In a case that has quickly become one of the most infamous cases in gambling history, Katrina Bookman entered Resorts World Casino in New York and hit a win for almost $43 million!?

But when she came to withdraw what would have been record slot winnings, she was informed by a casino employee that the slot machine had malfunctioned, and she had won nothing.

What could have become the biggest slot machine jackpot in US history soon became an unparalleled ordeal for Bookman…

The Katrina Bookman Story: What Actually Happened at the Casino?

On that fateful day over six years ago, Bookman headed to Resorts World Casino in New York.

She was playing Sphinx Wild, a popular slot game by a reputable software provider, and put just 40 cents into the machine.

It’s impossible to imagine how she must have felt when the machine alerted her to a jackpot win of $42.9 million.

Hitting the big time that day in late August 2016, Bookman saw the luck for her whole family change – earmarking $1 million for her aspiring barber son. Envisioning his dreams of a family barbershop come to fruition, she could barely wait to tell him the news.

“You Didn’t Win Nothing“

However, the slot machine’s alarm bells were no match for those in Bookman’s head when she joyously went to collect her winnings.

Turning her away empty-handed, casino management asked her to review the venue’s “official ruling” and return the following morning. Disturbed, as she turned to return home, she overheard a staff member saying Bookman “didn’t win nothing.”

After a sleepless night, Bookman returned to Resorts World Casino clutching the winning ticket.

To her horror, she was instead offered a complimentary steak dinner and the alleged $2.25 Sphinx Wild winnings she was owed, thanks to a machine malfunction.

This would be a heartbreaking result for anyone, but it was particularly hard news for Bookman – raised in foster care, homeless as a teenager and later a single mom to four kids – to take, as she hasn’t had it easy in life.

“I kept thinking about my family. The struggle I’ve been through; it’s hard to cope,” she told WABC in a tearful interview.

For someone who could really do with a break, the machine’s malfunction seemed particularly cruel.

Katrina Bookman: The Court Case

Bookman turned the casino down and instead took them up on a date at the Queens County Supreme Court, where she aimed to sue Resorts World Casino, partners Genting New York LLC, and software provider IGT for $42,949,672.76 in damages. 

What would have been the largest slot machine jackpot in US history was fast becoming a record-breaking nightmare.

Bookman, who was denied the full payout, cited that the torment of the saga affected her nervous system and left her “embarrassed, anxious and depressed.” 

Her attorney Alan Ripka challenged the accused, arguing that she was entitled to $6,500 (the maximum slot machine win) at the bare minimum. “The machine takes your money when you lose. It ought to pay it when you win,” retorted Ripka.

However, the defendant refused the claim, instead apologizing to Bookman for the inconvenience the ‘malfunction’ had caused. 

“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken,” Alan Ripka told CNNMoney.

“Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained? And if so, does that mean people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”

The New York State Gaming Commission said the machine had been displaying a disclaimer that read: “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”

Checking out Resorts World’s casino floor games menu, the legendary Sphinx Wild machine is still earning its keep to this day amongst the thousands of titles in the New York complex.

Not only that – there are even updated variations of the slot now available, such as Sphinx and Sphinx 3D.

Where Is Katrina Bookman Now?

Unfortunately, there was no happy ending for Katrina Bookman. After delays to the case due to Covid, a judge at Queens County Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of the defendants.

The reality was, the machine malfunctioned and the machine did display the following warning message to all players:

Malfunctions void all pays and plays

Can a Casino Just Refuse to Pay Out?

If there is a genuine malfunction with the machine, then, sadly, yes.

In a historical example of a similar trial, Pauline McKee, a 90-year-old grandmother from Illinois, was spinning her way to slot heaven on the Miss Kitty game at the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo.?

To her astonishment, she rang in a slot jackpot of $41 million. 

Enjoying casino games throughout her life, the seasoned gambler was skeptical but had high hopes of being proven wrong.

Much like Bookman, McKee was damningly told that she had not won a dime close to the supposed jackpot due to a slot machine malfunction, so the argument was taken to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, the defendant (Isle Casino Hotel) won the case, claiming that on-screen rules state that ‘Malfunction voids all pays and plays.’ 

Though devastating, real-life examples are sometimes necessary to remind gamblers that random number generators (RNGs) operate the wins of slot machines.

You can’t predict their outcome, with big losses just as likely (if not more) than massive jackpot wins.

Plus, with daily wear and tear, this makes occasional technical malfunctions just as likely as moderate jackpots that do pay out. 

Regardless, we hope fortune shines in Katrina Bookman’s favor and this high roller hell doesn’t taint her fighting spirit.

For more slots scandals, check out our article on Brian Christopher.

Lead image: Katrina Bookman via WABC

The Essentials

• A philanthropist of picks and parlays, Dan Gamble AI, also known as DanGamble, is like the Robin Hood of the sports betting industry. Not only does he take from the rich (sportsbooks) and give to the poor (bettors), but he does so anonymously.
• As an AI engineer, he uses predictive models based on past data to pick potential winners in the future.
• Though he goes by the name of Dan, the engineer in question posts all of his predictions from an unnamed account. Rather than a real name, ‘Dan’ is actually a reference to the ChatGPT DAN prompt, “Do Any Thing”. Without a face or name attached to the account, Dan Gambles AI remains a total enigma.

How is he Using AI for Sports Betting?

Dan Gamble AI has designed a unique algorithm with which he can predict the outcome of various sports events and consequently build a data-backed bet sheet.

First, he decides which sport to focus on. Depending on the time of year, this will be the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. He also determines what type of bet he is looking to predict, such as prop bets, parlays, and Over/Unders.

Dan then feeds this information into his AI algorithm. After receiving the necessary prompt, AI rapidly analyzes years of historical data to give detailed forecasts on the outcome of a specific event. In a way, it is similar to historical horse racing (HHR) games, which use historical racing data to determine wagering outcomes.

Once he has collected the data and used it to make his predictions, Dan places his bets on bet365. Whether this is down to personal preference or a strategic partnership is not entirely clear, but he regularly encourages his followers to sign up and claim a bonus using the links in his Instagram bio.

bet365 isn’t the only sportsbook he’s advertised. Back in February, DanGamble posted an Instagram slideshow highlighting the different sign-up bonuses available at BetMGM, Caesars, and BetRivers. During the NBA playoffs in April, the Dan Gamble AI Twitter account encouraged users to tail his parlay on DraftKings and claim the sportsbook’s welcome bonus.

Image Credit: Davizro Photography/Shutterstock

Is he Able to Pick Winners?

Most of Dan’s AI Sports Picks focus on prop bets and Overs/Unders. However, he also has a history of successfully picking winning teams and individual player bets. If you ever need visual evidence that his picks are winners, check out the Dans AI Sports Picks Twitter and Instagram accounts. All bets that pay out are posted with his signature celebration: “BAAANG.”

Dan’s AI algorithm has a track record of predicting winning prop bets, though it’s obviously not foolproof. While Dan does the work and posts his predictions online, it’s up to his followers whether or not they choose to tail the bets.

During Dan’s impressive MLB run of winners in July, one follower chose to put his faith in one of Dan’s 3 leg parlays. The parlay predicted a home run for Jeimer Candelario, a home run for Shohei Ohtani, and 2+ bases for Christian Walker.

The first two hit, and the cash out was over $6,400. Dan reposted the bet sheet, asking what his other followers would do in this case. Although the original bettor asked for his advice, Dan refrained from offering any. 

Ultimately, the follower decided to see the parlay through, and it paid off. His original $350 wager cashed out at an eye-watering $16,036. So yes, it’s fair to say that Dan’s AI sports picks can produce winners!

How Consistently is Dan’s AI Model Correct?

Though he has only been active online since June 2023, Dan’s AI predictions have already proven highly successful. According to his Instagram bio, Dan’s AI Sports Picks had a 73% hit rate on the NFL last season. That’s almost three out of four predictions coming true.

He also had quite a mind-blowing run during the first half of the 2024 MLB season, particularly with his “Pick of the Day” predictions. Six out of seven of his mid-July “Pick of the Day” players were winners, 11/13 of his June selections cashed out, and 8/9 of his May predictions rang true.

While the algorithm does have an impressive success rate, there is never a guarantee that these predictions will be correct. AI can forecast outcomes based on data and trends but doesn’t factor in variables like human error or injury.

On January 17th, 2024, Dans Gamble AI took to Twitter (X) to express his disappointment over numerous failed NFL predictions.

“No denying it was a tough weekend, but we’ve cashed in plenty during the NFL season. Three weekends left of Football, let’s make sure they’re good ones. For now, it’s time to bounce back on a 10-game NBA slate…”

Do You Have to be an AI Engineer to do What he is Doing?

Successfully predicting the outcome of a sports event may seem like an awfully complicated process. However, Dan Gamble AI often posts about the prompts and instructions he uses, and they’re not quite as complex as you’d imagine.

Some of Dan’s AI sports picks strategies include:

• Analyzing historical data to calculate player minute projections
• Using various data points to rank player props and produce an AI Edge score out of 10
• Predicting stat lines on points, rebounds, and assists for key players
• Calculating which players rate highly on alternate lines and which will go Over/Under

Of course, you need to know what you’re looking for when using AI for prediction betting. While you don’t necessarily need to be an AI engineer, you need to thoroughly understand how sports betting works, including sports odds, bet types, game rules, and markets. You also need to know how to leverage AI for sports betting predictions.

AI technology used to be available only to IT engineers and mathematical geniuses, but it’s gradually becoming more accessible to the general public. Sites like ChatGPT can help the everyday Joe back his bets with statistical data and trend forecasts (if you know how to use them).

Is AI going to be picking our winners for us in the future?

Dan Gamble AI isn’t the first person to use artificial intelligence for sports betting predictions, and he certainly won’t be the last. Jimmy Sports Picks, Joey’s Sports Bets, John Hyslop, Quentin Locks, and Dr. Profit are just a few of the other gambling figureheads encouraging people to put their trust in AI.

As AI advances and becomes more mainstream, it’s likely that more bettors will begin to use AI for their own sports betting predictions. Until then, you can tail one of the AI engineers and see if their calculations ring true. After all, Dan’s AI Sports Picks announced that 2024 will be his “most profitable NFL season yet”.

It’s no secret that before he was the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump was heavily involved in the US casino scene. Snapping up multiple properties throughout the 1980s, Trump had his name in lights no less than three times on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

Though he managed to bankrupt each of his New Jersey properties, his legacy lives on as one of America’s gambling linchpins. As such, it’s hardly surprising that many of the casino kings he once rubbed shoulders with are opening up their wallets and funding his campaign.

Desperate to close the gap between Biden’s campaign cash flow and his own, Trump has been ingratiating himself with the Vegas elite. From the original legends of the Strip to their families, partners, and stakeholders, here are the casino moguls cashing in on Trump’s third Presidential bid.

Steve Wynn

Donald Trump and Steve Wynn engaged in a tumultuous legal battle over Atlantic City’s gambling landscape that lasted throughout the 1990s. But after years of lawsuits, employee poaching, and public slander, their relationship eventually transformed from rivalry to respect.

Mirroring the age-old ‘enemies-to-lovers’ trope, Donald Trump and Steve Wynn somehow transformed their mutual hatred into a politically charged friendship. After all, the pair share many similarities: both are casino moguls, share the republican ideology, have faced numerous sexual assault allegations – the list goes on.

The outcome of Steve Wynn’s allegations? A $10 million fine, loss of ownership of his casino empire, and exclusion from participating in any casino-related role other than a customer.

Back In The Game

However, it seems Wynn isn’t sitting around licking his wounds. Instead, the former finance chair of the Republican National Committee has rekindled his political associations.

In April 2024, Wynn pledged over $800,000 to a Trump 47 campaign fundraiser, which he helped organize and co-hosted. He also received a shoutout from Trump after an uncontested victory in New Hampshire in January. In June 2024, Wynn was finally victorious in his years-long foreign lobbying case against the Department of Justice.

While his historical feud with Trump played out on the New Jersey shore, Steve Wynn was one of the most influential figures on the Vegas Strip. During his 50-year career, Wynn became the majority shareholder of the Golden Nugget Casino (the youngest casino owner in Vegas), opened a string of legendary properties (including the Mirage, the Bellagio, and Treasure Island), launched his eponymous Wynn Resorts Hotel & Casino chain, started the online gambling site, Wynnbet and expanded into Macau.

Image credit – Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock

Dr. Miriam Adelson

Wynn isn’t the only mogul backing the Trump administration. Dr. Miriam Adelson, wife of the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, has been a staunch supporter of Trump since the beginning. After flying under the political radar for a couple of years, Aldelson has returned to back her favorite wispy-haired Republican.

In 2016, the Adelsons donated over $25 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration ceremony. Two years later, the pair pledged over $110 million to various Republican causes, earning Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018. The Adelsons also spent around $90 million aiding Trump’s failed 2020 re-election efforts.

Far from Wynn’s disgraced expulsion from the Vegas strip, Miriam Adelson has found herself the proprietor of one of its biggest casinos. After her husband passed away in 2021, Adelson inherited the majority share of his casino empire, Las Vegas Sands, and became the fifth-richest woman in America. Ironically, the newly-appointed kingpin (or should that be queenpin?) of gambling is a doctor who specializes in the biology of addiction.

The Queenpin of Vegas

Since assuming her new role as majority shareholder, Dr. Adelson has set her sights on more than just casinos. In November 2023, Adelson shed $2 billion of company stock (around 10% of her share) to purchase majority ownership of the Dallas Mavericks.

Six months later, she blew the dust off her political checkbook and reprised her role as Trump’s most extravagant supporter. Though she refrained from investing during the early stages of the 2024 election, Dr. Adelson donated over $400,000 to the Trump 47 Joint Fundraising Committee in May.

Almost immediately after the June presidential debate between Trump and Biden—during which Trump aligned himself with her pro-Israel sentiments—Adelson pledged a mind-blowing $100 million to Trump’s campaign via the reconstituted Preserve America super PAC. According to Dave Carney, leader of said super PAC, the money will be spent on media campaigns to win over a handful of undetermined states.

John Paulson

Though not directly a casino owner himself, John Paulson enmeshed himself in the casino world with his various supersized stakes. Through his hedge fund, Paulson & Co., John Paulson bought stakes in companies such as MGM Resorts, where he became the second-largest shareholder of the MGM Mirage after a $410 million stock purchase in 2010.

He’s also held positions with Caesar’s (buying 12.3 million shares in 2012), Boyd Gaming (where he swapped $40 million for 4.6% ownership), and Bally’s (which he added to his portfolio in 2021 with a $54.11 million stake). Though he has since relinquished these stakes, it’s clear he’s always had a keen eye for casino investments.

Potential Cabinet Pick

Paulson has been publicly linked to Donald Trump since 2016 when he was a valued donor and financial adviser to the Trump campaign. Now, it seems he’s back in the political limelight and hoping to offer up more than just his wallet. In March 2024, Trump discussed the possibility of recruiting Paulson as his Treasury secretary if he wins the election.

Paulson is already going to great lengths to prove his devotion to Trump. In April 2024, the hedge fund manager opened up his Palm Beach mansion to host a fundraiser in Trump’s honor, aiming to rectify the financial disparity between Biden’s campaign fund and his own. The event, which had around 100 attendees and cost between $250,000 to $824,600 per ticket, reportedly raised over $50 million for the Trump campaign.  

Image credit – Ken Wolter/Shutterstock

Tilman Fertitta

Tilman Fertitta is the owner and CEO of Landry’s Inc., which operates over 600 casinos, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues across the US. Landry’s is a subsidiary of his entertainment conglomerate, Fertitta Entertainment Inc.

Perhaps the most famous of all Landry’s brands is the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, which Fertitta acquired from the Poster Financial Group in 2005 and which was cemented as one of the Strip’s most iconic casinos in 1977 by former owner Steve Wynn. Since acquiring the initial two Golden Nugget casinos, Fertitta has opened half a dozen Nugget resorts across the US.

The NBA’s Houston Rockets are another prominent business venture for the Texan tycoon, which he acquired through Fertitta Entertainment Inc. in 2017 and doubled in valuation in the next seven years. However, they’ve caused him considerably more hassle in the last few years than his successful casino resorts.

Houston We Have A Problem

In 2020, star players James Harden and Russell Westbrook requested to be traded from the Rockets, largely due to Fertitta’s strong support of Trump and the Republican party. After Trump’s numerous attacks on the “low IQs of African-Americans” and on NBA star LeBron James specifically, it’s not hard to see why.

Despite dissatisfaction among the team about his political views (and possibly because both players have already left the Rockets), Tilman Fertitta is in no rush to diminish his support for the Trump 47 campaign. Instead, he’s pulling out all the stops to ensure ol’ Don gets the funding he needs.

In May 2024, Fertitta hosted a private fundraiser inside his five-star Post Oak Hotel in Uptown Houston. Tickets cost between $100,000 to $844,600 per couple, with a photo op thrown in for a mere $25,000. Fertitta’s co-hosts included oil tycoon George Bishop, Hilcorp Energy CEO Jeff Hildebrand, and Al A. Gonsoulin, chairman and chief executive of the energy aviation company PHI Inc.

Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta

Brothers Frank III and Lorenzo Fertitta are also big-time backers of the Trump campaign and long-standing Republican donors. Third cousins of Tilman Fertitta, Frank III and Lorenzo inherited their father’s successful Station Casinos chain in 1993, which consists of 17 properties throughout Nevada.

However, the brothers made the bulk of their billions through the MMA promotion company UFC, which they bought for $2 million in 2001 and sold for $5 billion in 2017.

The Fertitta brothers have long been embroiled in a legal battle with the Culinary Union, a 60,000-strong organization representing Vegas’ tourism industry workers and the largest union in Nevada. Though Culinary has successfully unionized most Vegas casinos, Station and Red Rock Resorts (Fertitta’s publicly traded arm) are proving a difficult stone to turn.

In September 2021, the brothers were subpoenaed for attempting to undercut labor organizing efforts, and in March 2022, they faced a mass action lawsuit for violating Nevada’s “Right to Return” Act.

America First Action

So, how are the Fertitta’s linked to Donald Trump? Since 2016, the pair have donated over $5 million towards Trump’s campaigns, including over $200,000 to his Inaugural Committee and $2 million to the controversial America First Action super PAC. In 2022, the brothers donated over $1.5 million to various Republican PACs.

Though it remains to be seen how much the Fertitta’s will pledge during the 2024 campaign, their involvement is pretty much guaranteed. The brothers met with Trump in January 2024, where they allegedly committed to supporting his latest Presidential endeavors.

Image credit – Tupungato/Shutterstock

Phil Ruffin

Last on our list but the first out of the gates, Phil Ruffin was the first casino mogul to donate to Trump’s 2024 campaign. Donating $1 million to the MAGA Inc. super PAC and more than $800,000 to the Trump 47 Committee, Ruffin was a real leader of the PAC (pun intended).

Co-owner of the Trump International Hotel and long-term sidekick of Trump himself, Ruffin made his money through casino acquisitions. He bought the New Frontier Hotel & Casino in 1998 for just shy of $200 million and sold it to Israeli developers a decade later for $1.2 billion.

Leader of the PAC

In 2009, he bought the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino for $775 million (one of the many Strip casinos founded by Steve Wynn) and acquired the Circus Circus Casino for $825 million in 2019. Despite the former churning out enough money to fund Ruffin’s retirement for the next few centuries ($400 million annually, if you’re interested), the 89-year-old casino magnate refuses to bow out of the gambling game.

Sure, the pair don’t always see eye to eye – for example, Donald believed you could kill the coronavirus with bleach, while Phil was adamant that sunlight and desert heat would do the trick. However, Ruffin’s latest donations prove he’s just as invested in Trump’s 2024 campaign as he was in the last two.

If you’re interested in learning more about the 45th president, his casino mogul supporters, and their many many ties to the casino world and Vegas, check out these articles:

Title image credit – Iv Olga/Shutterstock

• Donald Trump & His History of Casinos
• 2024 Election Betting Odds: Who’s The Next President?
• Political Betting In 2024 – 10 Bets You Can Place
• Phil Ruffin: Sin City’s Self-Made Casino Mogul

Here at Casino.org, we’ve been following the Tim Naki saga closely, and have compiled the ultimate account of all of his wins, losses, and pushes over the last few months. Carry on reading for the most in-depth and up-to-date history of Tim Naki’s legendary blackjack betting series.

Who Is Tim Naki?

Tim Naki is part of the Degeneration Nation, which, according to the official Instagram page, is “a collective of the best gambling streamers on Twitch”. He has been streaming his online slot gameplay for well over a year, but it was his blackjack series that really caught people’s attention.

Inspired by Chewy Thompson, an American man who promised to walk an inch for every follower he had on Instagram, Tim Myers decided to apply the same idea to his gambling. Beginning in February 2024, Myers began betting 10c per Instagram follower.

On day 1, Myers wagered $1,500 on one hand. On day 90, he wagered $195,000.

Today, he has over 3 million fans following his daily betting antics, which many dub their “daily dose of dopamine”.

From owning a humble farrier business in Taranaki to spending six figures on a single hand in Canada, Tim Naki’s life has undoubtedly been forever changed because of this insane blackjack adventure.

Why Is Everyone Talking About Him?

Tim Naki’s blackjack series is the very first of its kind. When he started, there’s no way he could have predicted quite how great his bets would become. However, he made his promise, and he stuck to it. It was both the quantity of the bets themselves and his own sparkling personality that attracted millions of followers.

Whether you’re celebrating his wins or commiserating his losses, watching a Tim Naki stream feels like you’re punting with a pal. It’s no wonder this card game connoisseur has amassed more than 3 million followers during his blackjack journey.

From his hilarious jabs at the dealers to his genuine enthusiasm for every sized win, Tim Naki has established himself as one of the most down-to-earth, relatable, and fun streamers to watch.

However, there are a few vocal followers who believe his enormous wagers aren’t entirely self-funded.

Since Degeneration Nation is sponsored by SpinBit, the online casino platform that Tim Naki uses to play blackjack, some fans believe it is SpinBit who is depositing the cash into his account. If this is the case, it would be extremely similar to the frenzy caused by Drake when he started gambling on (and was subsequently sponsored by) Stake.com.

Unlike his slot streams, Tim Naki’s blackjack games aren’t live-streamed. Instead, they are filmed, edited and posted the next day, which is why a thread of Reddit users believe he replays some games using SpinBit’s money until he hits a huge win.?

Whether or not this is true, Tim Naki himself popped up to shut things down. In response to a Reddit thread titled ‘Tim Naki’s run has to be too good to be true’, the Kiwi gambler wrote: “I think you’re all really overcomplicating this. I have played 64 hands, won 39, lost 22, and pushed 3. I have a 61% win rate. There is nothing more to it than dumb luck.”

Tim Naki’s Best Moments

Beyond his incredible winning streak, his dealer observations are what sets Naki apart from other streamers (and what keeps people watching his whole reels and not just checking the comments for the day’s updates).

Flexing his natural Kiwi humor, Naki makes entertaining comments – which he calls ‘soft insults’ – about the croupiers to fill in time while they are shuffling and dealing cards. Some of the most popular ‘soft insults’ include:

• “This guy looks like he definitely drinks banana milk.”
• “Moses has done his best work parting the sea on top of this woman’s head.”
• “He gives a strong impression that he hangs out around laundromats pinching women’s undergarments.”
• “He definitely eats his pizza with a knife and fork.”
• “His eyes are quite close together…I was once told never to trust a guy whose eyes are that close together.”

Summary Of Tim Naki’s Wins And Losses

• Total wins: $4,633,293 NZD ($2,833,629 USD)
• Total losses: $1,698,181 NZD ($1,038,573 USD)

Before turning his hand to blackjack, Tim Myers was (and still is) a keen horse bettor. In a recent interview with Punters, Myers described his first devastating loss and first major win, both of which occurred on horses.

During his training as a farrier (a horseshoeing specialist), Myers and his brother pooled a month of their apprentices’ wages on a horse in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. When the horse broke down, it was a “crippling blow for all concerned”, and the pair lived off “Mi Goreng noodles for the coming weeks”.

On the other end of the scale, his biggest payoff occurred during the 2023 Melbourne Cup when he discovered an inflated promo price on one particular horse. Thanks to a couple of loopholes and some no-cap betting, Myers and his friends managed to clean up and somehow “got one over on the bookies”.

Naki’s Famous Blackjack Series

Early in 2024, Myers hit his biggest-ever slot win and landed the capital to begin his blackjack series. The win in question – $262,280 NZD on Pragmatic Play’s Madame Destiny Megaways slot – occurred on January 17th, 2024, giving him the financial freedom to place his first $1,500 blackjack hand two weeks later on February 2nd.

Throughout the three-month series, Tim Myers hit some historical and life-changing milestones. The Kiwi bettor won 10 out of 14 hands in his first two weeks, reached 150,000 followers in just over three weeks, and secured over $100,000 profit in 26 days.

Over the next 10 days, he accrued another $100,000 in profit, hitting the 200k mark by day 36. Myers landed his biggest win yet – $108,000 – on day 42, though he also suffered his biggest loss less than 24 hours later.

After losing $30,000 in one hand, Myers dropped the stakes from 10c per follower to 2c, though this switch-up lasted just six days before returning to the original format on day 50. The result? A $128,000 win.

Days 57-59 brought three consecutive pushes, the first (and only) of the series. Myers scored 9 wins and 5 losses throughout the next fortnight before venturing to Red Rock Casino to place (and ultimately lose) a couple of five-figure bets on days 74 and 75.

The biggest win of the entire series came on day 80 when Myers left the table with $270,000 after landing blackjack on a $108,000 hand. Finally, after 83 days of playing, he reached the million mark on his second attempt. But while it took him almost 12 weeks to hit this seven-figure status, it took just seven days to deplete his profits back to half a million.

After five eye-watering losses (none costing less than $119,000 per hand), TimNaki finally decided to cut his losses and conclude his three-month blackjack series. Ending with half a million in profit and over 1.2 million more followers, it’s safe to say that despite his many, many losses, the project was a roaring success.

A Closer Look At Tim Naki’s Wins And Loses

So, how many ups and downs did Myers face during his 90-day blackjack marathon? Check out the exact numbers below (figures are in NZD unless otherwise stated).

