish gangsters and associates started modern Las Vegas with the Flamingo Hotel.
Prior to Vegas, illegal casino’s flourished throughout the United States and in places like pre Castro Cuba. Here is our list of some of the greatest gamblers and gambles of all time:Many of the names you are familiar with and many you are not as many professionals maintain a low profile. |
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* Meyer Lansky |
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Widely regarded as the Mafia’s banker and Chairman of the National crime syndicate. The legalized crime laden playground of Las Vegas all began with Lansky and his friend Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal.
Lansky was behind the scenes running what would become modern day Las Vegas and many of the biggest Casino and gaming company’s of today had their roots begin with Lansky and many of his Italian and Jewish syndicate friends, many of whom gained legitimacy in there lives.
Lansky was one smart and brave guy and many of his innovations are alive in Vegas today. |
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* Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel |
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Enforcer, hit man, gambler and ladies man. Along with Lansky, Siegel had the dream of what modern Las Vegas is today starting with his flamboyant and extravagant Flamingo hotel. Siegel’s model would pave the way for many others to come. Unfortunately for Bugsy, he would never live to see his dreams. Siegel was a flamboyant killer and visionary and he died that way also. |
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* Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal |
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Professional Gambler, Handicapper and had a great eye for beautiful woman. The modern day sports book had its real beginnings with Rosenthal and the Stardust sports book. Smart and tough, Frank outlasted many of his friends including Anthony Spilotro Chicago gambler, enforcer and hit man.
A colorful character, modern day sports gambling is in part what it is because of Rosenthal. |
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* Ashley Revell-Big Balls |
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Ashley Revell sold everything he owned, including his name, for £10,000 to Blue Square, raised more than $150,000 and headed to Vegas. He lobbed the whole lot on red in a game of roulette at the Plaza casino and the gamble was landed when the ball fell into the red number 7 slot. (How many of you reading this could do that?) Either a lot of courage or somewhat suicidal it’s your guess.
You may not be surprised to learn that he is still quite a gambler. However, as he won the bet, he is still in possession of a girlfriend (or maybe 2) and has even bought a few things to replace all the things he had to flog to raise his stake. |
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* Billy Walters |
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A mover and shaker in the sports gambling world. One of the original members of the famous computer gang. Smart and sharp, the computer gang took Vegas by storm. There picks amounted to a money printing machine as the lines in Vegas in the late 70’s to early 80’s were off by miles and Walters and the gang knew it and barreled in and cashed in big. Walters is a colorful character who was a down and out busted Kentucky used car salesman. Give Walters a lot of credit for what he has accomplished many only can dream of. |
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* Hymie the Ace |
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Chicago College basketball sharpshooter. According to many there was no better college hoops handicapper than Hymie the ace. He was a lock and feared by sports books. Spent most of his time at the library studying. Low profile and very quiet this guy was the real thing although many have never heard of him. |
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* Pittsburgh Phil |
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Turn of the century Horse racing handicapper. Patience, hard work and intelligence paid off for this handicapper. Reportedly Pittsburgh Phil started with a few dollars and died leaving several million. Not bad for a 1900’s gambler. |
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* Jesse Livermore |
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Started trading stocks as a teenager in the bucket shops. Built up a stake and along with guts patience and courage became one of the most influential stock market traders of his time. In 1907 he single-handedly brought the entire stock market to its knees.
Like many high flying gamblers, he overplayed his hand and the boy wonder went bust 3 times finally shooting himself in the hatcheck room of a hotel after his last chips went on the table. Should be noted as well that the biggest wheat gambler of that time Arthur cutten died broke along with charles schwab. |
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* Arnold Rothstein |
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AKA big bankroll because he always carried a large wad of cash just in case a good opportunity presented itself. A professional gambler since childhood, Rothstein is best known for fixing the 1919 world series. As well he fixed numerous other events including an endless amount of horse races and other sporting events. His luck ran out when he failed to pay up on a gambling debt. The big bankroll was murdered in 1928. By all accounts a fascinating life. |
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* William Lee Bergstrom |
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Texan horse trader and professional gambler William Lee Bergstrom became known as the 'Suitcase Man' when he turned up at Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel in Las Vegas. It was 1980 and the casino guaranteed to match any bet as long as it was that punter's first bet. Bergstrom had wanted to wager $1 million in a single beat at craps, but apologized to the casino and said he only had $777,000. Would they match it?
