Updated November 17, 2019 — With the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series versus the Washington Nationals we got to see the newest big wager on a Jon Price scale of $3.5 million dollars. Something we covered right here at the Sports Information Traders news Desk (see Mattress Mack Sports Betting Wager on the World Series article). We talk a lot about big bets placed here. Jon Price of Sports Information Traders was featured for his million dollar win on Floyd 'Money' Mayweather over Manny Pacquaio where he told the entire world that he was placing a huge wager on Mayweather and everybody who wants to also make money should follow in his footsteps. Later on that big wager got him some headlines and into a list of the top 5 living gamblers list. Another story put Fred Smith of Fed-Ex ahead of him where Smith wagered the last of the companies money at the Blackjack table to ensure the companies survival.
- Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
- What Is The Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
- What Is The Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
Cash Cab won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2013, the show appeared in TV Guide ' s list of the 60 greatest game shows ever. Taxicab Confessions; BrainRush; References. 24, 1980 - There are a lot of urban legends in the gambling world, but that of the 'Suitcase Man' is true: William Lee Bergstrom walked into Binion's Horseshoe casino in Las Vegas with two suitcases—one filled with cash, one empty—and placed his entire $777,000 on the Don't Pass line at a craps table. He doubled his money on a single roll of the dice, and then drove off with.
Today we will talk about another set of great gambling stories that don't all involve Sports Betting or the legend Jon Price. Below are some of the best gambling stories to read about on the internet and winning tickets cashed including one wager that took 11 years in the making:
1) From $0.00 to $17 Million Dollars by Archie Karas'
The Greek waiter was dead broke. He borrowed $10,000 and was fully leveraged to play heads up poker. He did so downtown Las Vegas at Binion's Horseshoe and beat out the 15 best players at the time. To keep the good luck running at the Horseshoe he went on to play Craps. Hit a lot of points, hard numbers, and turned that $10,000 into $17 million. He was banned from almost every casino at one point and would bet $100,000 on a single dice roll to get his fix. The 'Streak' as it's known in gambling and betting circles lasted 3 years but Archie gave it all back shortly there after.
2) Betting The House on a Soccer Match
Back in September of 2001, a die-hard Tottenham fan bet the house (literally). His entire mortgage was on the line and with the opponent Manchester United down 3-0 going into the second half he was certain the bet he placed all to impress his girlfriend was about to pay off. What he didn't expect was a Tom Brady Super Bowl 51 comeback where Manchester scored 5 goals in the second half and left him homeless and single by the end of the game.
3) The U2 Bet with odds of 6,479 to 1
A Welsh man across the pond bet back in December 1989 at Ladbrokes betting shop that Cliff Richard would be knighted, that U2 and Bono would still be around,a dn Eastenders would well forever be on television as well as Australian Soaps Neighbors and Home and Away still being broadcast on British television in the year 2000. Well they all came to fruition for this odd proposition bet and paid out over $200,000 or £194,400 for our English readers.
4) $75 Million Dollars Made by Illegal Asian Betting Syndicates
Organized Crime is not something to play with. Football matchups were experiencing serious blackouts back in the 1990's and many knew something was up but couldn't prove it at the time. Bookmakers paid out big time with over $75 million dollars lost as bookmakers paid out based on the final score of a game if the game was abounded even if it were due to remote controls being used to cut the floodlights.
5) Gambling On your Own Horse
Mike Futter a well known international gambler who runs bingo halls in Ireland and likes to play the ponies. He bet on Monty's Pass 14 years ago in the Grand National. With over $1.3 million in winnings that day ranging from $6,000 each way @ 33-1 odds to $12,500 each way at 20-1 odds. The Preakness, Belmont, and Kentucky Derby gets some action like this but it rarely hits the headlines.
6) William Lee Bergstrom's Million Dollar Craps Bet
Gamblers like Mike Futter love horses and Texas Horseman and trader William Lee Bergstrom is no different. Being known in circles throughout Las Vegas as the 'Suitcase Man' he appeared at Binion's Gambling Hall in Las Vegas back in 1980 with a plan. The plan was that the casino would match any wager that he placed as long as it was his first wager and not an add on, double down, or retaliation bet. He had two suitcases and the first was filled with $777,000 and he won based on a don't pass roll with the shooter crapping out with a 7 before the point was made. Later Bergstrom returned and this time bet $1 million dollars on the don't pass line. The first roll was a 7 and he instantly lost the million dollars. He later commited suicide in Texas where he owned an apartment building in Austin and asked Binion to be remembered as the 'phantom gambler at the Horseshoe' Casino. Rumors surround around his death being from a lost lover and not from gambling as he was up over half a million dollars at the time of his suicide.
