Archie Karas
Archie Karas – Poker Player. Archie Karas, popularly nicknamed as The Greek, is one of the most mysterious gamblers to have ever lived. ABC News – Police take famous high roller into custody for cheating at blackjack.
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- Big:L;as Vegas has always been a city where fortunes are made and lost on a flip of a card or a roll of the dice. Still, few stories can match that of Anargyros Karabourniotis, better known as Archie.
Regardless of whether you're a casual fan of gambling or a hardcore fan, you've likely heard of Archie Karas and 'The Streak.'
The man famous for turning $50 into $40 million before losing it all will never have a chance to recreate that run ever again after being placed in the infamous Nevada Black Book last week.
Gaming Commission Unanimously Approved Lifetime Ban
Last week Anargyros Karabourniotis (Karas' given name) became the 33rd person on Nevada's Black List. The list effectively bans Karas from gambling in the state and makes it a crime for him to enter a casino
Karas was placed on the list by the Nevada Gaming Commission after a series of violations against the casino industry dating back to 1988.
He was arrested in Reno in 1988 for marking cards at the Flamingo. In 1992, he was arrested in Laughlin at the River Palms for cheating at cards.
In 1996 he was arrested in downtown Las Vegas at the California Club and in 2007 in Laughlin at the Aquinas for cheating.
Karas was also arrested in San Diego, CA in 2013 for cheating at cards at the Barona Casino. California put Karas on their exclusion list last year
Karas did not appear before the NGC last week to contest his inclusion on the list.
Karas' WSOP Career Ends
Karas' inclusion in the Black Book also brings his WSOP career to a close. Karas has $204,368 in live poker tournament earnings dating back to 1997 with the majority at the WSOP.
Karas had four career WSOP final tables with three in Razz. His best finish was third in the 2004 $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Draw Event.
He made what was considered a comeback in 2008 following a series of articles on PokerNews.com and a subsequent 7th place finish in that year's $1,500 Razz Event.
His last cash came in 2013 when he finished 26th in the $2,500 Razz Event.
Karas was famous for his ability in Razz poker. He was rumored to have won millions off many of poker's top names during the streak playing Razz.
The inclusion on the exclusion list also prevents Karas from playing online poker in Nevada and once it is regulated in California. Unfortunately, unregulated sites do not honor such lists.
A casino heater is a person that goes on a winning streak
It can be a few games in a row that produces win after
There are players that manage to spend hours on a casino game not losing one round! Here are some of the biggest casino heaters of all times. Let their amazing stories serve as an inspiration, but remember, it can be the other way around as well…
Archie Karas
This gambler is one of a kind.
He became world famous when he borrowed $10,000 from a friend in Las Vegas to start an amazing winning streak.
He played poker against the very best like Stu Ungar, Chip Reese and Doyle Brinson and he managed to turn the $10K into $17 million. From the poker table, straight to the craps
Karas bet $100,000 on one roll and cashed in profit after profit. From 1992 to 1995 he won $40 million making him one of the foremost casino heaters in gambling history!
Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer also saw an incredible streak of luck during his gambling career. In 1997 he spent a few days betting at the MGM Grand and he won $30 million.
He also managed to win $10 million in several UK casinos riding the waves of his lucky streak.
Stanley Fujitake
In 1989, Fujitake started rolling the dice at the craps table of the California Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
He continued playing for 3 hours and 6 minutes which added up to 118 rolls before he crapped out of the game. The casino lost about $1 million on this lucky streak but they got quite a bit of publicity for it considering that people are still talking about it today.
Patricia Demauro
Let’s stay at the craps table but this time in New Jersey where Patricia Demauro managed to roll 154 rolls without ever getting a seven.
The lucky streak lasted for 4 hours and 18 minutes and it set the new world record for the longest craps roll and for the most successive dice rolls in the game without getting a 7.
After this Demauro could not bring herself to play on the craps table again. She only came back as an observer.
Shoeless Joe
In 1995 a story of a homeless man going on a casino heater emerged. He was called Shoeless Joe and they say that he was homeless.
He came into the Treasure Island casino without shoes and started playing blackjack using a social security check of $400. During a week in the
He didn’t play with standard blackjack strategy and yet he kept winning! The story did not have a happy ending
William Lee Bergstrom
Bergstrom decided to try his luck at the craps table at
Archie Karas Net Worth
He asked to place a $1 million bet on one single roll and was allowed to do so. He put $770,000 on Don’t Pass. After three rolls the shooter crapped out leaving Bergstrom with $770,000 to cash out.
He took his money and left the casino. Later he came back and placed new bets of $590,000, $190,000 and $90,000.
He won all three!
In 1984 he made his biggest craps bet of $1 million but this one he lost and 3 months later he was reported to have committed suicide.
Losing streaks
There are also losing streaks where the heat of the casino gets, well, too hot… Let’s learn from Mr. Watanabe who went to Las Vegas in 2007 and stayed. He got many nice bonuses since he was a high roller. He spent an entire year at the tables and spent more than $200 million on the bets.
In fact, Harrah’s reports that 6% of their Las Vegas revenue came from Mr. Watanabe. Mr. Watanabe did get treatment for a gambling addiction and eventually quit his excessive betting.
Archie Karas Pics
He now stays away from
People who worked in the casino at the time of the losing streak reported that he could lose $5 million in a day after gambling 24 hours straight. It was obvious that he suffered from an addiction and yet no one seemed to care.
Archie Karas Poker
Archie Karas Poker
Losing streaks happen and we should pay them attention even when they are not responsible for losses in the millions. They could be an indication of a problem, and modern casinos online offer tools for people who believe that they might be dealing with an addiction.