Bergstrom was obviously a confident man. He had two suitcases with him; one held the money, the other was for his winnings.Binion's matched the bet and Bergstrom wagered all at once on the don't pass line at craps. Two rolls later, he packed his money away in both suitcases and left. For someone who had wanted to bet $1 million, Bergstrom's following actions were a little weird. Instead of banking $554,000 of his winnings and betting the million he wanted to, Bergstrom then wagered $590,000 and won; $190,000 and won; and, finally, $90,000... And won. However, Bergstrom eventually went for the million bet about four years later. Naturally, he lost and there are several stories about what happened next. Depending who you talk to, he headed for his room at the Tropicana and blew his head off, leapt out of the top floor window at the Tropicana or died from an overdose. Either way the result was the same DEAD. |
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* Archie Karas |
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Ex-waiter Archie Karas was a Greek immigrant to the US who was broke and borrowed $10,000 from a friend to play poker at the legendary Binion's Horseshoe casino in Las Vegas. Karas went on to defeat 15 of the world's greatest poker players in head-to-head competition. These included world champions Stu Ungar, Johnny Chan and Chip Reese. When he had exhausted poker competitions, he headed over to the craps tables and kept on winning. At one point, Karas had all of the Horseshoe's $5,000 chips (more than $11 million) and when his run was over, he was able to pay back his $10,000 loan and still have $17 million in his pocket. Better to be lucky than good. |
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* Benny Binion |
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Benny Binion arrived in Las Vegas from Texas in 1946 in the same month that Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. He became a partner in another casino, the Las Vegas Club, the next year, but left after disagreements over the stakes the club would allow gamblers to bet. Benny Binion believed that gamers should not be limited in the amount they were willing to wager; if they were willing to put it to chance, the house should cover it. He opened the Horseshoe four years later and changed the face of gambling forever. Benny Binion had big balls. |
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* Stanford wong |
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AKA John Ferguson -Wong began playing blackjack in 1976 while teaching finance courses at San Francisco State and getting his PhD in Finance from Stanford University in California. Not content with the teaching life, Wong agreed to be paid a salary of $1 for his last term of teaching at the school in order to not attend faculty meetings and to pursue his gambling career.
The term "Wong" (v.) or "wronging" has come to mean a specific advantage technique in blackjack, which Wong made popular in the 1980. It involves watching the play of cards in a game without actually wagering your own money, until the count becomes advantageous, and then stepping in and playing only while the count remains in the player's favor, and then stepping out again. "Wronging" is the reason that some casinos have signs on some blackjack tables saying, "No Mid-Shoe Entry," meaning that the players cannot start playing in the middle of the round. Great sports gambler also. Wong has a sports handicapping site called sharp sports betting. |
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* Herbert Sanburg |
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Chicago/Miami gambler, charismatic and flamboyant commodities trader high flying speculator almost single-handedly took down a casino in Curacao in 1974 playing blackjack 5 hands at a time $5000.00 a hand. He hit the sleepy hotel and casino so hard and so fast that the casino manager dealt to him head on for the next 4 days.
Frequent Las Vegas gambler at the Dunes compliments of Big Julie Weintraub. In 1979 Sanburg was indicted along with rattlesnakes Richard Feldman and Dick Martinson for a precious metals fraud which at the time was the largest in history at 18 million. Sanburg was cleared as he had no knowledge of the fraud and was a front man and died later that year. However the forked tongue rattlesnakes Feldman and Martinson were convicted and the money never recovered |
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* Stu Ungar |
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Legendary three-time World Series of Poker main event winner Stu Ungar's story was one of extraordinary pathos that ended with his death in a Las Vegas hotel in 1998 when still in his forties. A huge 20-year cocaine habit added to a daily intake of painkillers and other drugs triggered a heart condition that finished him off. But in his early days, Ungar's heart was stronger than anyone's around him - and his memory was even better. In Vegas more than 20 years earlier he bet all-comers $10,000 he could memorize and recall two decks of cards in a six-deck pack.
There were no takers until Bob Stupak, a former owner of Vegas World and designer of the Stratosphere Tower offered Ungar $100,000 against $10,000 to count down three decks. Ungar did it without missing a card. Unfortunately for Ungar, about whom it was said 'the kid must have action', his future gambling wasn't always so successful. After one of his WSOP wins, he lost $1.5 million in a weekend gambling on sports and even lost $80,000 the first time he ever played golf. Ungar didn't even make it to the first tee and lost the 80 grand on the putting green. A brilliant mind and sadly a bad drug habit. |
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* Kerry Packer |
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Larger-than-life Australian media tycoon and billionaire Kerry Packer has lived a life that we all can only dream of, but there's one story for which he'll always be remembered. Uncomfortable with the attention a stranger was receiving from a waitress at a casino, Packer turned to the stranger and asked why his presence was causing such a stir. The Texan gentleman replied that he was in the oil business and worth $100 million. 'Toss yer for it,' was Packer's historic reply.
