Myvegas Poker
2021年5月11日Register here: http://gg.gg/ukboa
The game that started it all. There are no small heroes, only small mobile devices. Every today was some yesterday’s tomorrow. PlayAWARDS is a. Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.by Bryan ClarkTwo Plus Two Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 2
In the early evening of Saturday, January 23, I completed my fortieth survey of the poker rooms on the Las Vegas Strip.
2+2 poster ‘John Mehaffey’, who contributes to vegasadvantage.com, did an off-Strip survey.
Here’s the data for poker rooms on the Strip.Low Ceiling
With several poker rooms shut down and those that remain open limiting the number of tables available, our last two surveys seem to have captured the ceiling for poker action during the pandemic.
Eighty-four games were surveyed for this article. In the Autumn, 2020 survey, there were eighty-eight games.
Strictly speaking, action dropped four games from the Autumn. Corals bookmakers online betting. Since the Winter surveys usually produce the biggest numbers and the Autumn surveys produce the small numbers, it’s a bit noteworthy. But, mostly I think we’re currently capped in the mid-eighties until restrictions loosen up.
Under normal circumstances, the results of this survey would be a disastrous 30% drop from the Winter, 2020 survey (the last pre-pandemic survey). But, I don’t think we’ll have a clear perspective on the damage done until after Las Vegas returns to normal.Bellagio
The Bellagio has been consistently busy since re-opening and always has mid-stakes limit hold ‘em and a wide range of no-limit hold ‘em games available. However, for the first time in these surveys, I didn’t count a single non-hold ‘em game.
I expect the Bellagio will be able to recover non-hold ‘em action post-pandemic. It seems players always come back to the Bellagio no matter what.Wynn
Temporarily moving the poker room from Encore to Wynn doesn’t seem to have driven players away. 1-3 and 2-5 no-limit hold ‘em games are plentiful there as well as a regular 1-2 pot-limit Omaha game.
The 20-40 stud game popped up in this survey. The already-on-life-support game of seven card stud has struggled a lot during the pandemic with little action at its old home at the Bellagio and little discussion of organizing games at the Facebook Mixed Game Poker in Las Vegas page.Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace actually seems slightly busier during the pandemic. Perhaps shrinking the number of tables available on the Strip simply forced the remaining players to congregate at rooms that reliable have good action like Caesars Palace always does.Venetian
The Venetian seems to have weak numbers when I randomly check Bravo. However, their tournament schedule is surely interfering with their ability to spread cash games. With the Deep Stack Extravaganza’s return, there will probably be plenty of tournament action at the Venetian but cash games will be sparse during the eventsAria
Aria was a bit slow but they have also resumed daily tournaments which should negatively impact the ability to spread cash games.
However, the 2-5 pot-limit Omaha action still remains strong and a 300-600 mixed game showed up on Table 1.Flamingo
For the first time ever, there were no fixed limit hold ‘em games running at the Flamingo. For whatever reason, the Saturday night small takes game gravitated off-Strip. However, at other times during the week, I’ve seen 3-6 games running.
This survey was the first time only one casino on the Strip (Bellagio) has fixed limit hold ‘em running.Sahara
The Sahara puts a lot of effort into promoting their 4-8 mixed game. It runs regularly and showed up in this survey for the first time.Closed Rooms
The Mirage, Mandalay Bay, and Excalibur poker rooms remain closed with no certainty about their future.
Harrah’s poker room is also closed. But, I noticed it’s been taken of the Bravo website whereas the other rooms remain there. That’s a strong sign of a permanent closure. But, I’ve also watched the Imperial Palace/Linq open, close and move that casino’s poker room about a dozen times. It’s not that hard to re-open a poker room.Off-Strip Rooms
Here’s the data for some poker rooms off the Strip.Off-Strip Decline
Action off-Strip also had a tiny decline from sixty-nine in the Autumn, 2020 survey to sixty-six in this survey.
