Best Gambler Of All Time
Posted on Fri, 09/03/2018
Many online slot sites gamblers and gamblers in general have become famous over time for a varied number of reasons. Gamblers across the world have eyes on them a lot of the time as they’ve managed to grow both an audience and a following. Some of the names in this article have been big winners, while others have been big losers. Some guys have cheated, hustled their way up and others are professionals whose luck has either ran out or became the stuff of legends.
Each of these individuals has their own story and each one is just as fascinating as the last. Many of them have movies about them as well as books. Some of these make a gambler’s life seem glamorous while others highlight the low points during a gambler’s career. The following people have inspired gamblers all over the world in one way or another- some have started their careers as a result of their inspiration while others have been studying their techniques for years. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that all the gamblers in this list have been successful! Some of the most famous casino and slots games gamblers in history included the likes of:
- John Montagu
- Brain Molony
- Wild Bill Hickok
- Kerry Packer
- Archie Karas
- Nick Dandolos
- MIT Blackjack Team
Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis (Greek: Ανάργυρος Καραβουρνιώτης, born November 1, 1950), commonly known as Archie Karas, is a Greek-American gambler, high roller, poker player, and pool shark famous for the largest and longest documented winning streak in casino gambling history, simply known as The Run, when he drove to Las Vegas with $50 in December 1992 and then turned a $10,000 loan.
You can read more about each of them below, or learn why do people gamble here.
John Montagu - Famous British Gambler
Roberts rivals Fats as the most charismatic and entertaining pool shark of all time, except that Fats was, well fat, while Roberts looked and acted like the young, hip Elvis. Pool legend Willie 'Mr. Pocket Billiards' Mosconi had a cameo in the 1961 movie The Hustler, one of the best sports movies of all time. It starred Paul Newman as a young. Who is the biggest gambler of all-time and why: This is a very debatable question because there were many great professional gamblers of all-time. But, I consider this man one of the biggest gambler of all-time in history of Professional Gambling. James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill, was something of a hero of the American Old West. He was a lawman, a gunfighter, and a gambler. He is one of a number of famous gamblers from that era, arguably the most famous of all. Poker was his game of choice.
John Montagu was a British statesman and the 4th Earl of Sandwich who lived in the 1800s. Montagu had positions in the military and was a political figure as well. One of his favourite pastimes was gambling. However, he is not on this list because of his gambling exploits, but rather his invention of the sandwich. But the two are connected.
Legend has it that during some of his lengthy sessions of gambling, Montagu would snack often and asked for slices of meat inserted between two pieces of bread. His mates noticed that he would do this often and began placing their own orders as “same as Sandwich”. Ultimately, the snack became ‘the sandwich’ and the name has stuck to this day. Of course, there is not much information to make this claim credible but it has solidified Montagu in gambling history.
Brian Molony
As we said earlier, some gamblers become known for the wrong reasons. Brian Molony is one of them. Molony was a compulsive gambler who made the headlines frequently due to his poor gambling habits. He misappropriated company funds of over $10 million to fund his frequent casinos trips to Atlantic City, losing the majority of the money very quickly.
His theft was exposed in April 1982 and he was placed under arrest. Molony had lost close to $1 million at Caesars just a day before the arrest which landed him a sentence of two and a half years’ prison time. The book titled Stung was actually written about him and his gambling exploits. A movie, ‘Owning Mahowny’ was also developed about his story.
Wild Bill Hickok - A top gambler of his era
James Butler Hickok, aka Wild Bill, was a gunfighter, a lawman and a gambler. All the makings of a good story! Wild Bill was the most famous gambler from the American Old West era. His go-to game was poker and he was so good at it that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame long after his passing.
In 1876, Hickok was at one of his favourite saloon bars playing poker with his back facing the door. Jack McCall fired a gun at Hickock and killed him instantly. It’s not known for sure why he shot him in the head but some say it’s because he’d lost a lot of money to him.
At the time of his death, Hickok was holding a two pair – eights and aces. Today this hand is referred to as the dead man’s hand by poker players everywhere.
Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer was an Australian based media mogul who loved to gamble. He was a successful businessman credited for establishing the World Series Cricket, but is mostly remembered for his gambling. Packer died in 2005 at the age of 68.
Packer was a horse racing gambler placing the largest bets on top of his gambling in Vegas and all over the world. He would always gamble the highest possible stake and consequently incur millions of dollars in losses. Not to say that he wouldn’t win every now and then too.
With many legendary stories attributed to Packer, he surely is one for the ages. He once turned up at a Las Vegas establishment where a table had been reserved especially for the mogul. However, when he arrived the key had been misplaced by one of the staff. Not to disappoint Packer, the dealer grabbed a crystal ashtray and smashed off the lock as to not disappoint him. This just goes to show the level of respect and the power he had in casinos. Known as a man who would call up and ask how much they had in the vault, he was one to be feared and loved in the top casinos of vegas.
Archie Karas - Historically one of the best gamblers
Archie Karas is one of the most famous gamblers of all time and considered as the greatest one too. Archie has won and lost a huge amount of money several times. Of course, this seems like a paradox- a great gambler losing fortunes, but let me explain. Karas is a Greek-American who ran away from home when he was 15. After going to America, he started working odd jobs like waiting in restaurants, etc. While working at the restaurant, he began building his skills by winning moneygames.
His opponents became fewer and fewer and he started playing poker. Archie built his bankroll to more than $2 million over time. By December 1992 all he had was $50.
He headed to Las Vegas looking for a change in fortunes and that’s when his amazing run started. Karas is most known for the incredible winning streak he had in the early 90s- 1992 and 1995 where he used 50USD to get over 40 million USD. This is largest and the longest winning streak that’s ever been documented. Unfortunately, Karas lost all the money throughout 1995 while playing baccarat, poker and dice.
Karas has had a few notable wins and losing streaks since then. Nothing too impressive though. He still lives in Vegas today.
Nick Dandolos
Nick Dandolos was born in Greece. That explains why he’s called Nick the Greek aka the King of Gamblers. Dandolos was born in 1883 into a wealthy family. He came to the USA and settled in Chicago, where he lived off a hefty allowance from his parents.
He moved to Montreal and began horse racing bets. He was successful at it and won quite a significant sum, but later went back to Chicago and lost all his money through playing dice and card games. He quickly got a hold of the gameplay and won more money. Nick said that he continuously won and lost, going from rags to riches several times.
The MIT Blackjack Team
Beginning in 1979, a few alumni of MIT decided to take Vegas and Atlantic City by storm with their card counting theories. These players pulled together investments from a large number of people and created an intricate operation of card counting in vegas and atlantic city. Due to its secrecy and high risk gameplay many members left however they were quickly replaced by fresher faces with a taste for danger and blackjack.
There has been many iterations of this team throughout the years, all with varying degrees of success. This is mainly due to the clashing of egos and arguments within the ranks. They easily recruited more people interested in card counting whenever the numbers got low. It became so well known that by 1984 kaplan, who was one of the original players, could not show his face in a casino without the risk of being found and thrown out.
Final Thoughts on the Top 7 Gamblers of all time
Everygambling enthusiast has heard of these individuals at some point or another. If you are passionate about betting, then you may consider diving deeper into their histories and seeing what you can learn. Maybe one day you can become as great as these maestros of gambling. Everyone has their own experience of gambling and own opinions reserved for the history of it. Many people treat it with the utmost respect. However, some are just in it for the money and don't care much for the intricacies of the game.
Now each of these famed gamblers may seem very different. However, the one thing that links all of them and even us at slotsbaby is the pure passion for gambling, we just do it in a safer, more straight forward way than great Bill Hickok!
So here it is – RightCasino’s list of the 10 greatest gambling movies ever made!
If you don’t find your favourite film here, the chances are it’s because the movie in question isn’t really about gambling (see both Martin Scorsese’s Casino and Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas). And of course, with only 10 places to play with, some cracking movies just came up short. Among those pictures deserving an honourable mention are Mississippi Grind, The Pick-Up Artist and Bob La Flambeur.