Days 1-30:

• Day 1: Won $3,000 with a $1,500 bet
• Day 2: Won $3,750 with a $1,500 bet using the previous day’s profits
• Day 3: Won $3,060 with a $1,530 bet, ending $5,200 in profit
• Day 4: Won $3,400 with a $1,700 bet
• Day 5: Rounded his $1,950 up to $2,000 and lost, ending his four-day win streak
• Day 6: Lost a $2,360 hand
• Day 7: Lost a $3,100 bet, landing him in the negative for the first time
• Day 8: Won $7,100 with a $3,550 hand, breaking the losing streak
• Day 9: Won $7,800 with a $3,900 bet
• Day 10: Won $8,200 with a $4,100 bet, used the profit to place a $4,100 Super Bowl multi bet
• Day 11: Doubled down on $4,400 bet and won $17,600
• Day 12: Won $9,860 with a $4,930 bet, resulting in a five-day win streak and $38,000 profit
• Day 13: Won $10,640 with a $5,320 bet, credits Taylor Swift and her lucky 13 for the win
• Day 14: Jumped from 15,000 to 59,700 followers in two weeks, resulting in a $5,970 bet (on which he suffered a huge double-down loss)
• Day 15: Won $12,400 after placing a $6,200 and bringing back his lucky Black Flaps cap
• Day 16: Won $14,400 after a $7,020 bet in Mexico
• Day 17: Won $25,000 on a $10,000 hand, a reduced number which was the result of an Instagram user sending thousands of bot followers to his account
• Day 18: Succumbed to pressure from followers to bet his full follower amount and lost a $15,300 hand
• Day 19: After confirmation from Instagram that his 157,000 follower count was full of bots, he played an $11,000 hand and lost
• Day 20: Lost an $11,700 hand
• Day 21: Won $24,200 with a $12,100 bet
• Day 22: Won a very swift $31,250 after landing blackjack with a $12,500 hand
• Day 23: Won $28,400 with a $12,900 bet after pressure from fans to use side bets, resulting in the best side bet win of the entire series
• Day 24: Won $24,000 with a $13,500 bet (side bets don’t pull through this time)
• Day 25: Won $35,000 with a $14,600 bet
• Day 26: Won $30,000 with a $15,000 bet after hitting 150k followers, reaching six-figure returns for the first time and securing over $113,000 profit in 26 days
• Day 27: Won $37,800 with a $15,600 bet, resulting in a $22,500 profit for the day
• Day 28: Lost a $17,000 bet
• Day 29: First day in Vegas, won $25,000 USD with a $10,000 USD hand
• Day 30: Second day in Vegas, won $25,000 USD with a $10,000 USD hand

Days 31-60:

• Day 31: Third day in Vegas, won the same again and continued the three-day streak
• Day 32: Final day in Vegas, and the house finally won
• Day 33: Won $40,000 with a $21,000 bet ($500 on each side bet)
• Day 34: Lost a $21,500 bet
• Day 35: Won $45,500 with a $22,500 bet using side bets
• Day 36: Won $91,600 after doubling down on a $23,200 bet, hitting over $200,000 profit
• Day 37: Lost a $24,000 bet but scraped back $3,500 on a side bet
• Day 38: Lost a $24,500 bet
• Day 39: Lost a $25,200 bet but gave away $2,500 to fans after breaching 250,000 followers
• Day 40: Lost a $26,200 bet
• Day 41: Lost a $27,000 bet
• Day 42: Won $108,000 after doubling down on a $28,000 bet, ending a five-day losing streak (the longest of the series)
• Day 43: Returns on March 20th after a six-day hiatus and loses a $30,000 hand
• Day 44: Lowers stakes from 10c per follower to 2c after input from fans, loses $6,140 bet
• Day 45: Lost a $6,200 bet
• Day 46: Won $12,480 with a $6,240 bet
• Day 47: Won $12,520 with a $6,260 bet
• Day 48: Upped the stakes at 5c per follower, won $30,000 with a $15,750 bet
• Day 49: Back to betting 2c per follower, loses a $6,360 bet
• Day 50: Returned to 10c per follower and won $128,000 from a $32,000 hand
• Day 51: Won $66,000 with a $33,000 bet, finally returning to over $200,000 in profit
• Day 52: Won $64,000 with a $34,000 bet
• Day 53: Won $70,000 with a $35,000 bet
• Day 54: Won $79,000 with a $35,500 bet, including a $10,000 win on side bets
• Day 55: Lost a $37,600 bet
• Day 56: Wins $80,000 with a $40,000 bet
• Day 57: $42,600 bet returned after the first push of the series
• Day 58: $45,000 bet returned after “back-to-back Alabama Specials”
• Day 59: $46,000 of $48,000 bet returned after “trifecta of pushes”
• Day 60: Won $100,000 with a $51,400 bet

Days 61-90:

• Day 61: Won $135,000 with a $56,000 bet
• Day 62: Lost a $60,200 bet
• Day 63: Won $120,000 with a $64,000 bet
• Day 64: Lost a $68,000 bet
• Day 65: Won $140,000 with a $70,000 bet
• Day 66: Won $140,000 with a $72,500 bet, hits half a million
• Day 67: Won $156,000 with a $78,000 bet
• Day 68: Lost an $81,000 bet
• Day 69: Won $160,000 with an $83,000 bet
• Day 70: Won $164,000 with an $86,000 bet
• Day 71: Lost a $91,000 bet
• Day 72: Won $180,000 with a $94,000 bet
• Day 73: Lost a $96,500 bet after revealing a $666,000 total profit
• Day 74: Lost $50,000 after switching from online to physical poker at Red Rock Casino, Vegas
• Day 75: Won $160,000 with a $50,000 online bet but lost $30,000 at Red Rock Casino
• Day 76: Won $206,000 with a $103,000 bet
• Day 77: Lost a $104,000 bet
• Day 78: Won $224,200 with a $104,400 bet, including $22,000 on side bets wins
• Day 79: Won $250,000 with a $106,000 bet
• Day 80: Won $270,000 with a $108,000 bet, two back-to-back blackjack days
• Day 81: Lost a $111,000 bet
• Day 82: Won $226,000 with a $113,000 bet
• Day 83: Won $230,000 with a $115,000 bet, breaching the million mark on May 3rd
• Day 84: Lost a $119,000 bet
• Day 85: Lost a $120,000 bet
• Day 86: Won $242,000 with a $121,000 bet
• Day 87: Won $240,000 with a $122,600 bet, this time including side bets (despite claiming “side bets are for mugs”)
• Day 88: Lost a $124,000 bet
• Day 89: Lost a $129,000 bet
• Day 90: Lost a $195,000 bet, spending what was left in his account and ending the three-month blackjack series

What Is Tim Naki’s Net Worth?

Tim Naki started streaming long before his blackjack series began. The Taranaki native uploaded his first slot stream via Instagram in January 2023 and joined YouTube in September 2022. He has also been wagering on horses since 2015, so he has almost a decade of horse race betting profits (and losses) behind him.

As such, it’s impossible to tell exactly what his net worth is. All we know is how much he has made from his blackjack winnings (a hefty sum) and how much he takes home from his regular slot streaming.

Of course, having skyrocketed into the mainstream and immortalized himself in the gambling hall of fame, it’s likely that TimNaki will have sponsorship offers coming up the wazoo. As such, his net worth will only increase even further over the next few months.

Tim Naki’s iconic series wrapped up after 90 days, leaving him the opportunity to start something completely new and exciting. And what did he do? Restarted his blackjack series, this time at 1c per follower (to be fair, he has a lot more followers now than when he originally began. And why fix what’s not broken?) We certainly can’t wait to see what he gets up to in the future.

Lead Image Credit: @tim.naki

Here at Casino.org, we wanted to get a full picture of Drake’s extraordinary gambling habits, so we’ve analyzed his biggest sports and casino bets, as well as his relationship with Stake.com (see our full?Stake review?here).

Summary Of Drake’s Gambling Habits

• Drake joined the crypto casino Stake.com in December 2021. In just two months, he wagered cryptocurrency worth over $1 billion on sports and casino bets.
• Due to Drake’s bad track record with sports bets, many believe in the “Drake Curse”, where any athlete endorsed or wagered on by Drake suffers a defeat.
• Drake has wagered millions on sports bets, suffering many defeats in soccer and UFC (for example, losing $2 million on one UFC bet in 2022), but has been luckier with the NBA and NFL, bagging $2 million betting that The Kansas City Chiefs would win Super Bowl LVII.
• Drake also gambles on casino games, especially roulette. In 2022, he took home over $12 million on a roulette spin.
• Drake has hosted five live streamed events called “Drake vs Stake”, where he hands out Bitcoin packages worth up to $75,000. On one day, he won nearly $25 million himself, while on another, he started with $8.5 million and ended with less than $2,000.
• Some believe that the money Drake gambles on Stake.com is deposited by Stake itself.

A Brief History Of Drake’s Biggest Bets

• Total Wins: CA$106.3 million ($79.1 million)
• Total Losses: CA$46.1 million ($34.2 million)

From January 2022 to January 2024, our research discovered 24 notable wins and 21 notable losses.

This includes wagers on American leagues like the NFL and NBA and on international sports like the UFC and Formula 1.

It also includes his wagers on Stake.com, where it’s clear he has a penchant for roulette.

Some of his biggest successes occurred during live-streamed events as part of his partnership with Stake.

In fact, a single spin on a live roulette table saw him win over $17 million in May 2022.

The same month, he lost over $660,000 on Formula 1 and UFC bets.

Excluding an eight-figure casino failure (when he lost just under $25 million with French Montana), all of Drake’s biggest losses since January 2022 have been from his various sports wagers.

Despite his failures, the Toronto native totaled over $79.1 million in wins since joining Stake.com.

Take away the $34.2 million in losses, and Drake’s bets have seen him earn more than $44.9 million in profit.

Let’s take a look at Drake’s biggest wagers on Stake…

Drake’s Bets On Stake

Drake joined the crypto casino under the username “DeepPockets6” in December 2021.

In just two months, he wagered cryptocurrency worth over $1 billion on various sports and casino bets.

The Toronto talent has never been shy about posting his gambling activity. In February 2022, he shared a snap of himself playing live high-stakes roulette while courtside at a Toronto Raptors game.

Since Drake’s first foray into the crypto betting world, Stake has been tagged or had its logo appear in almost all of the rapper’s gambling-related posts.

Unsurprisingly, the logo featured in his post about the Raptors, for whom the rapper has been a global ambassador since 2013.

While many fans expressed concern over Drake’s newfound gambling habits, other eagle-eyed viewers claimed it was simply product placement.

The last time we looked into Drake’s excessive gambling habits, rumors had begun to spread that a potential Drake-Stake partnership was brewing. Less than two weeks later, Drake announced his affiliation with the crypto casino in March 2022.

The announcement, which Drake deemed “inevitable”, was posted to his Instagram (@champagnepapi) on March 2.

The rapper wrote in the caption that part of this partnership would be a live-streamed event where he could dish out prizes and share the love “with my people”.

Drake’s Sport Bets And The Drake Curse

Any bettor who keeps up with high-profile sports wagers will be well aware of the ‘Drake Curse’.

Far from the fabled King Midas, conspiracists believe that everything Drake touches turns to loss.

From Anthony Joshua to Serena Williams, any athlete endorsed or wagered on by Drake seems to suffer a shocking defeat.

The ‘Drake Curse’ is such legendary sporting folklore that analysts have crunched the numbers to see if it’s true (the myth was debunked with only 31% of associated players losing their matches, but who’s to get in the way of a good story?).

Drake’s UFC Bets

Whether it’s due to a passion for the sport or because Stake is the official partner in Asia and Latin America, Drake has funneled millions of dollars into wagering on the UFC.

Unfortunately, passion alone doesn’t win bets.

In March 2022, the Canadian star missed a $1.03 million payout after betting $275,000 that Jorge Masvidal would defeat Colby Covington.

The rapper lost another $1 million payout in May of the same year when he wagered $427,000 on Justin Gaethje to beat Charles Oliveira.

Things took a turn for the better on July 1, and it seemed the curse was momentarily lifted.

After a successful $136,000 wager on fellow Stake ambassador Israel Adesanya, Drake pocketed $897,000.

Just 10 days later, the “Hotline Bling” artist won a massive $3.7 million payout from a $2.2 million stake on Liverpudlian UFC duo Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann.

Drake bought them both a Rolex watch as a token of his gratitude.

However, his luck ended abruptly in August, and he lost two consecutive bets totaling $430,00 on UFC fighters Kamaru Usman and Jose Aldo.

Not put off by his UFC losses, Drake placed another bet on Israel Adesanya on November 12.

Hoping to cash in once again on the Stake ambassador, Drake wagered $2 million that he would beat opponent Alex Pereira in the UFC 281 title fight on November 12.

What could’ve been a $2.9 million payout resulted in a $2 million loss.

They say the third time’s the charm, and Drake clearly hoped it would ring true when he bet once again on Adesanya in September 2023.

He wagered – and subsequently lost – $500,000 when Adesanya was defeated by Sean Strickland in UFC 293.

He then swiftly switched sides to support Strickland in his fight against Dricus Du Plessis in UFC 297.

Even though the fight was on home soil, the Toronto native lost an eye-watering $700,000.

Switching from athletes to YouTubers, Drake stacked up several bets both for and against the controversial Paul brothers, Logan and Jake.

One stepped up to the mark, while the other floundered – though neither was a winning outcome for Drake. He lost $400,000 when Logan lost to Tommy Fury in February 2023 and a further $250,000 when Jake beat former UFC Title Challenger Nate Diaz in August 2023.

Logan Paul even went so far as to blame the ‘Drake Curse’ for his loss, while victors like Dricus Du Plessis thanked the rapper for cursing his opponents and securing them the W.

Drake’s Soccer Bets

It seems his unlucky streak doesn’t end with UFC bets.

On October 16, the rapper wagered over $600,000 that both Arsenal and Barcelona would be victorious in their respective matches.

While Arsenal came through on their side of the deal, Barcelona lost 3-1 to rival team Real Madrid.

To rub salt in the wound, Barcelona’s kit featured the OVO owl logo.

The sponsorship came courtesy of Spotify, who partnered with the team to celebrate Drake becoming the first artist with 50 billion Spotify streams.

Unsurprisingly, this was used as further evidence that the ‘Drake Curse’ is alive and well.

Drake’s NFL Bets

While Drake may have tallied more losses than wins from his UFC bets, the “6 God” has had a better run when wagering on the NFL.

In February 2022, he took home $537,850 by betting on the Rams to win and on Odell Beckham Jr. to score an anytime touchdown.

Though he lost $393,000 on a separate ODJ prop bet, he recovered $235,000 in April by betting on his Californian namesake Drake London to be the 1^st drafted Wide Receiver.

Fast forward to the 2022 season, and Drake’s NFL bets are well underway.

Despite losing $208,000 on the Miami Dolphins on September 29, the rapper’s good fortunes continue.

In November, the rapper cashed out a whopping $2 million on a $287,000 bet.

The three-leg parlay predicted that the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs would be victorious in their Week 4 matchups.

Continuing to ride the lucky streak into 2023, Drake’s $1.1 million wager on the Chiefs to beat the Bengals in the AFC proved more than profitable with a $2 million payout.

Having established himself as one of the Super Bowl’s most anticipated bettors, Drizzy dropped just shy of $1 million ($965,000, to be exact) on various Super Bowl LVII bets. The biggest of these was a single $700,000 wager on the Chiefs to win the trophy.

The Kansas City Chiefs – apparently Drake’s good lucky charm – didn’t disappoint, and he bagged another $2 million payout.

Drake’s NBA Bets

Similarly, Drake’s basketball, baseball, and hockey wagers have proven highly successful.

Shortly before his bet on London in April 2022, Drake’s NBA bets on the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks saw him taking home a combined total of $729,440.

The same month, he bet on the Toronto Blue Jays to beat the Boston Red Sox and pocketed a respectable $115,240.

The lucky streak continued on May 16 when he cashed in a Game 7 parlay on the Dallas Mavericks, the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers.

From a $309,000 stake with 8.64 total odds, Drake won an impressive $2,361,000.

This huge payout couldn’t have come at a better time, as he lost $235,000 only six days later by betting on Formula 1 racer Charles Leclerc to win the Spain Grand Prix.

That said, his basketball bets hit a bump in April 2023 when he lost a combined total of $400,000 on three NCAA parlays (including an all-Florida Final Four).

His bad luck didn’t last long, and he secured a $1 million payout when the Denver Nuggets beat Miami Heat in June 2023.

He also cashed out $850,000 from a $250,000 bet that Heat would win no more than one game.

Fast forward to January 2024, and basketball is still his number one earner. Drake started the year with a bang when he wagered $60,349 on the Indiana Pacers to beat Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.

In comparison to some of his other wagers, the $223,292 payout is pretty average. However, it set him in good stead for the year ahead.

Clearly, the odds tip more in Drake’s favor when he bets on star-spangled soil.

In June 2022, Drake’s former NHL favorites let him down after he wagered $225,292 on a Rangers victory.

However, a swift change in tactics, a jump to the Colorado Avalanches and a $228,270 profit covered the losses of the day before.

Fortunately for the OVO entrepreneur, his decision to stick with the Golden State Warriors proved successful. Two strategic wagers on the Warriors resulted in a $1 million combined payout from the $225,292 and $111,620 stakes. 

Congrats, You Won! But We’re Keeping The Cash

An unexpected trend that occurred from December 2022 to December 2023, was that the team or person the “6 God” wagered on would win, but he’d still lose the bet.

For example, his million-dollar wager on Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup was technically correct. However, he predicted they’d win after 90 minutes of play, and not through penalties as was the outcome. Therefore, his bet was void and his e-wallet a million dollars lighter.

The same happened twice during the 2023 NCAA. He lost $250,000 despite the Huskies beating the Aztecs as predicted. Drake wagered that they’d win by a margin of 6-10 points, and they ended up 17 points above.

April 2023 wasn’t all doom and gloom, though, because he won $230,000 from a $100,000 wager on the Huskies winning by at least 11 points.

Now, we’ve already demonstrated just how bad Drake’s UFC betting history is. But in 2023, he got so close to breaking his unlucky streak.

Putting his faith once again in Logan Paul, Drake bet he would knock out MMA fighter Dillon Danis when they went head-to-head in September 2023.

Paul defied the odds and took home the trophy, but if he’d won by a knockout rather than a technicality, Drake would’ve taken home $1.4 million from his $850,000 stake.

And it seems the rapper doesn’t learn from mistakes. Just one month later, he lost $250,000 when he made the same bet on Leon Edwards to beat Colby Covington at UFC 296. Edwards was victorious, but no knockout = no cashout.

Drake’s Casino Stakes

Stake is a site that values its casino just as much as its sportsbook, and Drake is the same.

Alongside placing six- and seven-figure sports wagers, the rapper is renowned for splashing big bucks on red and black.

A week before he announced his partnership with Stake, Drake was pictured wagering over $100,000 on a single spin at an ARIA Casino high-stakes roulette table.

Since joining Stake, Drake has wagered, lost, and won some astronomical casino bets.

Rather than spinning the reels of the latest slots or beating the dealer to 21, the Toronto rapper focuses his time (and enormous bankroll) on roulette.

After all, in 2020, he dropped $620,000 on a Jacob & Co watch with a functioning roulette wheel inside.

Drake kicked off 2022 in style with a $354,000 roulette payout, taking home $215,000 on top of his original stake.

He shared a video of the win on his Instagram story with the caption, “I’m a savant… nothing sweeter than a repeater.”

Later that year, the “6 God” scored over $12 million on another roulette spin – this time while wearing a retro Arsenal shirt (an attempt to disprove the ‘Drake Curse’ theory, perhaps…?).

In 2023, his public casino wagers slowed down. However, this may soon change.

In November 2023, Drake shared a reel on his Instagram that highlighted his past wins. The caption read, “Been a long time without a big win…but I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again @Stake”.

Does this mean Drizzy will soon be reclaiming his title as Stake Casino’ biggest bettor?

Drake Vs Stake

Drake has hosted a number of live streamed events as part of his partnership with the crypto casino.

Dubbed “Drake Vs Stake”, these events give Stake players from around the world exclusive access to Drake’s own live roulette gameplay.

Alongside scoring himself some significant wins, the rapper hands out Bitcoin packages worth between $20,000 and $75,000 to players throughout the stream.

There have been at least five “Drake Vs Stake” events so far, with around $1 million worth of crypto awarded each time.

Contrary to his ‘cursed’ athletic associates, Drake frequently scores huge casino wins when betting with a partner.

Whether he’s wagering live with other streamers on Twitch or playing alongside his celebrity rapper pals, the Canadian gambling mogul has multiple million-dollar wins under his belt.

Celebrity guests often join Drake during his “Drake Vs Stake” events. The first live-streamed Twitch event, which took place on May 26 2022, saw Drake surrounded by an entourage while he wagered $500,000 per spin on a live roulette table.

Moments before his guest and fellow rapper Lil Baby entered the room, Drake won a mammoth $17.9 million on his lucky number, black 11.

On July 11 the same year, French Montana joined Drake for the second instalment of “Drake Vs Stake”. The rapper scored two more eight-figure wins, which amounted to an incredible $24.9 million.

Throughout the stream, Drake dished out another $1 million worth of Bitcoin between the 100,000 Stake members following the event.

While the winnings of his two streamed casino events amount to more than all of his successful sports wagers combined, it seems he hasn’t yet perfected the art of knowing when to cash out.

Despite starting with $8.5 million and reaching almost $27.2 million at one point, he ended the second event with less than $2,000 in his account.

His most recent “Drake VS Stake” events have been co-hosted by popular streamer Rothstein. The duo first livestreamed together in October 2022 from an arcade in Canada, where they gave out prizes worth $20,000 and video called the lucky winners.

This gambling session resulted in some major wins, including a $12.2 million and a $6.6 million payout on the roulette wheel.

Straying from his favorite tabletop game, Drake managed to score a $1 million win on the Hacksaw Gaming slot Dork Unit.

The pair hosted three further “Drake Vs Stake” events throughout 2023, including a slots-focused special where the pair won $678,600 on another Hacksaw Gaming slot, Wanted Dead or a Wild.

All but one of the “Drake Vs Stake” 2023 events were streamed from the freshly launched streaming website Kick.com. This move is unsurprising for two reasons.

The first is that Stake needed somewhere new to host its events, since Twitch banned all gambling livestreams held at casinos without a US license.

Secondly, the upstart is owned by none other than the co-founders of Stake.com, Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.

Are Drake’s Stakes Legit?

Before Drake officially announced his partnership with Stake, people were questioning whether or not the multi-platinum-award winner was being paid to promote the site.

After Drake confirmed the partnership, the focus shifted towards a different line of questioning.

Many bettors now believe that the money Drake gambles on the site is in fact deposited by Stake itself.

Some claim he can make such high-risk bets because he is not risking his own money.

Whether or not this is true is yet to be discovered; however, with a net worth of a quarter of a billion, it’s not unreasonable to think he has the bankroll to fund such outrageous betting habits.

Stake Beyond Drake

Alongside associations with Drake and the UFC, Stake has global partnerships that are helping launch the crypto casino into the mainstream.

Stake took its first foray into the UK market in 2022. Besides opening a dedicated site for UK bettors under a new handle, Stake is the official front-of-shirt sponsor for both Everton and Watford FC.

It also signed former Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero as a brand ambassador in February 2022 and became the shirt sleeve sponsor for Peterborough’s Emirates FA Cup 5^th Round match in the same month.

In September, Stake.com landed a sponsorship deal with the European Cricket Championship. The crypto site became the principal partner for the 2022 Championships in Spain.

Further abroad, Stake launched a separate venture – Stake News – in August 2022, subsequently becoming India’s primary sponsor of Mumbai City FC.

Less than a week later, Stake became the principal sponsor of a second Indian Super League team, Hyderabad FC.

In Japan, Stake signed a deal with Volleyball World to become the official sponsor of the International Volleyball Federation’s men’s league in Osaka, Japan.

2023 brought a whole host of new partnerships, including the Alfa Romeo F1 team, Everton Football Club, and the International Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup & Billie Jean King Cup.

New ambassadors for 2023 include soccer player Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa, and mixed martial artists Alexandre Pantoja, Gilbert ‘Durinho’ Burns and Jailton ‘Malhadinho’ Almeida.

The crypto casino kicked off 2024 with its biggest partnership the date: its own Formula One team. Its 2023 partner Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake has rebranded to become, simply, Stake F1 Team.

Alongside this announcement, Stake is now the exclusive partner for both the 2024 and 2025 F1 seasons. It is also the principal new sponsor of Esporte Clube Juventude.

Lead image: Geo News

Early Life and Introduction to Gambling

Born in New Jersey in the 1950s, Thomas Hyland’s introduction to gambling came from his father, who occasionally gambled at the local racetrack or pool hall.

In his teens, Hyland began collecting bets from his fellow high school students. He would produce photocopies of standard parlay cards and hand them out to his classmates. He even started creating his own spreadsheets, allowing other students to place wagers on high school sports.

All this saw Hyland draw in profits of $30 to $50 a week, which was a considerable amount of money at the time.

Once of age, Hyland began visiting Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos and was irreversibly sucked into the casino buzz. He figured that by developing unique strategies, he could count card decks perfectly before deftly rounding them off the blackjack table.

Even so, Hyland never set out to pursue a career in casino gambling. In fact, he had very little success in his first few visits to casinos. However, this only encouraged Hyland to continue practicing his card counting techniques. Life as a professional blackjack player crept up on him, and since the late ‘70s, he hasn’t looked back.

The Hyland Blackjack Team

In the ’80s, he further fueled his passion for blackjack, having read Lawrence Revere’s book Playing Blackjack as a Business. Piquing the interest of like-minded gamblers, Hyland recruited a 4-member blackjack team to whom he taught his genius tricks of the trade.

One of which was his roommate. The pair of them would regularly sit together at $5 blackjack tables, one of them counting the low cards and the other counting the high cards. By whispering their findings to each other, the pair could make more educated bets. They raked in over $4,000 each!

Finding trustworthy team players can be very difficult, and it’s an even further stretch to recruit team members with equal blackjack knowledge and talent.

But as is typical with Tommy Hyland – he knew how to spot specialties. When he was first faced with filling table seats after a few original team members dropped out in the early ‘80s, talent-spotting Tommy signed up a few golfing buddies. He then made a routine of replacement to ensure the team never ceased.

Mind you, things didn’t always go to plan for the team, since their techniques seemed too good to be true to jealous competitors. In 1994, three of the group were arrested in Ontario for suspected shady gaming. Thankfully, the judge recognized that Hyland’s gaming strategies were all above board. There was no evidence of any cheating – the group was genuinely genius.

Tommy Hyland’s ‘Secret’ Strategies

Hyland is renowned for being the original player to use ace sequencing to beat blackjack. This blackjack strategy involves tracking aces throughout a game before predicting when they will reappear from the shoe. Pretty clever, huh?

As Hyland started playing blackjack at a time when advanced play methods were still under construction, he was at an advantage. Hyland is sure to go down in history as one of the pioneers of shuffle tracking and ace sequencing techniques.

Targeting Atlantic City casinos, Hyland’s 4-man band began offering “early surrenders”. This means players surrender a hand before the croupier checks for an organic blackjack.

This technique lowers the house edge by a small margin (when compared to a no surrender option). Early surrenders have an even more profound effect on the house advantage than the number of card decks.

With their blackjack tips and tricks close to their chests, Team Hyland used their expertise and a healthy mix of the era’s friendly rules to succeed rapidly. Within weeks, they’d made a $50,000 profit in Atlantic City.

To this day, pit bosses are hard-pushed to spot professional gamblers who utilize such advanced strategies. But they’ve had the time to fine-tune their spotting skills – unlike the casinos tormented by Hyland’s team antics back in the day.

Hyland’s Mark on History

To this day, there is no inkling to suggest that any other blackjack team has stood the test of time as Tommy Hyland’s did. With successes from the ‘70s into the early noughties, Hyland’s crew eventually had to hang up their blackjack hats when casinos recognized each team member.

Usually, Hyland’s team would wait months before returning to a casino they’d already played in, in an attempt to avoid getting barred. They’d even go in subtle disguises. Some team members would shave their hair, dye it or grow it out, while others would grow or shave their beards.

One December, Hyland hilariously went dressed up as Santa Clause. So much for being inconspicuous. So, the game was up – for now.

As good as Hyland is a blackjack player, he’s just as good a manager. The mogul regrouped his clan and kept them playing for more than 40 years. Though he quit managing some time ago, Hyland can still be found trying his trusty hand out at a few tables in Atlantic City.

Tommy Hyland Today

That said, don’t be fooled into thinking Hyland only retired – he’s reaped the benefits of his card game fame with a few short trips down other showbiz avenues.

In 2002, Hyland became one of the inaugural members to be indicted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Arnold Snyder, Edward O. Thorp, Ken Uston, Peter Griffin, and Stanford Wong.

Alongside this esteemed honor, Hyland’s seen his fair share of success on the big and small screens.

Starring in the Hot Shoe as himself in 2004, Hyland agreed to a documentary movie about card counting for the casino game, 21. The director himself invested $5,000 of the movie’s budget to learn the counting methods and put them to the test on screen.

A year later, Hyland featured in an episode of Breaking Vegas – a TV series about people who have attempted to make fortunes by playing games against the house.

Not quite finished with the excitement of “lights, camera, and action”, Hyland then enjoyed a role in Inside the Edge: A Professional Blackjack Adventure. The docufilm gives you a sneak peek into the world of professional blackjack players as they take on casinos for millions of dollars.

These days, his long-supporting wife gets to see a lot more of her husband, since he and his team aren’t causing such a show on the casino floor. His net worth is still reported to be over $1 million.

Then suddenly, his world came crashing down. Citing a breach of the terms and conditions in 2018, YouTube shut down his account and removed his channel from its listings.

The reasoning that YouTube’s parent company gave was that one of his videos violated the site’s terms and conditions relating to… “violent or dangerous acts.” Suddenly, Christopher was left battling to save his channel.

So, what happened to Brian Christopher?

Brian Christopher’s rise to fame

Slot machines had a particular reputation when it came to gambling. While sports betting and table games like poker have always piqued the interest of a younger audience, some saw slot machines as gambling for retirees.

Then online gambling exploded, and the top game producers suddenly created captivating titles that featured great graphics, engaging bonus rounds, and unique features. These titles introduced slot games to a new generation of players.

Brian Christopher launched his career by traveling throughout the US, heading to land-based casinos and playing slot machines. He would chronicle his wins and losses in his typical style, making large bets, living on the edge, and trying to win the jackpot. Views poured in, and a fanbase around Christopher emerged.

Christopher would also answer live questions from fans throughout his videos, which connected his subscribers to him. In this sense, he was ahead of his time.

Now, with the rise of game streaming services like Twitch, a regular back-and-forth between subscribers and content creators is common. Then, he was at the forefront of this movement.

Brian Christopher’s YouTube channel seemed to tap into an audience who wanted to see more of the real ups and downs of gambling. In doing so, he became the poster boy for the new world of slot games.

Brian falls foul of YouTube’s regulations

In 2018, Christopher began to receive warnings from YouTube. Alphabet (YouTube’s parent company) had warned the channel for videos containing “violent and dangerous acts,” even though the most violent Christopher ever got was perhaps clicking on a slot game a bit too vigorously.

