Beat the Casino – Is Archie Karas The World’s Greatest Gambler?
by Alan S. Samonte
Archie Karas was born Anargyros Karabourniotis on a poor rocky island of Greece. Life
was hard on the island, and as a kid, he shoot marbles so he could eat for the day. When
he was 15, he figured an altercation with his father that had him nearly hit by a shovel. That
was all the reason he waited to escape the island’s deplorable conditions. He found work in
a freighter that gave him 60 dollar monthly salary, and for two years Archie sailed the seas.
When the freighter docked at Portland, Oregon, Archie jumped out of the ship. Not yet a
full adult and knowing nothing of the American language, Archie helped himself in the land
of opportunities.
Archie eventually made it to Los Angeles and ended up as a waiter in a restaurant. Next to
the restaurant was a pool hall, and Archie would play pool in between breaks. Archie
quickly learned the tricks of the trade, and in no time he decided there was more money in
hustling than in waiting in the restaurant. What Archie saw in t he pool hall were a dozen or
so milking cows that would insure his survival forever. He didn’t need the job anymore.
Archie’s first target was the rich restaurant owner, and in their ensuing pool matches Archie
had cleared a whooping 2 million dollars from him. Not bad for a young stowaway. At the
very start of the games, Archie showed a different kind of style his opponents were not
ready to handle, his fearlessness in a high limit gamble. Archie the gambler extraordinaire
was born.
Archie prowled in the pool hall for a time or so, taking down the richest and the best the
pool hall could offer, and in no time the pool hall dried up on him. No one could match up
Archie’s iron instinct to win. Archie decided to switch hunting ground, this time in the more
lucrative card room at the back of the pool hall. Archie quickly secured his reputation as
the best poker player in town. Archie played with the top poker players there was, and on
his own style; at the highest limit possible. There begun Archie’s roller coaster ride to
poverty and fortune. He either wins big or loses big, nothing in between. One day he was a
millionaire, the next day he was a pauper. Recalls Archie: "I've been a millionaire over 50
times and dead broke more than I can count, probably 1,000 times in my life. But I sleep
the same whether I have ten or ten million dollars in my pocket”.
In December 1992, Archie Karas had lost nearly 2 million dollars at high stakes card games
at the legal casinos in the Los Angeles area. For the nth times he was broke again. But
there was no loss big enough to slow him down. While most gambler might have cringed
down to such loses, it only fueled Archie’s thirst for a bigger win. For a thousand times
Archie might have lost everything but one thing, his nasty habit of winning it all again.
Archie reevaluated his situation and decided it was time to bring the ride to the next level,
where the stakes are higher, in Las Vegas. With only 50 dollars in his pocket and a ton of
willpower, Archie rolled to Sin City. There he found a poker tournament on progress; and
on the sides were poker games at 200 /400 dollar betting spread. A friend back in L.A.
loaned Archie 10,000 dollars, and that was all he needed.
A few hours later Archie walked away with a winning that tripled his bankroll. He paid his
loan plus the profit, and he is now on his own. For the nth times Archie had tasted Las
Vegas free money again. Little did he know that he was to become a part of Las Vegas
colorful history. He had just started a winning streak of an epic proportion that was
unprecedented in Las Vegas history. The incredible streak would later be known as “The
Run”.
Now with a bankroll of his own, Archie started taking on the top poker players Las Vegas
could offer. For a high stake one on one poker match, Archie faced them all: world
champions, hall of famers, top earners, bracelet winners - anyone who got the cash and
the balls. He was fearless. For the first time Las Vegas had witnessed how poker is played
with a class of the highest level.
When the dust cleared Archie had floored 40 of the world’s greatest poker players of the
time. Among his casualties were David “Chip” Reese, Stu “The Kid” Ungar, Puggy Pearson,
and Johnny Chan. Only Doyle Brunson had escaped unscathed refusing to play in high
stakes. All in all Archie cleared a total of 17 million dollars in the poker tables. Since then
no one dared to stand on his way. His claim as the world's uncrowned greatest poker
player went uncontested.
