What do you know about gambling? It is mostly played in casinos. Players bet real money on games in the hope that they will make a profit. Some winners actually get rich. Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? This is a trap that many newcomers fall into.
In fact, it takes enormous skill and talent to get rich playing casino games. Even playing with small sums can be risky, but in the VIP areas of casinos, the stakes are sometimes higher. There, every poker chip, every hand won at blackjack and every spin at roulette can be worth tens of thousands of dollars, if not hundreds of thousands. And in world-class poker tournaments, the prizes can easily exceed ten million. However, such prizes are only ever won by world-class players. Really always? Well, there are also players who are outrageously lucky in the game, without any rational explanation.
Warning: It’s better to start by playing casino games for free, because things can quickly get dicey with poker, blackjack, and the like, even with small amounts. However, today we want to introduce you to the five richest players. And if you think the 10 million dollar prize pool of a poker tournament is high, you’re in for a surprise. For those looking to experience a similar thrill without the risk, Crusino Casino offers a great platform where you can enjoy a variety of games in a fun and safe environment.
Phil Ivey
When the American Phil Ivey started playing poker in the 90s, it became clear that he had an enormous talent for it. Initially he played privately with his friends, but only a short time later he was competing in WSOP tournaments, with success. Since 2000, he has not only won numerous bracelets, but also millions in the Main Event. In poker tournaments alone, he has collected a total of over 32 million US dollars to date and his total fortune is around 100 million dollars. However, he lost part of this through a legal dispute in his divorce with his now ex-wife. Nevertheless, the poker pro can now enjoy a great life as a millionaire, which he has truly earned thanks to his great strategies.
Andrew Black
Andrew Black is not only a professional gambler, but also an entrepreneur who founded Betfair. Betfair is now the largest sports betting portal in the world and also has a casino section. Andrew Black himself trained as a professional horse bettor during his gambling career and achieved much success and fame among betting professionals. He also played bridge professionally, where he not only won a lot of money, but also met Edward Wray, with whom he later founded Betfair. Although Andrew Black made a large part of his fortune through his company and the stock market, his success in gambling should by no means be underestimated. Today, Andrew is worth 700 million dollars, making him one of the richest and most successful gamblers in the world.
Edward O. Thorp
Edward Thorp has been an excellent mathematician since his youth. After years of studying at the University of California, he used his mathematical genius in the early 1960s to revolutionise the game of blackjack for the player. He invented card counting, giving players a real advantage over the dealers. With books on the subject, he became a gambling star virtually overnight and had real success in the gambler’s chair himself, naturally favouring blackjack and baccarat. Today, his gambling career is over, but his influence on the gambling industry remains enormous. In his career as a gambler and manager of hedge funds, he earned an estimated 800 million dollars, making him one of the richest gamblers in the world.
Tony Bloom
Tony Bloom’s career as a poker legend began when he was still quite young. His fascination with gambling began as a minor, with a particular focus on slot machines. He even used a fake ID to smuggle himself into the gambling halls and thus had his first encounters with gambling. He became a professional dealer and then decided to dedicate himself to the game of poker. He was particularly successful here, as he always had a good brain for strategy. He successfully participated in many poker tournaments, including Poker Million, the Aussie Millions Poker Championship, the World Poker Tour and, of course, the WSOP. Bloom has won more than three and a half million dollars in live tournaments alone. He has also had enormous success with sports betting since then and is even chairman of his own football club. His total wealth is currently estimated at around 1.7 billion dollars, which puts him in second place on this list by a generous margin.
Bill Benter
Bill Benter is one of the most famous gamblers of modern times. Thanks to his mathematical expertise and years of studying the works of the aforementioned Edward Thorp, his card counting technique is incredibly good. No wonder he always spent a lot of time at the blackjack tables, where he also won a lot of money betting on horses. His gambling technique is so unique that he was blacklisted in Las Vegas, forcing him to relocate. He tried his luck in Hong Kong, where he still lives today. His horse betting winnings exceeded a billion dollars when he developed a computer program for analysing horse races, which naturally turned the odds in his favour. This enabled him to win around 10 million dollars a day in horse betting. Today, he has an annual income of 100 million dollars, much of which he donates to charity. It is not entirely clear what his current capital is, but he will certainly top the number 2 on our list and be crowned the winner.
Conclusion
Strictly speaking, all the gamblers on this list are winners. After all, they have managed to earn millions and millions with RNG-based gambling. That’s not easy, we can tell you. Each of them had an above-average IQ, although their techniques can also be learnt by ‘normal’ people. However, this does not guarantee that you will automatically be successful with this technique. It takes just as much luck as you need to hit the jackpot on a slot machine. Commercial thinking is a must! What we are trying to say is that this list is not intended to encourage you to invest all your savings in the gambling industry. Playing the occasional blackjack table or slot is fine, but expecting to win millions is unhealthy. Keep your expectations at a healthy level and stay relaxed.
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