The oilman walked away.
Packer obviously liked waitresses, too. He once asked a waitress why she wasn't at home with her husband and kids. When she replied that she had a mortgage to pay, Packer promptly paid it off for her. What a guy. We wonder if the waitress then went home or stayed with Packer for awhile?. Oh well when your worth billions you definitely become a babe magnet. Packer was a huge gambler and reportedly hit MGM for a cool 20 million. |
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* Lucky gambler |
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One lucky punter from Newport, South Wales went into his local Ladbrokes on 30 December 1989 and decided to place a £30 accumulator on a series of events happening before the end of the Millennium.
The 40-year-old night-shift worker took the odds available at the time of 4/1 on Cliff Richard being knighted, pop act U2 remaining as a group at 3/1, East enders still being shown on the BBC as a weekly soap opera at 5/1, and that Australian soaps Neighbors and Home and Away would still be going strong and on British television well into the year 2000 at odds of 5/1 and 8/1 respectively. Then, a couple of days into January 2000, the same man turned up in a Newport betting shop with a crumpled betting slip asking to be paid £194,400, but as Ed Nicholson, PR manager at Ladbrokes at the time explains, it took a few days for him to get the cheque! 'No one had ever mentioned the bet to anyone at head office.
Every check possible was taken to ensure it was a bona fide wager, but once everyone was sure the bet was genuine, the firm paid.' The £194,400 payout remains to this day the largest novelty bet payout in history, while the accumulative odds of 6,479/1 may never be beaten! |
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* Mick Gibbs |
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Everyone knows accumulators are a waste of money, but don't tell Mick Gibbs that. He netted the most outrageous football accumulator of all time in 2001, when his 15-fold acca netted him a £500,000 jackpot. The outcome of the multi-layer bet rested on Valencia versus Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The game went to penalties. 'I was pacing and praying,' said Gibbs. 'I was shaking like a leaf.' Bayern triumphed and Gibbs celebrated. As if that wasn't enough, he had hit the acca jackpot two years earlier, when he won £157,000 from a £2.50 wager.
The bet as clinched when Manchester United staged a dramatic finale comeback to beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. Some guys have all the luck. |
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* Looser |
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There is no other way to describe this guy. It's 29 September 2001 and half time at White Hart Lane. Spurs are leading Manchester United 3-0 and, in a bid to impress his girlfriend, one Tottenham fan stakes his entire mortgage on Spurs to win the game. United go on to win 5-3 and the punter goes home to an empty house (and an empty bed). For charity's sake, we won't mention the poor chap's name. |
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* Mathew Webb |
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Don’t ever bet your life. On 24 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first man to swim the English Channel. But while he was good at swimming, he was useless at making money. He was forced to go to the US to swim races for money against Native American swimmers, usually winning them but wasting the money on hare-brained schemes. Finally, Webb staked his life against $10,000 to swim across the whirlpool below Niagara Falls. Ten thousand spectators turned up to see his attempt, but halfway across he threw up his arms and was drawn under to his death. His final words were: 'If I die, they will do something for my wife.' Brave, but silly. |
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* Johnny Moss |
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is one of the greatest poker players of all time. He was a road gambler and played in games all over Texas before gambling became legal. He has won three World Series of Poker Championships in 1970, 1971, and 1974. He also played in the most infamous heads-up poker game of all time against Nick the Greek. Johnny Moss is one of the charter members of the Poker Hall Fame |
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* Amarillo Slim Preston |
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one of the most famous gamblers in the world and he helped bring high stakes poker from the seedy, smoke-filled, dangerous backrooms of Texas to respectability at the glitzy and glamorous casinos of Las Vegas. He is a notorious proposition gambler and has been a regular on the talk show circuit for several decades. He won the World Series of Poker in 1972. He has four World Series of Poker bracelets and came in second place at the 2001 World No Limit Heads Up Championship. |
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* Wild Bill Hickok |
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Wild Bill Hickok is one of the most famous gamblers and personalities of 19th Century American West history. His legend grew in 1876 after he was killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. He was holding aces and eights, which quickly became known as “The Dead Man's Hand.” Wild Bill is a charter member and most widely-known member of the Poker Hall of Fame. |
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* Sid Wyman |
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Originally from Missouri, Sid was a high-stakes gambler and a noted poker player. For three decades, Sid co-owned several Las Vegas casinos: the Sands, Riviera, and the Dunes. When he passed away in 1978, play at the Dunes was halted for two minutes during his funeral. Sid is a charter member of the Poker Hall of Fame. |
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* Nick the Greek" Dandolos |
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Nick the Greek was a high-stakes gambler and played in the most famous heads-up poker game in history against Johnny Moss. After five straight months of poker, an exhausted Nick the Greek uttered one of the most famous lines in all of poker, "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go." Rumors say he lost over $4 million in that game. Nick the Greek is a charter member of the Poker Hall of Fame. |
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* George Soros |
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Self-styled philanthropist and famous hedge fund gambler/trader George Soros was the man 'who broke the Bank of England' during the dark days of September 1992 when Britain was forced out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). Soros was born in Hungary, but emigrated to Britain when he was 17 after the end of the Second World War. He studied philosophy at the London School of Economics with Karl Popper, whose views on the need for tolerant and market-driven societies as a precursor of economic growth he adopted.