Again, there’s probably a ceiling in place due to closed rooms and limited tables.Orleans
The Orleans had all its usual action. Omaha 8 or better players still come out in big numbers these days.Las Vegas Poker Room TournamentsSouth Point
South Point has developed a 2-3 no-limit hold ‘em game which seems popular. Four 2-3 games were running in this survey and three were running in the last survey. It may be the first reliable 2-3 game Las Vegas has maintained.Closed Rooms
There doesn’t seem to be any change in the status of closed rooms. The Non Hold ‘em Games
Aria (3): two 2-5 pot-limit Omaha, one 300-600 mixed
Wynn (2): one 1-2 PLO, one 20-40 stud
Sahara (1): one 4-8 mixed
Orleans (6): two 4-8 Omaha 8 or better, four 8/16 O/8
Boulder Station (5): five Omaha high-only
Santa Fe Station (1): one 3-6 O/8Previous Surveys
The thirty-nine previous surveys were done on 6/28/08, 10/25/08, 7/25/09, 10/17/09, 1/23/10, 4/24/10, 7/24/10, 10/23/10, 01/22/11, 4/23/11, 7/23/11, 10/22/11, 1/21/12, 4/21/12, 7/21/12, 10/20/12, 1/26/13, 4/20/13, 10/19/13, 1/18/14, 4/19/14., 10/18/14, 1/17/15, 4/18/15, 10/17/15, 1/23/16, 4/23/16, 10/22/16, 01/21/17, 4/22/17, 10/21/17, 1/20/18, 04/21/18, 10/20/18, 01/19/19, 04/20/19, 10/19/19, 01/18/20, and 10/24/20
Poker Strategy and Other Topics - February 2021
Go Small or Go Home
by Andrew BrokosCommon Mistakes Small Stakes Players Make in Multiway Pots
by Carlos WelchThree Betting from the Big Blind in Omaha Eight or Better, Part 2
by Kevin HaneySeven Card Stud Starting Hand Selection, Part 2
by Péter GelencsérPoker Faces in the Crowd: The Interior Designer
by Ben SaxtonStatus of Las Vegas Poker, Winter, 2021
by Bryan ClarkThe Greatest NFL Bet Ever: Joe Namath Distorted Everything
by Mason MalmuthApplying the Kelly Criterion to an event with existing bets
by Dan AbramsValuation Tools Offer a Historical Perspective
by Nick WillettClassic Article: Norman Zadeh’s Simple GTO Game, Part Two
by David SklanskyArchie KarasNickname(s)The GreekResidenceLas Vegas, NevadaBornAnargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis
November 1, 1950 (age 70)[1]
Antypata, Cephalonia, GreeceWorld Series of PokerMoney finish(es)7
Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis[2] (Greek: Ανάργυρος Καραβουρνιώτης, born November 1, 1950), commonly known as Archie Karas, is a Greek-Americangambler, high roller, poker player, and pool shark famous for the largest and longest documented winning streak in casino gambling history, simply known as The Run, when he drove to Las Vegas with $50 in December 1992 and then turned a $10,000 loan into more than $40 million by the beginning of 1995, only to lose it all later that year. Karas himself claims to have gambled with more money in casinos than anyone else in history[3] and has often been compared to Nick the Greek, another high-stakes gambler of Greek origin.[4]Early life[edit]
Karas was born on November 1, 1950 in Antypata on the island of Cephalonia, Greece. He grew up in poverty and had to shoot marbles as a teenager to avoid going hungry. His father, Nickolas, was a construction worker who struggled financially.[2]
Karas ran away from home at the age of 15 after, in a rage, his father threw a shovel at him, barely missing his head. He never saw his father again. Nickolas died four years later.
