Anargyros Karabourniotis better known as Archie Karas is one of the best poker playing gamblers that you'll ever encounter. Best machines to play at a casino. He's best known for 'The Run,' which was the longest and most profitable winning streak ever to be documented in casino gambling history.
Karas's story was documented in Cigar Aficionado by American author Michael Konik and also was featured, along with Stu Ungar, in an E! Documentary special called THS Investigates: Vegas Winners & Losers. Konik also wrote an article about Karas which was featured in a book about Las Vegas gamblers called The Man With the $100,000 Breasts. Archie Karas, or the 'king of the casino,' announced himself to the world when his money grew from $50 to $40 million courtesy of gambling. He worked as a waiter before joining pool hustling in which he amassed up to $1 million. In Los Angeles, Karas played high-stakes card games, winning a lot of money. Zeus 2 slot. Archie Karas is a Greek-American gambler, high roller, poker player, and pool shark famous for the largest and longest documented winning streak in gambling history simply known as The Run. The run started when he turned $50 in December 1992 into more than $40 million by the beginning of 1995, only to lose it all later that year.
Archie Karas Story Books
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He won over $40 million dollars over the course of two and a half years which is an incredible accomplishment. Maquisard mac os.
Cephalonia Archie Karas
Archie is a high-roller at heart and he's always had a fearless approach to gambling and a pure confidence that just can never seem to be shaken. Spin a wheel game online for free. Archie once said,
Archie was born in 1951 on the small island of Cefalonia, Greece which is located in the Ionion Sea between Italy and Greece. Archie's father was a carpenter who could build houses from the ground up but despite being very talented, he still didn't make a lot of money.
The family was incredibly poor to the point where eating dinner every night wasn't always a guarantee. Archie would play marbles with his friends, taking every ounce of money he earned to buy food for his family.
Archie loved his family but never had a good relationship with his father. Archie's father consistently took his frustration and anger out on him but in hopes to strengthen their relationship, Archie volunteered to help him build houses during the summers.
That was the last straw for Archie; he packed up his belongings and ran away, never to see his father again. To make money, he worked as a waiter on a ship that was heading to America: Portland, Oregon to be exact.
Archie finally made it to America nearly a month after the ship set sail; he was determined to find a job and make a better life for himself in the States. Portland, Oregon wasn't as developed as it is today and there weren't many job opportunities, so Archie headed west until he reached the booming city of Los Angeles.
He quickly found a job bussing tables at a small restaurant that was connected to a bowling alley and a pool hall. He slowly taught himself the English language through talking to customers and now he can fluently speak Greek, English, and even Spanish.
All things gambling seem to come natural to Archie, as he was quickly able to switch over to playing poker with ease.
Archie was so naturally talented at the game that he actually was able to earn over $2 million in just a matter of months. At the end of that same year, he lost all but $50 of that money playing high stakes poker.
Most people would have been discouraged at this point, but Archie took it as a sign to move to Las Vegas and take on new challenges.
While Archie was visiting The Mirage Hotel and Casino, he ran into an old friend of his who happened to be very wealthy. Since his friend had seen how successful and talented Archie was back in Los Angeles, he agreed to loan him $10,000 to gamble with.
It didn't take long for Archie to turn the initial $10,000 into $30,000 by playing $200/$400 limit Razz. Karas gave $20,000 back to his friend, leaving himself with $10,000 to spare. Archie has had many financial backers over the course of his career, as he had a raw talent that many gamblers longed for.
The gentleman in this next story is named Mr. X because Archie refused to reveal his name for fear of what it might do to his reputation. All we know is that Mr. X is extremely wealthy and was willing to play pool against Archie for very high stakes.
They started playing pool at $10,000 a game and quickly started raising the stakes to $40,000 a game.
Mr. X pleaded for a second chance with him and so they moved their competition to Binion's Horseshoe, where Archie won an addition $3 million dollars from him.
Archie had earned quite a reputation for himself in the world of gambling and soon many famous gamblers from all over the world were travelling to compete against him. Archie welcomed all competitors, as he truly believed he was unbeatable.
Stu Ungar, a three-time World Series of Poker champion, was one of the first big name legends to compete against Archie at a friendly game of Heads-up Razz. By the end of the tournament, Archie walked away with over half a million dollars. Desperate for another try, Stu challenged Archie to a 7-card stud game, where Archie won an additional $700,000.
Archie continued to beat out a plethora of other famous players including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, and Puggy Pearson. Despite having all the odds against him, in just a matter of six months, Archie was able to turn his initial $50 investment into $17 million through playing a plethora of poker and pool games.