Later in the year, in June, the channel was sent another message from YouTube. This message said that it had closed Brian Gambles for repeated or severe violations of YouTube’s community guidelines. For someone who had spent over a decade making videos, this must have felt like his world was crashing down.

Content creation was his full-time job, and he employed two full-time staff. When YouTube deactivated his channel, he looked set to lose hundreds of original videos and the product of nearly 12 years of work. Brian Gambles was also a family affair, and his husband since 2008, Marco, regularly appeared in videos.

Other gambling channels were also affected. The Big Jackpot, which has over 461,000 subscribers and nearly 219 million views, was also suspended as part of a general sweep of gambling creators on the platform.

For Brian Christopher, suspension meant that his ad revenue suddenly stopped, summing $20,000 per month.

But why?!

A sweep that included two of the biggest gambling channels might suggest YouTube was targeting content creators in this field. Despite coming far in the US since the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA, not to mention the popularity of gambling in Europe, US companies were still twitchy when it came to gambling. The irony of the overturning of PASPA coming just one month before Brian Christopher’s channel was suspended won’t be lost on many people.

YouTube’s parent company reasoned that his video “Smokin’ Hot Gems, BIG WIN, Mammoth Power Slot Machine Pokies w Brian Christopher“, violated the site’s terms and conditions relating to… “violent or dangerous acts.”

But the disparity between the accusations against the Brian Gambles channel and the reality was another factor dripping in irony. YouTube’s community guidelines offer explicit definitions of harmful content, and Brian Christopher’s videos came nowhere near them.

So, it seems YouTube’s decision to suspend Brian Gambles may not have been due to its content breaking specified community guidelines, but as part of a more comprehensive policy against gambling channels.

Eventually, they relented

Understanding the hollow nature of the cited breach of community guidelines, Brian Christopher decided to appeal the decision and restore his channel. He explained that he had not breached guidelines and that he followed all of YouTube’s rules.

YouTube rejected his appeal without a proper explanation. Other requests by channels like The Big Jackpot also failed.

Then, without warning, YouTube contacted Christopher to inform him they were reinstating his channel. As he had explained to them in depth, they concluded that he had not broken any rules. The platform also reinstated other gambling channels like The Big Jackpot.

Some have speculated that an error with the platform’s AI systems led to the sweep of gambling channels in 2018. Others have suggested a broader policy to marginalize gambling content on the platform. Whatever the reason, Brian Christopher was back and able to begin producing content with the rest of his team, including Britt Carter.

He soon changed the channel’s name to Brian Christopher Slots (or BC Slots). While the reinstation allowed him to resume monetization, YouTube seriously damaged the channel’s finances with the suspension.

Where is Brian Christopher Slots today?

Despite all these challenges, BC Slots resumed production of the videos we know and love, and ad revenue continued. Christopher would surely be forever weary of the threat of sudden closure, but rebuilt his YouTube empire.

In July 2022, he even created his own slot game with Gaming Arts. Christopher debuted his new slot machine Pop’N Pays More at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

As of 2024, he has nearly 650,000 YouTube subscribers and nearly 500 million views. Brian Christopher’s net worth, stemming from ad revenue and merchandise sales, is estimated to be around $3 million.

Brian Christopher Slots (or BC Slots) remains one of the biggest gambling channels on YouTube, despite the setback of his suspension. Further questions remain about the fragility of YouTube channels, and soul-searching across the industry about the nature of Alphabet’s platform governance continues.

As BC Slots shows, arbitrary suspensions can have a real financial impact on YouTubers. But Brian Christopher’s decision to continue on the platform shows that creators have few options but to co-exist with YouTube’s management.

Users love to consume the content that Brian Christopher Slots creates, but if platforms have the ultimate say in what can and can’t be hosted on its sites, that relationship is precarious.

If it happened once, who can say it won’t happen again?

For something similar, check out What Ever Happened To Tommy Hyland.

Lead Image: @BCSlots / X

The top players think nothing of dropping tens of thousands, or even more, in a playing session, knowing that they could easily win it back when they next sit down at the poker table.

But which professional poker players have the largest bank balances, taking into account winnings, endorsements, movie appearances, plus other income streams?

Take a look below to find out…

10. Antonio Esfandiari – $27 Million

At number 10 on this list of the richest poker players is Antonio Esfandiari, one of the best-known players on the poker circuit.

The former magician managed to win three World Series of Poker bracelets throughout his career, plus he’s won three WPT titles, with the first coming in 2004 at the L.A. Poker Classic.

Esfandiari’s biggest ever win came in 2012, when he won the “Big One for One Drop” tournament at the WSOP. This saw him win a massive $18,346,673 – at the time, the largest ever live poker prize.

At one point, he had earned more via tournament winnings than anyone else, until his title was taken by Daniel Negreanu.

Antonio Esfandiari net worth: $27 Million

9. Tony G – $36 Million

Tony G – real name Antanas Guoga – is one of the loudest, most outspoken poker players around.

He’s also a politician in the European Parliament, as well as a successful businessman. He’s never won a WSOP bracelet, however he has finished in the money 15 times.

During his poker career, Tony G has won several six-figure prizes. Most of his wealth comes from his business activities though.

He is the chief executive officer of Cypherpunk Holdings, an investment company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Tony G net worth: $36 Million

8. Justin Bonomo – $57 Million

Next up, we come to Justin Bonomo, who has found huge success in both live and online tournaments.

He’s a three-time WSOP bracelet winner and has cashed 55 times at the event. He has also won many large online events, including the Super High Roller Bowl Online in 2020.

Bonomo’s biggest ever win came when he won the “Big One for One Drop” tournament in 2018, which added $10 million to his bank account and made him the number one all-time live tournament money winner at the time.

Justin Bonomo net worth: $57 Million

7. Bryn Kenney – $57 Million

Bryn Kenney is an American player and perhaps one of the lesser known names on this list.

He has only won one WSOP bracelet, however he has finished in the money 32 times. He is number one on the list of the players with the highest tournament earnings ever, with winnings of over $55 million.

Kenney is perhaps best-known for winning the highest prize ever awarded at a poker tournament. He won over $20.5 million at the 2019 Triton Million charity event in London.

He actually came second, however he made a deal with eventual winner Aaron Zang when he was the chip leader, allowing him to win the larger prize.

Bryn Kenney net worth: $57 Million

6. Daniel Negreanu – $70 Million

Daniel Negreanu is the most famous poker player of all time. His personality has made him a huge hit with fans, and his skill has ensured he’s one of the richest poker players around.

“Kid Poker” has six WSOP bracelets and is the only player to be named WSOP Player of the Year twice. He’s also a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Overall, Negreanu has won nearly $42 million in tournament prize money and has earned a considerable sum from sponsorship deals, with the biggest seeing him become the face of PokerStars.

Negreanu and PokerStars parted ways in 2019 though and he’s now an ambassador for GGPoker, which leaves many wondering which is the best poker room of the two. Check out our PS v GGPoker review to find out!

Daniel Negreanu net worth: $70 Million

5. Doyle Brunson – $75 Million

Doyle Brunson is known as one of the greatest names in poker history.

Throughout his career, he won 10 WSOP bracelets and won the Main Event twice, in 1976 and 1977.

The retiree also regularly played cash games at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, including a limit mixed poker game with $4,000/$8,000 blinds.

Overall, Brunson has earned over $6.1 million from live tournament winnings. How much he earned while playing high stakes cash games is unknown.

He’s also earned money from various other sources, including his book Super System, which is regarded as one of the best poker strategy books ever written.

Doyle Brunson net worth: $75 Million

4. Chris Ferguson – $80 Million

It would be fair to say that Chris Ferguson is not the most popular man in poker.

He was accused of being one of the people behind a massive Ponzi scheme at Full Tilt Poker, which stole around $444 million from players.

Even though he later came out with an apology, it was considered too little, too late by many.

Despite his shady behavior he is still a great player, having won the WSOP Main Event in 2000 in which he scooped a $1.5 million prize.

Overall, he has earned nearly $7 million throughout his career in live tournament winnings, with a large percentage of this figure coming from his 168 money finishes at the WSOP. ??

Chris Ferguson net worth: $80 Million

3. Sam Farha – $100 Million

Most players will recognize Sam Farha as the man who lost to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 Main Event. 

The Lebanese poker player has bagged three WSOP bracelets over the years and although he does play tournaments, he’s better known as a high-stakes Omaha cash game player.

Farha’s biggest tournament win, aside from his prize for finishing second at the WSOP Main Event, is $488,241, which he won when finishing first at the 2010 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship.

His wealth also comes from several business interests, TV and movie appearances, and writing books.

Sam Farha net worth: $100 Million

2. Phil Ivey – $125 Million

Many consider Phil Ivey to be one of the greatest poker players of all time. The American has managed to win 10 WSOP bracelets – only Phil Hellmuth has more.

He has also appeared at the final table of the Main Event, finishing 7^th in 2009. He has won one WPT title, plus has reached nine final tables.

Ivey has won numerous large prizes at tournaments, including AU$4 million for coming first at the 2014 Aussie Millions LK Boutique AU$250,000 Challenge.

Ivey is also a successful online player, plus he’s a superb high-stakes cash game player, once winning $16 million in three days playing against Texan billionaire Andy Beal.

Phil Ivey net worth: $125 Million

1. Dan Bilzerian – $200 Million

Bilzerian is a huge Instagram star and claims that most of his fortune has come from poker winnings, won playing ultra-high-stakes poker games.

Many are dubious of this claim though, as he received an unknown sum of money from a trust fund, plus has many business ventures, as well as a highly lucrative social media presence.

Bilzerian has made some big claims about his poker playing abilities, including that he made $50 million from poker in 2014 alone.

He has never won a major tournament, instead claiming that his money comes from cash games only. The social media sensation has also been arrested on various occasions.

Regardless of how he got his money though, he’s still the richest poker player in the world by far.

Dan Bilzerian net worth: $200 Million

If you are interested in playing poker, check out our online poker guide, or our top poker freerolls.

However, most people only know them for owning one of the most famous sports teams in the world: The New York Yankees. 

The family’s ownership of the Yankees began with George Steinbrenner, a larger than life figure who won seven World Series titles with the team.

He also built the Yankee brand into an incredibly profitable business, one that brought in nearly $700 million in revenue during 2019 alone. 

So, whether they lift the Commissioner’s Trophy or not, the Steinbrenners are winners when every MLB season ends.

But how did the Steinbrenners end up in this win-win situation? 

To put it simply, because of “The Boss.”

It Starts With George

The Steinbrenners were wealthy long before George came along.

The main source of their money was a shipping company, Kinsman Marine Transit, which the Steinbrenners got involved with in 1901. 

George Steinbrenner, known by everyone in the baseball world as “The Boss,” was born in Ohio in July 1930.

His father, Henry, was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate and a collegiate level hurdler. George’s mother, Rita, was an Irish immigrant. 

By all accounts, Henry was a hard man and a control freak who ruled both the shipping company and his family with an iron fist.

George’s upbringing in Cleveland was difficult because of this as he explained in an interview:

“He [Henry] was a pusher. He led, and we followed. You could run three races in one day and get two firsts and a second, and the only thing he wanted to talk about was, How did you get beat? What did you do wrong? […] I was mad at him all the time. I was mad a lot. But I found myself working that much harder to prove to him I could do it.”

As a young man, George graduated from Williams College and Ohio State University. He had several jobs including being an Air Force officer and a college sports coach.

After his time coaching football, George gave in to the inevitable and joined the family shipping company in 1957.

He soon proved himself a good businessman by revitalizing the company.

One of George’s best business moves came when he bought up the American Shipbuilding Company. It merged with Kinsman in 1967 and brought further wealth to the family.

Six years later, George led a group of 12 people in buying The New York Yankees from CBS for $10 million.

At the time of purchasing, George said he would have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of the business. But within a year he had bought out most of the partners and was already making his presence felt. 

This was the beginning of a reign that would last over 30 years. 

The Yankees And The Boss

As the owner of the Yankees, George was hell-bent on two things: Winning the World Series and transforming the Yankees into a money making machine. 

He achieved both.

The Yankees won seven World Series and 11 pennants under George thanks, in part, to his hard-nosed approach to team ownership.

This involved spending huge sums of money to lure star players from other teams, including Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson.

George also developed the Yankees minor league system, a talent development network that helped build Yankee icons like Derek Jeter. 

Never one to shy away from controversial decisions, George changed managers 20 times in his first 23 seasons and even implemented a personal appearance policy which banned players from having any facial hair apart from mustaches. A policy that still stands today.

From a financial aspect the Yankees were an even greater success under George. 

This was thanks to huge marketing deals including a 10-year agreement with Adidas that was worth $95 million.

The Yankees even built their own regional sports network, YES Network. In 2005 alone YES Network made $257 million in revenue. 

One year later the Yankees became the first baseball team to be valued at $1 billion.

But even this milestone did not slow George down.

During 2008 he joined forces with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to form Legends Hospitality, a business focused on event management and concessions that is worth over $1 billion today.

However, the late 2000s marked a decline in George’s health and he steadily gave his work over to members of his family. 

In 2010, he passed away from a heart attack at the age of 80. He was worth approximately $1.1 billion at the time.

Joan, George’s wife, who was vice chair of the Yankees, died eight years later. She was 83. 

The Steinbrenner Children 

George and Joan Steinbrenner had four children: Hank, Jessica, Jennifer, and Hal. 

All four were named general partners in the Yankees, although some of the children have been more involved in the organization than others.

Forbes estimates that the four children each got one-fourth of George’s estate.

However, their combined familial wealth of nearly $4 billion dollars only makes them the 10th wealthiest owner in Major League Baseball. 

Hank Steinbrenner 

Hank Steinbrenner, the oldest of the four siblings, was 15 when his father bought the New York Yankees. He was involved with the team as a general manager apprentice and also as a general partner.

However, Hank turned down his father’s offer of running the team when George was banned from baseball during the 1990s. Instead, Hank preferred to breed horses on the family stud farm.

After George’s death, Hank’s younger brother Hal was named managing general partner as Hank did not wish to spend large amounts of time in New York. 

Although he had limited involvement in the Yankees throughout his life, Hank was very outspoken and was known for the same gruff, opinionated comments as his father.

Hank passed away in 2020 due to an illness. He was 63.

Jessica Steinbrenner

Another family member that has had limited involvement with the Yankees, despite her status as general partner, is Jessica Steinbrenner. 

Like Hank, Jessica prefers horses to baseballs and runs the family’s 880-acre stud farm, Kinsman Farm. She is also the author of two children’s books. 

Her ex-husband, Joe Molloy, was a vital part of the Yankees’ front office as managing general partner from 1988 to 1997.

He even ran the team during one of George’s suspensions. However, Molloy cut all ties with the team after he and Jessica divorced in 1998. 

Jennifer Steinbrenner

Many saw Jennifer Steinbrenner as the natural successor to George. She majored in business at the University of North Carolina and was even named a Morehead Scholar. 

Upon graduating, Jennifer worked in the Yankee’s public affairs department for a year but did not progress further.

This was due to her father’s misogynistic views on women in business, as Jennifer hinted at in an interview:

”Even if I wanted to move up in the organization, I would’ve never been allowed. Not in this family.”

In contrast, her first husband, Steve Swindal, was made general partner in the Yankees and was even named as George’s heir to take over the team. However, Swindal left the organization after the pair divorced in 2007. 

Instead of running the baseball side of things, Jennifer has dedicated her life to philanthropy.

She is a supporter of many charitable organizations and is the president of both the New York Yankees Foundation and the New York Yankees Tampa Foundation.

Hal Steinbrenner

Despite being the youngest of the Steinbrenner children, Hal has become the family’s leader.

This was a gradual process: Hal was elected chair of the Board of Yankee Global Enterprises in September 2007. This was followed by his confirmation as chairman 13 months later by all the MLB owners.

Since taking over the running of the Yankees from his father, Hal has shown a similar belief in spending big.

In recent years the Yankees have been at the center of some huge deals including paying $325 million for slugger Giancarlo Stanton and $324 million for pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Most recently, Hal signed off on a $360 million deal to retain record breaking home run hitter Aaron Judge.

Unlike his father, Hal has not had championship success to back up this spending.

The Yankees’ last World Series came in 2009 and recent playoff losses to the Houston Astros have been difficult for both the team and the family to swallow.

Business-wise, Hal has had some success during his time as Yankee chairman.

For example, the Steinbrenner family earned $584 million in 2012 when it sold part of YES Network to Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox. 

What Does The Future Hold?

Forbes recently valued the Yankees as the 4th most valuable sports team in the world. The franchise is now worth $6 billion. 

For comparison, the next most valuable MLB team is the Los Angeles Dodgers who ranked 26th in the world at $4.08 billion.

In other words, the Yankees are set to continue building their reputation as the league’s biggest earners.

As for the Steinbrenners, they seem determined to keep the Yankees in the family. 

“We’re all in,” Jennifer said to The New York Post. “I hope we own the team for eternity. You never know what life will bring, but we’re in it for the long haul.”

Hal has already got some of the younger Steinbrenner’s working in the various Yankee offices. At the moment, we’re still not sure who will get the nod as his successor. 

Whether it’s Hal or another Steinbrenner at the helm, New York Yankee fans will be hoping for one thing.

That the chair of the organization can do justice to The Boss’s memory and bring the World Series back to Yankee Stadium. 

Related articles:
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? The Odds Of Making It To MLB

Lead image: Twitter/Yankees

Gambling is nothing new to Neymar, who is known to frequent poker tournaments and actually has some professional career earnings to his name. It’s also not the first time he’s streamed his online casino activity on Twitch either, but this is his biggest (and fastest) losing session that we know of.

In true Neymar fashion, the story isn’t just how much he lost, or how quickly he did it. What’s particularly interesting is his reaction. After pretending to cry to the theme tune of the Titanic, he can be seen laughing and playing the air flute with his hands.

What is $1m to Neymar, anyway?

Neymar’s earns over $3 million dollars per month with PSG. So losing 33% of your salary in an hour, regardless of how much it is, would probably be quite the shock. But the superstar forward earns significantly more than this with other deals and endorsements, which might explain the carefree reaction. Plus, it’s a lot less than the $2bn Drake reportedly spent within 2 months.

Due to an ankle injury, Neymar is expected to be out of action for the rest of the soccer season. Something tells me this isn’t the last we’ll hear of his gambling antics this year.

Neymar’s poker background

Neymar makes no secret of enjoying a flutter. What’s perhaps less known is that the football star is actually a professional poker player. He’s earned over $100,000 in winnings, and has even taken part in The World Series of Poker.

You’ll often find Neymar streaming his hands as he plays at online poker sites and might decide to have a go yourself. But don’t be fooled, remember that Neymar is a professional, and it’s not as easy as it looks. Before you jump in, we recommend taking a look at our beginners guide to poker.

In 2013, ESPN ran a story on “Bob” titled “Meet the world’s top NBA gambler” where they detailed how Voulgaris had earned a fortune in sports betting before he was even 30.

He has played in the World Series of Poker, worked for the Dallas Mavericks and is even the owner and president of the Spanish third-division soccer club, Castellón. Oh, and his current net worth is estimated to be $5 million.

So, we’re going to break down the story of one of the gambling world’s most exciting characters and look at his life in betting, sports, and beyond.

How Did Voulgaris Make His Fortune?

Haralabos “Bob” Voulgaris was born in Canada to Greek parents, who had moved to the country in their 20s.

His father was an entrepreneur in Winnipeg and had a real estate business and a Greek restaurant named after the Greek god Hermes.

In Greek mythology, Hermes is the god of several things, including games, sports, and sudden enrichment, which probably wasn’t coincidental because Voulgaris Sr. was a serious gambler who gave his son the bug.

Through his business ventures, Voulgaris’s father became a multi-millionaire, and after Bob finished high school, they traveled together to Las Vegas for a two-month trip spent almost entirely at Caesars Palace.

Bob was too young to go on the casino floor, so he spent most of his days in the sportsbook, where he watched countless NBA games.

He took notes on the games and the book’s adjustments and started gambling on them with his father at night.

It was by no means high stakes (his largest bet was for $100), but this Vegas education left a lasting imprint on Voulgaris, who said, “I learned at a young age that it’s tough to beat the house – unless you know what you’re doing.”

After returning to Canada and starting his studies at the University of Manitoba, Bob continued to bet and took what he’d learned on board. He would bet on NBA and CFL games, making tidy profits while studying and holding down a part-time job.

When he finished college, he decided to up the stakes, and ahead of the NBA season, he placed his life savings of $70,000 on the Lakers to win the 1999/00 NBA championship.

This was a massive gamble, as the Lakers didn’t make it past the previous season’s second round of the playoffs, but it paid off.

And when captain Shaquille O’Neal raised the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy above his head, Voulgaris cashed a slip for nearly $500,000.

Professional Gambling

This was the injection of cash and confidence that Bob needed to take things to the next level, and in the 2000/01 season, he made around 350 wagers on the NBA with a lot of success.

Sportsbooks were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now, and Voulgaris spotted a weakness that he could exploit.

Different books would make projections for how many points they thought would be scored in a game but would also take bets on how much would be scored in each half.

Unbelievably the sportsbooks just divided their projected game total in half, which didn’t account for the fact that many close NBA games have lots of fouls in the fourth quarter.

Fouls mean free throws, and free throws mean points, so more often than not, teams would score more in the second half of games.

Voulgaris noticed this trend and took full advantage of it, but he knew this wouldn’t last, and eventually, the sportsbooks realized the errors of their ways.

So, Bob decided to move on to bigger and better things and had the idea to build a predictive betting model that could take the intuition out of betting.

The Model Student

Bob Voulgaris clearly had a talent for numbers, but he knew he needed someone genuinely gifted to make his dream of beating the bookies come true.

So, in 2007, he hired a math prodigy (who he has never named publicly) to help him build a predictive model that could be used on any NBA game.

This prodigy wasn’t just the smartest kid in class, by the way.

He scored a perfect 800 on the math SAT in seventh grade and won national competitions before becoming a teenager.

Eventually, after two years of trial and error, Voulgaris and his prodigy developed the model to a level he was happy with.

So, he used it heavily during the second half of the 2009 NBA season to significant effect.

He made up to 1,000 wages a season and made cumulative bets that would reach in excess of $1 million daily.

World Class Poker

After developing a model that any other bettor would kill for and making what must have been an incredible amount of money (he never confirmed numbers), Voulgaris started to appear in major televised poker events.

In 2012, he entered the World Series of Poker’s Big One for One Drop $1 million buy-in event where he played well but just missed out on making any money.

? Which WSOP Events Have The Biggest Prize Pools?

But this didn’t deter Bob – professional bettors know that you win some and you lose some – so he continued playing in several World Poker and European Poker Tour events over the years.

In 2017, he returned to the WSOP’s One Drop event and landed the largest tournament win of his poker career.

He earned a whopping $1,158,883 for finishing in fourth place and has amassed a career total of over $3 million in live poker tournaments worldwide.

Move Into Pro Sports

After spending nearly two decades as a professional bettor, Haralabos Voulgaris formally moved into a role in professional basketball.

In 2018, he joined the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Quantitative Research and Development.

No doubt this appointment was made for his ability to analyze the game of basketball, use statistics, and predict outcomes of games.

This was a dream move for Voulgaris, who harbored dreams of being an NBA GM one day.

He even went on record saying, “I’d be able to put together a better team than almost any general manager in the league. If not, maybe all.”

Now, this might seem a bit arrogant, but when you consider his professional gambling record and deep understanding of the NBA, he probably has a point.

? How To Become A Professional Gambler

This wasn’t Bob’s first foray into professional basketball.

In the 2009-10 season, he signed a contract with an unnamed NBA franchise co-owner to become a consultant on player acquisition and roster assembly.

His skill set matched perfectly with the goal of NBA front offices. They were both trying to understand the value of different players, and for NBA franchises, knowledge was power.

Ultimately, though, neither stint on the inside of professional basketball developed into a career.

He spent five months with the unnamed NBA team before feeling he was being excluded from decision-making and choosing to return to betting full time.

He also left the Dallas Mavericks in 2021, after less than three years with the organization.

It was reported that he had a rift with Mavs’ star guard, Luka Don?i?, and player power obviously won out.

CD Castellon

In his 2013 ESPN interview, Bob Voulgaris said if he won enough money gambling, he would buy an NBA franchise.

But they don’t come cheap, so instead, he settled for a third-division Spanish soccer club.

CD Castellon was founded in 1922, has a loyal following, and a stadium with a 15,000 capacity – but a poor recent history.

In July 2022, Voulgaris purchased the club and was confirmed as its owner and president.

He insists buying the club – in a sport he is not associated with – was not a “vanity play” and he has set out a six-year plan for the club to reach the top division in Spanish soccer, La Liga.

Whether he can achieve his goals and turn the team into success on and off the pitch will remain to be seen, but he will take inspiration from neighboring team Villarreal.

Villarreal CF spent almost all of its history in the lower divisions of Spanish soccer, but after reaching La Liga in 1998, they have slowly developed into a powerhouse domestically and in European competition.

In 2021, the club won its first-ever major trophy, winning the UEFA Europa League and beating Manchester United in the final.

It is the stuff dreams are made of, and Bob Voulgaris will undoubtedly have similar ambitions for Castellon.

What’s Next For Bob Voulgaris?

Bob Voulgaris is one of the most interesting figures in the world of sports betting.

If he can translate his basketball knowledge into soccer, it’s undoubtedly a matter of time before he returns to the US and professional sports management in some capacity.

But, no matter what he does next, one thing is for sure – it won’t be boring.

If you want to keep a close eye on Bob Voulgaris’ life (he has a super cute dog) and get some fantastic betting insights, be sure to follow his twitter page.

Image: Twitter/tonymakethinks1

Alongside six NBA championship rings, he has six NBA Finals MVP awards, and has also appeared in 14 NBA All-Star games. 

Ultimately, Jordan won so many NBA MVP awards (five in total) that they renamed the MVP award the ‘Michael Jordan Trophy’ in honor of the eternal Bulls legend. President Obama even awarded Jordan the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. 

Even while accomplishing all that, he still found time to revolutionize sneakers with his Air Jordan deal with Nike.  

He’s also known for his gambling exploits, a cause of much controversy. Keen-eyed fans caught him gambling in Atlantic City the night before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993. 

In October 1993, he ‘retired’ for two years to play baseball, and rumors spread like wildfire, including that his retirement was, in fact, a gambling suspension. There are also rumors that his father was murdered over a gambling debt that same year. 

As MJ turns 60 on February 17, let’s look through Michael Jordan’s relationship with gambling.

Michael Jordan’s Early Years

Gambling seems to have always been a part of Michael Jordan’s life, with evidence from biographies (including Roland Lazenby’s Michael Jordan: The Life) that he was gambling as early as high school.

In college, there is also evidence that he was wagering. 

For example, a $5 check written by MJ in 1982 to a fellow student for losing a pool game shows us that betting was a feature of his life.

There are stories of him betting during practice with his teammates and coaching staff – but in small amounts that weren’t likely to break the bank.

Professional Career

By the time he joined the NBA, he wasn’t betting small amounts. He was known to play with the high rollers in the Bulls camp and frequently played cards with beat writers while on road trips. 

He even had a rolling bet with staff at the Chicago Stadium: He would bet on the Jumbotron cartoon races.

He wasn’t afraid of a little bet-rigging either, as he would always receive the outcome of the Jumbotron races from event staff before gameday.

Another story of him using questionable methods to win a bet occurred when the Bulls were heading to Portland. After disembarking, Chicago players waited for their luggage, and MJ bet $100 on his bag coming out first. 

Several teammates took the bet, and he laughed as his bag rolled out first. He collected the money but hadn’t told his teammates that he’d bribed the baggage handler to help him out.

Michael Jordan gambling was a common sight in the Chicago Bulls clubhouse, and he was a frequent bettor on his teammate’s high rollers table. His bets were a pivotal part of some of his most iconic moments. 

An example is his famous shrug after scoring his sixth three-pointer of the first quarter in the 1992 NBA Finals Game 1. Fans thought that it was a simple flex at his extraordinary ability.

Nope. He was shrugging at Magic Johnson in the crowd because Magic had beaten him at cards the night before.

He was also willing to take his habit anywhere he could find a game to play. In 1992, he was selected as part of the “Dream Team” preparing for the 1992 Summer Olympics. 

The team went to Monaco, home of the Monte Carlo Casino, amounting to a paradise for Michael Jordan.

He built a rolling late-night card game with major basketball stars like Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing.

Gambling Controversies

MJ was embroiled in controversy soon after his return from Olympic duty.

He was forced to testify in February 1993 over a $57,000 check to James “Slim” Boulder, a gambler and alleged drug dealer. The courts sentenced Boulder to nine years in prison over money laundering. 

