Archie Karas
This high stakes poker player, pool shark and legend is best known for a gambling streak known simply as The Run.
"You've got to understand something. 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."
In The Beginning
Growing up in Antypata on the isle of Cefalonia, Greece, Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis was the son of a struggling construction worker. As a teenager, Archie shot marbles as a teenager to stave off hunger.
The relationship between Archie and his father was tumultuous. Archie’s winnings from shooting marbles increased at the same time as the beatings he received from his father, until they decided to work together on the construction site one summer. Unfortunately, tempers rose and Archie’s father threw a shovel at his son’s head. Soon after, Archie got a job on a ship as a waiter, delivering him to Portland, Oregon. Eventually, Archie made his way to Los Angeles, California.
The Hustle
As opposed to some of the other poker legends featured here, Archie Karas was much more of a gambler than a serious poker professional. Beginning in his childhood, hustling for money was a part of what Archie did and what he was good at. Arriving in Los Angeles, he began hustling pool games and made a ‘far healthier’ income than his waiter positions.
If marbles were the gateway drug to Archie’s billiard hustle, pool halls were the gateway to underground poker games. Archie quickly accumulated two million dollars playing these poker games and lost all but fifty dollars just as quickly.
The Run
As an intrepid gambler, Archie’s wealth would see major rises and devastating falls. It’s at the start of one of these dips where we begin the story of The Run. Beginning in December of 1992 with a loan of ten thousand dollars, Archie would make $40 MILLION DOLLARS, the longest lucky streak in gambling history. He is said to have only lost once, to Johnny Chan for a mere nine hundred thousand dollars.
The Run was fueled on the poker table, with WSOP Champions such as Doyle Brunson loosing to Archie, however it was the craps table that put the finishing touches on this remarkable journey.
I posted before about Benny Binion and how he brought super high stakes gambling to Las Vegas. Archie Karas was about to take full advantage of this fact. On the craps table, Archie staked the maximum roll at $200,000 a roll. These stakes had been raised for Archie and subsequently lowered after he left. Betting only two numbers, the 4 and 10, in two rolls he had acquired over nine hundred thousand dollars, increasing his winnings to more than $40 Million.
The Fall
In a mere 30 months, Archie had made a mountain of cash, so much money that he had a difficult time keeping it all safe. In three weeks, it was all but gone. Starting with losing 11$ Million dollars at the craps table, Archie decided to try his hand at baccarat, losing another 17$ Million. Heading back to poker, he lost again. Taking a brief trip to Greece, he returned only to finish losing the rest of his fortune.
The final blow came in September of 2013, when Archie’s home in Las Vegas was raided by police. Accused multiple prior times of cheating at blackjack, police found the evidence and sentenced him to jail. Using fake, hallowed out casino chip filled with die, Archie would run the chip over the back of face cards and aces, giving him an advantage over the casino. He plead guilty and was sentenced to three years of probation. He spent 73 days in jail before being able to make bail. This conviction resulted in Archie’s placement in the Black Book, the Nevada List of Excluded Persons.
Moral of the story, kids; get rid of the evidence!
😉
xo, @bethalea
https://www.gamblingsites.com/info/famous-gamblers/archie-karas/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Karas
What a cool and very unusual story, very well written and the choice of pictures definitely excellent! Thanks a lot for this quality post, again, and namaste :)
thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
:)
b.
When I read the title of your blog, it made me think about the film "Molly's Game" which tells the true story of Molly Bloom the "Poker Princess". It's such an amazing film to watch....
Movie Trailer sourced from YouTube:
Thanks a lot for the reference and this wickedly enticing link, now I want to see this!
Namaste :)
It's absolutely amazing....you should definitely watch it....really good true story about a real person's life experience. Enjoy =)
ooo, that looks fun! thanks!
Only a pleasure, good post about poker...its a really fun game to play =)
hey, that sounds like how I do when I win at the casino, yet always give it all back before i leave :(
hahahaa, you are running HOT right now @amos811!
STOP IT.
;)
Finally... Moral of the story, kids; get rid of the evidence!
hahahaaa!
Ha! Love the moral of the story.
thanks, @bigpchef! it's important to teach our young ones what the focus is, you know? so that they can be better than we are!
blessed day. you are stardust in my eye.
thank you for sharing.
nice =D
yes you are.
;)
GET RID OF THE EVIDENCE!!!
hahahaa, I kid. ;)
And so, for the singular reason of keeping the evidence he went to jail. Now the real question is, why did he keep the evidence? I guess the answer is that we get so used to doing something that it becomes second nature and we settle into the habit and become careless...
Thank you for this wonderful, didactic story @tuck-fheman
hey @sungbojus! i do believe he had to have some measure of arrogance to have kept said evidence, however you're totally right. I'm glad you liked the story, it was fun to research and write.
thanks for sharing the story, it was educational indeed
thanks!
Wow. What an interesting read. I wish Archie was a bit legal and invested then in BTC and now in steem 👌
So currently what is his situation ?
hahaha, I bet he has some crypto. That would be interesting to see!
I read that he lives in Vegas still with his family and travels to Greece at least once a year.
Awww. I wish him all the best. Thanks for the interesting read. Keep it coming and find time to check my blog posts too 😎
Look at @tuck-fheman sharing great content. Hows it been pal ive been gone so long that im sure its many changes in the poker room. Hope all is well and i'll see you at the tables soon.
#circleoffriends
well, well, well, hallo @slickhuslter007! Where've you been, we've missed you!!
Glad you liked my post. See you on the tables soon!
xo, b.
Life threw me a few curveballs and I just been living life. How are you @bethalea
Can't archie just go to another state and do it all again but this time get rid of the evidence?
I don't know, that's a good question! I wonder if the other casino's like, listen to the Nevada list. I'll look it up and let you know what I find!
Edited
It's late and i'm tired but here is what I found on wikipedia!!
That first quote is a good one specifically for no limit poker tourneys. You basically cannot play scared or paranoid all of the time. On the other hand, we cannot play like a fool.
Another quote that I have heard that I used for tourneys is: In order to live, you must be ready to die.
that's so true, @glennolua. it's a fine line between arrogance and confidence. Plus position, chip stacks, blinds and where the hell @rawdawg is in the tournament all need to be carefully weighed!
;)
Its so bad that I couldnt change my name to Archie :((
hahahaa, it's pretty classic!