Karas worked as a waiter on a ship, making $60 a month until the ship arrived at Portland, Oregon. He would later move to Los Angeles, where he would gamble his bankroll up to $2,000,000 before losing it playing high-stakes poker.[2]Gambling career[edit]
He worked at a Los Angeles restaurant, which was next to a bowling alley and a pool hall. There he honed his pool skills and eventually made more money playing pool than he did as a waiter. When his victims from the pool hall thinned out, he went to Los Angeles card rooms to play poker. Karas claims to have gone from broke to millionaire and back several times. Later, he became an astute poker player, building his bankroll to over $2,000,000. Professional poker players such as Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson, had played and considered Karas a weaker poker player often giving Karas handicaps to play. In December 1992, Karas had lost all but $50 playing high-stakes poker. Instead of reevaluating his situation and slowing down, he decided to go to Las Vegas in search of bigger games. The next three years would go down in legend as the greatest run in casino gambling history.[2]
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.[3]The Run[edit]
Karas’ initial run lasted for six months when he drove to Las Vegas with $50 and turned a $10,000 loan into approximately $17 million playing poker and pool. In December 1992, after losing his entire bankroll, Karas drove to Vegas with his car and $50 in his wallet. After arriving at The Mirage, Karas recognized a fellow poker player from the Los Angeles scene and convinced him to lend him $10,000. Karas quickly turned the loan into $30,000 playing $200/$400 limitRazz.[3] Karas returned $20,000 to his backer, who was more than content.[5]
With a little over $10,000 in his pocket, Karas went to a bar with a pool table adjacent from the Liberace Plaza on East Tropicana. There he found a wealthy and respected poker and pool player. Karas refused to reveal his name for the sake of his opponent’s reputation; he simply referred to him as ’Mr. X’. They started playing 9-ball pool at $5,000 a game raising the stakes as games progressed. After Karas won several hundred thousand dollars, they raised the stakes to $40,000 a game. Many gamblers and professional poker players watched Archie play with stakes never seen before. Karas ended up winning $1,200,000. The two decided to play poker at Binion’s Horseshoe where Karas won an additional $3,000,000 from Mr. X. Karas was willing to gamble everything he made and continued to raise the stakes to a level few dared to play at.[6]
With a bankroll of $4 million, Karas gambled his bankroll up to $7 million after spending only three months in Vegas. By now, many poker players had heard of Mr. X’s losses to Archie. Only the best players dared to challenge him. Karas sat at the Binion’s Horseshoe’s poker table with 5 of his 7 million dollars in front of him, waiting for any players willing to play for such stakes.[7]
The first challenger was Stu Ungar, a three-time World Series of Poker champion widely regarded as one of the greatest Texas hold’em and gin rummy player of all time. Stu was backed by Lyle Berman, another professional poker player and business executive who co-founded Grand Casinos. Karas first beat Stu for $500,000 playing heads-up Razz. Karas then played Ungar in 7-card stud, which cost Ungar an additional $700,000.[7] The next player was Chip Reese, widely regarded as the greatest cash game player. Reese claims that Karas beat him for more money than anyone else he ever played. After 25 games, Reese was down $2,022,000 playing $8,000/$16,000 limit.[7]
Karas continued to beat many top players, from Puggy Pearson to Johnny Moss. Many top players would not play him simply because his stakes were too high. The only player to beat Karas in the first round during his run was Johnny Chan, who beat him for $900,000, though Chan did lose to Karas frequently, before and after the streak. By the end of his six-month-long winning streak, Karas had amassed more than $17 million. Karas said that Doyle Brunson was the only player able to win playing Razz during his winning streak.[8]
The poker action for Karas mostly dried up due to his reputation and stakes. He turned to dice, for $100,000 per roll.[4] Karas was allowed to make pass line and come bets of up to $300,000, but with no odds.[9]Jack Binion capped Karas’ buy bets on the 4 and 10 at $100,000. At one point, Binion raised Karas’ 4 and 10 buy bet limit to $200,000. Karas quickly won $920,000 under these conditions; then Binion immediately lowered the limit back to $100,000.[9] Karas said that he could quickly win $3 million on dice, while it would take days to weeks with poker. Karas stated, ’with each play I was making million-dollar decisions, I would have played even higher if they’d let me.’[3]
Transporting money became a hassle for Karas, as he had several million dollars in his car every day. He carried a gun with him at all times and would often have his brother and casino security guards escort him. At one point, Karas had won all of the Binion’s casino’s $5000 chips, the highest denomination at the time.[10] By the end of his winning streak, he had won over $40 million.[11][12]Downfall[edit]