7)Mr. Ye $125 Million in Lost Bets
Zhenli Ye Gon's betting habits will always make you feel better. A near record but not the biggest was his losses of over $125 million dollars to Las Vegas, Nevada casinos. The money came from illicit gains in drug dealing and thus has landed him in jail. When his home in Mexcio City, Mexcio was raided over $200 million in cash and assets were seized. He's also believed to have the largest recorded wager of all time.
8) Caesers Palace Says Keep Terrance Watanbe's Glass Filled
A story that made national media attention when in 2007 midwestern business ownner terrance Watanabe just could not win. He pulled every marker possible at Harrahs properties and blew through $127 million dollars that he tried to later regain in an unsucessful lawsuit. Took him 20 years to inherit and build and only a few years to lose it all. If only he had taken up sports betting.
9) $15 million Dollars Today
Back in 1903 money had a different value to it. The Hermit's Pride was a group of professional gamblers who bet on horses back in Ireland and won in what is todays equivalent of $15 million dollars.
10) Swimming the English Channel
This is the saddest of the stories. Back on 08/24/1875 captain Matthew Webb was the first human to swim the English Channel. When the need for money arose he tried to swim across Whirlpool below Niagra Falls for $10,000 but never returned…
Mike Futter a well known international gambler who runs bingo halls in Ireland and likes to play the ponies. He bet on Monty's Pass 14 years ago in the Grand National. With over $1.3 million in winnings that day ranging from $6,000 each way @ 33-1 odds to $12,500 each way at 20-1 odds. The Preakness, Belmont, and Kentucky Derby gets some action like this but it rarely hits the headlines.
6) William Lee Bergstrom's Million Dollar Craps Bet
Gamblers like Mike Futter love horses and Texas Horseman and trader William Lee Bergstrom is no different. Being known in circles throughout Las Vegas as the 'Suitcase Man' he appeared at Binion's Gambling Hall in Las Vegas back in 1980 with a plan. The plan was that the casino would match any wager that he placed as long as it was his first wager and not an add on, double down, or retaliation bet. He had two suitcases and the first was filled with $777,000 and he won based on a don't pass roll with the shooter crapping out with a 7 before the point was made. Later Bergstrom returned and this time bet $1 million dollars on the don't pass line. The first roll was a 7 and he instantly lost the million dollars. He later commited suicide in Texas where he owned an apartment building in Austin and asked Binion to be remembered as the 'phantom gambler at the Horseshoe' Casino. Rumors surround around his death being from a lost lover and not from gambling as he was up over half a million dollars at the time of his suicide.
7)Mr. Ye $125 Million in Lost Bets
Zhenli Ye Gon's betting habits will always make you feel better. A near record but not the biggest was his losses of over $125 million dollars to Las Vegas, Nevada casinos. The money came from illicit gains in drug dealing and thus has landed him in jail. When his home in Mexcio City, Mexcio was raided over $200 million in cash and assets were seized. He's also believed to have the largest recorded wager of all time.
8) Caesers Palace Says Keep Terrance Watanbe's Glass Filled
A story that made national media attention when in 2007 midwestern business ownner terrance Watanabe just could not win. He pulled every marker possible at Harrahs properties and blew through $127 million dollars that he tried to later regain in an unsucessful lawsuit. Took him 20 years to inherit and build and only a few years to lose it all. If only he had taken up sports betting.
9) $15 million Dollars Today
Back in 1903 money had a different value to it. The Hermit's Pride was a group of professional gamblers who bet on horses back in Ireland and won in what is todays equivalent of $15 million dollars.
10) Swimming the English Channel
This is the saddest of the stories. Back on 08/24/1875 captain Matthew Webb was the first human to swim the English Channel. When the need for money arose he tried to swim across Whirlpool below Niagra Falls for $10,000 but never returned…
11) Gambling tycoon Kerry Packers Coin Toss = The Biggest Bet ever paid out in Gambling Terms
While business wagers and hedge fund bets such as the 2008 CDS (Credit Default Swap) Shorting was over a Billion dollars paid out on a single wager when it comes to gambling that tile goes to casino tycoon Kenny Packer. Australian Gambler and media tycoon Kerry Packer loved to gamble and was a close friend of Jon Prices who discussed betting strategies with him quite often. He's lost over $50 million dollars in under a year and his worst streak was $28 million during a 3 week losing streak back in 1999 over in London, England.