Despite trying to argue that the check was for a business loan, he admitted that it was gambling debt accrued from games on the golf course when under oath.

Another golfing partner claimed he owed him $1.3 million but later settled for $300,000.

After these controversies, his biggest scandal would fall when basketball fans spotted him in Atlantic City during the 1993 NBA Finals.

The combination of this, his testimony in February, and the allegation that he owed $1.3 million in golf gambling debts made the scandal much greater. 

It affected him on the court as well – the Bulls lost the game the following night, and his 3-for-18 shooting was uncharacteristically cold in Game 3.

The NBA decided to investigate the matter.

Father’s Murder

The tragic death of his father just a few weeks later, in July 1993, spurred rumors of the connection between Michael Jordan’s gambling losses and his dad’s death. 

In the Orange County Register, Mark Whicker said, “For now, we just know that there is evidence of the son’s gambling problem, and there is suspicion of a son’s paying problem, the father of that son has been murdered. Coincidence, anyone?” 

It is important to note that many people debunked this myth, and the murder was a random attack.

His first retirement, in October, added more fuel to the fire. When asked whether he would ever return, MJ said he might “if the Bulls would have me, [and] if David Stern [NBA Commissioner] lets me back in the league.”

This choice of words was suspicious, to say the least.

Speculation began to emerge that Michael Jordan’s gambling problem was the real reason he was suspended, not due to the loss of his love for the game, as he had implied.

Despite this, many reasons exist to take what MJ said at face value.

He was emotionally drained after the death of his father, the concept of the NBA secretly suspending its most valuable player and brand is ridiculous, and the idea that the NBA would want Jordan to step away from the game is highly questionable.

Retirement wasn’t the only option for a player with a gambling problem leading to a suspension.

Two reasons stand above the rest when trying to debunk the “secret suspension” myth.

Firstly, David Stern flatly denied that the NBA had anything to do with MJ’s decision. 

“As far as the NBA is concerned,” Stern insisted, “Michael Jordan did nothing wrong, and I resent any implications to the contrary.” The league closed its investigation into Jordan two days after he announced he was retiring.

Secondly, the NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve his candidacy as principal owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010.

Before approval, new owners are subject to in-depth vetting, including their financial, personal, and business dealings. 

Any worries about his gambling would have seen his prospective ownership quashed by fellow NBA owners.

Instead, he was approved unanimously.

Gambling And Professional Sports

For some context on how his gambling was perceived at the time, it’s also worthwhile thinking about the status of gambling when Jordan’s stories broke.

Most people viewed gambling as a nefarious activity linked to the underworld. 

The Rose Scandal, where Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose had bet on thousands of MLB games while coaching, rocked Major League Baseball. The MLB banned him for life in 1989.

Similar scandals rocked the NFL and College Basketball during the 1980s.

The major leagues subsequently lobbied lawmakers to pass the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which made sports betting illegal in 46 states.

Sports betting remained a touchy subject for all those involved in the major leagues until the Supreme Court ruled that PASPA was unconstitutional in May 2018. 

In 2007, 14 years after Jordan’s first retirement, the Donaghy scandal showed that points shaving and manipulation from the influence of betting were a severe concern.

The NBA beefed up its protections against suspicious betting and points patterns, and at the same time, it began to embrace sports betting.

In the early 2010s, new NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, wrote an op-ed for the New York Times in which he argued an end to the federal ban on sports betting as long as operators met safeguards. 

In 2018, the US Supreme Court overruled PASPA, and by 2022, 36 states had legalized sports betting in some way.

Jordan’s exploits now would not only be wholly legal but wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. For most Americans, sports betting is a part of the experience of being a sports fan.

Post-Retirement

This is why it is interesting that Michael Jordan is now an NBA owner. Since he’s been an owner, the ties between sports betting and the NBA have grown.

The league has signed multi-year partnerships with several sportsbooks, teams now have retail facilities inside arenas, and the stigma of betting has lifted.

In 2020, Jordan became an investor in DraftKings. 

Ultimately, Michael Jordan’s gambling has less to do with an addiction to betting and more with an addiction to winning. 

A great example of this is his bet with Chris Paul at one of his summer camps for kids. When Jordan was visiting, “CP3” bet with him that if he missed three shots, he would have to pay for new Air Jordans for all the camp attendees.

He didn’t miss a single shot. Jordan isn’t bothered about the situation – he just loves to win.?

Lead image: mccarmona23/Flickr

A few of these characters crossed between the world of gambling and cheating and magic.

Martin Nash was a legend in the conjuring world, and I was fortunate to spend many hours in his company.

In that time, Martin taught me a great deal and fooled me countless times with sleights and subtleties but on two occasions, I had the opportunity to the turn the tables on the old master.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night…

It rarely rains in Los Angeles but when it does, many people choose to remain inside, especially at night.

On such a wet and windy evening at the Magic Castle in Hollywood – a private club for magicians, celebrities and wealthy supporters of the art – the showrooms were only half full and the (many) bars and corridors were mostly empty.

I found myself alone at the end of the Palace Bar, sitting at a green baize-covered table where members could perform for guests or trade secrets and ideas.

I took advantage of the quiet time to practice a move I had recently learned from a professional card cheat and was busy shuffling and dealing when Martin Nash pulled up a chair to sit down and chat.

Meet Mr. Nash

For most of you, Martin’s name will be unfamiliar but for magicians and sleight of hand enthusiasts, Martin was a legend – and deservedly so.

He was a magician and entertainer who performed under the name “The Charming Cheat” and could bring an audience to its feet with astonishing demonstrations of skill and expertise.

Martin himself was something of a mystery: In the world of magic and magicians he was a legendary figure, but he often hinted towards a shadowy other life that he rarely discussed, even with friends.

It’s possible he was nothing more than a performer who had adopted the methods of cardsharps but there was a note of guilt in his voice whenever he talked about making moves for real.

The Real Deal

I used to spend a lot of time with a gaggle of crotchety curmudgeons at the Farmer’s Market on Third and Fairfax, long before the modern Disney-like “Grove” carbuncle was built next door and the market filled with wannabes, posers, and fakers.

In the good old days, it was filled with a rogues gallery from all walks of life, including old crews from the bad old days of the Gardena Card Rooms.

Those guys thought Martin was just a pretender but when I asked if they’d even seen him in action, none of those retired railbirds had even seen a show.

Except one.

“Phil H” – a well-known former cheater (and illegal bookie) – would sometimes visit the Magic Castle to see friends and quietly enjoyed Martin’s Hollywood version of the crooked gambler and Phil once told me that Martin had “one shot” that would definitely get the money!

Sadly, I never got the skinny on what the move was or how and where (or if) Martin had ever played it.

One thing was for sure: After a career performing thousands of live shows and countless television appearances, Martin Nash’s playing days – real or imagined – were long in the past but his performing life continued until his death in 2009.

Shortly after Martin passed, magician Bob Farmer learned – while researching another project – that Martin had helped the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to catch card cheats who had been working the lumber camps in British Columbia.

Doctor Theatre

In his later years, Martin suffered multiple ailments including arthritis but whenever he stepped into the spotlight, he seemed rejuvenated and transformed and could perform expert moves effortlessly for a live audience despite being in pain.

At a convention in Sacramento, I snuck into the back of a showroom where I knew Martin would be closing the show and was surprised to find the Charming Cheat at the back of the theatre, watching the other acts.

He was clearly nervous about performing as he rubbed “Golden Touch” lotion into his hands to combat chronic dry skin and as I watched him prepare, I grew concerned that he wasn’t in any shape to execute expert sleight of hand under hot theatre lights for a room full of cynical magicians.

I needn’t have feared.

When introduced, Martin transformed before my eyes as he walked from the back of the room to the stage, smiling brighter than the light that followed him, eyes glistening and mind as sharp as a switchblade.

The show was fantastic and as always, ended with a prolonged standing ovation as Martin soaked every ounce of love from his audience.

Martin’s Challenge

There’s an enormous amount we can learn from old-school card men like Martin Nash, and the smart guys know when to stop and listen.

I was lucky to be very friendly with Martin and he would often share secrets learned over a lifetime of study.

As he joined me on that rainy night at the Castle, I was delighted to have him all to myself, but our privacy was short lived when a couple of young members – wisely spotting an opportunity to spend time with Martin Nash – joined us.

As we chatted, I continued to shuffle the deck in the hope Martin would take it and show us something but instead, he asked me to shuffle and deal a hand of five card stud to every player.

Unfortunately for Martin, I knew what was coming as I had seen him pull this trick before.

It was a few years earlier at some hotel, at some convention late at night when Martin asked someone to deal a round of stud before asking them to name the unseen hole cards.

When his victim admitted he had no idea what those cards were, Martin slammed his fist on the table and shouted, “Then what are you doing in the game?” before breaking the tense moment with that famous smile of his.

I knew I was Martin’s next victim but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t have chosen a worse time.

I did as I was asked, pitching a face down card followed by a face up card to each of the people around the table.

Martin asked me to name the cards and I immediately did so, calling all five hole cards, catching the old master completely by surprise!

He looked me dead in the eye and knew I had the jump on him – and he loved it.

He spent the next two hours sharing ideas generously but when the others were gone, he had to know how I knew those cards.

As it turned out, the move I had been practicing before he sat down was a way to peek cards as they’re being dealt; Martin literally couldn’t have chosen a worse time to “get me” with his favorite challenge and I’m glad he took it well.

This wasn’t the only time I managed to fool Martin Nash but the second time I wasn’t even in the room.

All Change

While making the film Shade where I was second unit director and expert consultant, I had developed a way to change a 5 Card Poker hand visibly while the cards were face up.

You can see the effect if you watch the opening titles of the movie, which I directed.

The method I invented allowed the performer to immediately hand the cards out for examination – a new development – and I shared it with a few friends at the Magic Castle.

Word of this effect reached Martin Nash who bumped into card expert Jason England sitting at “The Vernon Table” contemplating a terrible 5 Card Poker hand.

Martin joined him and after a few pleasantries, asked Jason if he’d seen my new effect.

Jason instantly transformed the five cards in his hand to a Royal Flush before passing the cards to Martin.

I had taught Jason the sleight earlier that week and he was practicing just as Martin arrived and asked about it!

Martin Nash was more than just a great card technician, a performer, or an expert in his field. Martin was a true gentleman cut from classic cloth.

Whether or not he was ever a cheat is moot, but he was charming to the end.

Lead image: Shutterstock

Far from the complex philanthropy of Bumpy Johnson and the staunch activism of Stephanie St. Clair, Dutch Schultz was a stone-cold villain of the 20th century.

Schultz was determined to run New York’s most profitable numbers racket and destroyed anyone and everyone who got in the way of his rise to the top.

Known to pull the trigger without a moment’s hesitation, he instigated gang warfare faster than you could roll a pair of dice.

So, how exactly did this second-generation German immigrant ascend from the Bronx slums to become one of New York’s most infamous mobsters? Read on to find out.

Criminal Beginnings

Like most mobsters in the 1900s, Schultz’s upbringing was far from glamorous.

Arthur Flegenheimer was born on August 6, 1902, the son of two German Jewish immigrants, and grew up in poverty in the Bronx.

His father, a saloon keeper, abandoned the family when Arthur was 14 years old. Forced to assume the role of the breadwinner, Arthur dropped out of school and picked up a few odd – but legal – jobs around the Bronx.

His income wasn’t enough to provide for both him and his mother, so he had to start getting creative. He joined a local gang and began to rob craps games and burgle houses to earn a living.

At age 17, Arthur was caught red-handed. He was sentenced to 17 months in prison, his first – and only – time behind bars.

He was released from prison in December 1920, and it was around then that he started going by the name “Dutch Schultz.”

Some say he was given the name after another local (and equally violent) thug of the same name.

Others claim Arthur himself instigated this rebranding after the name of the company he was working for – Schultz Trucking.

Either way, one thing was clear: Arthur Flegenheimer was out, and Dutch Schultz was in.

Profiting From Prohibition

Prohibition (otherwise known as the Volstead Act) was enacted in 1919 to reduce the crime rate in America. In reality, it was the catalyst for a massive wave of organized crime.

Not one to miss out on a money-making opportunity, Schultz decided to cash in on Prohibition.

While still working at Schultz Trucking, he began “bootlegging” – transporting liquor and beer across the border from Canada.

Schultz spent years working as a bootlegger, not just transporting but making his own beer.

He also picked up work in underground speakeasies, where he lived up to his namesake’s reputation for violence and brutality.

It was this violent streak that caught the attention of Joey Noe, owner of a Bronx speakeasy called the Hub Social Club.

Noe initially hired Schultz as security but ended up making him a partner of the club.

Together, the duo opened dozens of illegal speakeasies and breweries all across Manhattan, including in Yorkville, Washington Heights, and Harlem.

Their bootlegging business was thriving, especially after the pair began using intimidation as a sales tactic and forcing rival club owners to buy their beer.

While this massively increased both Noe’s and Schultz’s bankrolls, it also attracted the unwanted attention of other prominent mobsters.

Jack “Legs” Diamond was one such mobster. By moving their headquarters from the Bronx to Manhattan, Legs believed the pair were encroaching on his turf.

Diamond began hijacking Schultz’s liquor shipments, and soon an all-out war between Schultz and the Irish mobster began.

In 1928, an unknown gunman shot Noe in the street. Though he survived the attack, Noe died from his wounds a month later.

Schultz was devastated by the death of his partner in crime and vowed to take revenge.

Confident that Legs was responsible, Schultz ordered his assassination. In October 1929, Legs and his mistress were gunned down at the Hotel Monticello.

Despite sustaining five gunshot wounds, Legs lived to tell the tale. In fact, this was only one of several assassination attempts he would survive during his lifetime.

Certifiably spooked, Legs fled to Albany, where he would migrate most of his operations. Someone eventually found Legs’s Achilles heel, and he was murdered in December 1931.

Though nobody came forward to claim the murder, Schultz reportedly commented that Legs was “just another punk caught with his hands in my pockets.”

Life As A Racketeer

Legs’s departure gave Schultz almost complete domination of the New York speakeasy scene. By this point, the “Beer Baron of the Bronx” had become one of the biggest gangsters in the state.

However, the end of Prohibition meant Schultz had to find new ways to supplement his income.

His solution? The Harlem numbers racket.

Otherwise known as the “numbers game,” “policy game,” or “Italian lottery,” the numbers racket was an illegal lottery played in working-class African American neighborhoods.

Gambling was a lucrative business, particularly in Harlem. Gangsters like Stephanie St. Clair (known affectionately as the “Numbers Queen”) already had a stronghold over Harlem’s underground gambling scene.

Schultz had already proved he was not afraid of stepping on other mobsters’ toes and started using brute force to overthrow Harlem’s pre-existing rackets.

Illegal bookmakers were known as ‘policy bankers,’ and Schultz gradually became one of the most formidable policy bankers in Harlem.

Since it was played in African-American neighborhoods, New York’s rackets were predominantly Black-owned. So when Schultz started his violent tirade, policy bankers like Stephanie St. Clair saw it as a racially-motivated attack.

He gave his competitors three grim choices: Relinquish their business to him, continue to run it and hand over a share of the profits, or face the brutal consequences of choosing neither option.

When Schultz had used violence to force rival club owners into buying his beer, he had been met with little resistance. However, Stephanie St. Clair was unlike any gangster he had faced.

Instead of backing down, St. Clair fought fire with fire and launched counterattacks against Schultz’s own rackets and storefronts.

Tousling With The Taxman

During this time, Schultz was also dealing with opposition from the law. He was charged with tax evasion in 1933, and when the trial moved to a small town upstate, Schultz moved with it.

He hired a public relations team to smooth over his gangster image and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charity in an attempt to win over the public.

Though his scheme worked, it left a considerable dent in his bankroll.

By the time he returned to Harlem, he was in a desperate plight to gain total control of the gambling scene.

But there were two significant obstacles in his way: Stephanie St. Clair and special prosecutor Thomas Dewey (below).

Dewey had been hired by the mayor of New York, Fiorello La Guardia, to investigate Schultz and bring him down for good.

Meanwhile, the Numbers Queen was still refusing to back down from Schultz’s threats.

Taking Drastic Measures

Nothing could make St. Clair hand over her numbers empire, so Schultz eventually ordered a hit on her life and forced her into hiding.

Wanting to do the same to Dewey, Schultz scheduled a meeting with the head of the mafia’s Five Families, Charles “Lucky” Luciano (below).

Schultz sought permission to assassinate Dewey. Fearing the attention that such a public act of aggression would bring to the underground gambling scene, Lucky prohibited it.

But Schultz – desperate and paranoid – decided to go ahead with his plans anyway.

Dutch Schultz was a powerful man, but if there’s one thing The Godfather has taught us, it’s that you don’t get on the wrong side of the mafia.

Assassination

While Schultz continued with his scheme to assassinate Dewey, Lucky had come up with his own plan.

On October 23, 1935, Dutch Schultz, his accountant, and two of his bodyguards were dining at the Palace Chophouse in Newark. While Schultz was in the bathroom, two gunmen from the infamous hit squad “Murder, Inc.” slipped past security.

The men opened fire on Schultz and his posse and managed to hit them all.

However, Schultz was far from dead and lived almost 30 hours after being shot. He eventually succumbed to his wounds and died in his hospital bed.

What’s The Deal With Schultz’s Treasure?

Before he died, Schultz made several references to a secret stash of treasure.

Rather than naming his killer, he rambled on to the police about his fortune, alluding to stacks of hidden cash that were buried in the woods.

Delirious from his injuries, his messages were random and cryptic.

However, rumors about the existence and whereabouts of this so-called treasure are still rife today, with dozens of optimistic conspiracists journeying to the Catskills to uncover it.

Though there has been no actual evidence to support the theory, the Times Union released an article that claimed its value – if it actually exists – could be close to $100 million.

Summary

Regardless of his abhorrent behavior, Dutch Schultz’s journey from the Bronx slums to infamous multi-millionaire is nothing short of impressive.

Even from his early days as a Prohibition bootlegger, Schultz’s severe and unsentimental approach to his work allowed him to climb the lawless ladder.

It was this behavior that earned him the admiration of his partner-in-crime, Joey Noe, a collaboration that led to him becoming one of the most influential figures in the Bronx.

It wasn’t long before the “Beer Baron of the Bronx” branched out into the gambling business. In a merciless climb to the top, Schultz eliminated his enemies one by one, either through forced compliance or brutal (and often fatal) beatings.

His legacy as one of New York’s most infamous mobsters was solidified by the way he ran his numbers racket. With hundreds of gunmen at his beck and call, Schultz wasn’t afraid to engage in gang warfare to protect his portfolio of gambling businesses.

However, it was his desperation to become the lynchpin of Harlem’s numbers rackets that ultimately led to his demise.

His attempts to take down his most high-profile enemies – ordering a hit on Stephanie St. Clair and admitting plans to assassinate Thomas Dewey – ultimately caused his own murder.

By the year of his death, he had been named by the director of the FBI as “Public Enemy Number One.”

Despite an account-draining attempt to reconcile his public image, Schultz will forever be remembered as one of the most dangerous and violent gangsters of the era.

Lead image: Twitter/littlesteven_ug

St. Clair spent her criminal career rubbing elbows with New York’s famous figures, from leading civil rights activists to the fearsome heads of the mafia’s Five Families.

With the “Godfather of Harlem,” Bumpy Johnson, as her hired security, Stephanie St. Clair was an imposing presence on the New York underground gambling scene.

Yet, her devotion to uplifting Black Harlemites through activism and education earned the respect and admiration of her peers.

She was known around Harlem for many things, her frequent (and often entertaining) newspaper ads being one of them.

However, it was her steadfast resolve in standing up to corrupt police officers and rival racketeers like Dutch Schultz that ultimately remains St. Clair’s biggest legacy.

Early Life

Stephanie St. Clair spent most of her adult life in the public eye, taking out full newspaper ads to inspire her peers or address her foes. However, her early life is shrouded in mystery, which is partly St. Clair’s own doing.

There are several versions of her childhood, but most accounts state that she was born on December 24, 1897, in the French archipelago Guadeloupe.

In this version of her origin story, her French Caribbean background meant she could read in both French and English, making her far more educated than most white Americans.

Another version of her mythology (the spread of which St. Clair herself contributed to) is that she was actually born in France and taught herself English on the voyage to the US.

Whichever version is true, both accounts recognize that she traveled by steamer to the US (though whether this occurred in 1911 or 1921 is still up for debate).

The Rise Of The Queen Of Harlem                      

St. Clair arrived in New York in the midst of the Great Migration, where more than six million African Americans moved North to escape the persecution of the Jim Crow South.

She quickly settled in the African-American neighborhood of Harlem and began to sow the seeds of her criminal career by joining (and eventually leading) the Forty Thieves.

Initially formed in the 1820s, the Forty Thieves was one of New York’s oldest criminal gangs, famous for running theft and extortion rackets.

It’s unclear exactly how she came up with the money, but St. Clair soon decided to branch out from the Thieves and invested $10,000 to develop her own numbers racket.

Her new status as a “policy banker” would quickly attract the unwanted attention of her rival male racketeers, so she hired the services of a then little-known bodyguard, Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson.

Fans of the Epix series The Godfather of Harlem will be well aware of his name, but what is the significance of Johnson’s association with the Queen of Harlem?

Well, thanks to the employment of Stephanie St. Clair, “Bumpy” Johnson went on to dominate Harlem’s gambling scene and become one of the most philanthropic mobsters of the 20th century.

How Did The ‘Numbers Racket’ Work, And How Was St. Clair Involved?

Gambling was officially made illegal in New York in 1908. However, a constitutional ban on lotteries was enacted decades before, in the mid-1830s.

As a result, underground lotteries were rife, particularly in poor African-American neighborhoods like Harlem.

The “numbers racket” (also known as the “numbers game” or “Mafia lottery”) worked in a similar way to the Hispanic lottery “bolita,” however it was geared specifically toward the African-American community.

Simply put, the numbers racket was a small-scale lottery run on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

While some played for fun, many working-class Harlemites relied on the numbers racket to cover the cost of bills and clothes.

In the eyes of the law, St. Clair’s numbers racket was an illegal crime ring that preyed on Harlem’s poorest citizens. In actual fact, it had several benefits for the community.

St. Clair was able to employ dozens of Black men and women as ‘numbers runners’ and subsidize the low incomes they received as a result of their exclusion from traditionally ‘white’ jobs.

In addition, the profits from her racket allowed St. Clair to support legitimate black businesses and publish newspaper ads that helped educate Black Harlemites on their legal and voting rights.

However, Harlem’s police department didn’t see it this way.

Despite having several officers in her employment, St. Clair was arrested in December 1929 for the possession of policy slips.

On January 1, 1930 – just two days after her arrest – she announced in the Amsterdam News, “I have been arrested and framed by three of the bravest and noblest cowards who wear civilian clothes.”

In March 1930, she was sentenced to eight months in a work camp. Immediately upon her release in December, St. Clair sought revenge.

As part of an investigation into police corruption, St. Clair testified against the cops on her bankroll and successfully had over a dozen officers suspended from the force.

Crumbling Control

By the 1930s, Queenie and Bumpy had built an empire and dominated the Harlem gambling scene with their thriving numbers racket.

There had always been rival racketeers trying to muscle in on the operation. However, the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 meant that mobsters who made their money selling liquor (known as “bootlegging”) were looking for ways to replenish their profits.

Arthur “Dutch Schultz” Flegenheimer was, without a doubt, the biggest threat to both St. Clair and the entire gambling industry in Harlem.

He targeted competitors with extreme violence, forcing them to hand over a share of their revenue or relinquish their operation to him entirely.

Those who refused to submit would face violent beatings or even murder.

Schultz’s unyielding desire for total control of the numbers racket resulted in over 40 deaths, and by 1935, the FBI had branded him “Public Enemy Number One.”

As a hugely successful Black racketeer – and a woman at that – St. Clair was at the top of his target list.

Taking On Public Enemy Number One

The Numbers Queen wasn’t about to go down without a fight and did everything in her power to stop Schultz and his gang from infiltrating her racket.

She made a point of highlighting how Schultz’s actions were heavily racially motivated and encouraged her peers to stop engaging with businesses (both legal and illegal) that weren’t black-owned.

St. Clair spread this message every way she could, from full-page newspaper campaigns encouraging Harlemites to “Buy Black” to violently destroying storefronts associated with white racketeers.

In her own words, taking on Schultz and his mob of thugs cost St. Clair “820 days in jail plus three-quarters of a million dollars.”

Of course, these actions caught the attention of the man himself, and in 1935 Schultz ordered a hit on St. Clair.

Fearing for her life, the Numbers Queen was forced into hiding and handed her business over to her bodyguard-in-chief, Bumpy Johnson.

Fortunately, her days in exile were numbered.

Other prominent racketeers – namely the Italian mafia boss and “chairman” of New York’s Five Families, Charlie “Lucky” Luciano – decided to put an end to Schultz’s reign of terror.

When Schultz ordered an unauthorized hit on District Attorney Thomas Dewey, Luciano turned the tables and ordered the hit squad “Murder, Inc.” to assassinate Schultz.

The hit took place on October 23, 1935, while Dutch and his associates were dining at the Palace Chop House.

Dutch lived for almost an entire day after being shot – long enough for St. Clair to retreat from hiding and send him a telegraph that read, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Post-Racket Life

After handing over her numbers empire to Johnson, St. Clair took a step back from the gambling scene. Yet, her run-ins with the law only seemed to increase.

She had always been a staunch civil rights activist, and in 1936 she married fellow activist and “soapbox speaker” Sufi Abdul Hamid.

However, their relationship was doomed from the start.

Dubbed the “Black Hitler,” Hamid was an anti-Semite and an Islamic-Buddhist cult leader whose skewed morality conflicted with other prominent activists of the era.

He ended up spending a huge chunk of St. Clair’s wealth and cheating on her with a young fortune teller.

Unsurprisingly, the Numbers Queen didn’t take kindly to his infidelities, and in 1938 she shot Hamid during a fight.

Though she didn’t kill him, St. Clair was sentenced to up to 10 years at the New York State Prison for Women.

Little is known about Stephanie St. Clair’s life after her release from prison.

She stopped taking out ads in the paper, only resurfacing in print in a 1960 New York Post article. Mayme Hatcher, the wife of Bumpy Johnson, claimed she retired to a mansion in Long Island.

Both accounts specify that she had transgressed from an illegal numbers racketeer to a legitimate businesswoman.

How Did St. Clair Die?

Stephanie St. Clair died in New York the same way she arrived – shrouded in mystery.

Despite a life spent dominating the underground gambling scene and becoming an advocate for civil rights, no report was made of her death in any of the local newspapers.

Far from the dramatic and violent deaths of her male mobster contemporaries, St. Clair passed away peacefully in 1969 in Central Islip, New York.

The Legacy Of Stephanie St. Clair

Almost her entire criminal career was spent living in 409 Edgecombe Avenue, an apartment complex that housed Harlem’s Black elite.

From civil rights activists like W.E.B. Du Bois to painters like Aaron Douglas and playwrights like Katherine Butler Jones, her neighbors were at the forefront of the fight for civil rights.

Rather than hide from the law, Stephanie St. Clair chose to step into the spotlight and use her wealth to uplift her fellow Harlemites.

With no fear of the dangerous repercussions her stoicism could have, St. Clair battled corruption from men both above and below the law – and looked fabulous while doing so.

Her refusal to back down to “Public Enemy Number One” Dutch Schultz not only protected her own racket from collapsing but also those of other Black racketeers who were subject to his violent quest for domination.

While keeping her racket afloat inflated her own wealth, it also provided countless jobs for Black men and women and allowed her to invest in legitimate Black-run businesses.

Meanwhile, she took on the NYPD head-to-head and won. Alongside testifying against corrupt police officers, her regular ads in the Amsterdam News helped to educate her peers on their legal and voting rights.

Instead of indulging in destructive behavior like her male mobster counterparts, St. Clair spent her life trying to uplift her fellow Harlemites and using violence only as a means to an end.

Madam Queen In The Media

Stephanie St. Clair has appeared as a side character in The Cotton Club (1984) and Hoodlum (1997).

She was also the focus of a 2014 episode of Celebrity Crime Files. As of yet, no programs or movies focus entirely on her story.

However, that is soon set to change. Two new projects are in the works that will focus on the life and times of Stephanie St. Clair.

One is a series called Queenie, a BET Studios production set to begin filming soon.

The other is from HBO, who has announced a film about St. Clair adapted from a book by Shirley Stewart, The World of Stephanie St. Clair.

They can also boost their earnings by performing well at major tournaments, like this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

If Argentina claim the trophy, Lionel Messi will reportedly make an extra 20% on his already lofty salary thanks to additional endorsements.