Soros' financial career began in London before he moved to Wall Street in 1956. He set up the Quantum fund as one of the world's first hedge funds that invested in risky, but potential, global deals. By the early 1980s, Soros had a personal fortune of £16.5 million, and the stage was already set for the most famous deal of his life.
Soros believed the pound had to be devalued because it had entered the ERM at too high a rate. He spent the next few months building up a position from which he would profit from devaluation. He borrowed £6.5 billion of sterling and converted it into a mixture of French francs and Deutschmarks. On Black Wednesday, Soros' bet paid off. In the following days, he unwound his positions, paying back his original borrowings and ending up with a profit of around £1 billion. Not bad for a week's work. |
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* Victor Niederhoffer |
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Brilliant hedge fund gambler/trader. For many years Niederhoffer was the #1 hedge fund trader in the world as his hedge funds regularly were ranked in the top 1% of all funds. His brilliance and daring are well known (hey you don’t become the number 1 trader without having brass balls and taking on tremendous risk right?). In 1997 soon after publishing his top selling book, Education of a speculator, Niederhoffer made an all in bet on the Asian markets. The bet lost and his funds went under. To his credit, he is now at the top of his game again, despite the horrific loss of 10 years earlier. Niederhoffer has guts, brilliance and integrity. A rare combination. |
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* Michael Kent |
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Brilliant mathematician who worked for Westinghouse corp helping to build nuclear submarines. Kent developed computer programs to beat the sports books and then hooked up with Billy walters and thus the “computer gang” was born and the rest as they say is history. |
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* Sheldon G. Adelson |
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Visionary gambling and gaming businessman of titanic proportions. Sheldon Adelson did not start out as a successful businessman. He lost fortunes in venture capital and real estate before it striking rich with trade shows. He started Comdex Computer Dealers Expo in 1979 and it remained profitable. He sold to Japan's Softbank for an unprecedented $860 million 1995.
Adelson decided to get in on the casino/hotel side of the Las Vegas strip and started Las Vegas Sands Inc.
ADELSON PURCHASED the Sands casino in 1989 for $128 million. He lost money over 5 consecutive years. It was a sketchy purchase in the first place as casino magnate, Steve Wynn, was opening his $630 million Mirage complex, which boasts a 54-foot volcano. Wynn was backed by a $2 billion credit line. "Their front desk looked better than our whole hotel,'' recalls Henri Lewin, who ran the Sands for Adelson in the early 1990s. After seven years of ownership,
Adelson blew it up with 100 pounds of dynamite to make way for the 1.3 billion dollar, 3,000 room Italy-themed hotel-casino-resort, the Venetian. The new resort will feature canals and life-size replicas of the ancient city's most famous landmarks. Adelson hopes to open it in April 1999 and plans to go after a customer he knows well, the Comdex people. The rest as they say is history.
We hope that you enjoyed our famous gamblers and gambles page. If you would like to see one of your favorite gamblers, trader, speculator etc., added to our page, please email us with the information and we will review it and if applicable will add it to our page. As well if you have any great gambling stories let us know about it. We will review it and possibly add it to our page. At ISBIC we salute anyone that has the courage, vision and wits to beat the odds in any endeavor.
– We Hope That You Enjoyed Our Famous Gamblers And Gambles Section. One Day You Might Be Here.
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With Best Regards,
International Sports Betting Intelligence Consultants Ltd. (ISBIC.COM)
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