The poker tables finally dried up on Archie. With an expanding bankroll catching up on his
willpower, it became harder to find a player of his caliber. Nobody in the line up anymore
had both the cash and the balls as he had. That was when Archie’s attention turned to
craps. Archie knew he was taking the worst of it with the dice, but it was the only way he
could feed his insatiable quest to win it all.
Archie brought to the crap tables the same formidable style he was known for in the poker
rooms; betting the limit the casinos would allow. At 100,000 dollars a roll, money was won
or lost at a dizzying rate. Until Archie came, no one yet in Las Vegas history had laid such a
huge bet on its tables. Archie was the biggest ever.
Archie Karas beat the casinos one by one as if it were giving away free money. He was
unstoppable. And one by one the casinos closed their tables on him. They just couldn’t
bear the millions Archie was taking from them. Their mathematical edge is no match against
Archie’s incredible luck. Only Binion's casino was courageous enough to refuse to
surrender against Archie’s fantastic winning streak. When the clouds cleared, Archie had
added 23 million dollars more to his bankroll. Says Archie: “I would have won more if they
only let me raise the limits.”
Such a huge winning would have been enough for most gamblers to retreat to his comfort
zone. With 40 million in the pocket it was supposed to be time to look for an island and be
surrounded by goodies money could buy. But not Archie. He does not know how to stop.
There is no big win that is big enough for him. An adrenaline filled kind of life is his comfort
zone.
Archie returned to the tables and played with the same passion he was known for. But this
time it was different. The big money that used to come rolling before him when he starts
shooting receded. The burning dice he was used to shooting had frozen. The crap table
was reasserting its edge; it was staging a comeback. “The Run” was over.
Loses after loses ensued. Archie had faced many losses before, but this time was different;
it was bottomless. And it was in bulk. Archie hung on hoping that somehow the event would
turn his way. It did not. At one session Archie lose 11 million dollars, also unprecedented in
Las Vegas history. Archie holds the title as the biggest loser in Las Vegas in a single
session. Did he stop? No. Archie is made up of different kind of stuff. He doesn’t care about
money so he has no fear if he loses it all. It’s all or nothing.
When the smoke cleared, it was nothing for Archie Karas. He lost all his millions in the
same style that he won it. His defiance to retract against the casino’s gathering strength
made him paid a dear price. He hit the bottom, and was unable to resurface again. Archie
lives again the kind of life as he started; nothing. Rumor has it that he is sleeping in the
parking lots, probably thinking of the next “run”. When you visit Las Vegas, you might bump
with Archie on the ways. Thumbs up for Archie.
by Alan S. Samonte
Archie Karas was born Anargyros Karabourniotis on a poor rocky island of Greece. Life
was hard on the island, and as a kid, he shoot marbles so he could eat for the day. When
he was 15, he figured an altercation with his father that had him nearly hit by a shovel. That
was all the reason he waited to escape the island’s deplorable conditions. He found work in
a freighter that gave him 60 dollar monthly salary, and for two years Archie sailed the seas.
When the freighter docked at Portland, Oregon, Archie jumped out of the ship. Not yet a
full adult and knowing nothing of the American language, Archie helped himself in the land
of opportunities.
Archie eventually made it to Los Angeles and ended up as a waiter in a restaurant. Next to
the restaurant was a pool hall, and Archie would play pool in between breaks. Archie
quickly learned the tricks of the trade, and in no time he decided there was more money in
hustling than in waiting in the restaurant. What Archie saw in t he pool hall were a dozen or
so milking cows that would insure his survival forever. He didn’t need the job anymore.
Archie’s first target was the rich restaurant owner, and in their ensuing pool matches Archie
had cleared a whooping 2 million dollars from him. Not bad for a young stowaway. At the
very start of the games, Archie showed a different kind of style his opponents were not
ready to handle, his fearlessness in a high limit gamble. Archie the gambler extraordinaire
was born.