But it’s not just current players that make the big bucks. Legends (and average players) from yesteryear can also pull in big money after retirement.

Below we’ve listed the top 10 richest soccer players of all time and how much their estimated net worth is.

10. Alexandre Pato – $145 Million

Many might be surprised to find Alexandre Pato on this list.

After all, he didn’t exactly set world football alight, unlike many others on this list. The overriding memory for many fans is that Pato fell way short of his potential.

He spent several years of his career at AC Milan before moving to numerous other clubs and now plays for Orlando City in the MLS.

His current salary for City ($200,000 per month) doesn’t compare to the highest-paid players in the world. Still, he has had lucrative contracts in the past, including in China.

Pato was also a popular figure in Brazil, especially when he was younger, so he secured plenty of high-level endorsements.

9. Ronaldo – $160 Million

The first Ronaldo on our list (no prizes for guessing the other) is a true legend of modern soccer and was part of the iconic Brazil team that won the World Cup in 2002.

The double Ballon d’Or winner was one of the most recognizable faces in the game by the late 90s, and in 1996, he signed a life-changing contract with Nike.

Allegedly worth $180 million, the deal between Ronaldo and Nike made him one of the world’s richest sports stars and he’s still among the wealthiest soccer players today.

$180 million might seem like a lot for Nike to have paid, but shortly after signing the Brazilian, the company designed the Mercurial R9 soccer boot.

Ronaldo wore the boots at France 98, where he was voted best player, and the Mercurial became one of the most famous soccer cleats in the world.

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovi? – $190 Million

Next up: Zlatan!

He has been one of the most exciting strikers in the world over the past 15 years, and nobody knows this more than Zlatan himself.

He’s played for teams worldwide, including Barcelona, Manchester United, LA Galaxy, PSG, and now AC Milan.

Despite being 40 years old, Zlatan is still AC Milan’s highest-paid player, earning €7 million ($8.3 million) per year.

He has also worked with brands such as Nike, Volvo, and Nivea, further boosting his fortune.

7. Neymar – $200 Million

Next up is another Brazilian: Neymar.

He was the most expensive player of all time when PSG splashed the cash to bring him to Paris in a deal worth €222 million ($261.5 million).

Before heading to France, he was a key part of the Barcelona attack alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

As you might expect, Neymar receives a substantial salary at PSG, taking home around $42.5 million per year, which is about $817,000 per week.

Sponsorships are also plentiful, with the Brazilian having deals in place with Puma, Red Bull, and more. These sponsorships amount to about $25 million per year.

6. Dave Whelan – $220 Million

Unless you are a keen follower of English soccer, you probably haven’t heard of Dave Whelan. You may be surprised to see his name on the list, even if you are.

Whelan made nearly 200 English football league appearances between 1956 and 1966 and was even an FA Cup runner-up with Blackburn Rovers in 1960.

I know what you’re thinking… Soccer players’ salaries weren’t great back then, were they? No, definitely not.

But when he retired, Whelan moved into business with tremendous success.

This eventually led to him buying Wigan Athletic Football Club in 1995. Under his ownership, the team reached the Premier League and won the FA cup in 2013.

All good things come to those who wait.

5. David Beckham – $400 Million

David Beckham being named one of the richest soccer players in the world will come as a shock to absolutely no one.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of decades, you will have noticed just how many sponsorships deals the former England captain has. 

“Golden Balls” counts Adidas, Pepsi, Konami, Haig Club, Samsung, Maserati, and Jaguar among his sponsors, but the list doesn’t end there.

He also earned an exceptional salary as a player, having played for Manchester United and Real Madrid – two of the best soccer teams of all time. He also earned a total of $50 million across five years at LA Galaxy.

David Beckham isn’t just all about the money, though.

He is also an ambassador for UNICEF and founder of the charity Malaria No More UK. Good on you, Becks.

4. Lionel Messi – $400 Million

Number four on the list of richest soccer players is Lionel Messi. He spent most of his career at the Camp Nou, becoming an icon to Barcelona fans.

However, he switched teams in 2021, heading to PSG to join Neymar and Kylian Mbappé (the player with the highest yearly salary).

Messi is seen by many as the greatest player of all time, although the next player on this list might argue with that.

He’s unsurprisingly one of the world’s highest-paid soccer stars, reportedly being paid around $859,000 per week. He also pocketed a $29.5 million signing-on fee when moving to PSG.

As you might expect, brands are clamoring to be associated with Messi, and he has deals with Adidas, Pepsi, and more.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo – $450 Million

Next on the list is Cristiano Ronaldo – a man who rivals Messi for the tag of the greatest player ever.

Now back at Manchester United, the former five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s influence may be waning on the pitch, but commercially he’s still elite. 

Currently, Ronaldo earns around ￡500,000 ($691,000) per week in England – a figure seen as a great deal by many fans.

Along with Messi, he is the most marketable figure in soccer and has numerous deals, including ones with Nike and Tag Heuer.

This promotional pulling power is one of the reasons Ronaldo sits third on our list and has an estimated net worth of nearly half a billion dollars.

2. Mathieu Flamini – $14 Billion

Former France international Mathieu Flamini had a very good, if not glittering, career compared to some of his colleagues on this list.

The no-nonsense midfielder undoubtedly made millions of dollars across his playing career, where he played for some of Europe’s elite clubs, including Arsenal and Milan.

But it was after hanging up his boots that Flamini really made it to the big time financially.

He is the co-founder of a company called GF Biochemicals, which became the world’s first company to mass-produce levulinic acid.

This acid is made from waste wood, can replace oil in a range of products, and was named by the U.S. Department of Energy as “one of the 12 molecules that can help unlock a “greener” world.”

GF Biochemicals has already made the world a better place and has an estimated valuation of around $25 billion, so hats off to you, Mathieu!

And people say that soccer players aren’t smart…

1. Faiq Bolkiah – $20 Billion

The name Faiq Bolkiah may not ring a bell, even if you’re a soccer fan.

However, the Sultan of Brunei is famously wealthy, and this happens to be his nephew. Faiq Bolkiah is the son of the Prince of Brunei and has an estimated net worth of $20 billion.

A former Southampton, Chelsea, and Leicester City youth player, Faiq now plays for Chonburi in Thai League 1. He is also a full Bruneian international and has represented his country six times, scoring once.

We can’t imagine his wages are as high as some of the other players on this list, but he probably doesn’t worry about that too much.

If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out the top 10 richest female players too! Or read our soccer guides such as Soccer Positions Explained.

Buss was an American businessman and the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 until he died in 2013.

Following his death, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant called Buss “the greatest owner in sports ever.”

High praise indeed, coming from one of the greatest basketball players ever, who also tragically lost his life seven years after Buss.

In this article, we look at the story behind the success. How did Jerry Buss make his fortune, how did the teams he owned perform, and what is his lasting legacy? Keep reading to find out.

From Humble Beginnings

Gerald Hatten “Jerry” Buss was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 27, 1933, at the height of the great depression era in the US.

His father, Lydus, abandoned Buss and the rest of his family when Jerry was a young child. This left his mother, Jessie, to raise Buss and his three younger siblings.

The family moved to Los Angeles when Buss was nine before relocating to Kemmerer, Wyoming, three years later when Jessie married a plumber named Stub Brown.

Brown would make a massive impression on the young Jerry in business and personality traits.

After moving to Wyoming, Buss started working for his stepdad’s plumbing company while still in school. Jerry would wake up at 4.30am to dig ditches for hours before heading to school.

This undoubtedly formed the strong work ethic that was the platform for his later business success. Still, they weren’t happy times for the future Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

According to Jerry’s daughter, Jeanie, Buss felt like an outsider in Wyoming and was never accepted by his stepfather.

In a 1998 interview, she explained this lack of acceptance “made him a very compassionate person.” This compassion and care for others were evident in Buss’s generosity later in life.

By the time he’d reached high school, Jerry had secured a job in a local hotel, where he would make two dollars a day. Despite his extracurricular work commitments, Jerry never took his eye off the ball academically.

Like his biological father, who went on to teach statistics at Berkeley, Jerry loved math and science.

He earned a scholarship to attend the University of Wyoming, graduating two and half years later with a Bachelor of Science degree.

He left Wyoming to return to LA, where he continued his studies at the University of Southern California (USC).

By the age of 24, Buss earned an MS and Ph.D. in physical chemistry and was ready to truly make his mark on the world.

Businesses And Investments

Jerry Buss’s first job out of college was working as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines. He also held early positions in the aerospace industry and USC’s chemistry faculty.

Successful First Investment In Real Estate

Everything changed for Buss when he took the $1,000 he had saved and made his first property investment in West Los Angeles in 1959. This was the start of a lifetime of outstanding business success.

In the early 60s Buss and his business partner, Frank Mariani, established Mariani‐Buss Associates.

By the end of the 70s, Buss said the company owned around 700 properties across California, Arizona, and Nevada.

It was estimated his real estate investments helped him achieve an empire worth $350 million.

Dr. Buss Buys LA Strings

Buss entered the sports world when he became the owner of the Los Angeles Strings in 1974.

The franchise competed in World TeamTennis, a mixed-gender tennis league that featured global superstars like Billie Jean King, Rod Laver, Bj?rn Borg, and John McEnroe.

The league eventually closed in 1978 (although it has returned since), and Jerry Buss would make another LA sports investment the following year.

This one, though, would change the face of US sport as we know it.

Success With LA Lakers

In 1979, Buss purchased the NBA’s LA Lakers, the NHL’s LA Kings, The Forum indoor arena, and a 13,000-acre Sierra Nevada ranch in a deal worth $67.5 million.

This was the beginning of a golden era for Los Angeles sports, and Buss’s public profile rose with the success of the Lakers, in particular.

Laker fans didn’t have to wait long for the trophies to start rolling in.

They won the NBA championships in 1980, led by the established center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and 20-year-old rookie point guard Magic Johnson.

The team was dominant throughout the regular season and the playoffs, finishing with a combined record of 72-26.

This was the first of 10 championships the Lakers would secure during Buss’s ownership. No other team can come close to matching that number since 1980.

The Jordan-led Chicago Bulls are the next best with six wins and were one of the reasons the Lakers (and pretty much everyone else) were starved of success in the 90s.

The Lakers would rebuild another all-time great team following the acquisition of the then 17-year-old Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from the Orlando Magic in 1996.

Between 2000 and 2002, the Lakers, who were then coached by Phil Jackson, became just the fifth team in the history of the NBA to achieve a ‘three-peat’.

By winning the championship three years in a row, the Lakers became the first team to achieve the feat since the Chicago Bulls, who did so from ‘91-‘93 and ‘96-‘98, also coached by Jackson.

But it wasn’t just success on the hardwood that defined Buss’s ownership of the Lakers; he revolutionized basketball in terms of entertainment too.

Buss introduced cheerleaders, added music during breaks, and even recruited a house band to play live at Laker games.

Because of Buss, watching sports is no longer just about the sport.

Anyone can attend an NBA match and be entertained because Buss had a vision that sports should give an all-around experience for spectators.

LA is a city full of stars and celebrities. Jerry Buss took advantage of this and is part of the reason why you will see different A-list celebs from any industry courtside at an NBA game.

He turned a former restaurant in the Forum into a nightclub, bringing glitz, glamour, and celebrities to the league at a key time in the late 70s.

He also redefined the concept of premium seating when he created the Forum Club. This VIP club allowed celebs and the mega-rich to attend games, enjoy refreshments and entertainment beforehand, then take courtside seats for the action.

Not only were the Lakers the team to watch, but the Forum was the place to be in Los Angeles in the 80s.

Less Success With LA Kings

There is a reason why Jerry Buss was known primarily for being the owner of the LA Lakers.

The LA Kings, the other sports team he acquired in 1979 didn’t have nearly the same success as the Lakers under his ownership.

That’s not to say it was boring – nothing ever was with Jerry Buss – but the Kings did not win any Stanley Cups before he sold the team to Bruce McNall in 1988.

The Kings were okay during Buss’s tenure; they made the playoffs most years but never troubled the later rounds.

Arguably the best thing to happen to the LA Kings for decades happened shortly after Buss sold the team.

They traded for the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, who had just been named the NHL playoffs MVP on the way to winning the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers.

This made more headlines than anything Jerry Buss ever did with the Kings, and there is no doubt that basketball and the Lakers were his priority.

Buss Empire Grows With LA Sparks

WNBA team, the LA Sparks, was owned by Jerry Buss from 1997 to 2006. He became the owner of the Sparks when the WNBA formed for its inaugural season in ‘97.

Like the Lakers, the Sparks enjoyed a lot of success under Jerry Buss’s ownership, winning back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

Ex-Lakers player Michael Cooper took over the Sparks as head coach in the 2000-01 off-season, and success soon followed.

For the second year in a row, the team posted a 28-4 record in the regular season, the best in league history.

But, this time, they carried their regular season form into the playoffs, winning the WNBA title and dropping just one game throughout.

The Sparks’ 2002 season was another memorable one, as the team clinched their second successive championship, and Lisa Leslie made headlines as she became the first woman in WNBA history to dunk in a game. Air Leslie!

The three-peat was not to be in the 2003 season, where the Sparks made the Finals but were beaten by the Detroit Shock.

Still, the two WNBA championships won back to back made 12 basketball championship wins in total for Jerry Buss’s teams.

The Buss Family

Jerry Buss has six children. Johnny, Jim, Jeanie, and Janie with his wife JoAnn Mueller (divorced in 1972), and Joey and Jesse with his girlfriend Karen Demel.

All six of his children worked for the LA Lakers when he died in 2013.

Buss owned a majority 66% share of the Lakers and passed this down equally to his children, who now own 11% each.

Since his death, there has been some success, most notably the championship win in 2020.

The Laker tradition of bringing the biggest players to LA has continued, too, most notably with Lebron James – who has taken home a salary of around $40 million per year with the Lakers since joining in 2018.

Jeanie Buss, who worked in numerous roles for her father over the years, has taken the most prominent role of all Jerry’s children.

She was named team president and Lakers representative on the NBA Board of Governors following her father’s death.

She became the first female controlling owner to win an NBA championship when the Lakers clinched their first title since Buss died in 2020.

Family Feuds

It’s not all been smooth sailing, though, despite Jerry’s wishes.

Jeanie fired her brother, Jim, as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2017, causing a significant power struggle in the organization.

She also terminated the contracts of two other senior Lakers staff, partly because they kept Magic Johnson (then-named President of Basketball Operations) in the dark on some trade decisions.

Jeanie accused Jim and Johnny Buss of ‘trying to bust the [Buss family] trust’ and leave the rest of the family in minority ownership.

This would have meant some siblings selling their 11% stake in the team (valued at $3 billion at the time) and preventing Jeanie from continuing as the controlling owner of the Lakers.

Following some hefty legal battles and boardroom politics (including a restraining order) Jeanie Buss and her other siblings, who were still on board with their father’s vision, prevailed.

The Buss family still maintains the controlling stake in the Lakers today.

According to Janie Buss, Jerry’s dying wish was ‘to leave the Lakers to all of us, and that we would all get along. He would be sickened if he saw what was going on with my brothers.’

It seems, for now, Jerry’s wish is being fulfilled. Well, except for the getting along part.

 A Lasting Legacy

Jerry Buss died on February 18, 2013, aged 80. It was later revealed that he had been hospitalized for cancer treatment in 2012.

He eventually passed away due to kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

His death brought widespread reactions from the sports world and beyond.

NBA commissioner David Stern said, “The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come.”

Many friends and colleagues also commented on Buss’s personality and generosity in their tributes.

NBA legend Dennis Rodman said Buss was ‘like a Dad’ to him and sportscaster John Ireland said Buss was ‘nice to everybody at the bottom and the top because he had been to both places.’

This is a common theme when people comment on Jerry Buss.

He was universally liked as a person because, despite his enormous wealth, success, and celebrity standing, he treated everybody the same way, regardless of their status.

This isn’t to say he was an angel. Buss was booked for driving under the influence when two Highway Patrol officers saw him driving on the wrong side of the road in San Diego County in 2007.

He was also a well-known playboy and used to host his birthday parties at a brothel.

But, despite questionable behavior in his private life, Jerry Buss’s legacy is two-fold. He will go down in history for the outstanding success of the Los Angeles Lakers and its impact on sports entertainment.

The NBA and US sport, in general, owe him a debt of gratitude. Without his vision, the sport would undoubtedly be a less vibrant, less wealthy industry.

RIP Jerry Buss – the greatest owner in the history of American sport.

Lead image: Twitter/LAKERFANATICS

His casinos, which include Circus Circus and Treasure Island, bring in hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

But despite all this money, and the fact he is nearing his nineties, Ruffin still comes into work at 5 A.M … to check customer reviews. 

Ruffin isn’t just a hardworking casino mogul either. He owns several hotels, has a loving family and can even boast that he almost singlehandedly introduced the state of Kansas to self-service gas. 

Add to this an extremely close friendship with former President Donald Trump and you have the makings of an unbelievable life story.

A story that begins with a working-class boy living in Kansas and ends with a self-made billionaire owning some of the most famous hotel-casino complexes in the world. 

Early Life

Phil Ruffin was born in Texas on March 14, 1935, the fifth child of Blanche and Roy J. Ruffin.

However, the lone star state was not his home for long as the Ruffins soon moved to Wichita, Kansas, where Roy made his living as a grocery store owner. 

In Wichita a young Phil Ruffin made a name for himself as a wrestler, winning a national championship at high school.

He was awarded a full scholarship to Washburn University but decided to transfer to Wichita State University where he majored in business. 

However, Ruffin never graduated. He dropped out after three years of college education, with the goal of focusing on business in the real world. 

Ruffin began by selling burgers, a job which eventually earned him enough money to make his first real venture; launching one of Kansas’s first self-service gas stations.

The station was an enormous success and Ruffin started to expand, owning 60 stations-come-convenience stores by 1972.

Again, Ruffin used the profits from his successful business to invest in a new one. This time he entered the hotel industry, building a Marriott in Wichita during 1987.

As with all of Ruffin’s businesses this hotel quickly became known for its fantastic service.

In 1994, Ruffin decided to once again grow his empire. He leased all his convenience stores and used the money to enter the casino business, a brave decision that would earn him billions.

The Making Of A Mogul

In 1995 Phil Ruffin broke into the casino business by buying the Crystal Palace resort in the Bahamas. He made this decision after noticing that tourist numbers to the island were reaching all-time highs. 

Ruffin himself would later call the $80 million deal, which was all the money he had at the time, as the greatest gamble of his career. 

Luckily for Ruffin his gamble paid off, money came in quicker than ever, and he would eventually sell the Crystal Palace resort for $150 million.

This success motivated Ruffin to seek an even bigger challenge, so in the late 1990s he set his sights on Sin City.

The Frontier Hotel and Casino was in a bad way when Ruffin bought it in 1998 for $167 million. The building was tired and in need of major refurbishment.

Members of the Culinary Workers Union had also been on strike for a staggering six and a half years, one of the longest worker’s strikes in U.S. history. 

Just before purchasing the Frontier Ruffin met with the Union’s president John Wilhem and thrashed out a deal in only two and a half hours. The protesters returned to work and Ruffin finished his purchase. 

He quickly spent $20 million on refurbishments which included renaming the complex The New Frontier Hotel and Casino.

Ruffin also fitted the New Frontier with a 10,000 sq. ft. western-style saloon, complete with mechanical bull. 

These renovations did the trick; the New Frontier continued to make money until Ruffin sold it in 2007 to El Ad Properties for $1.2 billion. 

The New Frontier cost El Ad Properties $36 million per acre, making it the most expensive per acre purchase in the Strip’s history.

To compare, when Ruffin bought the Frontier, he paid $4 million per acre. 

Ruffin’s ability to turn struggling hotel-casinos around was thanks to his incredible work ethic.

Throughout his career he has made a point of coming into work at 5 A.M. in order to read customer reviews, a practice he explained to Haute Living:

“I’m a strong believer in customer reviews. That’s why I’m here every morning so early. Whatever the customers are saying, I listen. ‘Your pool closes too early.’ OK, write that down. ‘We want bigger TVs.’ Noted.”

Ruffin would use these business skills in his next big venture, the iconic Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, which he bought in 2009 for $775 million. 

The hotel has had a lot of work done on it over previous years including a new paint job that used 6,200 gallons of paint. All this has clearly paid off; it’s reported that Treasure Island brings in approximately $400 million in revenue every year. 

In December 2018 Ruffin added to his portfolio by purchasing Casino Miami in Florida for an undisclosed amount. Extensive renovations are planned. 

One year later, Ruffin made the biggest investment of his career, buying the iconic Circus Circus Las Vegas from MGM Resorts International for $825 million.

This purchase meant Ruffin instantly doubled both the number of rooms he owns and the number of people he employs on the Strip. 

As always Ruffin has planned some renovations for Circus Circus, including the addition of stadium-style gaming, a form of gambling that has proven highly popular at Treasure Island.

To the relief of many Las Vegas foodies Ruffin decided to keep iconic restaurant THE Steak House, open. 

Friends In High Places

Another billionaire who has had many business ventures in Las Vegas is former President Donald Trump.

Ruffin and Trump initially started out as competitors, but over the years they have steadily become best friends. 

Ruffin even chose Trump to be his best man when he married Ukrainian supermodel Oleksandra Nikolayenko at Mar-a-Lago in 2008.

Ruffin and Trump have also worked together, building the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. This upmarket hotel was built on land near the New Frontier Hotel and Casino.

The tower was so popular that all 1,282 condo units were reserved three years before the project was actually completed.

However, many buyers struggled to purchase the condos because of the 2008 economic crash. When the tower was finished in 2008 the final cost came to $500 million.

Donald Trump himself owns a penthouse on the 61st floor and the tower is still recognizable today thanks to the building’s beautiful golden shine which is created by gold-infused exterior glass. 

Unsurprisingly, Ruffin has been a big supporter of Trump’s two presidential campaigns.

He has lent his private jet to Trump on multiple occasions and has donated heavily, including a one-off $1 million donation to the Make America Great Again Political Action Committee, although this was later refunded. 

Other Businesses

Aside from hotels and casinos, Ruffin has many other businesses. These include Harper Trucks, the largest manufacturer of hand trucks in the world.

He also continues to lease his 61 convenience stores and has numerous real estate holdings. 

There are currently a lot of rumors that Ruffin is trying to convince the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas.

Sources suggest that the MLB franchise could build a new stadium on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, an open-air venue near Circus Circus that Ruffin owns. 

Ruffin has reportedly met with the team’s president multiple times although nothing official has been announced.

Personal Life

Ruffin has been married multiple times and has children by both ex-wife Lynne Ruffin and current wife Oleksandra Nikolayenko.

The three children he had with Lynne are all adults in their late forties or fifties.

His daughter Michelle Ruffin-Stein is the general manager at the Wichita Marriott Hotel and one of his sons, Phil Ruffin Jr. runs Harper Trucks. His oldest son Chris Ruffin is a musician in the Las Vegas area. 

The two children Ruffin has had with his current wife, supermodel Oleksandra Nikolayenko, are called Richard William Ruffin and Malena Ruffin. Richard is 12 and Malena is 10. 

Ruffin has multiple homes but perhaps the most impressive is Primm Ranch, a 15,000 sq. ft. mansion with 10 bedrooms, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar and a casino room.

The property has 10 acres of its own land including waterfalls, pools, and caves. 

The ranch also includes a 3,000 sq. ft. detached guest house and an underground, soundproof shooting range. 

Ruffin bought the property for $6.7 million, a lot less than the market value of $14.5 million.

It seems that even in his private life, Phil Ruffin cannot help but make fantastic deals.

Lead image: Forbes

In fact, he prefers to avoid it all together.?

Benter prefers making money over talking about it, and whilst other people gamble for pleasure, to him it’s all about business. 

But undoubtedly the most important way he differs from other gamblers is that he will always trust mathematics above his own gut.?

That’s because he’s made a career out of using math to swing the odds in his favor.

Originally this took the form of card counting, but Benter was destined for greater things, eventually producing a mathematical algorithm that could accurately and consistently predict the outcome of horse races.?

This invention would see him become the richest professional gambler in history.

The mathematical model Benter built not only changed his life forever but also the whole of the gambling industry, popularizing many of the techniques used today including statistical analysis, probability theory, and syndicate betting.?

Meaning the man – and the model he built in the 1980s – remain extremely relevant in today’s 21st century. 

A Hustler From The Beginning

During his childhood in Pittsburgh, it was clear that Bill Benter had a knack for mathematics.

His love for numbers, problems, and equations soon saw him pursue a degree in physics at Case Western University, one of the top research universities in the United States. 

However, during college Benter discovered a much more interesting means of putting his mathematical skills to the test: Card counting. 

Like most people in the 1960s and 70s, Benter discovered the ground-breaking gambling method by reading Edward Thorp’s book “Beat the Dealer”.

In 1979, aged 22 and keen to test Thorp’s theory, Benter booked a coach to Las Vegas and began his gambling career. 

To fund his early exploits, Benter worked in a 7-Eleven for $3 per hour, staking his wages at the blackjack table whenever he could. 

During this time Benter was introduced to Alan Woods (below), an Australian professional gambler who had started his own Las Vegas card counting team.

He soon joined them and earned approximately $80,000 per year.?

After a couple of years casinos became wise to the tell-tale signs of card counting and began clamping down on the practice.

Soon, Benter, Woods, and everyone else involved in their team was blacklisted, denying them entry to all casinos in Las Vegas. 

Eager to try their skills on a different game, Woods and Benter turned to horse racing.

They agreed to focus on Hong Kong due to the massive popularity of the sport and the huge amounts that were wagered at the twice-weekly races. 

This number would reach a staggering $10 billion annually during the 1990s.

Benter’s Betting Model

Before Bill Benter and Alan Woods could begin betting on horse racing, they needed to figure out a means of improving their chances of winning, just as card counting had helped them improve their odds when playing blackjack. 

However, the common belief at the time was that horse racing was too unpredictable, with too many uncontrollable variables for a winner to be accurately predicted. 

Unperturbed, Benter began researching.

He soon found what he was looking for, an academic paper titled, “Searching for Positive Results at the Track” by Ruth Bolton of Arizona State University.

In this paper Bolton outlines how a horse’s race day performance could be estimated through the examination of several variables. For example, straight line speed, jockey skill, and size. 

Benter calculated that by creating a model based on these variables he could determine with greater accuracy the odds of each horse winning.

This meant that he could bet with superior confidence and precision than those who made their choices solely based upon the official odds.

In short, he would have an advantage over all other bettors.

Feeling hopeful, Benter coded his rudimentary system into a few computers and flew to Hong Kong in 1985. 

Putting It Into Practice In Hong Kong

The first racing season he and Woods betted on resulted in a total loss of $120,000.

Livid, they soon went their different ways, with Benter spending a couple of years playing blackjack in Atlantic City to raise more money whilst continuing to identify more variables to add to his model. 

With each variable identified Benter’s algorithm became slightly more accurate and soon, in September 1988, he felt prepared to try again.?

At this point his model factored in about 20 different variables, and it proved to be much more successful than the previous iteration, netting him $600,000 in his first season. ?

His annual winnings leaped into the millions when Benter began incorporating the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s live betting odds into his system.

The first year he did this, the 1990-91 season, saw him win an impressive $3 million.?

As he approached the end of the millennium, Benter’s model examined over 100 variables and had resulted in over $50 million earned throughout the 1997 season alone.

In 2001 Benter’s increasingly accurate model led him to win the Triple Trio, a cumulative bet in which players must accurately predict the first three horses in three different races. 

With more than 10 million possible winning combinations, the Triple Trio stood as the ultimate proof that Benter’s model was a sensational success. 

His winnings for the Triple Trio alone totaled $16 million, a vast sum of money that he decided to leave unclaimed.

As per the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s ruleset, the winnings were eventually distributed to charities. 

With Benter – and Woods, who had his own betting setup built from Benter’s model – winning such vast sums of money, word about their betting systems soon got out.?

Many competitors began to set up shop, using a description of Benter’s model, which he published in an academic paper in 1995, to create their own systems.?

Competition soon cut into profits and the golden age of mathematical horse race betting was rapidly brought to a close.

When Betting Becomes A Business

Both Bill Benter’s and Alan Woods’s betting schemes were not one-man shows.

Indeed, Benter frequently turned to a whole manner of people, like journalists, analysts, and mathematicians to identify extra variables.

Outside of the model itself, both men hired a team of individuals to place the bets over telephone calls. 

When the practice of phoning in bets was banned during the 1997 season, Benter hired a large number of runners to print out betting slips and visit shops all over the city to place his bets manually.

This rudimentary system still resulted in winnings of over $50 million for the year.?

However, the business-like nature of the betting schemes led to an investigation by the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department as any proof that the gambling syndicates acted as businesses would open them up to taxation. 