Karas’s odds-defying two-and-a-half-year streak came to an end in 1995 when he lost most of his money in a period of three weeks. He lost $11 million playing dice and then lost the $2 million he won from Chip Reese back to him. Following these losses, he switched to baccarat and lost another $17 million, for a total of $30 million. With approximately $12 million left and needing a break from gambling, he returned to Greece. When he came back to Las Vegas, he went back to the Horseshoe, shooting dice and playing baccarat at $300,000 per bet, and in less than a month, lost all but his last million.[13]
With his last million, he went to the Bicycle Club and played Johnny Chan in a $1,000,000 freezeout match. This time, Chan was backed by Lyle Berman, and they took turns playing Karas. He preferred playing both of them, instead of just Chan, as he felt Chan was the tougher opponent. Karas won and doubled his money, only to lose it all at dice and baccarat, betting at the highest limits, in just a few days.[13]Mini-streaks[edit]
Since he lost his $40 million, he has gone on a few smaller streaks. Less than a year later, he turned $40,000 into $1,000,000 at the Desert Inn. He then went back to the Horseshoe and won an additional $4 million before losing it all the next day.
A few years later, Karas went on another streak at the Gold Strike Casino, 32 miles outside Las Vegas. He went with $1,800 and lost $1,600 until he was down to just $200. Then after getting something to eat, he decided to gamble the rest of it. He shot dice and ran his $200 into $9,700 and then headed to Las Vegas. He stopped at Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel and won another $36,000, betting $1,000 with $2,000 odds. He went back to Binion’s and won another $300,000 at the Horseshoe and by the third day, had won a total of $980,000 from a low of $200.[14]Personal life[edit]
Karas currently resides in Las Vegas. His family lives in Greece. Karas stays in touch with his family by phone, and tries to travel back to Greece at least once per year. He brought his mother, Mariana, to Las Vegas for six-month visits when he was on his winning streak.
Karas’s story was documented in Cigar Aficionado by American author Michael Konik[3] and also was featured, along with Stu Ungar, in an E! documentary special called THS Investigates: Vegas Winners & Losers.[15] 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.[4] Sports mobile betting.
He was interviewed, along with poker player Tony G, by Tiffany Michelle during the 2008 World Series of Poker. He was also a featured player on ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 WSOP.[16]Cheating[edit]
Karas was arrested on September 24, 2013 after being caught marking cards at a San Diego casino’s blackjack table by the Barona Gaming Commission. He was arrested at his Las Vegas home and extradited to San Diego to face charges of burglary, winning by fraudulent means and cheating. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years probation.[11]See also[edit]References[edit]
*^’Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis’. Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
*^ abcdTom Sexton (2008-02-11). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 31: Archie Karas, The World’s Biggest Gambler’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcdeMichael Konik (2008). ’Tables of Dreams’. Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcHoward Schwartz (2008-06-21). ’Archie Karas, The Greatest Gambler’. Poker Works. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Paul McGuire. ’The Return of Archie ’The Greek’ Karas’. Bluff Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-02-20.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-02-18). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 32’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcTom Sexton (2008-02-25). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 33’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-03). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 34’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abTom Sexton (2008-03-17). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 36’. Poker News. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-10). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 35’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abEmma Lacey-Bordeaux (2013-09-29). ’Legendary gambler Archie Karas accused of marking cards in San Diego casino’. CNN. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-04-14). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 40’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abTom Sexton (2008-04-14). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 37’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-31). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 38’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Karas, Archie (2008-06-13). THS Investigates: Vegas Winners & Losers (documentary). USA: THS.
