Top 10 Stories from The Gambling World

We all love a good underdog story. Perhaps none are as thrilling as a gambler on his last bet with everything on the line. The hopes of winning it big have brought rookies and seasoned bettors alike to try their hands and create history in the process. 

Be it the high-stakes Poker tournaments coveted by many or a random grandma winning it big on slots, the world of gambling has many stories to keep you entertained. 

The exciting yet unpredictable nature of the sport has much to offer, which is also why the sport has endured for so long. From local bingo halls to the glitter and glamor of Vegas. 

From the exploits of professional gamblers to scandals that rocked the industry, here are the top 10 stories from the gambling world! 

10. A priest takes on Daniel Negreanu

[Source: Twitter.com]

Usually, we wouldn’t associate priests with gambling. It is strictly prohibited in Christianity, as we are all aware. However, when a priest by the name of Andrew Trapp decided to try his luck on a TV show, he received not only approval from the church but also the blessing of a bishop. 

This happened because the show “PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge” didn’t have bets. Father Andrew sure had skill, as he had previously won two matches and earned himself a spot in the Table of Champions. In his final showdown, he went up against Daniel Negreanu. Somehow, Trapp got a top pair and even won an impressive $100,000 in prize money! 

Father Andrew Trapp later donated the $100,000 prize money to his parish. Although many people claimed the game was rigged, there’s no denying the fact that Trapp had both skill and luck going for him that day. 

9. The double champ

[Source: wikipedia.org]

Professional British Poker player Jake Cody is known for his bold and determined approach to the sport. This time, however, he would win one tournament and go straight to the other. The man’s surely a professional in the way he makes it look easy. 

In February of 2018, Cody was in the Dusk Till Dawn casino in Nottingham, England, participating in the U.K. Poker Championship. He won the game with a respectable $59,992 prize, but he wasn’t satisfied with the money. He took all of his prize money and bet it all on a single spin of Roulette! 

Black 22 was the number, and the ball fell right in, and the crowd went berserk. Cody, for his part, went home with $119,882 in prize money like a boss. Imagine yourself at that spot, would you make the same bet? 

8. Arizona Man wins an accidental Jackpot

[Source: washingtonpost.com]

In January 2021, a man by the name of Robert Taylor was visiting the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Like many others, he wanted to play progressive slots to enjoy his vacation to the fullest. However, he apparently didn’t win much. 

He moved on with his life and almost forgot about that incident until the Nevada Gaming Control Board came out with incredible news. Taylor had indeed won, and a hefty amount at that! He won a jackpot worth $229,368.52, and the error on part of the slot machine took two weeks of investigation to fix. 

After much deliberation, the Nevada Gaming Control Board had to go through CCTV footage, purchase records, and rideshare data to finally find Taylor. He got his prize money almost a year after he had won it! 

7. Counting cards leads to a lawsuit

[Source: blackjackhalloffame.com]

The early 2000s were turbulent times for the gambling industry. The advent of technology made turning the odds in your favor that much harder. Enter Michael Russo and James Grosjean (pictured), two Blackjack players with extraordinary card-counting skills. 

The duo went on to develop a complex system where they memorized hundreds of card variations and calculated their odds of winning any given hand. This system was so successful that they were straight-up banned from playing in many casinos! 

They won $18,000 playing three-card Poker at the Caesars Palace Resort in Vegas. The casino would end up calling the state gaming officials as an employee reported that they were card bending. They would go to the Clark County District Court in Nevada claiming unlawful arrest and end up winning the case and pocketing a further $300,000! 

6. Trump earned millions by bankrupting his casinos

[Source: cntraveller.in]

The 90s were a different era, and former US President Donald Trump was living the high life. With various real estate properties to his name, Atlantic City held various casinos that he had in his name. He reportedly made over $39 million through his casino holdings! 

His multi-million dollar projects without resorting to junk bonds made him a dominant figure in the gambling world, especially on the east coast. As Atlantic City looked to dethrone Vegas in the gambling industry, Trump was making his rounds to get as much funding as possible for the Trump Taj Mahal and the Trump Marina.

However, we all know how that turned out. The tidal wave of bad business decisions and corrupt governments made the promising city hollow, along with other factors. Trump, on the other hand, shifted his personal debts to his casinos and collected millions for sharing his likeness to the casinos.