The threat of further investigation – and potentially catastrophic taxes – led Alan Woods to flee Hong Kong and settle in the Philippines. 

Although a somewhat legal gray area, the manner of business-like betting popularized by Benter and Woods is now widespread, with perhaps its most famous contemporary example being Zeljko Ranogajec, who incidentally cut his teeth counting cards and betting on horses with both Benter and Woods. 

Ranogajec, whose net worth stands above the $400 million mark, indirectly employs approximately 300 people, and bets using a similar mathematical model to Benter on horse racing around the world. 

Using Benter’s Model Today

At its peak, Bill Benter’s model factored in over 120 variables per horse and was earning him an estimated $100 million per season.

It is no surprise then that many contemporary gamblers still use Benter’s model – or others inspired by it – today. 

In some ways punters looking to improve their odds have an easier time of it than Benter did before the turn of the millennium. 

This is largely because statistics are much easier to come by in the digital age.

More data means more variables can be tested, and if proven to predict performance, they can be incorporated into the model.?

In order to facilitate this change in betting habits, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and other entities like it, have begun publishing huge swathes of data to ensure all have equal access to the information.?

However, with this analytical approach to betting being widespread, the advantage gained from using a model like Benter’s is limited. 

Couple the tons of bettors with rapidly changing betting odds, and you soon find that the earning potential of each win is significantly smaller than it was in Benter’s time.

Many places like the Hong Kong Jockey Club attempt to further level the playing field by notifying punters when large numbers of bets are suddenly put on a horse, thus indicating who syndicates are backing.

This allows the average Joe to mimic the syndicate’s bets, somewhat negating their advantage.

Bill Benter The Philanthropist

Although many people, including Bill Benter himself, estimate his total winnings at the racecourse to total around $1 billion, he is not in fact a billionaire.?

And while Benter’s exact net worth isn’t known, he’s widely accepted to be the richest professional gambler on the planet.?

As an extremely wealthy man Benter has dedicated himself to helping those less fortunate.

His philanthropy has included donating $1 million to the University of Pittsburgh and $3 million to polio immunization efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Africa.

He also launched The Benter Foundation in 2007, an organization that has supported a large number of causes focused on improving living standards, boosting the arts, and protecting open spaces in Pittsburgh and across the States. 

The foundation has also supported a range of scientific research including the University of Edinburgh’s work on Alzheimer’s disease and The University of Michigan’s research on opioid policy. 

Benter also lectures from time-to-time, with topics such as statistics and mathematical probability being taught by him at numerous universities including Harvard, Stanford, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

Benter lives in his native city of Pittsburgh with his wife Vivian Fung and their son Henry.

You can be sure that players will be active in and around big tournaments, share their insights, and strategy tips. If anything is going on in the poker world, players will take it to Twitter and discuss the issue.

I can’t make a definitive list of who you should follow, but players on this lineup are a good choice.

I have to stress that this is not a list of players with the biggest followings on Twitter. You can easily find those yourself.

Instead, I wanted to create a list with ones that I follow and enjoy seeing on my feed.

When you start following these guys, you will get many recommendations, so you can easily make it into an ever-growing list and fill your whole feed with poker players.

1. Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker)

Daniel Negreanu is one of the biggest and best-known names in poker.

The Hall of Famer has won over $46.2 million in live tournament winnings and holds six WSOP bracelets, as well as countless other achievements.

His Twitter feed is mostly filled with poker-related stuff, especially during important events such as WSOP or other series.

But the Canadian – who got his US Citizenship in 2016 – is also very vocal about politics, social issues, and other stuff, and isn’t afraid of controversy.

So if you were looking for just Negreanu playing poker, be prepared to get much more than that if you do decide to hit that follow button.

2. Doug Polk (@DougPolkVids)

Doug Polk is a well-known name in high stakes poker circles and was considered one of the best Heads Up Hold’em players for a while, thanks to some great results online.

He’s also won over $9.5 million in live tournament earnings, so there is no question about his poker abilities.

Polk, who’s back after taking a break away from the tables, is worth a follow on Twitter for comedy value (or if you’re a crypto fan).

Although a big shot, he doesn’t shy away from engaging with his followers, so feel free to tweet him.

3. Phil Hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth)

The famous “Poker Brat” has an active Twitter account, which is quite Phil-focused, as you’d expect.

Hellmuth may not be on everyone’s list of people to follow, but for many poker fans, he remains one of the world’s greatest poker players.

With 16 WSOP bracelets (more than any other player out there), over $28.4 million in tournament winnings, and several poker books to his name, it’s hard to argue with it.

Phil is doing his share to promote poker, tweeting about any tournmanets he might be playing and engaging with other players.

You’ll also get a a sneak peek behind the scenes of Hellmuth’s personal life, which is always fun to see.

4. Joey Ingram (@Joeingram1)

Joey Ingram could be dubbed the investigative journalist of the poker world.

“Papi” puts countless hours behind the scenes to unveil the biggest scams and scandals in the poker community, and everyone seems to love it.

If you want to be in the loop about the latest events that don’t always hit the headlines of major news sites, then you should definitely follow Ingram on Twitter.

Equally, if you have a solid reason to believe something is amiss and want someone to look into it, he’s your man.

5. Fedor Holz (@CrownUpGuy)

Fedor Holz is one of the best-known young guns in the poker world. He had an insane run in high roller tournaments, amassing live career winnings of over $33.4 million in just a few years.

He’s had tremendous success playing online, is an ambassador for GGPoker and runs the training site Pokercode  – so he’s a guy who knows a thing or two about poker.

So if you want the latest insights from poker or were just wondering what Holz has been up to lately, his Twitter is where you’ll get all the news.

6. Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond)

Phil Galfond is one of the brightest poker minds around.

His blogs and forum posts on a variety of topics have always been welcomed by the poker community, not just because he knows what he’s talking about but also because he knows how to write.

Galfond is quite active on Twitter and discusses many topics relevant to the community, such as the use of HUDs, cheating, sharing tips and tricks and more.

He’s definitely worth a follow.

7. Jason Mercier (@JasonMercier)

Closing in on over $20.1 million in live tournament earnings, Mercier crushed the tournament circuit for years, and shared his insights with over 131k followers on Twitter.

If you’ve got kids and want to see how you can balance playing poker with being a parent, be sure to give him a follow as he’s recently returned to the poker scene.

The “Poker Brat” was happy to see him return to WSOP this year:

8. Erik Seidel (@Erik_Seidel)

Erik Seidel has always been one of the game’s “silent assassins.”

Always calm and composed at the tables and never seeking the spotlight, Seidel has amassed well over $40 million in tournament winnings.

If you’re wondering what he’s been up to lately and want to keep up, your best bet is to follow him on Twitter, where he frequently shares insights from everyday life and poker circuit.

He’s got a great sense of humour, so he’s worth a follow for that alone.

9. Shaun Deeb (@shaundeeb)

Known as one of the most outspoken poker players on Twitter, Sean Debb is no stranger to causing a stir.

Times have changed for Sean as he has stepped away from the table for the most part, focusing on raising his family and concentrating on other business ventures.

Despite playing less, he’ll post around the WSOP and other key events, and still can’t resist poking some fun at the likes of Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu, making for some light relief.

10. Bart Hanson (@BartHanson)

Bart Hanson is a well-known name in the poker circles.

If you keep up with poker on TV or live streams, you might have heard him calling the action and explaining what’s going on. According to many of his peers, Hanson is one of the best commentators around.

Bart isn’t just a commentator, though. In fact, he is a very good poker player with solid results under his belt.

His Twitter feed is full of short poker tips, links to podcasts and training videos explaining different hands and strategy concepts.

If you want to learn more about live games, he should definitely be on your follow list.

Among other things he revolutionized the game of cricket, was a key influence in many of Australia’s political contests and, after suffering a heart attack, ensured every New South Wales ambulance was fitted with a defibrillator. 

However, Packer will always be most remembered as a formidable gambler.

A man who could make or break a casino’s year in the space of a few short hours. Whilst casino managers feared him, staff adored him for both his humor and his habit of giving incredible tips. 

But how did Packer come to have wealth that made the owners of even the biggest casinos tremble? And why did he invest so much time, money, and effort into cricket?

The answer begins in a hot, mid-December Sydney. 

Early Life

Kerry Packer was born in December, 1937, in Sydney, Australia to Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore. Packer’s early childhood was spent living through World War Two and the widespread fear of a Japanese invasion.

Following Japanese submarine attacks on Sydney harbor during May and June 1942, Packer was sent to live with an aunt in Bowral, a remote town in the New South Wales Southern Highlands. 

It was during Packer’s stay in Bowral that he fell ill, contracting polio and spending nine months in hospital as a result. After leaving the hospital Packer moved to Canberra for two years where he slowly regained his full strength. 

Packer’s prolonged absence from education meant that he struggled upon returning to school in Sydney. Undiagnosed dyslexia made catching up all but impossible and Packer was soon labeled “the family idiot” by his father. 

Cruel nicknames of this kind were not uncommon, and Packer struggled to develop close relationships with either of his parents. He often put this down to his parents being extremely busy people, who prioritized work and the war effort above parenting. 

Packer never spoke ill of his parents and was quick to describe his father as firm but fair in an interview transcribed by Inside Story: “So, what was my father? What were my feelings towards him? I was a bit scared of him. He was a strong man. He was a just man.”

Although Packer always maintained that his father was a good man, other people described Sir Frank Packer as a monster, prone to drunken rages.

Many have suggested that Packer suffered both physical and psychological abuse from his parents, which may have affected him throughout his adult life. 

Building Australia’s Biggest Fortune

Kerry Packer was not a self-made man, receiving the entirety of his father’s AU$100 million media empire upon his death in 1974.

At the time of inheritance, the empire was made up of two television stations, a number of radio stations, multiple provincial newspapers, and the country’s largest magazine publishing company. 

Famously, Packer only received this inheritance because his older brother Clyde was written out of his father’s will following a dispute that occurred two years before Sir Frank’s death. 

After taking over the reins aged 37 Packer rapidly proved himself an effective businessman, expanding his father’s empire to include property development businesses whilst also investing heavily in cattle ranching. 

Yet, the media business remained Packer’s bread and butter and this industry was the basis of his most famous business deal.

The first part of the deal came in 1987, a time when Australian TV stations were skyrocketing in value.

Packer decided to sell his station The Nine Network to fellow high flier Alan Bond for a staggering AU$1 billion.

The second part of the deal occurred a mere three years later when Packer bought the station back from a financially struggling Bond for a paltry AU$200 million and netting an incredible AU$800 million profit.

Afterwards he was infamously recorded saying “You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I’ve had mine.” 

Knowing when to buy and when to sell defined Packer’s career, and consistently landing on the right side of deals saw him become Australia’s richest person and the 94th wealthiest individual in the world.

His estimated net worth peaked at over $5 billion, whilst his land holdings amounted to an area the size of Belgium. 

Packer Revolutionizes Cricket

It may be hard to believe now, but in the 1970s few people thought cricket had serious commercial potential.

Games were slow and grinding, very little revenue was making it to the players and, consequently, many of them were struggling to make ends meet.

It came as some surprise then, when Packer’s bid to secure exclusive broadcasting rights for Australia’s 1976 test matches was rejected by the Australian Cricket Board, despite it being an exceedingly generous offer. 

Not one to accept rejection gracefully, Packer responded by creating his own cricketing series, World Series Cricket, which he designed to maximize the commercial potential of the sport.

Using his formidable wealth Packer contracted a number of the globe’s foremost cricketing stars, including English captain Tony Grieg. With these players in tow Packer created several international teams that played each other across two seasons in 1977-78 and 1978-79.

As World Series Cricket was unbound by laws and traditions, Packer changed the game to make it more broadcaster friendly and marketable.

Matches were shortened from five day tests to one day internationals and games were played during both day and night, a format that has proved popular ever since.

Helmets, brightly colored uniforms and professional level salaries were also all implemented by World Series Cricket and have since become standard for nearly all forms of cricket. 

After the 1978-79 season, World Series Cricket was terminated in a deal that saw Packer’s Channel Nine awarded exclusive rights to Australian Test Cricket, as well as an unheard of 10-year promotion and marketing contract.

Packer’s influence on the game was never forgotten and a minute’s silence was held before the second day of the Australia vs South Africa test match after the world learned of his death. 

The Highest Of Rollers 

Even though Kerry Packer dominated the business world and reshaped an entire sport he will be mainly remembered as a sensational gambler.

His exploits were largely due to his immense wealth, as Packer could afford to make bets that other people can only dream of.

In fact, Packer was seen as the biggest gambler in the world for much of his life, and his appearance was known to make many a casino manager weak at the knees with a mixture of both hope and fear. 

Packer’s favored game was baccarat, and his regular haunts included the MGM Grand, Bellagio and the exclusive Crockford’s in London.

At the latter, Packer made an unwanted piece of history, breaking the record for the biggest ever gambling loss to occur in Britain.

Over a three-day losing streak Packer lost $16.5 million, taking the record from Frank Saracakis, who lost $13 million playing roulette at the very same casino.

You win some, you lose some as the old saying goes, and Packer certainly won his fair share.

Perhaps his greatest gambling win took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where he won $20 million in 40 minutes. An amazing feat only made possible because Packer was placing $250,000 bets across eight tables simultaneously. 

Of course, betting of this magnitude can have massive impacts on the casinos themselves and a visit by Packer could transform a casino’s fortunes – for better or for worse.

If he lost big, the companies that owned the casino would see their stock rise on Wall Street. However, if Packer won, the casino might find itself strapped for cash.

On more than one occasion Packer was politely asked by management to go and gamble elsewhere while the house recovered. An embarrassing conversation for any casino manager to have, and one that Packer reportedly relished.

Regardless of whether he won or not, Packer always found the time – and the money – to tip the staff serving him. From buying a car for a casino valet, to paying off a cocktail waitress’ $130,000 mortgage, his generosity was widely known.

However, Packer’s gratuities, whilst large, were not always straightforward.

His favorite way of spicing things up was to bet on behalf of the dealer. In one instance Packer bet a $100,000 tip on a game of blackjack and duly won to the immense excitement of all the casino’s staff.

Tips of this magnitude was something unheard of, as explained by former executive at Wynn Casino, Paul Weintraub: “He was the biggest tipper ever in this city. No one has ever made a $100,000 bet for a dealer except him. I just think he was very generous.”

Clearly, Packer was a man who liked to let his gambling do the talking.

An attitude that was perfectly illustrated in a story told by Mirage Resorts President, Bobby Baldwin. According to Baldwin, Packer was playing cards at a table in the Bellagio, when a loud and obnoxious Texan asked to join his table. 

Despite Packer’s refusal the Texan continued to insist, stating: “I’m a big player too. I’m worth $100 million.”

Packer fished a coin from his pocket and turned to face the man before saying coolly, “If you really want to gamble, I’ll flip you for it.”

Needless to say, the Texan did not take him up on the offer.

Kerry Packer’s Passing

Towards the end of his life Kerry Packer was very unwell, having suffered from at least four heart attacks.

One of these, which occurred while he was playing polo, left Packer clinically dead for seven minutes. After being resuscitated by paramedics he duly donated AU$2.5 million to the health service to ensure all New South Wales ambulances were equipped with defibrillators. 

Packer also suffered from extensive kidney trouble in later life, a chronic condition which was briefly improved when his long-standing helicopter pilot, Nick Ross, generously donated Packer a kidney. 

Despite these medical interventions Packer’s ill health eventually caught up with him, and he passed away on December 26, 2005, at the age of 68.

He was awarded a state memorial service which took place at the Sydney Opera house. His son James, actor Russel Crowe, and Prime Minister John Howard all gave speeches.

Packer was survived by his wife Roslyn, son James and daughter Gretel, all of whom he had an extremely close relationship with.

The Packer Legend Lives On

The ‘all in’ approach Kerry Packer took to life has meant his influence is still being felt today, 17 years after his death.

The continued rise of short form cricket and its increasing popularity in broadcasting being just one example. 

Perhaps most fittingly for a gambler of his stature, the Packer name once again made headlines recently as Crown Sydney – the casino dream of son James dating back 10 years, but one he was not able to realize – will finally open in August after being granted a license.

Whilst this new casino is sure to attract gamblers from around the world, no one expects it to cater for a gambler of his father’s legendary caliber.

As Paul Weintraub put it: “I’ve been in this business a long time. I’ve seen the biggest players in the world. I don’t think there will be a player like Kerry Packer again.”

Lead image: Inside Story

Before his 30th birthday, Sagi founded Playtech, one of the world’s most successful casino software platforms.

More recently, Teddy Sagi made headlines when he announced his plan to sell Camden Market in London (of which he owns two-thirds).

But how did the Israeli-born iGaming mogul come to own London’s second most popular tourist attraction?

Early Life

Born in 1971 in Tel Aviv, Israel, Teddy Sagi was raised in the Lamed neighborhood in the northern part of the city.

The child of a travel agent and beautician, Sagi learned from a young age the importance of determination and hard work.

However, his career path would entail much more complication and controversy than booking vacations and selling makeup.

It’s safe to assume that Teddy had a relatively carefree childhood, given that we don’t know much about it.

As the age-old saying goes, “no news is good news” – that is, until the news of Sagi’s run-in with the law in 1996.

Aged 24, a charge was brought against him for grave deceit, bribery and insider trading.

Until then, Sagi had been making money through real estate deals and stock market investments.

After being found guilty of manipulating bond prices two years prior, he served a nine-month prison sentence.

Although his time in prison was a blot against his otherwise clean slate, Teddy’s trading experience allowed him to spot a gap in the market of internet-based companies.

Armed with a drive for success and extensive market research, Sagi decided to capitalize on the ever-growing phenomenon that was the internet.

In doing so, he laid the foundations for one of the world’s biggest and most profitable gambling software companies.

The Founding Of Playtech – Where It All Began

Sagi founded Playtech right before the turn of the century (and before he turned 30).

At the time, there wasn’t a lot of scope for online gaming. But Sagi saw an opportunity and ran with it.

In 1999, Playtech’s development hub was established in Tartu, Estonia, and its headquarters opened in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Hiring only the best and most accomplished mathematicians, developers, and engineers, Sagi was determined to create a platform that would outperform any of its competitors.

Rather than improving his software as revenue came in, Sagi aimed to release a premium and innovative platform right from the get-go.

After promoting the company from a modest booth at industry trade shows, Playtech launched its first casino platform in 2001.

From the offset, Sagi’s hard work and investment paid off.

Conscious of its innovative software and exclusive back-office features, operators across the industry wanted to get their hands on Playtech’s powerful platform.

Such high demand allowed Sagi to charge a premium for the service, something many of his competitors could not do.

With revenue pouring in from all sides, Playtech had the cash flow to begin investing in other technologies and expand its already impressive iGaming platform.

Playtech Pushing Boundaries

As the noughties rolled on, gambling sites gradually began establishing a firmer online presence.

Taking advantage of this rising trend, Playtech launched its bingo solution in 2003.

Though it was sparse at first – offering only a 75-ball variation – it was the steppingstone to Playtech’s milestone acquisition of the Virtue Fusion bingo platform seven years later.

Similarly, the early 2000s saw a spike in the popularity of online poker.

One particular catalyst came in the form of Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event (and the owner of the most appropriate surname).

The full-time accountant and part-time amateur poker player made headlines after qualifying for the event via an online poker site.

The site in question was the (then) little-known poker provider, PokerStars.

Thrust into the spotlight and dominating the headlines, poker had suddenly become the ‘it’ game, and Sagi saw an opportunity to capitalize on it.

By pooling together hundreds of players in a central network, Teddy sought to revolutionize the game. Thus, in 2004, Playtech’s iPoker network was launched.

By the following year, the iPoker network had attracted thousands of loyal players.

Aiming to expand on this success and generate more capital for further business acquisitions, Playtech became a publicly-traded company on the London Stock Exchange in 2006.

Though this occurred on the AIM – the LSE’s secondary market – it opened with a valuation of around $768 million.

Strategic Business Moves

Though the company enjoyed exponential growth for the first few months of trading, the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) threw a spanner in the works.

As Playtech lost the US market overnight, which was the company’s biggest source of revenue, shares in the company fell by 40 percent in a single day, and many companies began to formulate an exit strategy.

However, Sagi saw an opportunity to turn catastrophe into cash.

Instead of fleeing the market, Playtech focused on acquisition. While many companies were looking to sell, Sagi was in the business to buy.

Subsequently, he added Virtue Fusion to his portfolio in 2010.

This acquisition of the popular white-label bingo provider allowed Playtech to expand its bingo platform tenfold, becoming one of the biggest bingo providers in the industry.

During this time, Playtech also formed several landmark partnerships that bolstered its position as one of the top software platforms.

In 2008, the company agreed to launch William Hill Online for a 29 percent stake in the business.

Five years later, Playtech sold this stake back to William Hill PLC for ￡424 million (approximately $511 million).

Sagi’s savvy decision to capitalize on the failing US market paid off.

In 2012, Playtech moved up the ladder from AIM to the LSE Main Market.

Since becoming a Premium Listing, Playtech’s list of clients has only continued to increase.

Its most notable clients include Unibet, bet365, Snaitech, Betfair, William Hill, and Totalizator Sportowy (the Polish national lottery).

Yet, Playtech’s acquisition mission was far from over. The company added multiple strings to its already crowded bow in the years that followed.

Not forgetting its roots as a top slot developer, Playtech signed a multi-year contract with Warner Bros. to create a line of DC-branded games based around the feature films Green Lantern (2011), Man of Steel (2013), Superman I (1978), and Superman II (1980).

Alongside developing its own top-of-the-range slot games, Playtech added several prominent software providers to its portfolio, including Eyecon, Quickspin, BGT, and Ash Gaming.

It also launched its first live casino studio in Romania in 2017, launching an exclusive Playtech live casino that rivaled its top competitor, Evolution Gaming.

Sayonara, Teddy Sagi

Sagi began offloading his Playtech shares in November 2016. He first sold 12 percent of his shares – around 38.7 million in total – for 1,060 cents each.

In March 2017, his personal investment company Brickington Trading Limited sold 13 million more.

A few months later, Brickington shed a further 32 million shares, securing around $400 million from the sale.

Finally, in 2018, Sagi sold the last of his remaining 4.8 percent stake in the business, officially leaving the company for good (and pocketing a respectable $87 million).

After almost two decades of exponential success, Sagi dispensed his last Playtech stock to turn his full attention to “real estate, co-working, service apartments, e-commerce and advanced technology, cyber-security, and innovation companies.”

Playtech In 2022

Today, Playtech continues to expand its reach across multiple markets.

The company took its first foray into the US market, launching in New Jersey with bet365 in 2020.

Another live casino studio was established the following year in Michigan.

The company also signed an exclusive deal with UK gambling giant Ladbrokes to provide a bespoke new live game show.

In March 2022, the company announced its partnership with Parx Interactive to relaunch its betPARX app in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The iGaming and sports betting app will use Playtech’s Player Account Management (PAM) and Information Management Solutions (IMS), the latter of which will make its first appearance in the two states.

In the decades since its launch, Playtech has built an impressive omnichannel platform that caters to its licensees’ every need.

Alongside the provision of its exclusive games, Playtech offers live casino streaming, turn-key sports betting solutions (Playtech Sports), virtual sports, poker (via the iPoker network), bingo (using the Virtue Fusion platform), and physical games in retail casino locations.

Not content to stop at casino software, Playtech offers eMarketing solutions and a financial trading platform (B.O. Technologies).

The company also boasts Playtech ONE, a cross-product solution that promises to deliver a seamless player experience across any channel or device.

In 2021, the company was sold for $3.7 billion to Australian gambling machine manufacturer, Aristocrat Leisure.

Sagi’s Other Career Highlights

Since his departure from Playtech – and, more often than not, during his time at Playtech – Sagi cultivated monumental success through his various real estate and tech start-up investments.

Although he has several projects in the works, Sagi’s most successful business ventures are those he made public on the LSE: Market Tech, SafeCharge, and Kape.

Market Tech

Market Tech (which has since rebranded to LabTech London) is Teddy Sagi’s real estate portfolio.

It was through Market Tech that Sagi began his consolidation of Camden Market.

In March 2014, Teddy bought Camden Stables market for $557 million. The same year, he added Camden Lock and Buck Street Market to his portfolio.

In 2015, Sagi purchased Camden Wharf and the Interchange Building for $132 million, giving him majority ownership of Camden Market.

He has since revolutionized the way the market operates, launching many of its retailers online.

In June 2022, Teddy announced his intention to sell all LabTech-owned sections of Camden Market.

He originally floated the idea in 2019, but the pandemic put an abrupt end to the proceedings.

Three years later, the market mogul intends to release the properties for around $1.3 billion.

Alongside Camden Market, LabTech owns more than 20 acres of West End properties.

Its most spectacular asset, the grade-II listed Victoria House, sold in January for ￡430 million (approx. $518 million).

In March, LabTech announced its partnership with Babylon Park – an Israeli-based amusement park with 19 locations – to launch its flagship UK site.

Other branches of LabTech include RunTech (a property tech company that connects LAB community sites with the outside world) and SmartGreen (which aims to reduce buildings’ energy waste, equipment malfunction, and operational issues).

SafeCharge

SafeCharge is the brainchild of Sagi and co-founder David Avgi.

The payments technology launched in 2007, but according to Avgi, its roots were planted way back in 1999.

The company provides “payments solutions for several sales channels” and its success skyrocketed in 2007 when it began partnering with Barclays, PayPal, and American Express.

The company was eventually sold in 2017 to Canadian company Nuvei.

Though it was a sentimental departure, the $889 million buy-out deal ought to have softened the blow.

Kape

Headquartered in the Isle of Man, Unikmind Holdings is the private company through which Sagi operates his digital privacy company, Kape.

With over 6.5 million paying customers across almost a dozen countries, Kape is an impressive company in its own right.

However, in 2021, Sagi announced a deal to acquire Kape’s biggest rival – ExpressVPN – for just shy of $1 billion.

Teddy Sagi Group / Globe Invest Limited

Globe Invest Limited is the single-family office that runs Sagi’s strategic investments.

Through Globe Invest, Teddy acquired Layam, one of the oldest Duty-Free operators in the Middle East.

In March 2022, Sagi announced that Layam would take over the contract to provide duty-free products on Arkia flights.

Under the Teddy Sagi Group, Teddy acquired VisualDNA, the world’s leading provider of psychographic audience data.

Though he only assumed ownership of the company in May 2015, it was sold a year later to Nielson for an undisclosed sum.

Family Life

Just as the stories of his childhood are kept firmly under wraps, there is little known about Teddy Sagi’s family.

Other than a short-lived fling with Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli (whose relationship ensued after a 6-month break from Leonardo DiCaprio), Teddy has maintained a relationship with 2006 Miss Israel, Yael Nizri.

The couple has lived together since 2010 in Israel’s most expensive home.

With little to no evidence of the house itself, all we know is that it is situated in the wealthy neighborhood of Herzliya Pituah.

Together, Teddy and Yael have five children. Teddy also has a daughter from a previous relationship.

In a rare interview with Globes, Sagi acknowledged that “it may seem from the outside that 100% of my time is involved with business, but the reality is different…I invest a lot of time in the family. We were just now on a two-week family vacation”.

He also noted that while the more tedious elements of parental responsibility fall on the children’s mother, Teddy is the “address for entertainment. Games, to go and eat pizza or to Disneyland, or to enjoy things in every way possible – that’s for Dad”.

Where Is Teddy Sagi Today?

In 2022, Teddy Sagi is placed at #471 on Forbes’ Billionaires list with a net worth of around $5.6 billion. He continues to expand his investment portfolio.

Making his grand return to fintech, Sagi founded his newest start-up Pay.com with Tom Vaknin and Assaf Cohen.

Launched in 2022, Pay.com is a payment solution that provides users with instant access to payment methods like Skrill, Klarna, Apple Pay, and PayPal.

According to Vaknin and Cohen, the company – which currently has 45 employees – is “actively seeking outstanding individuals that will fit well into the company’s unique and inventive DNA.”

Sagi has funded the company with $100 million in credit to secure acquisitions.

With Camden Market up for sale and multiple further projects in the works, Teddy Sagi has certainly got his hands full.

Lead image: Twitter/ajnewsclub

But not even a hundred years back, Las Vegas looked nothing like its modern version.

It was a small settlement before the Hoover Dam construction that started in 1930.

Thousands of people came to the area looking for work, creating a perfect environment for what would become Sin City over the next few decades.

The city, largely populated by men who spent their days working and were looking for something to help them blow off steam in the night, offered many business opportunities.

But someone had to get the ball rolling – and that someone was Benny Binion.

His name is forever connected to the foundations of modern Las Vegas.