12) Mattress Mack Hedges a World Series Bet with $3.5 Million on the Astros
While he was known as a furniture store owner and die hard Houston Astros fanatic Mattress Mack said that he would give out free furniture to those who bought if the Astros won the 2019 world series. This got him quite a bit of publicity and he almost cashed in his winner and had to use his insurance policy that he took out in case he had to give away free beds and sofas to the greater Houston area. In the end however the Washington Nationals defeated the Astros in 7 games and the biggest bets that he placed in Biloxi, Mississippi and in Atlantic City, New Jersey sportsbooks were never cashed in. ,
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11/17/2019Craps Winners: A Spy's Casino Game of Choice?
Craps: it's not considered the most glamourous of casino games, is it? The less glitzy reputation is probably due to some unconscious revulsion at the name: 'Craps', who chose that name and why? Yep, you'll find Hollywood Blockbusters about Poker, but not about Craps…then again, there aren't any Blockbusters about Bingo either!
Sure, James Bond shoots some Craps in 'Diamonds are Forever' (and that isn't a euphemism – he actually plays Craps. He doesn't shoot some baddy called 'Craps'), but in general, it isn't considered a stylish game…
…that's a shame because if more people realised how big you can win at the Craps table, more people would play, and it's a fun game to play. It's one of the few casino games that has a complex set of rules, with interesting twists and turns. It's fun to watch and to play.
In Craps, you can get some long winning streaks (the longest we know of is 154 rolls, but more on that in a minute) and some huge profits. It really is surprising that we don't make more of a deal of it.
If you've never tried your hand at Craps before, then read on. Today, we're going to show you just how glamourous Craps can be – a millionaire's lifestyle is ready and waiting for the lucky players amongst you. Now, let's meet some of the luckiest Craps players…
Five Biggest Craps Winners
First up, we have Stanley Fujitake. In May 1989, Fujitake made more than $1,000,000 in 3 hours at the California Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. What followed was the longest recorded Craps roll in history, at that time. He rolled 118 times before he passed the dice along. So legendary was this particular Craps session that a new name was born for the greatest players. Lucky Craps players are said to have the 'Golden Arm'. Today, the casino sees an average of one Golden Arm a month, and lucky winners get their name in 'The Golden Arm Club'. Fujitake received a Golden Arm no less than four times!
#2 Craps Winner
Twenty years later, in 2009, Patricia Demauro broke Fujitake's winning record. She now holds the record for longest ever Craps roll, at 154 rolls over 4 hours and 18 minutes. Much mystery surrounds this winning streak; Demauro won't say how much she won. It could have been anywhere from $500 to $5,000,000. Our guess is that it leans towards the heftier side. Otherwise, why keep it a secret?
#3 Craps Winner
Next, we meet 'The Phantom Gambler'. Why he received this nickname is unclear, because we know perfectly well who he is: William Lee Bergstrom. In the 1980s, at Horseshoe Casino, Las Vegas, he won more than $700K. He walked in with two suitcases, one empty, and one full of money – $770K according to reports – and gambled it all on a single Craps roll, winning a further $770K, which he then put in his empty suitcase. Over the course of the coming months, he did this twice more, winning first $190K and then $90K. Finally, he did what he'd set out to do all along, and bet $1m on a single Craps bet. You'll never guess what happened…
…he lost! Craps! Yep, he lost $1m and never recuperated that money. Unfortunately, in 1985 he committed suicide. He still had a lot of money in the bank at that time, so it's unlikely the two events were linked. Still, a warning to would-be big rollers out there: make sure you take risks you can afford to lose!
#4 Craps Winner
Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
The following two stories are urban legends. According to one source, the biggest Craps win at Caesar Palace, Las Vegas is $2m, supposedly won by one of Hollywood's top executive. This guy was high rolling with working bets of $160K. That's all we know, but if a big Craps film comes out soon, I'm going to place a bet that this guy has something to do with it.
What Is The Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
#5 Craps Winner
What Is The Most Money Ever Won In Vegas
Finally, we have the tale of 'Mr Royalty' (a Bond name if ever we heard one!). According to Tom Breitling, former owner of The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, a member of a royal family somewhere in Europe, won $4.7m over a six-hour period on the Craps tables, returning a week later to win a further $1.5m!
Craps isn't as flashy as some casino games, and the jackpots aren't as big, but one thing that makes it stand out is the secrecy. We hear urban legends, rumours of big wins, but only three or four verified wins. In all but name, it definitely is a game for secret agents like Bond.