*^Archie Karas in 2008 WSOP on YouTubeExternal links[edit]My Vegas PokerRetrieved from ’https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Archie_Karas&oldid=1009632055’
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The game that started it all. There are no small heroes, only small mobile devices. Every today was some yesterday’s tomorrow. PlayAWARDS is a. Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.by Bryan ClarkTwo Plus Two Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 2
In the early evening of Saturday, January 23, I completed my fortieth survey of the poker rooms on the Las Vegas Strip.
2+2 poster ‘John Mehaffey’, who contributes to vegasadvantage.com, did an off-Strip survey.
Here’s the data for poker rooms on the Strip.Low Ceiling
With several poker rooms shut down and those that remain open limiting the number of tables available, our last two surveys seem to have captured the ceiling for poker action during the pandemic.
Eighty-four games were surveyed for this article. In the Autumn, 2020 survey, there were eighty-eight games.
Strictly speaking, action dropped four games from the Autumn. Corals bookmakers online betting. Since the Winter surveys usually produce the biggest numbers and the Autumn surveys produce the small numbers, it’s a bit noteworthy. But, mostly I think we’re currently capped in the mid-eighties until restrictions loosen up.
Under normal circumstances, the results of this survey would be a disastrous 30% drop from the Winter, 2020 survey (the last pre-pandemic survey). But, I don’t think we’ll have a clear perspective on the damage done until after Las Vegas returns to normal.Bellagio
The Bellagio has been consistently busy since re-opening and always has mid-stakes limit hold ‘em and a wide range of no-limit hold ‘em games available. However, for the first time in these surveys, I didn’t count a single non-hold ‘em game.
I expect the Bellagio will be able to recover non-hold ‘em action post-pandemic. It seems players always come back to the Bellagio no matter what.Wynn
Temporarily moving the poker room from Encore to Wynn doesn’t seem to have driven players away. 1-3 and 2-5 no-limit hold ‘em games are plentiful there as well as a regular 1-2 pot-limit Omaha game.
The 20-40 stud game popped up in this survey. The already-on-life-support game of seven card stud has struggled a lot during the pandemic with little action at its old home at the Bellagio and little discussion of organizing games at the Facebook Mixed Game Poker in Las Vegas page.Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace actually seems slightly busier during the pandemic. Perhaps shrinking the number of tables available on the Strip simply forced the remaining players to congregate at rooms that reliable have good action like Caesars Palace always does.Venetian
The Venetian seems to have weak numbers when I randomly check Bravo. However, their tournament schedule is surely interfering with their ability to spread cash games. With the Deep Stack Extravaganza’s return, there will probably be plenty of tournament action at the Venetian but cash games will be sparse during the eventsAria
Aria was a bit slow but they have also resumed daily tournaments which should negatively impact the ability to spread cash games.
However, the 2-5 pot-limit Omaha action still remains strong and a 300-600 mixed game showed up on Table 1.Flamingo
For the first time ever, there were no fixed limit hold ‘em games running at the Flamingo. For whatever reason, the Saturday night small takes game gravitated off-Strip. However, at other times during the week, I’ve seen 3-6 games running.
This survey was the first time only one casino on the Strip (Bellagio) has fixed limit hold ‘em running.Sahara
The Sahara puts a lot of effort into promoting their 4-8 mixed game. It runs regularly and showed up in this survey for the first time.Closed Rooms
The Mirage, Mandalay Bay, and Excalibur poker rooms remain closed with no certainty about their future.
Harrah’s poker room is also closed. But, I noticed it’s been taken of the Bravo website whereas the other rooms remain there. That’s a strong sign of a permanent closure. But, I’ve also watched the Imperial Palace/Linq open, close and move that casino’s poker room about a dozen times. It’s not that hard to re-open a poker room.Off-Strip Rooms
Here’s the data for some poker rooms off the Strip.Off-Strip Decline
Action off-Strip also had a tiny decline from sixty-nine in the Autumn, 2020 survey to sixty-six in this survey.
