Although it is not difficult to become a professional player, it is quite an accomplishment to join the ranks of some of the greatest gamblers in history. What does it take to become a professional gambler? It all depends on how you play, what your drive is, and what risk you are willing to take. Here are some examples of some of history’s most successful gamblers and what they had to lose to win their titles.
Edward Thorp (Famous Gamblers)
Edward Thorp, a math professor and author of the card counting book, is well-known. Thorp started with $10,000 and used his card counting skills in Las Vegas and Reno to win $11,000 his first weekend. To avoid being recognized by the casinos, he changed his disguises often. This was in 1966. As of writing this article, he is still living in Chicago, Illinois.
Amarillo Slim (Famous Gamblers)
Amarillo Slim was a Texas poker player who joined forces with Puggy Pearson and Doyle Brunson. Even though his poker background is a plus, Slim’s most notable accomplishments were his high-risk bets at the racetrack. He didn’t only make risky bets; he also made clever bets that his cunning and wit could easily beat. Slim took his intelligence and wit to the table, as well as to the track. It sounds like wild west gambling. Surprised to learn that Amarillo slim, died in 2012 at the age of 33.
Archie Karas (Famous Gamblers)
Archie Karas, a Greek immigrant, arrived in Las Vegas in 1992 and brought only $50. He turned that into 40,000,000 dollars in two years. These high-stakes games included blackjack, roulette, and baccarat, which he used to make his fortune. His story is not a happy one. He lost all his wealth in 1995 when his professional gambling career ended. In 2013, he was also involved in a card-marking scandal in San Diego and was sentenced to three years probation. He never experienced the glory of his three-year stint in Sin City. He still lives in Las Vegas, at 70 years of age.
Bill Benter (Famous Gamblers)
Bill Benter is a legend in the gaming industry for creating a horse racing algorithm for Hong Kong horse races back in 1980. This algorithm won him millions of dollars and made him a household name.
He continued his luck as he traveled to Las Vegas to begin card counting with an Australian team. He earned over one million dollars during his career. This is largely due to Edward Thorp, who helped Bill improve his card counting skills during the middle of his career. He is currently alive and well, and he lives in Pittsburg.
Billy Walters (Famous Gamblers)
Sports betting is different from other casino games like dice and slots. Many people get distracted by betting on their favorite team or their home team. When he was nine years old, Billy Walters began betting on the 1955 World Series with money from his paper route. He won again, and his winnings grew overtime to millions of dollars per week. His bets alone were enough to move the betting lines.
Later, Billy Walters left the gambling business and became involved in stock trading. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment for insider trading and was convicted in 2017. He will be released on January 10, 2022. Despite being imprisoned, he continues to be active in philanthropy, regularly donating money to Villages, Las Vegas, an organization for people with intellectual disabilities.
Chris Moneymaker (Famous Gamblers)
Chris Moneymaker has a real rags-to-riches gambling story. In 2002, he was an accountant with a side gig at a restaurant. He became involved with online poker. He registered for a $86 satellite tournament in 2003 and won a seat at the 2003 WSOP Main Event. He won the WSOP Main Event, further turning his life upside down.
He quickly went from a life of numbers and became a celebrity. To become a spokesperson at Harrah’s Entertainment and PokerStars, he quit his job. He wisely used his winnings for his own company, Moneymaker Gaming. For several years, he traveled the globe as a professional gambler. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his second wife.
Doyle Brunson (Famous Gamblers)
Texas Dolly is also known as Doyle Brunson, a legendary poker player. He played professionally for more than fifty years. Doyle Brunson was born in Fisher County, Texas. He was a member of the All-Star Texas basketball team.
He played basketball through college but was not offered a job in the NBA because of a knee injury. He continued to work as a school principal and played poker whenever he had the chance. He began his poker career by playing illegal games on Exchange Street, Fort Worth. This is where he met Amarillo Slim. He later moved to Las Vegas, where he started a legal version of his poker business with Slim.
He won 10 events at the World Series of Poker by the end of his career, a feat unmatched by many others. These include two Main Event wins, in 1976 and 1977. Doyle, 85, announced that he would be retiring from poker. He is now living in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the remainder of his life.
Conclusion
Many of these men lived luxurious lives, but many didn’t begin there. This goes to show that all it takes to be a professional gambler is some skill and determination. Eventually, If you are here then you have completed the entire article. Which famous gamblers’ story you liked the most?