While his Horseshoe Casino may not have been the first one in Las Vegas, it quickly became the best-known and most famous.

Benny understood the casino business and knew what people were after – and he wasn’t afraid to give it to them.

Benny Binion’s Beginnings In Las Vegas

Benny Binion, whose full name was Lester Ben Binion, was born in 1904.

Before coming to Nevada, he ran an illegal gambling operation in Texas, as gambling was pretty much all he knew in life.

Benny didn’t have any formal education as he spent his childhood accompanying his father, a horse trader, on his trips.

He certainly had a checkered history filled with all sorts of run-ins with the law.

While he wasn’t what you’d call an exemplary citizen, Binion’s determination enabled him to take control of all gambling operations in Dallas by 1936.

For a while, things were going well in Texas, but after World War II, the Chicago Mob made a move for Dallas, and Benny lost the support of local officials as the new county sheriff was elected.

So, in 1946, he decided it was time for a change and moved to Las Vegas.

At this time, Las Vegas was already shaping up to become what it is today – the world’s largest gambling hub.

That said, there was still a lot of space and opportunities for those who knew their way around gambling tables, and Benny Binion most certainly did.

The Legendary Binion’s Horseshoe Casino Is Born

After arriving in Las Vegas, Benny spent a few years trying to find his place.

Following a few failed attempts, he finally purchased the Eldorado Club and the Apache Hotel.

This was where he opened his now-legendary Binion’s Horseshoe Casino.

There were already numerous casinos in Las Vegas, but, just like in Dallas, Binion was ready to do what it took to make his stand out from the rest.

The first thing he did was raise the maximum bet on table games.

For example, his craps games (one of the most popular games at the time) had a maximum of $500, which was 10 times higher than what the competition offered.

Binion also promised players that he would take bets of any size, as long as their bet wasn’t larger than the size of their very stake.

The Horseshoe Casino was the place for hardcore gamblers who wanted to play and weren’t afraid of big stakes. 

There is a famous story from those days that a man walked straight into Binion’s Horseshoe and placed a bet of $1 million on the pass line.

This is a huge amount of money even today, but a million was a truly head-spinning number back then.

Yet, no one tried to stop him and his bet was accepted. The gambler lost but, had he won, he’d most likely have been paid in full.

After all, even in those murky times, Benny understood that reputation was of utmost importance. People knew him to be a man of his word.

So other than large max. bets, what else did his casino offer?

Unlike some of his competitors, Binion didn’t care much about “extracurricular” activities.

There were no live shows or anything of the sort to distract players from the tables and entice them to spend money somewhere else.

Benny was the one who introduced free drinks for players, which soon became a popular practice in Las Vegas casinos.

Vegas was an ideal place for Benny Binion as he didn’t have to fight any turf wars here. The area was still largely undiscovered and there was plenty of action to go around.

On top of that, he quickly made himself friends with all of the important people in the city from both sides of the fence, allowing him to focus on his business.

It wasn’t long before Binion’s Horseshoe got the legendary reputation that it’s kept pretty much to this day.

It was a real casino for real players – with no nonsense.

Although Binion took some risks by allowing massive bets, he knew what he was doing.

He had the house advantage on his side and he knew that, as long as he could ride out the variance, he would come out a big winner.

That’s exactly what happened, as he made a fortune from the casino.

Benny’s Criminal Past Comes Back To Haunt Him

Having moved to Vegas, Binion was done with his old life in Dallas.

However, he didn’t really make a clean break as he left a trail of crime behind him.

Two Dallas district attorneys were hell-bent on arresting and charging him, and they finally collected enough evidence in 1953.

Binon faced charges for tax evasion and was consequently sentenced to 42 months in prison.

This wasn’t a particularly long stint, all things considered, but the conviction ensured that he could never run a casino again as his gambling license was revoked.

His son, Jack, took it upon himself to continue running the casino, while Benny took on the role of PR Director.

Jack Binion Picks Up The Slack

In the years immediately following Benny’s release, the Binion family didn’t hold a controlling interest in the casino.

It was only in 1964 that they were able to get back the majority share in the venue.

Despite this, Jack Binion picked up right where his father left off. He got a gaming license from the Nevada Gaming Commission and took it upon himself to keep the business going.

Jack kept many of his father’s ideas, especially in terms of bet limits and accepting all bets, but came up with some of his own to make the venue even better.

Jack was a prudent businessman and he knew how to make the business grow.

In 1988, he significantly increased the size of the hotel, buying the next-door Mint Casino and Hotel for $27 million.

He even came up with a slogan – “a fair game and fair odds” – which was meant to capture the spirit of the Horseshoe Casino – and it worked.

People kept flocking to the venue and profits continued to grow.

Jack wasn’t Benny’s only child, and quite a few people didn’t believe he was the one who should take up the casino business.

But he proved them all wrong, showing a lot of talent and natural flair for the gambling business, which he inherited from his father.

The Binions Establish The World Series Of Poker

Today, the World Series of Poker is a huge festival that gathers tens of thousands of people from all over the world.

The Main Event alone features thousands of entries every year, generating impressive prize pools and makes multiple players millionaires in the process.

But it all started with just seven people gathered at Binion’s Horseshoe.

Benny Binion had been a part of the Las Vegas gambling scene for years, and he knew pretty much everyone there was to know, including all the big players.

So, in 1970, he decided to invite some of the major names in town for a big showdown to determine the best poker player.

Poker was nowhere nearly as popular back then, and there were maybe 50 poker tables in the whole of Las Vegas.

That first competition was envisioned as more of a publicity stunt than anything else, and Benny and Jack Binion couldn’t have imagined what the WSOP would eventually turn into.

The first World Series of Poker tournament gathered just seven players, including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, and Johnny Moss.

After several days of high-stakes cash games action, Moss was voted the best player by his peers.

That first WSOP was a very small affair, and no one outside of Las Vegas even knew about it.

But, thanks to the Binions’ vision and some lucky developments, the competition would gradually gain nationwide popularity.

In 1971, the format was changed to a $5,000 freezeout tournament instead of a series of cash games.

Moss won the 1971 tournament, but it was the 1972 victory by Amarillo Slim that turned out to be a major turning point for the WSOP.

Slim was a famous gambler and talkative player. After his win in 1972, although the tournament featured only 12 entries, he made a huge deal out of it, going on a national tour and talking about the WSOP everywhere he went.

Slowly but surely, the World Series of Poker attracted more and more players each year.

In 1973, it even received TV coverage by CBS Sports, which was a huge breakthrough at the time.

By the late 1980s, Binion’s Horseshoe could barely accommodate all the players coming through its doors.

This was when Jack decided to expand, buying Mint Casino and Hotel and several other properties and set up a full-time poker room at the venue.

Sadly, Benny Binion wouldn’t live to see the WSOP reach its full potential. He died of a heart attack aged 86, on Christmas Day of 1989, leaving it up to Jack to continue its legacy.

Jack Binion continued to run the WSOP and the tournament kept growing.

However, a dispute inside the family resulted in Jack selling his interest in the Horseshoe Casino in 1998 to his sister, Becky, ending his involvement with the venue and the tournament.

He still kept the rights to the Horseshoe brand outside of the state, later opening several riverboat casinos under the famous name.

In 2004, Harrah’s Entertainment (later renamed Caesars Entertainment) purchased Binion’s Horseshoe and obtained all rights to the World Series.

The tournament, which had grown significantly in size by this point, was moved to the Rio Hotel and Casino, while the Horseshoe was sold to MTR Gaming Group.

A Las Vegas Legacy

Following the acquisition by MTR, the casino was renamed Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel, keeping the famous name above the door.

Then, in 2008, another company purchased the venue and closed it shortly after that due to the recession.

In 2019, the new owners opened under a new name – Hotel Apache.

Jack Binion, who was born in 1937, is still around.

He holds a consulting role with Wynn Resorts, and has witnessed and been a part of some of the greatest moments in the history of Las Vegas.

Even though things have changed a lot in Las Vegas since those early days, Benny and Jack Binion’s mark on the city remains and their story won’t be easily forgotten.

Without the Binions, the history of Sin City would likely be much different, and we probably wouldn’t have the World Series of Poker – or at least not as we know it today.

Lead image: Twitter/TracesofTexas 

While it’s fun to write about the latest big tournament winner or to break down massive cash game pots, nothing beats a good scandal.

The media loves a controversial story. It gets the community going and can create a kind of traction that no story about the Main Event winner ever could (save for Chris Moneymaker, maybe).

It’s worth mentioning that this list of the biggest poker scandals isn’t numbered by magnitude, as depending on how they affectected someone, every player will have an opinion on which is the most significant.

1. Black Friday

Although it’s been covered extensively in countless blogs, articles, and op-eds, you can’t write about major poker scandals without mentioning Black Friday.

In my opinion, this is easily the biggest scandal the poker community has ever witnessed, and it affected countless players all over the globe. Its aftermath also had huge implications on the overall development of the game.

Most of you have probably at least heard the story if not experienced it first hand.

On April 11, 2011, the US Department of Justice unsealed indictments against three of the largest poker sites at the time: PokerStars, Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet, and Full Tilt.

Accusing them of violating the UIGEA, the DoJ seized the sites’ domains, leaving the entire poker world in a state of shock.

Players were cut off from their funds, and the weeks and months to follow were a very difficult period for many professional players who had their bankrolls stuck on one of these sites.

Robbed of their money and without access to the games, the future looked bleak.

PokerStars was the first and, as it turned out, the only room to actually recover from this blow. The rest of the world players were soon able to access the site and their funds, and it was business as usual.

However, US players had to wait quite some time to get their money back, but PokerStars made everyone whole in the end.

For Full Tilt, once the major brand was backed by some of the biggest names in the industry, this was the end of the road as it turned out the room didn’t actually have money readily available to reimburse players.

The DoJ investigation discovered that the site was operating a kind of Ponzi scheme that came to a sudden halt with Black Friday.

Key people behind the operation, Russ Hamilton, Chris Ferguson, and Howard Lederer, once respected members of the community, became symbols for everything that’s wrong with online poker.

Although all players were eventually repaid when PokerStars purchased the Full Tilt brand, the poker community never forgave the Full Tilt honchos for everything they put them through.

Absolute Poker was a total fiasco.

They never recovered from Black Friday, and players kept waiting for their funds to no avail. Finally, in 2017, the repayment process began using money left over from the Full Tilt repayment fund.

Some lucky players managed to get some of their money but this has been an extremely slow process, and it seems that many of the AP victims will never see the day when their money is paid back.

To this day, Black Friday remains the biggest and most impactful poker scandal of all time.

In addition to all the financial issues, it effectively cut the US from the rest of the world player pool, pushing out three of the biggest rooms.

This has forever changed the online poker landscape, and not much has improved since.

Although some US states have legalized online poker, players from the States are unable to play with anyone outside of the USA borders, or at least they can’t do so legally.

There are some smaller rooms that still cater to the US market, but they can’t compare in size or importance to PokerStars and what used to be Full Tilt Poker.

2. Lock Poker Demise

Although it may not have been nearly as huge as Black Friday, the Lock Poker scandal is pretty much a direct consequence of happenings in 2011.

Once major rooms were forced to leave the US market, many smaller outlets saw their opportunity.

For smaller rooms like Lock Poker, this was worth the risk as it was an excellent way to increase their liquidity by catering to poker-deprived US customers.

To kick things off, they launched a series of great promotions, offering heaps of additional value for the players who decided to take their action there.

With alternatives being scarce and promises sounding too good to refuse, many US players and the rest of the world alike flocked to Lock Poker.

The room managed to keep things together for a few years, but it wasn’t long before problems started to arise.

First, the room started going back on their promotional promises, retroactively adding terms and conditions that effectively prevented players from actually cashing out their extra funds.

Many players tried to get their funds out while they still could, although very few managed to cash out in full.

Then, in April of 2015, the whole thing came to a crushing end.

Players hadn’t been able to get their money out since April of 2014 by this point, and it was only a matter of time before Lock Poker would throw in the towel.

When the site finally shut down, traffic was at its all-time low, with Poker Scout reporting a 7-day average of 10 ring game players.

It’s unclear just how much money disappeared together with Lock Poker, but the estimate seems to be around $15 million.

Unlike the Black Friday scandal, though, where a majority of players got paid in full or at least partially in the end, this $15 million disappeared into thin air.

Those who had funds on the site have had no luck in getting any of it back, and with so much time passed by already, this is unlikely to change.

3. Absolute Poker And Ultimate Bet Super-User Scandals

Another poker scandal that shook the very core of the community took place a few years before Black Friday and, not surprisingly, it involved two rooms that were first to hit the muck after April 11, 2011.

Of course, the rooms in question are Absolute Poker (AP) and Ultimate Bet (UB).

In September of 2007, accusations from players started to emerge that someone playing on Absolute Poker had access to a super-user account and could see other players’ hole cards.

 Not long after, in January of 2008, similar accusations were made concerning Ultimate Bet.

In the AP incident, players performed a detailed analysis of the hands of the player going under the now-infamous “POTRIPPER” alias.

After reviewing hand histories, it became very clear that “POTRIPPER” could somehow see “through” the cards as his decisions in many spots just didn’t seem normal or natural.

He always knew when to bluff, when to throw away a hand, and when to bet big when their opponents had strong but second-best holdings.

In the end, Absolute Poker admitted the existence of super-user accounts and ended up repaying players $1.6 million.

It was a big amount to be sure but nothing compared to what surfaced a little while later.

At the start of 2008, players raised similar red flags for a player playing as “NioNio” – this time over at Ultimate Bet.

The amount of evidence was sufficient to trigger an investigation by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and their discovery was quite shocking.

The Commission concluded that there was indeed cheating going on, and it was going on for quite some time – since January of 2005.

It was also determined that the man behind the whole super-user scheme at UB was Russ Hamilton, and the damage done through these activities was estimated to be over $20 million.

Later on, a recording of a phone conversation emerged, in which Hamilton admitted that he was the one behind the whole scheme.

This pretty much marked the end of his career in the poker world and he never made any attempt to repay any of the money that was stolen from the players.

The AP and UB scandals created a big uproar in the community and seriously shook player faith in online poker.

If it was that easy for someone to steal so much money from the tables and almost get away with it, how could you ever be sure you’re playing in a fair online game?

What happened on AP and UB was definitely a big setback for online poker.

4. Epic Poker League Fiasco

The Epic Poker League was envisioned as the ultimate competition for the best of the best and was created by Annie Duke, Howard Lederer’s sister, and Jeffrey Pollack.

The league was set to be a mix of paid events culminating in a $1 million freeroll.

At the time the Epic League was born early in 2011, this seemed like a feasible idea, but then Black Friday struck.

In the end, only three of the four scheduled events took place, and the promised $1 million freeroll never happened.

The organization filed for bankruptcy in February of 2012, and it was pretty much the end of the road for the Epic League. At the time of the filing, the EPL had an outstanding debt of over $5 million, so things clearly didn’t go as planned.

Many in the community blamed Pollack and Duke for this turn of events, although it must be admitted they were victims of circumstances at least to some degree.

Prior to Black Friday, televised poker was going strong, with many companies interested in sponsoring TV shows with poker themes.

Once the US market was pretty much cut off, the interest suddenly disappeared, so finding sponsors must have been a real challenge.

In the end, it was a nice idea, but it came at the wrong time, and instead of being epic, it turned into one of the bigger and better-known poker scandals.

Although players didn’t lose any of their own money in the process, many felt scammed because they never got a chance to play for the share of the promised $1 million prize pool.

5. Jamie Gold Backing Scandal

There is hardly a poker fan out there who doesn’t know who Jamie Gold is.

Loud, confident, and sometimes annoying, Gold managed to find his way to the WSOP Main Event gold bracelet in 2006, winning $12 million.

It was a huge amount of money, but as it turned out, not all of it was Jamie’s to keep.

After the tournament was over, it came to light that he had an agreement with Crispin Leyser, who actually put him in the event.

In exchange for this, Gold promised half of his winnings to Leyser, probably not even dreaming that the half would turn out to be $6 million.

When he refused to pay, Leyser took things to court and was able to block Gold from receiving $6 million.

One of the key pieces of evidence was a voicemail sent to Leyser on the final day of the Main Event, in which he promised him his half of the winnings.

Failing to lift the restraining order on the second half of his winnings, the 2006 WSOP champion decided the best way to resolve the matter was to settle with Leyser privately.

The settlement happened in 2007, but there were no details pertaining to just how much Gold had to give up in the end.

Once the whole thing was resolved, Jamie Gold came out stating it was all a big misunderstanding and that he had never intended to go back on his word.

6. Poker “Prodigy” Busted As A Cheater

The poker world has seen its fair share of prodigies.

Players like Tom Dwan, Isildur1, or Annette Obrestad seem to pop out of nowhere and wreak havoc on the tables, leaving their opponents scratching their heads.

So, when another such prodigy emerged in 2010, the poker world was intrigued but hardly shocked.

However, for the young Portuguese player Jose “Girah” Macedo, the poker fame was of short breath.

Macedo’s initial fame was largely due to the fact Dan “Jungleman” Cates, a well-known high-stakes pro, had endorsed him and took him under his wing as one of his students.

Cates was convinced that “Girah” was an actual poker prodigy, and the two had seemingly built a very close personal relationship.

Macedo’s rise to poker fame started in 2010, and he quickly progressed through the limits. He started playing while he was still underage, so his identity was kept secret for a while.

Eventually, though, when he finally turned 18, the young Portuguese came out with his story, and it was an impressive one.

However, it wasn’t long before the first murky details surrounding Macedo started to surface.

The young prodigy was a member of several strategy groups and had built relationships with members of the high stakes community over time.

This was quite normal and common until Macedo started to convince other players in these groups to sit down and play someone going under the alias “sauron1989”, and “Girah” insisted on sweating players via Skype, which allowed him to see their whole cards.

At first, no one was suspicious as high stakes players sweat each other all the time.

However, as time progressed, more and more eyebrows started to rise. The “fish” seemed to play perfect poker all the time and ended up winning against everyone Macedo sent their way.

Players started their investigation into the matter, and they quickly recognized certain unusual patterns with regards to “Girah” and “sauron1989” who would always log on and off their Skype accounts at the same time.

With the evidence against him building up, Macedo decided to pull the plug and came out clean in a blog post published in 2011 in which he confessed he was colluding with “sauron1989,” giving him the information about hole cards of the players he was sweating.

With this kind of information, even a fish could easily beat the best in the world.

Many were perplexed as to why Macedo would do such a thing as his career was going the right way, and the amount in question wasn’t all that big at the end (around $30,000).

His only explanation was that he introduced this friend to poker, and he was really terrible at it and kept losing money, so he felt guilty and wanted to make up for it.

Was this the whole truth? Who knows!

Shortly after, Macedo disappeared from the poker world, and the announced “prodigy” was gone. Why did he decide to throw away a promising career in poker just like that?

There is a veil of mystery surrounding everything around Jose “Girah” Macedo, but it doesn’t seem likely that the community will get any further answers or clarifications.

7. Chris Ferguson Returns To WSOP

Black Friday and its aftermath left many players in an unenviable situation.

Without access to their funds and not knowing what tomorrow might bring, those who put their trust and money with Full Tilt Poker felt betrayed, disappointed, and angry.

All the while, those responsible, including once-loved Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, were nowhere to be seen.

Although Ferguson may not have been privy to everything that was going on, he had to know at least some of it.

The community expected at least an apology or an expression of regrets of some sort, but it never came. Chris disappeared from the public eye, and no one heard from him in the years to come.

Then, out of the blue, Ferguson made an appearance for the 2016 World Series of Poker as if nothing had happened.

He simply came to play just like other thousands of players in Las Vegas.

The reaction from the poker community was anything but positive. While there were clearly some players who didn’t care, many of those who were affected by the events of Black Friday, including some well-known names, were outraged.

They were calling for the WSOP officials to do something and stop Ferguson from playing as they felt he had no place at the WSOP.

However, people running the Series felt that whatever “Jesus” did or didn’t do had nothing to do with the WSOP, at least from the legal perspective.

The outrage that ensued on Twitter didn’t seem to bother Ferguson, as he entered many events that year and had quite a few solid results.

He avoided the media and their questions, refusing to speak about the situation from 2011 and focused on the grind.

Ferguson returned for the 2017 WSOP as well and actually proceeded to seize the Player of the Year title, which further infuriated a part of the community, but there wasn’t much anyone could do about it.

Whatever anyone might think of “Jesus” as a person, he’s always been a pretty good player and it seemed he was back at it.

In 2018, Ferguson did upload a short apology video directed at the community, which was received with mixed reactions. Many saw it as too little, too late.

But in that video, “Jesus” did say that the full story of Full Tilt will be told one day, and he was looking forward to it.

So who knows?

8. Pitbull Poker Controversy

Those new to online poker have probably never heard of Pitbull Poker. This was an online room that was operational from 2004 to 2009 and offered an instant-play site.

While very unusual for the time, it helped the room get some traction.

Pitbull was never a big brand name in the industry, but they had some nice bonuses and the instant-play platform in an environment where the whole online poker thing was pretty new in general.

So, many players didn’t know what to look for or expect and were more willing to experiment than they are today.

It was probably because of this that the room could get away with what they were doing for so long.

Namely, when the scheme was finally discovered, it turned out there was “pot shaving” happening at cash tables.

What this means is that the room collected the usual rake from the pots and then an arbitrary amount on top of it.

Late in 2009, when the scandal got out and players became massively aware of the sham, Pitbull poker simply disappeared.

It happened pretty much overnight. Even the employees at their office in Costa Rica had no idea what was going on. They were sent home one day under false pretenses and came back the next day to an empty space.

No one knows for sure how much money the room stole from the players over the years, but whoever was behind the operation clearly got away with it.

Something like this could hardly happen today, but it was a different time back then as players didn’t have access to so much information, and the regulation was nothing like today’s levels.

9. WCOOP Winner Stripped Of Their Title

In online poker, the WCOOP Main Event is pretty much the equivalent of the WSOP Main Event.

Winning is a pretty big deal, and the winners don’t get to fly under the radar, which is probably what got Mark Teltscher in trouble back in 2007.

Namely, in that 2007 WCOOP Main Event, a player going under an alias “TheVOid” went on to defeat the field of almost 3,000 players, claiming the prestigious title and just shy of $1.4 million in prize money.

Then it turned out that the player behind this alias was Natalie Teltscher, Mark’s sister, which raised a huge red flag.

PokerStars launched an investigation and their conclusions were pretty damning.

It turned out Teltscher had several accounts registered under different names. Multi-accounting is a big no-no in online poker, and when PokerStars gathered enough evidence to be sure of their conclusion, they decided to disqualify him completely.

This was great news for the rest of the final table as everybody got to move up a spot, significantly increasing their payday.

10. The Postlegate

The last on this list of poker scandals actually took place relatively recently, in 2019, and it was easily the biggest poker story of the year (albeit for all the wrong reasons).

The whole thing took place in a relatively unknown Stones Gambling Hall, which had got with the times and started streaming their games live.

In the group of many different players who participated in the games at the Stones, one name stood out – Mike Postle.

No matter the setup, Postle was seemingly always the best player at the table, making incredible reads, crazy (but successful) plays, and winning pretty much all the time.

Had all of this not been streamed live and covered with commentary, perhaps the whole story would have never surfaced. But, it was there for all to see, and one day things started to unravel.

It was Veronica Brill, a frequent guest on the Stones’ podcast, that came out first with her suspicions.

After her, several other community members got involved, and they started going through dozens of hours of live footage, dissecting Postle’s hands.

The more they did it, the more apparent it became that something wasn’t adding up.

Postle was playing like a super-human who almost always knew exactly where he was in hand regardless of the way the action went.

Players accused Postle of cheating, and the working theory was that someone on the inside sent the information about hole cards to his phone.

Since the cards are revealed on stream with delay, someone higher up could have potentially sent the information to Postle in real-time.

Since the Stones and Postle negated all the accusations, the entire matter ended up in court.

The Postlegate affair, as it came to be known, went on for a couple of years before Postle beat a $30 million civil lawsuit after nearly 90 fellow players accused him of cheating.

He then sued his accusers before withdrawing the defamation suit in 2021.

Taking home a salary of ￡421 million (approx. $508 million) in 2020 – the highest-ever recorded paycheck in the country, averaging around ￡1.2 ($1.5) million a day – Denise is Britain’s highest-paid boss.

However, unlike other figureheads in the online gambling scene, Coates pays her societal dues.

The gambling entrepreneur has topped the Sunday Times Tax List three years running and donated millions of pounds to charities annually.

From humble beginnings in a Stoke-on-Trent parking lot to a multi-billion-pound gambling empire and Stoke City Football Club ownership, bet365 has experienced exponential growth since it launched in 2001.

Today, the bookmaker has over 6 million customers in more than 200 countries.

But how exactly did Denise Coates turn her father’s modest sports betting portfolio into a billion-pound enterprise? It all boils down to her dedicated work ethic and forward-looking vision.

Early Life

Aside from a few luxuries here and there, Denise Coates prefers to live under the radar.

In an interview with the Guardian, Coates said: “The public side does not come naturally to me. I’m not saying I’m a shrinking violet – I’m not. I’ve been bossy all my life. It’s just that I very much enjoy actually running the business.”

Other than the fact that she was born on 26th September 1967, this admittance of an early personality trait is pretty much all we know about the billionaire tycoon’s childhood.

With so little information available about her early life, it’s safe to assume that her formative years were relatively uneventful (at least as far as Coates is willing to admit).

Instead, let’s focus on her relationship with her father, Peter Coates, and the early days of her career.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Peter Coates was the son of a miner and grew up in poverty. At the age of 14, Peter had to leave school and start an office job to support his family. As an adult, he was determined to create a better life from a young age.

Following an obligatory stint in the British army, Coates began working for a chain restaurant, where he climbed through the ranks. He eventually left to open his own catering firm, which focused on providing catering services to sporting events.

The success of his catering business allowed Coates to invest in a chain of betting shops which he named Provincial Racing.

Through these shops, he began to cultivate his success, and by 1989 he was a principal shareholder of his hometown’s football club, Stoke City. However, his bookmaker portfolio had nowhere near reached its full potential.

Around the same time, his eldest daughter Denise graduated from the University of Sheffield with a first-class degree in econometrics.

Denise took on a job at Provincial Racing, which she later dubbed “a small chain of pretty rubbish betting shops.” Nevertheless, she soon became an effective catalyst for its growth.

Under her direction the no-frills betting chain became increasingly profitable and so, thanks to her diligent efforts and work ethic, Denise was made Managing Director in 1995.

The Rise Of Bet365

The giant that is bet365 today would not exist if it weren’t for Denise’s visionary investment 22 years ago.

Coates realized the potential of the internet and believed that it would revolutionize the future of sports betting. She bought the domain bet365.com in January 2000 from an online seller for ￡20,000 (approx. $25,000).

After convincing her brother (who had been practicing as an attorney) to join her business venture, Denise met with London’s capitalist elite to secure investors.

Unable to convince a single one of them, she then turned to the Royal Bank of Scotland, who granted her a loan of around ￡14 ($17) million with the entire Provincial Racing chain as collateral.

Denise wasted no time and launched bet365.com in 2001.

For a long time, Coates worked around the clock from a Portakabin in the car park of one of the family’s betting shops. Though online betting was slowly gaining traction on the internet, Denise was the first to fully invest in its potential.

In doing so, she carved out the future for a billion-dollar empire with over 5,000 employees. 

Coates acknowledges the enormous risks that surrounded her decision to invest in online gambling, dubbing herself and her brother “the ultimate gamblers.” Luckily for Denise (and her father’s betting chain), her gamble paid off.

Eventually, bet365 became so successful that Provincial Racing was no longer a necessary asset for the Coates family, and it was sold to Coral Betting in 2015 for ￡40 ($50) million.

The success of bet365 also enabled Denise to fulfil her father’s football passions once more. Stoke City FC, of which Peter had been the majority shareholder from 1986 to 1998, was purchased by bet365 in 2006 for ￡1.7 ($2) million.

Though the team has not seen much improvement since then, it holds a lot of sentimental value for the Coates family, who recently cleared ￡160 million (approx. $197 million) of the club’s debt.

Britain’s Top-Billed Boss

Despite taking a pay cut of ￡170 ($209) million in 2021, Denise Coates is the highest-paid company executive in the UK, let alone the highest-paid of all British female executives.

Though she runs one of the most successful bookmakers in the world (in one of the most male-dominated industries imaginable), Denise never felt that her gender impeded her work or resulted in different treatment from other industry leaders.

Coates claimed that while there were a few meetings where she “had to put somebody right”, she also said, “I knew my business, so it wasn’t a problem.”

On the other hand, Denise acknowledges – without irritation – that people often assume her father runs the bet365 business.

She attributes these “false assumptions” to the fact that “the media decides, for whatever reason, that maybe it makes a better story if they say he does.”