Again, there’s probably a ceiling in place due to closed rooms and limited tables.Orleans
The Orleans had all its usual action. Omaha 8 or better players still come out in big numbers these days.Las Vegas Poker Room TournamentsSouth Point
South Point has developed a 2-3 no-limit hold ‘em game which seems popular. Four 2-3 games were running in this survey and three were running in the last survey. It may be the first reliable 2-3 game Las Vegas has maintained.Closed Rooms
There doesn’t seem to be any change in the status of closed rooms. The Non Hold ‘em Games
Aria (3): two 2-5 pot-limit Omaha, one 300-600 mixed
Wynn (2): one 1-2 PLO, one 20-40 stud
Sahara (1): one 4-8 mixed
Orleans (6): two 4-8 Omaha 8 or better, four 8/16 O/8
Boulder Station (5): five Omaha high-only
Santa Fe Station (1): one 3-6 O/8Previous Surveys
The thirty-nine previous surveys were done on 6/28/08, 10/25/08, 7/25/09, 10/17/09, 1/23/10, 4/24/10, 7/24/10, 10/23/10, 01/22/11, 4/23/11, 7/23/11, 10/22/11, 1/21/12, 4/21/12, 7/21/12, 10/20/12, 1/26/13, 4/20/13, 10/19/13, 1/18/14, 4/19/14., 10/18/14, 1/17/15, 4/18/15, 10/17/15, 1/23/16, 4/23/16, 10/22/16, 01/21/17, 4/22/17, 10/21/17, 1/20/18, 04/21/18, 10/20/18, 01/19/19, 04/20/19, 10/19/19, 01/18/20, and 10/24/20
Poker Strategy and Other Topics - February 2021
Go Small or Go Home
by Andrew BrokosCommon Mistakes Small Stakes Players Make in Multiway Pots
by Carlos WelchThree Betting from the Big Blind in Omaha Eight or Better, Part 2
by Kevin HaneySeven Card Stud Starting Hand Selection, Part 2
by Péter GelencsérPoker Faces in the Crowd: The Interior Designer
by Ben SaxtonStatus of Las Vegas Poker, Winter, 2021
by Bryan ClarkThe Greatest NFL Bet Ever: Joe Namath Distorted Everything
by Mason MalmuthApplying the Kelly Criterion to an event with existing bets
by Dan AbramsValuation Tools Offer a Historical Perspective
by Nick WillettClassic Article: Norman Zadeh’s Simple GTO Game, Part Two
by David SklanskyArchie KarasNickname(s)The GreekResidenceLas Vegas, NevadaBornAnargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis
November 1, 1950 (age 70)[1]
Antypata, Cephalonia, GreeceWorld Series of PokerMoney finish(es)7
Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis[2] (Greek: Ανάργυρος Καραβουρνιώτης, born November 1, 1950), commonly known as Archie Karas, is a Greek-Americangambler, high roller, poker player, and pool shark famous for the largest and longest documented winning streak in casino gambling history, simply known as The Run, when he drove to Las Vegas with $50 in December 1992 and then turned a $10,000 loan into more than $40 million by the beginning of 1995, only to lose it all later that year. Karas himself claims to have gambled with more money in casinos than anyone else in history[3] and has often been compared to Nick the Greek, another high-stakes gambler of Greek origin.[4]Early life[edit]
Karas was born on November 1, 1950 in Antypata on the island of Cephalonia, Greece. He grew up in poverty and had to shoot marbles as a teenager to avoid going hungry. His father, Nickolas, was a construction worker who struggled financially.[2]
Karas ran away from home at the age of 15 after, in a rage, his father threw a shovel at him, barely missing his head. He never saw his father again. Nickolas died four years later.