5. I’ve got the power!

The next story comes to us from the Quora user Josh Winters. When he joined a table of Bacarrat with an unassuming Asian-American man, he didn’t think much of it. However, the man was a high-roller, frequently betting high amounts and even betting on ties! 

With each win at a tie, the man would yell, “ I’VE GOT THE POWER”, as hard as he could. Soon everybody at the table was excited, and a fairly big crowd gathered around the table to see the man play his hands. With each win, he was drinking heavily and seemingly shouting even more loudly while tipping the waitress incredibly high amounts. 

However, his streak wouldn’t last long as soon his “power” began evading him. The loud roars became small whimpers even though the crowd egged him on. Soon the high and mighty showman had exhausted his bankroll. 

Don’t make the mistakes that the man with “power” made, check out our article on the most effective gambling strategies!

4. Longest Craps roll ever

[Source: pressofatlanticcity.com]

Craps has been an accessible and popular game in almost all casinos. Patricia Demauro is a name we all are vaguely familiar with due to her 2009 record-setting play at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City. The "Queen of the Craps" has always been humble and credited her wins to her luck but let’s take a closer look at what exactly happened. 

It was May 2009 when Demauro went into the Borgata casino to play some Craps. Little did everybody around her know she would end up rolling 154 times, along with 25 passes! 

This game would go on for 4 hours and 18 minutes, beating the previous record by  Stanley Fujitake back in 1989. She had only $100 in her bankroll while doing it! 

This would cement her legacy as a giant in the sport. She would go on to join the ‘Platinum Arm Club’. The odds of her getting this lucky were just 1 in 1.56 trillion! Miracles do happen, after all, and Patricia is a perfect example of that. 

3. Swiss woman breaks 20-year record

Playing old-school slots definitely has its perks. One such instance was when a Swiss woman was playing slot games at Casino Zurich back on February 18th. Like many others, the woman had no intentions of winning it big but still tried to push luck a bit. 

The high-payout slot machine game was definitely no easy task to beat. The last recorded highest payout in the game came seven years back at an impressive $8.2 million. However, all the eyes were on her when the woman hit a monolithic $8.6 million jackpot! 

Why is that special, you ask? This was the biggest win in 20 years of the Swiss jackpot. It was also the highest win seen in the history of Casino Zurich. A total of 11 casinos participated in the jackpot, and the vegas themed slot comes as one of the biggest wins in early 2023! 

2. A historic $43 million win?

[Source: bbc.com]

This is perhaps the saddest story we have featured on this list. In 2016, Katrina Bookman went to the Resorts World Casino in Queens, New York. Hoping to get some extra money and have an entertaining time, she decided to play the Sphinx Slot Machine. 

To her surprise, after a few spins, she won a gigantic $43 million jackpot! Overjoyed, she decided to take a selfie with the prize money displayed on the screen. For perspective, this would have been the largest amount paid in prize money in US history! 

However, she was soon told that the machine had malfunctioned and was offered a free steak dinner instead of the jaw-dropping prize. Bookman would argue that the machine should have paid the maximum available prize of $6,500, but the case was wrapped up pretty quickly. Not quite the happy ending we were hoping for. 

1. From $50 to over $40 million

[Source: wsop.com]

Very few players cultivate a winning aura around them. No matter what they do, they simply cannot lose. Archie Karas is one of them. Being a Greek immigrant in L.A, Karas soon developed a name in the professional Poker scene as one of the best. 

However, he would lose nearly $13 million in 1992. That didn’t stop him. He came back with just $50 in his bankroll to Vegas, hoping to win big. He would go on a winning streak from 1992 to 1994, be it Craps, Poker, Blackjack, or pool, he simply couldn’t lose. He would often bet incredibly high amounts, betting as high as $100,000 a hand! 

Throughout this time, he had won nearly $40 million through his winning streak. Dubbed “The Run”, his streak of winning every match he played hasn’t been replicated since. He led a turbulent life, but this streak was absolutely legendary. 

The world of gambling has a fascinating history, and its stories become legends rather quickly. The possibility of great rewards attracts people while the thrill of the game keeps them playing for that historic achievement. 

The highs and lows in the industry have rocked the world with their impact. Be it huge Poker wins or players beating all the odds at an online casino. There is glory to be earned in this industry. The question is, would it be you taking it all? What would be your next game?