Archie prowled in the pool hall for a time or so, taking down the richest and the best the
pool hall could offer, and in no time the pool hall dried up on him. No one could match up
Archie’s iron instinct to win. Archie decided to switch hunting ground, this time in the more
lucrative card room at the back of the pool hall. Archie quickly secured his reputation as
the best poker player in town. Archie played with the top poker players there was, and on
his own style; at the highest limit possible. There begun Archie’s roller coaster ride to
poverty and fortune. He either wins big or loses big, nothing in between. One day he was a
millionaire, the next day he was a pauper. Recalls Archie: "I've been a millionaire over 50
times and dead broke more than I can count, probably 1,000 times in my life. But I sleep
the same whether I have ten or ten million dollars in my pocket”.
In December 1992, Archie Karas had lost nearly 2 million dollars at high stakes card games
at the legal casinos in the Los Angeles area. For the nth times he was broke again. But
there was no loss big enough to slow him down. While most gambler might have cringed
down to such loses, it only fueled Archie’s thirst for a bigger win. For a thousand times
Archie might have lost everything but one thing, his nasty habit of winning it all again.
Archie reevaluated his situation and decided it was time to bring the ride to the next level,
where the stakes are higher, in Las Vegas. With only 50 dollars in his pocket and a ton of
willpower, Archie rolled to Sin City. There he found a poker tournament on progress; and
on the sides were poker games at 200 /400 dollar betting spread. A friend back in L.A.
loaned Archie 10,000 dollars, and that was all he needed.
A few hours later Archie walked away with a winning that tripled his bankroll. He paid his
loan plus the profit, and he is now on his own. For the nth times Archie had tasted Las
Vegas free money again. Little did he know that he was to become a part of Las Vegas
colorful history. He had just started a winning streak of an epic proportion that was
unprecedented in Las Vegas history. The incredible streak would later be known as “The
Run”.
Now with a bankroll of his own, Archie started taking on the top poker players Las Vegas
could offer. For a high stake one on one poker match, Archie faced them all: world
champions, hall of famers, top earners, bracelet winners - anyone who got the cash and
the balls. He was fearless. For the first time Las Vegas had witnessed how poker is played
with a class of the highest level.
When the dust cleared Archie had floored 40 of the world’s greatest poker players of the
time. Among his casualties were David “Chip” Reese, Stu “The Kid” Ungar, Puggy Pearson,
and Johnny Chan. Only Doyle Brunson had escaped unscathed refusing to play in high
stakes. All in all Archie cleared a total of 17 million dollars in the poker tables. Since then
no one dared to stand on his way. His claim as the world's uncrowned greatest poker
player went uncontested.
The poker tables finally dried up on Archie. With an expanding bankroll catching up on his
willpower, it became harder to find a player of his caliber. Nobody in the line up anymore
had both the cash and the balls as he had. That was when Archie’s attention turned to
craps. Archie knew he was taking the worst of it with the dice, but it was the only way he
could feed his insatiable quest to win it all.
Archie brought to the crap tables the same formidable style he was known for in the poker
rooms; betting the limit the casinos would allow. At 100,000 dollars a roll, money was won
or lost at a dizzying rate. Until Archie came, no one yet in Las Vegas history had laid such a
huge bet on its tables. Archie was the biggest ever.
Archie Karas beat the casinos one by one as if it were giving away free money. He was
unstoppable. And one by one the casinos closed their tables on him. They just couldn’t
bear the millions Archie was taking from them. Their mathematical edge is no match against
Archie’s incredible luck. Only Binion's casino was courageous enough to refuse to
surrender against Archie’s fantastic winning streak. When the clouds cleared, Archie had
added 23 million dollars more to his bankroll. Says Archie: “I would have won more if they
only let me raise the limits.”
Such a huge winning would have been enough for most gamblers to retreat to his comfort
zone. With 40 million in the pocket it was supposed to be time to look for an island and be
surrounded by goodies money could buy. But not Archie. He does not know how to stop.
There is no big win that is big enough for him. An adrenaline filled kind of life is his comfort
zone.