As for the top 10 proper, we begin with…
10) Hard Eight (1996)
Before striking gold in 1997 with Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson made Hard Eight (aka Sydney), a pared-back drama about a pro gambler past his prime.
Just how a first-time director managed to assemble this all-star cast – Samuel L Jackson, John C Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, the much missed Philip Seymour Hoffman – speaks volumes for the strength of Anderson’s script.
Hard Eight is an indie gem that combines black humour with a knowing study of high-stakes casino gambling. And if it has an ace up its sleeve, it’s veteran actor Philip Baker Hall as Sydney, the rounder who’s seen everything but still can’t resist the lure of the tables.
9) Owning Mahowny (2003)
This semi-fictional tale of bank manager turned criminal gambler is a glimmering star vehicle for Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
The title character’s gradual descent into the dark recesses of addiction stands as a grave warning to us all that never feels preachy or condemnatory. Meanwhile, director Richard Kwietniowski (Love And Death On Long Island) employs sparse direction to downplay any sense of glamour in favour of a very human story of vice overcoming a man’s soul. No, you won’t leave this movie elated but it’ll stick with you forever.
8) Croupier (1998)
Between Croupier and Rounders, 1998 was a bloody good year for gambling movies.
Clive Owen is Jack Manfred, the titular croupier. In actual fact, he’s a would-be writer who’s forced to fall back on his chip-handling chops when his literary career fails to take off. From the other side of the table, Jack sees what gambling does not only to the punters but to the people dealing the cards. Such is its corrupting force that it’s not long before Jack’s playing a hand dominated by deceit, adultery and murder.
Less a public service announcement than a compelling examination of human motivations, Croupier is that safest of movie bets – a picture that pays off every time.
7) The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Not until 2006’s Casino Royale would poker be so engagingly portrayed on film as it is in The Cincinatti Kid. Director Norman Jewison perfectly captures the tense excitement of seeing the pot stack after the flop and of devising the best play while keeping an eye out for tells…
‘King of Cool’ Steve McQueen absolutely kills it as poker prodigy Eric ‘The Kid’ Stoner and is at his best during the film’s iconic ‘last hand scene’.
Who Is The Best Gambler In The World
Jewison later dismissed the film as an ‘ugly duckling’ and went on to enjoy greater success with movies such as Fiddler On The Roof, Rollerball, The Thomas Crown Affair (also with McQueen) and The Hurricane. Nevertheless, this would represent many a director’s career high.
6) California Split (1974)
Ask a card player what their favourite gambling movie is and they probably won’t say The Cincinnati Kid; rather they’ll say it’s California Split, a film so steeped in the 1970s, you have to wear flares to watch it.
Directed by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, The Player) and starring George Segal and Elliott Gould, the picture rings true with poker fans, it’s because it doesn’t over-glamourise the game. Nor, for the most part, does it feature people staking ridiculous sums of cash.
No, California Split’s a film about the grind of the pro gamblers’ life. Watch it and you’ll understand why those that ‘play’ poker are looked down on by the few for whom the deck is a tool of the trade.
5) Casino Royale (2006)
007’s stunning return to form is simultaneously the best entry in the entire James Bond franchise and one of the finest action movies ever made. However, central to Casino Royale is the utterly awesome high-stakes poker tournament, in which Daniel Craig’s Bond fights to bankrupt terrorist banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen).
If you’d bet that it was possible to make 40 minutes of cinematic poker edge-of-your-seat thrilling, we’d have taken you at 100/1 odds and called you a chump. Fortunately, nobody did, so we don’t have to fork over my pension fund. Lucky escape.
4) The Music Of Chance (1993)
Adapted from Paul Auster’s novel , The Music Of Chance tells the story of Jim Nashe (Mandy Patinkin), a former fireman down to his last $20,000. That’s when he runs into Jack Pozzi (James Spader), a gambler who has a plan to take apart two eccentric millionaires (Charles Durning and Joel Grey) over a few hands of poker.