Karas worked as a waiter on a ship, making $60 a month until the ship arrived at Portland, Oregon. He would later move to Los Angeles, where he would gamble his bankroll up to $2,000,000 before losing it playing high-stakes poker.[2]Gambling career[edit]
He worked at a Los Angeles restaurant, which was next to a bowling alley and a pool hall. There he honed his pool skills and eventually made more money playing pool than he did as a waiter. When his victims from the pool hall thinned out, he went to Los Angeles card rooms to play poker. Karas claims to have gone from broke to millionaire and back several times. Later, he became an astute poker player, building his bankroll to over $2,000,000. Professional poker players such as Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson, had played and considered Karas a weaker poker player often giving Karas handicaps to play. In December 1992, Karas had lost all but $50 playing high-stakes poker. Instead of reevaluating his situation and slowing down, he decided to go to Las Vegas in search of bigger games. The next three years would go down in legend as the greatest run in casino gambling history.[2]
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.[3]The Run[edit]
Karas’ initial run lasted for six months when he drove to Las Vegas with $50 and turned a $10,000 loan into approximately $17 million playing poker and pool. In December 1992, after losing his entire bankroll, Karas drove to Vegas with his car and $50 in his wallet. After arriving at The Mirage, Karas recognized a fellow poker player from the Los Angeles scene and convinced him to lend him $10,000. Karas quickly turned the loan into $30,000 playing $200/$400 limitRazz.[3] Karas returned $20,000 to his backer, who was more than content.[5]
With a little over $10,000 in his pocket, Karas went to a bar with a pool table adjacent from the Liberace Plaza on East Tropicana. There he found a wealthy and respected poker and pool player. Karas refused to reveal his name for the sake of his opponent’s reputation; he simply referred to him as ’Mr. X’. They started playing 9-ball pool at $5,000 a game raising the stakes as games progressed. After Karas won several hundred thousand dollars, they raised the stakes to $40,000 a game. Many gamblers and professional poker players watched Archie play with stakes never seen before. Karas ended up winning $1,200,000. The two decided to play poker at Binion’s Horseshoe where Karas won an additional $3,000,000 from Mr. X. Karas was willing to gamble everything he made and continued to raise the stakes to a level few dared to play at.[6]
With a bankroll of $4 million, Karas gambled his bankroll up to $7 million after spending only three months in Vegas. By now, many poker players had heard of Mr. X’s losses to Archie. Only the best players dared to challenge him. Karas sat at the Binion’s Horseshoe’s poker table with 5 of his 7 million dollars in front of him, waiting for any players willing to play for such stakes.[7]
The first challenger was Stu Ungar, a three-time World Series of Poker champion widely regarded as one of the greatest Texas hold’em and gin rummy player of all time. Stu was backed by Lyle Berman, another professional poker player and business executive who co-founded Grand Casinos. Karas first beat Stu for $500,000 playing heads-up Razz. Karas then played Ungar in 7-card stud, which cost Ungar an additional $700,000.[7] The next player was Chip Reese, widely regarded as the greatest cash game player. Reese claims that Karas beat him for more money than anyone else he ever played. After 25 games, Reese was down $2,022,000 playing $8,000/$16,000 limit.[7]
Karas continued to beat many top players, from Puggy Pearson to Johnny Moss. Many top players would not play him simply because his stakes were too high. The only player to beat Karas in the first round during his run was Johnny Chan, who beat him for $900,000, though Chan did lose to Karas frequently, before and after the streak. By the end of his six-month-long winning streak, Karas had amassed more than $17 million. Karas said that Doyle Brunson was the only player able to win playing Razz during his winning streak.[8]
The poker action for Karas mostly dried up due to his reputation and stakes. He turned to dice, for $100,000 per roll.[4] Karas was allowed to make pass line and come bets of up to $300,000, but with no odds.[9]Jack Binion capped Karas’ buy bets on the 4 and 10 at $100,000. At one point, Binion raised Karas’ 4 and 10 buy bet limit to $200,000. Karas quickly won $920,000 under these conditions; then Binion immediately lowered the limit back to $100,000.[9] Karas said that he could quickly win $3 million on dice, while it would take days to weeks with poker. Karas stated, ’with each play I was making million-dollar decisions, I would have played even higher if they’d let me.’[3]
Transporting money became a hassle for Karas, as he had several million dollars in his car every day. He carried a gun with him at all times and would often have his brother and casino security guards escort him. At one point, Karas had won all of the Binion’s casino’s $5000 chips, the highest denomination at the time.[10] By the end of his winning streak, he had won over $40 million.[11][12]Downfall[edit]