Archie returned to the tables and played with the same passion he was known for. But this
time it was different. The big money that used to come rolling before him when he starts
shooting receded. The burning dice he was used to shooting had frozen. The crap table
was reasserting its edge; it was staging a comeback. “The Run” was over.
Loses after loses ensued. Archie had faced many losses before, but this time was different;
it was bottomless. And it was in bulk. Archie hung on hoping that somehow the event would
turn his way. It did not. At one session Archie lose 11 million dollars, also unprecedented in
Las Vegas history. Archie holds the title as the biggest loser in Las Vegas in a single
session. Did he stop? No. Archie is made up of different kind of stuff. He doesn’t care about
money so he has no fear if he loses it all. It’s all or nothing.
When the smoke cleared, it was nothing for Archie Karas. He lost all his millions in the
same style that he won it. His defiance to retract against the casino’s gathering strength
made him paid a dear price. He hit the bottom, and was unable to resurface again. Archie
lives again the kind of life as he started; nothing. Rumor has it that he is sleeping in the
parking lots, probably thinking of the next “run”. When you visit Las Vegas, you might bump
with Archie on the ways. Thumbs up for Archie.
| SamonteGamblingSystem.com |
| Reclaim Your Freedom |
| This book is not intended to encourage people to gamble, but to educate responsible adult in their chosen pastime. Since its publication, I committed myself to helping other gamblers. If you think you have a gambling problem I can refer you to the right group of people that can be of help to you. Here’s the links: Gamblers Anonymous | Council on Problem Gambling | Center for Responsible Gaming | Get help, it’s never too late. .If you have a question you can contact me here. I am more than willing to help you. Copyright © 2009 by Alan S. Samonte. All rights reserved. |
| __________________________________________ |
| Alan S. Samonte is the creator of Samonte Gambling System, the only correct methodical play that can beat the casinos without having to cheat. In his book of the same title, he reveals how the misbehavior of gambling events can be systematically exploited to achieve a consistent win. Learn more about him here Click here to return to homepage Click here to download his free e-book Click here to buy his book/e-book "The Samonte Gambling System" |
►How to Turn Baccarat’s
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Side and Start Winning at
the Casinos Immediately –
A Tricky Baccarat Strategy
Revealed
►Who Do You Blame If You
Don't Win?
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Need To Learn To Be a
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► Why You Can’t Win at
Casinos With Luck Alone
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Can Make You Win
►A Gambling Strategy Most
Gamblers Thought Effective
but Grievous in Reality
►The Most Ineffective
Baccarat Strategy Most
Gamblers Are Using
►A Common Sense
Winning Approach Most
Gamblers Fail to Know
►The Samonte Gambling
System – The Making of the
Book
►Beat the Casino – Is
Archie Karas The World’s
Greatest Gambler?
►Tipping the Dealer – Can
He Make You Win if You Do?
Mathematical Edge To Your
Side and Start Winning at
the Casinos Immediately –
A Tricky Baccarat Strategy
Revealed
►Who Do You Blame If You
Don't Win?
►Blackjack Expert on the
Prowl - How Can You Tell?
► What Do Gamblers
Need To Learn To Be a
Casino Winner?
► Why You Can’t Win at
Casinos With Luck Alone
►Money Management in
Gambling – How Discipline
Can Make You Win
►A Gambling Strategy Most
Gamblers Thought Effective
but Grievous in Reality
►The Most Ineffective
Baccarat Strategy Most
Gamblers Are Using
►A Common Sense
Winning Approach Most
Gamblers Fail to Know
►The Samonte Gambling
System – The Making of the
Book
►Beat the Casino – Is
Archie Karas The World’s
Greatest Gambler?
►Tipping the Dealer – Can
He Make You Win if You Do?
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Note: This free e-book "The
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chapter 7 of my book "The
Samonte Gambling
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Nine Mistakes Gamblers
Make" is actually the
chapter 7 of my book "The
Samonte Gambling
System".
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