Due to his unbeatable reputation, Archie found it difficult to find anyone who was willing to compete against him at the stakes that he wanted, so he decided to switch his talents over to the crap tables. Archie's most memorable moment when it comes to dice is when he bet the maximum of $200,000 on the 4 and 10 for 1 to 4.6 odds at the Binion Casino.
In just two rolls, Archie was up $920,000, forcing the casino to immediately lower the limit. By the end of his seemingly unstoppable winning streak of two and a half years, Archie had accumulated over $40 million.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and the same is true when it comes to Archie's lucky streak. In just a little over three weeks, Archie lost everything. It all started when he lost $11 million playing craps.
He tried to switch over to baccarat but had no idea what he was doing and lost another $17 million. Players such as Chip Reese and Johnny Chan challenged him to various poker competitions where they seemingly were able to win back a good chunk of the money he had previously won from them.
In an attempt to move on from his losses Archie says this:
Archie constantly tells his fans that it's his family's moral support that has helped him overcome all of the times he was left broke and badly beaten.
Today, Archie Karas lives in Las Vegas, Nevada but makes it a point to visit Greece every year to see his mother, two sisters, and his older brother: all of whom he loves dearly. When Archie isn't visiting his family in Greece, he continues to play high stakes poker games and compete in the World Series of Poker where he finds some success.
In total, Archie has cashed in at the World Series of Poker seven times with his biggest accomplishment being when he took fifth in the 2009 WSOP $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw for $53,783.
Chip Reese was an amazing poker player who Archie had the privilege of competing against hundreds of times during his career. Although no one would have considered the pair friends, they did have a mutual respect for each other that was quite admirable.
When Chip passed away in December of 2007, Archie made a special point to attend the funeral and show his respects to Chip and his family. Unlike other famous gamblers there, Archie actually knew several of Chip's family members and they were very happy to see him once more.
Archie's Arrest
What is rtp. In September of 2013, police rushed to Archie Karas' lovely Las Vegas home, arresting him on suspicion of cheating at blackjack at Barona Casino in eastern San Diego where he had recently won $6,000.
Surveillance cameras showed Archie marking his cards with dye inserted into a hollowed-out gambling chip that he would discreetly swipe over the cards he wanted marked. He would use the marks on the cards to determine what move to make next, giving him a clear, unfair advantage.
When the police raided Archie's home, they found the hollowed-out casino chips, confirming their previous allegations.
The gentleman in this next story is named Mr. X because Archie refused to reveal his name for fear of what it might do to his reputation. All we know is that Mr. X is extremely wealthy and was willing to play pool against Archie for very high stakes.
They started playing pool at $10,000 a game and quickly started raising the stakes to $40,000 a game.
Mr. X pleaded for a second chance with him and so they moved their competition to Binion's Horseshoe, where Archie won an addition $3 million dollars from him.
Archie had earned quite a reputation for himself in the world of gambling and soon many famous gamblers from all over the world were travelling to compete against him. Archie welcomed all competitors, as he truly believed he was unbeatable.
Stu Ungar, a three-time World Series of Poker champion, was one of the first big name legends to compete against Archie at a friendly game of Heads-up Razz. By the end of the tournament, Archie walked away with over half a million dollars. Desperate for another try, Stu challenged Archie to a 7-card stud game, where Archie won an additional $700,000.
Archie continued to beat out a plethora of other famous players including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, and Puggy Pearson. Despite having all the odds against him, in just a matter of six months, Archie was able to turn his initial $50 investment into $17 million through playing a plethora of poker and pool games.
Due to his unbeatable reputation, Archie found it difficult to find anyone who was willing to compete against him at the stakes that he wanted, so he decided to switch his talents over to the crap tables. Archie's most memorable moment when it comes to dice is when he bet the maximum of $200,000 on the 4 and 10 for 1 to 4.6 odds at the Binion Casino.
In just two rolls, Archie was up $920,000, forcing the casino to immediately lower the limit. By the end of his seemingly unstoppable winning streak of two and a half years, Archie had accumulated over $40 million.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and the same is true when it comes to Archie's lucky streak. In just a little over three weeks, Archie lost everything. It all started when he lost $11 million playing craps.
He tried to switch over to baccarat but had no idea what he was doing and lost another $17 million. Players such as Chip Reese and Johnny Chan challenged him to various poker competitions where they seemingly were able to win back a good chunk of the money he had previously won from them.
In an attempt to move on from his losses Archie says this:
Archie constantly tells his fans that it's his family's moral support that has helped him overcome all of the times he was left broke and badly beaten.
