Top 10 Richest Gamblers

Being a multi-million dollar industry, gambling attracts all kinds of people from all over the world. While most remain casual gamblers playing for their own entertainment, some put in a lot of effort and become professionals in the sport. 

They say the house always wins. Well, not for the people mentioned here! Whether it be luck, skill, or the sheer amount of money they have put into the sport, here are the people the house couldn’t beat. Here are the top 10 richest gamblers the sport has ever seen!

10. Doyle Brunson

[Source: dallasportsnation.com ]

First up, we have Doyle Brunson with a net worth of over $75 million. He is known as one of the best Poker players to ever exist. His sting with poker had lasted for over 50 years and his favorite hand to play, 10-2 is now known by his name!

Not just that, he also won the World Series of Poker Main Event champion twice in 1976 and 1977. He was also the first player to win $1 million in poker tournaments! His unpredictable and aggressive style of poker would go on to inspire a lot of people. He has inspired many and helped popularize Texas Hold’em and Poker.

9. Phil Ivey

[Source: wikipedia.org ]

One of the most well-known professional Poker players of recent times, Phil Ivey needs no introduction. He has a World Poker Title and 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, which he achieved by 38. Phil might be a poker player primarily, but he also likes games such as Baccarat and Craps!

Known as the “Tiger Woods of Poker”, Ivey holds the record for most bracelets held at non-Hold’em events. With accolades like that, it's no wonder he has a net worth of over $100 million!

A true gambler at heart, Ivey has never been afraid to lose big which is one of his most remarkable abilities.

8. Billy Walters

[Source: Autonews.com ]

A legendary sports better with a winning streak of over 30 years, Billy Walters takes the sixth spot. With an analytical mind, Walters is known to win between 56 to 60% of all his bets! He was known for betting huge money on college-level sports teams, placing bets as high as $250,000!

Unfortunately, his career would be stopped short due to his illegal insider trading in the stock market. He would be sentenced to five years in prison out of which he only served four. Although his net worth is disputed, some claiming it is as high as $500 million, sources say it is closer to $100 million. 

7. David Walsh

[Source: themercury.com.au ]

A man of many tastes holds our number eight spot, be it gambling, collecting art, or business, David Walsh has it all covered. Walsh is a mathematical genius and started off by developing a gambling system that was predominantly used to bet on horse racing. 

His sting with Zeljko Ranogajec playing blackjack in Vegas has been impressive, to say the least. 

With all his gambling and business ventures, Walsh has amassed a net worth of $200 million! Walsh’s brilliant Mathematical mind has resulted in him saying he only bets when he has a statistical advantage, time to take notes, anybody? 

6. Dan Bilzerian

[Source: GQMagazine.co.uk ] 

Dan Bilzerian and his lavish antics on social media have earned him the number six spot. Although many question his net worth, there’s no denying the fact that the man is incredibly talented in Poker. Being the brand ambassador for GGPoker, Dan sure likes his high-stakes poker games!

He rarely plays public games, and he is not known to have won any major tournaments. However, he does have a net worth of over $200 million! He has a reputation for playing against super-rich people, and he has also claimed to win $50 million in a single night!

5. Zeljko Ranogajec

[Source: SMH.com.au ] 

Ranogajec has a history of being successful at blackjack and horse betting. Also known as the “ Joker”, he started off counting cards. He would later go on to start his own betting syndicate known as the Bankroll with just a few hundred dollars, allegedly. 

He has an extensive record of playing blackjack and keno. However, his main source of high-yield income seems to be horse betting. His syndicate is said to place bets worth over $3 billion per year! Perhaps that is why he is reported to have a net worth of $428 million!

4. Alan Woods

[Source: thesun.co.uk ] 

Considered one of the best professional gamblers, Alan Woods takes our fourth spot. He would start off playing blackjack and win in smaller increments. His big break wouldn’t come until he moved to Vegas and won $100,000 through blackjack!

Woods would eventually retire from Blackjack after three incredible years. He would go on to focus on Horse Betting with Bill Benter. The model they created using mathematics, would help them win over $100,000 in a single season! Finally, Woods would pass away in 2008 with a net worth of a whopping $500 million!

3. Edward Thorp

[Source: eduardothorp.com ] 

Thorp is known for his many including being a professor, author, hedge fund manager, and blackjack researcher. He invented card counting and even inspired Bill Benter to gamble! 

His book “ Beat the Dealer” would inspire many to study and perfect their skills. 

His first test at gambling would see whim take home $11,000 in a weekend! Thorp sure had an interesting life, moving from Blackjack to Roulette and then to the stock market. Through this, he would achieve an eye-watering net worth of $800 million!

2. Bill Benter

[Source: bloomberg.com ] 

William “ Bill” Benter occupies our number two spot with a mind-boggling net worth of over $1 Billion! Like many others, Bill started off with Blackjack and would be banned from every casino in Las Vegas when he was found counting cards. 

He also helped develop one of the most successful horse racing analysis software to date.
Bill would move to Hong Kong with Alan Woods to specifically focus on horse racing. 

After several years of refining his model of gambling, Bill would win Millions every year through it! Now he spends his time giving back to the people through charitable trusts and also spends time lecturing at Universities. 

1. Tony Bloom

[Source: theathletic.com ] 

Although now associated mostly with his football teams, Bloom started off playing Poker as a hobby. Known as “the Lizard”, Bloom would go on to play at World Poker Tour and Poker Million IX amassing over $2.5 million through Poker!

His own betting consultancy firm, known as Starlizard has a revenue of $6.4 Million! Starlizard would go on to bet millions on soccer leagues and stands as one of the top betting consultancy firms today!

With a net worth of $1.7 billion, Bloom has ventured out to property investment and football clubs for now. With Brighton & Hove Albion football club, Bloom has been a popular name in the media although he likes to live a quiet life. 

So there we have it, these are the top 10 Richest Gamblers that we know of! Be it strategy, skill, or pure luck, these gambling icons have been one of the most well-known icons of our time. With winnings in millions, it is easy to say their lives are as lavish as it gets! Their impact on the sport has and always will continue to inspire many to try their hand at the sport. Wouldn’t you like to try your hand?