What does it take to become one of the top-tier gamblers of all time? It is certainly far from easy. It takes time, continuous practice, and the power to take risks. Many dare to gamble, but a small lot has turned this hobby into a professional career. Although gambling mostly revolves around pure luck and a bit of strategy, there are a couple of names that have created their own formula for casino success. Let’s get to know the top five gamblers of all time and why they are engraved in the history of the casino industry.
Edward Thorp
The Card Counter, now an 89-year-old Ph.D. in Mathematics who, besides teaching at MIT and other universities, gained success due to his research in casino games. Going through local blackjack tables, his theory of winning has proven correct. He gained $11,000 in just his first weekend. However, this made many casinos change their methods later on which is why he disguised many times when playing. Even though he stated that it was purely for academic research, many blackjack fans were amazed and wanted to understand card counting. As a response, he published a book called “Beat The Dealer” that became a New York Times bestseller.
Billy Walters
We must point out how young he was when he entered the gambling world – he was 9. His first bet was a baseball game with the money he got on his paper route. Unfortunately, he didn’t win. He had been losing till the age of 22. In his 30s, the story changed. He gained millions of dollars at brick-and-mortar casinos and paid off his debt when losing at a young age. He was successful at sports betting, poker, blackjack, and roulette. After a continuous winning streak of 30 years, he invested in several companies and properties, having around $100 million in 2014.
Chris Moneymaker
Chris’ story is cinema-worthy. It begins with $86 in his pocket and a satellite tournament at the PokerStars online poker cardroom. This got him invited to the Main Event of the 2003 World Series of Poker where he won and took $2.5 million. This moment is considered revolutionary in the poker world because he was the first person to become a world champion immediately after online poker qualifications. Like other gamblers, he wrote his experience in his book titled “How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million”. However, they realized their mistake when mentioning $40 and not $86 as the actual amount he started with.
Doyle Brunson
The author of “Super/System” will introduce you to casino jargon and how to create a strategy when playing poker. It is one of the most influential books for poker fans and his advice is still largely implemented. Doyle is now a retired poker player with over 50 years of experience. He is most famous for winning the World Series of Poker twice. Besides this success, he is also the Main Event champion and a Poker Hall of Fame inductee. His love for poker started when he was a school principal, playing in his free time.
Nick Dandolos
Nick Dandolos aka Nick the Greek was a professional gambler and high roller of the early 20th century. At the age of 18, he settled first in Chicago then in Montreal where his gambling career began. He started with horse races where he gathered around $500,000, after winning and losing large amounts of money. He moved back to Chicago and lost all the money on card and dice games. After some time, he learned the casino games and eventually became a master of playing, becoming more popular among casino enthusiasts. Unfortunately, wagering huge amounts of money left him almost broke at the end of his life.
Conclusion
Becoming a well-known gambler takes a lot of skill and the will to be the best. However, the part where people back down is taking risks and wagering a lot of money when they have been continuously losing. This is why it is important to take it slowly, learn the game, and practice before investing everything you have. Wagering big amounts means risking losing it all. These five people are examples of both success and failure. Some had luck, but some didn’t stop when they were at their peak. If you are new to this industry, make sure you do it at your own pace rather than following someone else’s success story. Play for pure entertainment, not as a plan to get rich.
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