Today, Archie Karas lives in Las Vegas, Nevada but makes it a point to visit Greece every year to see his mother, two sisters, and his older brother: all of whom he loves dearly. When Archie isn't visiting his family in Greece, he continues to play high stakes poker games and compete in the World Series of Poker where he finds some success.
In total, Archie has cashed in at the World Series of Poker seven times with his biggest accomplishment being when he took fifth in the 2009 WSOP $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw for $53,783.
Chip Reese was an amazing poker player who Archie had the privilege of competing against hundreds of times during his career. Although no one would have considered the pair friends, they did have a mutual respect for each other that was quite admirable.
When Chip passed away in December of 2007, Archie made a special point to attend the funeral and show his respects to Chip and his family. Unlike other famous gamblers there, Archie actually knew several of Chip's family members and they were very happy to see him once more.
Archie's Arrest
What is rtp. In September of 2013, police rushed to Archie Karas' lovely Las Vegas home, arresting him on suspicion of cheating at blackjack at Barona Casino in eastern San Diego where he had recently won $6,000.
Surveillance cameras showed Archie marking his cards with dye inserted into a hollowed-out gambling chip that he would discreetly swipe over the cards he wanted marked. He would use the marks on the cards to determine what move to make next, giving him a clear, unfair advantage.
When the police raided Archie's home, they found the hollowed-out casino chips, confirming their previous allegations.
Archie pleaded guilty to his charges and less than a year later, he was sentenced to three years of probation and was forced to pay $6,800 in fines. Karl Bennison, Enforcement Chief, said this in a statement following the arrests,
Gambling has been around since the dawn of man. It's likely the wheel was invented because someone bet it couldn't be done. Still, hearing about winning big at the casino is as rare as seeing a white person with dreads without a longboard. There's a reason why people wear diapers while playing slots—they're waiting for that big pay out to redeem some sort of self worth or dignity. Sometimes that big pay out finally happens and most times it simply doesn't. So how exactly did Archie Karas turn $50 into over 40 million dollars over the course of 3 years? He believed in his luck and even more so, his bad luck.
Everyone's dream upon entering the casino is to leave with your bank account having twins or to get as drunk as you possibly can off the free drinks. Archie Karas did exactly that, but never stopped winning. It all started when he was a boy living in poverty in Greece. Archie would shoot marbles and win small amounts of money just so he could eat. He ran away from home to get away from his dad after an argument leading to him working on a cruise ship as a waiter, at which time he was making only $60 a month. After arriving in Portland he eventually made his way down to Los Angeles where his epic gambling streak began. Archie started playing competitive pool but after beating everyone, no one wanted to play anymore. With the lack of money in the pool halls—since everyone was hiding with their tail between their legs—Archie began playing poker. This is where the real money came and left, where he won and lost 2 million dollars leaving arguably the greatest gambler of all time with only $50 to his name.
Archie, not having that shit for one minute, drove to Las Vegas with that last $50 bill in his wallet. Fortunately, he ran into a fairly good friend at the casino who just so happened to be able to lend him $10,000 to play high stake Razz, which is similar to poker only that the smallest hand wins. Given his recent bad luck, he decided that the game would be perfect for him—and it was exactly that. In 3 hours, Karas repaid the loan with 50% interest and still had a pile of cash to keep playing. He played for another 3 years and simply couldn't lose while accumulating 40 million dollars in the process. Archie was on top of the world and king of the casino. He wasn't just winning in poker, he was circulating all the games winning whatever he damn well pleased. But of course what goes up, must come down as his luck finally ran dry losing terribly in a game of craps. Not learning his lessons from previous experiences, Karas recklessly spent 11 million dollars on craps in 3 weeks. Not being able to accept defeat, he went on to lose another 17 million dollars trying to get back his previous losses. To add insult to injury, in that very same month he lost another 2 million in poker spending a total of 30 million in 4 weeks. For most people this would be the end of their gambling career but not for Karas, who knows lightning can strike twice, as he borrowed 40 thousand dollars and turned it into 1 million in all of 3 weeks. The king of gambling then was quoted, 'Money means nothing to me. I don't value it. I've had all the material things I could ever want. Everything. The things I want, money can't buy: health, freedom, love, happiness. I don't care about money, so I have no fear. I don't care if I lose it.'
So where is Archie Karas now? Well, unfortunately he was caught cheating at a blackjack table in 2013. He currently faces charges of burglary, cheating, and winning by fraudulent means. Although it's a known fact that he has gambled with more money than anyone in casino history, you have to wonder how much of it was done legitimately. Although not yet convinced, the constant wave of rising and falling leaves us with the amazing story of Archie Karas. As the late and great Eddie Guerrero said, 'If you're not cheating, you're not trying.'
Sources:dailymail.co.uk, pnimg.net