Philip Haas’s film has things to say about gambling and good fortune that will be familiar to both casual gamblers and hard-bitten grinders alike. For example, at a key moment in the poker game, Nashe – convinced Pozzi has everything in hand – goes off to have a nap. By the time he wakes up, everything’s changed and Nashe and Pozzi are about to lose a lot more than their $20,000.
Did the one event lead to the other? Of course not, but Pozzi thinks it did and it’s the intensity of his conviction reveals plenty about chance and how we interpret it. By the same measure, the film’s ending shows how one of the worst things that can happen in everyday life can be handy, depending on your point of view.
3) Rounders (1998)
Ever had the urge to watch a young, fresh-faced Matt Damon being terrorised by a mental Russian with an Oreo obsession and a thing for tracksuits? Well, good news! Red Rock West director John Dahl went and cranked out your new favourite movie way back in 1998.
Seriously though, Rounders is a thing of grim beauty. The narrative is as classic as they come: it’s the Rocky story, with a plucky upstart forced to bounce back after getting his backside handed to him. However, it’s the performances that make this flick, particularly Edward Norton as the hugely irritating Worm and John Malkovich’s brilliant turn as deranged gangster Teddy KGB.
2) The Hustler (1961)
Directed by Robert Rosen, The Hustler’s jam-packed with gambling archetypes. There’s Paul Newman as ‘Fast’ Eddie Felsen, the wunderkind who’s his own worst enemy, there’s George C. Scott’s crooked agent, and there’s Piper Laurie as the love interest who discovers that there’s no room for distraction in a grinder’s life.
All the woes of the gambler’s life are also on show. Loneliness, heartbreak, boredom, borderline alcoholism – a less glamorous depiction of gaming it’s hard to imagine. And yet, so cool does Newman look while he dances around the pool table, it’s not hard to imagine that a lot of young men saw the film, left the cinema and headed straight down the nearest snooker hall.
The Hustler is, at heart, a story about the difference between the price and the value of something. Bare that in mind the next time you play a few frames. Oh, and remember – winner stays on and no masse shots.
1) The Gambler (1974)
Based on Dostoyevsky’s novel, The Gambler stars James Caan as a literature professor who shares the screenwriter James Toback‘s obsessions with gambling. So great is wagering’s grip the academic that he borrows money from his girl, his mother and the worst kind of loan sharks to feed his addiction.
“It’s not easy to make people care about a guy who steals from his mother to pay gambling debts,” said Cann. But care we do, thanks to Toback’s semi-autobiographscal scipt and the actor making complete sense of our ‘hero’, his fractured logic’s reveleaed in lines like “I’m not going to lose [the money], I’m going to gamble it”.
The leading man also clearly grasps Toback’s belief about gambling being mainly about the exercising of free will. To paraphrase Dostoyevsky, man is alone is being able to insist that two and two equals five despite all evidence to the contrary. No, it’s not wisdom but it says a lot about human nature, and that’s what elevates The Gambler to the top of the pile. Not that you’d want to let Cann’s character know – he’d only go and blow the prize money on a basketball game.
Gambling movies on Netflix
It seems impossible these days to talk about movies without discussing their availability on Netflix. Unfortunately for film connoisseurs it’s easier to find the 2014 remake of The Gamblers (starring Mark Wahlberg) on the streamer service than the 1974 classic.
Casino Royale, arguably one of the best Bond films ever, is of course available for streaming as is the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owning Mahowny.
Croupier is available on the American, Canadian and Brazilian versions of Netflix, so British viewers will have to turn to the good old fashioned DVD to enjoy this gambling movie.
Talking of DVDs, while some of the older movies might not be available for live streaming, you can always opt for a Netflix DVD rental. Sure, it might only be one step up from wandering into Blockbusters but it’s better than nothing!
Who Is The Greatest Gambler Of All Time
Originally published: 7/4/2014
Updated: 10/05/2017