Karas’s odds-defying two-and-a-half-year streak came to an end in 1995 when he lost most of his money in a period of three weeks. He lost $11 million playing dice and then lost the $2 million he won from Chip Reese back to him. Following these losses, he switched to baccarat and lost another $17 million, for a total of $30 million. With approximately $12 million left and needing a break from gambling, he returned to Greece. When he came back to Las Vegas, he went back to the Horseshoe, shooting dice and playing baccarat at $300,000 per bet, and in less than a month, lost all but his last million.[13]
With his last million, he went to the Bicycle Club and played Johnny Chan in a $1,000,000 freezeout match. This time, Chan was backed by Lyle Berman, and they took turns playing Karas. He preferred playing both of them, instead of just Chan, as he felt Chan was the tougher opponent. Karas won and doubled his money, only to lose it all at dice and baccarat, betting at the highest limits, in just a few days.[13]Mini-streaks[edit]
Since he lost his $40 million, he has gone on a few smaller streaks. Less than a year later, he turned $40,000 into $1,000,000 at the Desert Inn. He then went back to the Horseshoe and won an additional $4 million before losing it all the next day.
A few years later, Karas went on another streak at the Gold Strike Casino, 32 miles outside Las Vegas. He went with $1,800 and lost $1,600 until he was down to just $200. Then after getting something to eat, he decided to gamble the rest of it. He shot dice and ran his $200 into $9,700 and then headed to Las Vegas. He stopped at Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel and won another $36,000, betting $1,000 with $2,000 odds. He went back to Binion’s and won another $300,000 at the Horseshoe and by the third day, had won a total of $980,000 from a low of $200.[14]Personal life[edit]
Karas currently resides in Las Vegas. His family lives in Greece. Karas stays in touch with his family by phone, and tries to travel back to Greece at least once per year. He brought his mother, Mariana, to Las Vegas for six-month visits when he was on his winning streak.
Karas’s story was documented in Cigar Aficionado by American author Michael Konik[3] and also was featured, along with Stu Ungar, in an E! documentary special called THS Investigates: Vegas Winners & Losers.[15] 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.[4] Sports mobile betting.
He was interviewed, along with poker player Tony G, by Tiffany Michelle during the 2008 World Series of Poker. He was also a featured player on ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 WSOP.[16]Cheating[edit]
Karas was arrested on September 24, 2013 after being caught marking cards at a San Diego casino’s blackjack table by the Barona Gaming Commission. He was arrested at his Las Vegas home and extradited to San Diego to face charges of burglary, winning by fraudulent means and cheating. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years probation.[11]See also[edit]References[edit]
*^’Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis’. Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
*^ abcdTom Sexton (2008-02-11). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 31: Archie Karas, The World’s Biggest Gambler’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcdeMichael Konik (2008). ’Tables of Dreams’. Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcHoward Schwartz (2008-06-21). ’Archie Karas, The Greatest Gambler’. Poker Works. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Paul McGuire. ’The Return of Archie ’The Greek’ Karas’. Bluff Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-02-20.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-02-18). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 32’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abcTom Sexton (2008-02-25). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 33’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-03). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 34’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abTom Sexton (2008-03-17). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 36’. Poker News. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-10). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 35’. Poker News. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abEmma Lacey-Bordeaux (2013-09-29). ’Legendary gambler Archie Karas accused of marking cards in San Diego casino’. CNN. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-04-14). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 40’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^ abTom Sexton (2008-04-14). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 37’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Tom Sexton (2008-03-31). ’Sexton’s Corner, Vol. 38’. Poker News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
*^Karas, Archie (2008-06-13). THS Investigates: Vegas Winners & Losers (documentary). USA: THS.
*^Archie Karas in 2008 WSOP on YouTubeExternal links[edit]My Vegas PokerRetrieved from ’https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Archie_Karas&oldid=1009632055’
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