It’s not hard to see why her position as co-CEO and majority shareholder can be confusing to some. Because of her desire for complete privacy, Denise is not mentioned by name in the company accounts.

Instead, it’s merely the “highest-paid director” that took home the ￡250 million (approx. $308 million) pay package in 2021.

Denise Coates’ exact net worth has been a topic of debate over the past several years. At the time of writing, Forbes’ real-time net worth data places the figure at ￡3.8 billion (or around $4.8 billion).

Meanwhile, the bet365 company reported revenue of ￡2.81 billion (approx. $3.5 billion) in March 2021.

The Denise Coates Foundation

With such formidable revenue flooding into bet365, Denise formed the Denise Coates Foundation (formerly known as the bet365 Foundation) in August 2012.

Denise’s philanthropy has benefited multiple charities throughout the years, both locally in the UK and worldwide.

Some notable contributions include:

• ￡1 million donated to support families fleeing the war in Ukraine
• Relief support for those devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
• Funding for gynaecological equipment at the University Hospital of North Midlands
• Funding for the training of assistance dogs for the physically disabled
• Support for educational training programs for an autism charity
• Support for a charity empowering female education in nations where such education is disproportionately low
• Charitable donations to support people in sub-Saharan Africa living with HIV/AIDS

Alongside her company’s charitable donations, bet365 donates 0.1 percent of its gross gaming yield to GambleAware, the UK charity that provides support programs for problem gamblers across the country.

The donation is part of a voluntary initiative that urges UK gambling operators to help fund the necessary programs as part of their duty to promote responsible gambling.

A quarter of the charity’s 2021-2022 funds have come from bet365, totalling around ￡4.2 million (or $5.2 million). The company donated the same amount the year before.

Coates also pays the highest amount of tax in the country.

She has topped the Sunday Times Tax List for three consecutive years, with her family paying around ￡481.7 million (approx. $593 million) in tax last year alone.

By keeping her business in the UK in North Staffordshire rather than moving to a jurisdiction with lower tax brackets, Denise has paid almost ￡1.3 ($1.6) billion in tax since 2016.

Though costly, this decision has earned her much support from Stoke MPs and the rest of the UK government.

Family Life

Much like her childhood, details of Denise’s family life have been kept firmly under wraps.

Considering her family’s ties to Stoke City FC, it’s unsurprising that her husband, Richard Smith, is a director of the club. The two met during her university years, though it’s unclear when they officially tied the knot.

Details gathered from various interviews confirm that Denise and her husband have five children together, four of which are sisters adopted from the same family. Whether or not the fifth child is biological or adopted remains unknown.

It’s evident that the Coates family values privacy over publicity. Until recently, there had been little knowledge of how the Coates spend their money (aside from Denise’s Aston Martin DB9 with its personalized number plates).

Now, however, Denise and her husband are building their dream house in Crewe, UK, and the process has been anything but private.

The ￡90 million (approx. $111 million) project has raised a few eyebrows, particularly from neighbors in the area.

Some have approached the media to express their annoyance at the disruption it’s causing, while others said they were offered million-pound payouts to have their land and homes absorbed by the Coates estate.

The property, which began construction in 2019, will be a three-story “glass palace” designed by architect firm Foster + Partners (famous for buildings like the Gherkin and Wembley Stadium).

The house will sit on a 52-acre country estate and feature a sunken tennis court, cycle tracks, stables, walled gardens, and even a 75,000 square foot artificial lake with a matching glass lakehouse.

An Inspirational Leader

In the space of 21 years, bet365 has gained over 6 million customers spanning 200 countries and created more than 5,000 employment opportunities.

Coates herself has paid over ￡1.3 billion in tax in the last five years, while donating millions to charitable causes through the Denise Coates Foundation.

While some may disagree with the industry in which Denise Coates made her fortune, there can be no doubt about the monumental success of her efforts.

With a revenue of ￡2.81 billion in 2020-2021 alone, bet365 is a sports betting empire with one of the most powerful and visionary women in Britain at its helm.

Her success is a source of inspiration to men and women alike.

Lead image: Twitter/TheBearPitTV

Bookmaker and mob boss, a drug lord and brutal murderer, devoted family man, avid reader of philosophy, poet, and philanthropist.

If you think we got confused and wrote about several different people, think again. This is the story of a man that was all of the above.

Bumpy Johnson was a 20^th-century Harlem crime figure revered and reviled by the public. As the “Harlem Godfather,” he dominated the neighborhood’s illegal gambling scene and ruled with an iron fist.

Yet, as a respected confidante of Malcolm X, Bumpy had a conflicting morality that earned him his community’s fear, love, and admiration.

Who Was Bumpy Johnson?

Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson was a mob boss in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

His nickname originated from the unusual growth on the back of his head, though some attribute it to the number of enemies he “bumped” and made disappear.

Bumpy’s criminal activity spanned over four decades, half of which he spent in and out of the most notorious prisons in America.

Throughout his 40-year career, Bumpy was a bookmaker, bodyguard, pimp, and drug lord. At the same time, he was a published poet, philosopher, philanthropist, and devoted father. 

From fleeing his home to avoid racial persecution to ending the war between Harlem bookies and the Italian mafia, Johnson was a figure whose criminal acts were inextricably linked to his race.

By the time he died in 1968, Bumpy had become the anti-hero of Harlem.

The Early Years

Bumpy Johnson was born in South Carolina in 1905. Living in the Deep South during the Segregation Era, Bumpy was raised against a torrid backdrop of racism and oppression.

His family lived in constant fear of racial violence.

When Johnson was 10 years old, his brother Willie was accused of murdering a white man. Fearful that a lynch mob would attack him, Willie was sent to live with family in Harlem.

Bumpy followed Willie not long after, and it was in Harlem that Bumpy would eventually become one of the most infamous crime bosses in New York City.

Criminal Beginnings

By the age of 15, Johnson was hanging around with a wrong crowd and working odd jobs, as well as playing pool and shooting dice for money.

By the age of 16, he and his gang of merry men were selling protection and committing armed robberies.

And by 17, Bumpy found himself a resident of the Elmira Reformatory.

While Jonhson was still young, he met William “Bub” Hewlett, a gangster who admired Bumpy’s boldness when he refused to leave Bub’s storefront. He invited Bumpy to work for him, protecting Harlem’s high-profile numbers runners.

Illegal Gambling Operations

Though card rooms offering games like poker and blackjack were flourishing in cities across America, it was the numbers game that took over Harlem.

Also known as the numbers racket or Italian lottery, it was an illegal lottery popularized in the 1920s and 30s. With bets starting at just a penny, the game was predominantly played in poor and working-class neighborhoods.

While many independent bookmakers capitalized on the numbers racket, Bronx mob boss Dutch Schultz bulldozed almost every bookie into working for him.

This was much better than the alternative – losing their business altogether.

However, Stephanie St. Clair, one of the only female racket runners in Harlem, refused to back down.

The Queen Of Numbers

Johnson’s reputation as a bold and brutal bodyguard attracted St. Clair’s attention.

Nicknamed the “Queen of the Policy Rackets,” she enlisted his help, and together they waged war against the most prominent crime bosses in New York.

Schultz, in particular, was a target of Johnson’s aggression.

Johnson’s wife, Mayme Hatcher, noted in her biography that he waged a “guerrilla war of sorts” and picked off Schultz’s men one by one.

In 1935, Schultz’s attempts to monopolize the numbers game ended abruptly after Italian mobster Charles “Lucky” Luciano ordered a hit on him.

Around the same time (perhaps due to his murder), St. Clair decided to lay low. Subsequently, she handed the business over to Johnson.

Johnson had met St. Clair in 1932 after he left prison. In the years between their meeting and St. Clair’s withdrawal from Harlem’s rackets operations, Bumpy kidnapped and murdered over 40 people.

Mollifying The Mafia

Luciano, who was also a prominent racketeer and New York cardroom operator, had also been feeling the effects of Schultz’s attempted takeover.

With Schultz now out of the way, Johnson and Luciano could form an alliance that, unbeknownst to Johnson, would set a precedent for his career as a crime boss.

The pair agreed that Johnson could control all the racket operations in Harlem, provided that Luciano received a share of the profits.

Though the deal wasn’t perfect, Bumpy had managed to do what so many before him hadn’t: He negotiated and ended the war with the mafia.

The simple agreement was meaningful because, as Mayme notes, the people of Harlem realized “for the first time a black man had stood up to the white mob instead of bowing down and going to get along.”

After this negotiation, Johnson became a revered figurehead of Harlem – the man who stood up for his community and won. Bumpy was now the leading operator of Harlem’s underground casino scene.

Expanding The Business

Alongside the Harlem number rackets, Johnson became involved in drug trafficking, mainly selling heroin.

As his gang grew, Bumpy eventually became the kingpin of Harlem. Now, any and all illegal business ventures had to be approved by Johnson first.

With profits rolling in, Bumpy was able to provide for the most vulnerable in Harlem. He delivered meals, gifts, free turkeys at Thanksgiving, and put the children of financially struggling families through college.

Thus he became a complex, double-sided coin: A murderous crime boss on one side and a philanthropic Robin Hood on the other.

Bumpy Johnson’s Family

Bumpy’s family is a prime example of the moral ambiguities surrounding his life.

He met his wife, Mayme, in 1948 after serving a 10-year prison sentence for various crimes.

Though she was well aware of his violent criminal history, the pair married three months later and stayed together until his death.

Bumpy’s relationship with his daughter Elise was also a contradiction of his two identities.

Though a family man, Bumpy was estranged from his daughter, who was addicted to the heroin that he trafficked.

Bumpy and Mayme ended up raising Elise’s daughter, their granddaughter, as their own.

Doing Time In Alcatraz

In 1952, Bumpy was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring to sell heroin, the longest sentence he would face in his lifetime.

Despite his appeal, the verdict was maintained, and he was sent to Alcatraz, the most notorious prison in America.

Johnson served 10 years of his 15-year sentence. During this time, unconfirmed reports claim that he used his outside connections to help three inmates escape.

Mayme theorized that although Bumpy himself could have escaped, he preferred to leave as a free agent.

After serving his time in Alcatraz, Bumpy was welcomed back to Harlem with an enormous parade. However, upon his return, Bumpy found that the Italian mafia had overrun the narcotics trade in Harlem.

Godfather of Harlem, the 2019 Epix series documenting Johnson’s life, portrays Bumpy Johnson’s daughter Elise’s addiction as the catalyst that inspires him to rehabilitate the neighborhood. 

Friendship With Malcolm X

Towards the end of his life, Malcolm X began to sever his association with Johnson’s criminal reputation. Before then, however, the two had been close friends.

Bumpy had known Malcolm X since he was a street hustler in the 1940s. Malcolm even enlisted Bumpy’s protective services when he split from the Nation of Islam, and his enemies began to stalk him.

Eventually, Malcolm X decided his association with a known criminal might damage his image and asked Bumpy to stand down his guards. He was assassinated only weeks later.

Though he distanced himself from Johnson in the end, Malcolm X had always admired Bumpy for his intelligence and poetic ability (the latter of which had seen him published in several prominent magazines during the Harlem Renaissance).

How Did Bumpy Johnson Die?

Amidst another indictment for trafficking crimes, Bumpy Johnson died in 1986. In an unexpected (and rather anticlimactic) capitulation of his decades-long crime career, Bumpy died of a heart attack.

Despite numerous attempts on his life by various drug lords and mafia gangsters, cholesterol ultimately killed off Harlem’s most notorious crime boss.

His wife, who would outlive Johnson by a further 41 years, noted that it was the best possible way for Bumpy, or any man, to pass.

Mayme reflected: “Bumpy’s life may have been a violent and turbulent one, but his death was one that any Harlem sporting man would pray for – eating fried chicken at Wells Restaurant in the wee hours of the morning surrounded by friends. It just can’t get better than that.”

Bumpy In Popular Culture

Johnson has been portrayed in several on-screen odes, either as himself or as inspiration for a loosely-based character.

Johnson’s first pop-culture appearance came in the 1971 cult film Shaft, with the character “Bumpy Jonas” based on him.

Several other films contain characters based on Johnson, including Come Back Charleston Blue (1972), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), The Cotton Club (1984), and Life (1999).

Hoodlum (1997) was the first film to portray Bumpy Johnson as himself, followed by Ridley Scott’s iconic telling of his life in American Gangster (2007).

However, Johnson’s wife refused to watch the latter, claiming that Bumpy’s relationship with Frank Lucas in the film was entirely fictitious.

The most recent and (arguably) most famous representation of Johnson’s life is Epix’s 2019 TV series, Godfather of Harlem (2019 –). The show, which focuses on Bumpy’s return from Alcatraz, has been nominated for numerous awards.

Off-screen, Bumpy Johnson has also been memorialized in the form of Prodigy’s post-prison album, The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP, and The Bumpy Johnson Album.

A Lifelong Legacy

Ultimately, Bumpy Johnson is a figure that sits somewhere between man and myth.

While Johnson was loved by the Harlem community he provided for, the way he acquired the wealth to do so was mostly through despicable means that harmed the very same community he was helping.

Namely, flooding the streets with drugs and using that drug money to support the community.

The racial violence Johnson experienced as a child shaped his whole life. After being shipped to Harlem, Johnson learned how to fight and stand up to those in power.

Under the mentorship of Stephanie St. Clair, he waged (and won) a bloody war with Dutch Schultz. He then successfully ended the war between Black Harlem and the white Italian mafia.

With the profits of his racketeering and drug trafficking businesses, Johnson lived a lavish life full of glamour and fame.

All the while, he was helping Harlem’s vulnerable and impoverished. However, Bumpy’s life was full of contradictions.

Thanks to him, many of Harlem’s youth could attend college and ascend beyond their poor upbringing. Yet it was also because of him that many lost their lives.

Bumpy Johnson passed away surrounded by his closest friends after a four-decade criminal career (and over 40 arrests).

Both a hero and a villain, Bumpy’s legacy lives on as one of the most infamous mob bosses of the 20^th century.

Whilst much of what we know about him is arguably fictional, it doesn’t take away from how inspirational his approach to life was and how he’s been a much-loved figure, to this day.

Renowned for his top skills in tense gunfights and switching up between his roles as buffalo hunter, Deputy Marshall, miner, gambler, and top card dealer to name just a few, it’s no wonder the silver screen has played out his life many a time.

The list of leading actors who’ve stepped up to fill his boots is long and includes the impressive Henry Fonda, Burt Lancaster, James Garner, Kurt Russell, and Kevin Costner.

It seems the world simply can’t get enough of this fascinating man. So, what’s so great about him?

Who Was Wyatt Earp?

Born in March 1848, Wyatt Berry Stap Earp grew up with his brothers and sisters on a farm in Iowa before they moved to California in 1864.

It was during this move that he got acquainted with his first gun and with daily practice, became the ace marksman for which he’s now remembered.

Once in California he tried his hand at buffalo hunting and stagecoach driving and this took him all over the place. In 1870 he married Urilla Sutherland, who very tragically died of typhoid less than a year later.

After her death he moved to Oklahoma where he eventually became the deputy town Marshall of Dodge City.

Despite a rocky start, clashing with the law, he established himself as a solid man, helping out the police on a thieving case, and worked as a card dealer at the Long Branch Saloon.

It was during this time that he met lifelong pals Doc Halliday and Bat Masterson.

By the time 1879 rolled around he and his lover, Mattie Blaylock, had headed to Tombstone, Arizona for the boom in silver, along with his brothers and their wives.

Earp took up a gambling job at the Oriental Saloon.

He and his brothers all worked in the police force and struck up an agreement with local farmer and gang member, Ike Clanton in March 1881.

But things turned sour between them when Clanton did the dirty.

Before all this all broke down into the infamous O.K. Corral fight, Wyatt had started to fall for travelling actress, Josie Sarah Marcus, and he ended up spending the rest of his life with her.

In the wake of the Wild West’s biggest gunfight, the couple fled out West where they lived out their days chasing the gold rushes, earning money through gambling, horse breeding and keeping saloons.

The Infamous O.K. Corral Gunfight

Ever since the arrival of the Wyatts in Tombstone, tensions had begun to mount between them and the Clanton-McLaury ranching families.

The agreement they’d reached came about in March 1881 when Wyatt was helping his brother Virgil, the town marshal, pursue some cowboys.

Ike Clanton had ties with the cowboys and Wyatt struck a deal with him.

By October of that year, however, tensions were simmering up again as Clanton began making threats. It all erupted on 26 October, 1881, at the O.K. Corral.

It was a massive shootout between the two groups.

On Wyatt’s side were his two brothers, Virgil and Morgan, and best friend, Doc Holliday. On Ike’s side he had his brother, Billy, along with the McLaury brothers, Tom and Frank.

Ike Clanton had been getting drunk all day the day before, spouting off to anyone who’d lend him an ear that he was going to kill Holliday and the Earps. When Holliday heard this, he confronted him.

The Earps threatened Clanton with arrest and they parted ways on bad terms, preparing for the worst the next morning.

In the fight the following day, Clanton’s side suffered most with Ike being the only one walking away with his life and hungry for vengeance.

On the Earp side, Wyatt escaped completely unscathed where his brothers and Holliday suffered some injuries.

Ike Clanton filed murder against them, but a judge cleared their names in late November.

It didn’t end there, though.

Blood had been shed and payback was on the cards.

In December, Virgil was ambushed and killed by a group of mystery men and in March of the following year, Wyatt and Morgan were attacked.

Morgan died on the spot in a saloon and Wyatt took it upon himself to avenge his brothers’ premature deaths, killing several people before fleeing town with Josie.

How Wyatt Earp Died 

Earp lived for another 40 years, traveling across the west, and tried to write a memoir of his life but it wasn’t well received at the time.

With his extensive experience of Wild West adventures he became a source of knowledge for Hollywood Westerns, sharing his stories with much verve and gusto.

He contracted cancer of the prostate and died 13 January, 1929, aged 80 years old.

Earp was cremated and had his ashes buried in Josie’s family’s plot, south of San Francisco. When she died in 1944, she was buried in the same place. They didn’t have any children.

An American Legend

After such a colorful and dramatic life, it’s no wonder Wyatt Earp still lives on in the hearts of so many Americans today.

Whilst his attempt at writing a memoir wasn’t a hit, Stuart N Lake’s biography, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, published in 1931, became a bestseller.

Although a lot of the biography is actually fictional, the character of Wyatt Earp provided so much hope and inspiration to Americans through the Great Depression, and his legend lives on.

A hero, fiercely loyal and tenacious in all that he did, it’s no wonder he will always have a special place in our hearts.

Lead image: YouTube

Some, however, get the attention of the poker media for all the wrong reasons, and Ivan Freitez certainly belongs to that group.

Although he tops the Venezuelan all-time money list with close to $2.7 million in live winnings, Freitez has actually become a poster boy for angle shooting in poker.

He has repeatedly shown that he has no problem breaking poker etiquette rules as long as it doesn’t get him in serious trouble with tournament officials.

Pulling angles whenever he gets a chance seems to be a part of Freitez’s long-term strategy.

Naturally, other players and tournament directors aren’t thrilled about it, but what do you do with a guy who’s ready to pretty much walk the fine line between what’s allowed and what isn’t without actually crossing it?

Angle-Shooting His Way To EPT Title

Ivan Freitez became known to the wider poker public in 2010 as he managed to master a deep run in the EPT Grand Final.

Prior to this, the Venezuelan had a few cashes on record, but only one of them was for low six figures, so he hardly stood out from the thousands of poker players out there.

Coming into the EPT Grand Final event, Freitez clearly came up with a “strategy” that he thought would give him an edge.

Whether this was something he used in other tournaments or devised it for this event is impossible to say.

The odds are Ivan Freitez had some experience shooting angles in the past, as it’s hard to believe he just woke up the morning before the tournament and thought about trying it.

Freitez’s idea was quite simple, and it sort of took advantage of poker rules.

All verbal actions are binding, so if you announce the action before putting chips in the pot, the action stands. Whatever you do after doesn’t matter.

Throughout the tournament, in the spots where he had the nuts or close to the nuts and was facing a bet from an opponent, he would announce a raise.

Then he’d proceed to put in the calling chips, saying he meant to call, justifying the confusion with the now-famous “no speak English” phrase.

Obviously, Ivan Freitez knew the rules very well, and he knew that his verbal action was binding. Every time, he was forced to make the minimum raise.

The whole point of his shenanigans was to throw the opponents off and confuse them into making a light call.

Freitez apparently pulled this trick off a few times throughout the tournament and Thomas Kremser, the tournament director, was getting tired of his spiel.

So, when he tried to pull his angle once again in a hand against Eugene Yanayt, Kremser took a proactive approach.

It was a familiar setup. After calling on the flop, Freitez improved to two pairs to get ahead of Yanayt’s top pair.

The turn checked through, and then the river filled up Freitez, giving him the virtual nuts. Believing his top pair was good, Eugene bet for value and faced Freitez’s “I raise – I meant I call” trick.

Kremser came to the table to resolve the situation and as expected, he announced that Freitez’s raise was binding. But he did something else as well.

Kremser told Yanayt that Freitez was known for doing this with very strong hands, and every time he got called, he turned over the virtual nuts.

Despite the advice, Yanayt ended up making the call as it was just a min-raise, and he was sitting with a pretty good hand, especially short-handed.

At this point, the tournament was down to 10 final players, so they were playing at two tables of five.

After Freitez turned over the full house, most players were disgusted at what they witnessed, but Yanayt wasn’t all that upset.

In an interview a bit later, he said he was actually pretty content with how the hand played out as, given his actual hand, he would have probably had to call a bigger raise on the river.

So, in this particular instance, the angle-shoot ended up costing Freitez chips, which only goes to show that playing a controversial game is a double-edged sword.

Karma? What Karma?

If poker was a completely fair game and proverbial poker gods were there to punish cheaters and angle shooters, Freitez would’ve probably run into a massive cooler a few hands later and bust from the tournament.

But that’s not really how things work, and karma is a nice thing to believe in, but it doesn’t seem to care too much about affairs between poker players.

Ivan Freitez went on to win the tournament, scooping by far the biggest prize of his career.

He pocketed over $2.2 million after defeating Torsten Brinkmann in the heads-up skirmish for the title.

It’s safe to say that the video of his EPT shenanigans didn’t win him any popularity points, but his bank account was $2 million+ richer, so it’s hard to imagine he was particularly upset about it.

After all, he knew what he was doing all along, and it didn’t bother him one bit.

Despite the massive boost to his bankroll, Freitez didn’t go crazy with buy-ins like some poker players tend to do after a big win.

He went back to playing smaller buy-in events, with an occasional larger tournament thrown into the mix.

As for his results after the Monte Carlo tournament, he didn’t have many worth mentioning, except for the win in the $350 Deep Stack Rock ‘N’ Roll event in 2015.

Despite the small entry, this was a massive field of over 3,000 players, so Freitez ended up pocketing $117,366.

Ivan Freitez Controversy: How Bad Was It?

The 2010 EPT Grand Final gave Ivan Freitez the reputation of a proper poker villain. The poker world was in shock that someone would try to pull off such a move.

After all, isn’t poker a gentleman’s game, and aren’t you supposed to follow the etiquette, even if it won’t produce the desired result?

Understandably, people at home who barely ever play or only play with their friends would think this, but this just isn’t the reality.

Sure, Ivan Freitez was caught pulling an angle on TV and things got messy, but these things happen all the time.

Is it shocking that he did it in such a big event? That depends on how you look at things.

On the one hand, you’d expect people to conduct themselves better in a 10K tournament with live coverage.

On the other, if players are willing to pull angles in small daily events where the top prize might be a few thousand, why would it be surprising to see it in a tournament where millions are on the line?

To make it very clear, angle shooting isn’t cool and in the long run it’s probably –EV if you want to be a serious part of the poker community. Rubbing everyone up the wrong way will eventually come back to bite you.

That said, it happens all the time, and since it’s not technically against the rules, it’s up to the players to do their best to protect themselves.

Tournament directors can play a role in the process, and what Thomas Kremser did was a great example of this.

Pretty much everyone agreed that he handled the situation perfectly.

There is no lack of controversy in the poker world, and scams and cheating scandals happen from time to time.

In the grand scheme of things, the Ivan Freitez controversy barely scratches the surface.

Lead image: Twitter/CodigoPoker

But recently, the high roller has been posting so many casino wins on his Instagram stories that it’s starting to look like he’s a professional gambler.

That, or a gambling influencer.

Drake has reportedly bet over $1 billion at Canadian crypto-betting site Stake since joining the platform in December 2021, which has left many people speculating whether there’s a partnership in place.

Let’s take a look at Drake’s love of gambling and his recent foray into crypto betting.

That Time Drake Lost $200K In Atlantic City

You might remember how a few years ago, Drake made the headlines when he lost nearly $200,000 at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City when he was on tour.

This would financially ruin most people, but for someone whose net worth is estimated to be around $180 million, a $200K loss would barely be a drop in the ocean, as pointed out by this Redditor:

Drake’s New Roulette-Inspired Watch

Drake loves all things casino so it’s no surprise that the latest addition to his watch collection is a $620,000 roulette-inspired timepiece from Jacob & Co.

It features a fully-functioning roulette wheel and is truly a work of art to be enjoyed by those who can afford its hefty price tag.

Now He’s Betting Big In Crypto

Drake joined Canadian crypto-betting site Stake in December and has been placing some seriously crazy bets over the past few months.

Earlier this year, a video was doing the rounds on social media of Drake dropping a single $200K bet on roulette and winning over $7 million.

Then he placed a $1.3 million worth of Bitcoin bet on the Super Bowl, which he won.

Partnership With Stake?

It’s currently unclear whether Drake has been betting from his own wallet or whether it’s all part of a partnership with the Canadian crypto-betting site.

Neither has publicly acknowledged any relationship, however, the Stake logo has featured prominently on the rapper’s Instagram stories – leading many to believe Drake is being paid to promote them.

Whether it’s just for PR or Drake really does love betting with cryptocurrency, it’s certainly gaining a lot of media attention and is proving entertaining for the rapper’s follower base.

Lead image: Instagram/champagnepapi

For years, Cates has been one of the most feared cash game pros around, crushing online and live games.

Born in 1989, “Jungleman” is a part of the generation that got to enjoy the benefits of the poker boom, and, like many of his fellow pros, he built his bankroll online, almost from scratch.

Cates was an extremely talented player and moved up the stakes with ease. After just a few years on the virtual felt, he was already recognized as one of the best heads-up players around.

Over the years, “Jungleman” has achieved impressive results on the live and online circuits alike.

While online cash games have always been his bread and butter, Cates has also amassed well over $9 million in live tournament earnings.

His results aside, Cates is also one of the more controversial high-profile players around.

At first, it was because of things out of his control.

Later, however, it seems he got a taste for being the center of attention, so he started to stir the pot himself every now and again.

The Infamous “Durrrr” Challenge

The first time Dan Cates was in the spotlight was right after poker’s Black Friday in 2011.

At the time the DOJ went after Full Tilt and other US-facing rooms, Cates and Tom “durrrr” Dwan were involved in a heads-up match with a $1.5 million side bet on the line.

Namely, “Jungleman” took up the “Durrrr” Challenge, where Tom gave three to one to anyone who could beat him heads up over 50,000 hands.

Just before Black Friday, things weren’t looking great for Dwan, as Jungle was up $1.2 million after some 20,000 hands.

So, when online poker was shut down in the US, this was the perfect excuse for “durrrr” to put the challenge on hold.

At the time, it seemed like a reasonable thing to do and everyone, including Cates, expected the challenge would resume at some point in the (near) future.

That wasn’t the case, though.

Even today, over 10 years later, Dwan and Cates are still to complete their challenge, and they’ve barely played any additional hands over the original 20,000.

The whole situation has been a source of controversy and an inspiration for countless forum discussions.

Of course, it’s Dwan who’s avoiding the continuation of the match.

Cates is all too eager to wrap things up, not only because he has a big head start from 2011 but also because he stands to be a much stronger heads-up player at this point in time.

Dwan has been spending most of his time in Macau, playing ring games against rich businessmen, while Jungle continued to hone his skills, so he stands to have a massive edge over “durrrr” right now.

While this controversy has been feeding gossip columns of the poker media, it seems that there is really no bad blood between Dwan and Cates.

The two are still trying to work out how to (finally) bring the challenge to a conclusion, and Cates likes to take it to Twitter every now and again to needle Dwan about it, but it feels like poker fans care much more about the end result than “Jungleman” himself.

The Shy Pro Goes Full Playboy Mode

Those of you who have been following Cates’s career from the beginning probably know that “Jungleman” today is the very opposite of what he used to be.

Coming into live poker from the online environment, Dan Cates struggled to find his groove and get comfortable at the tables.

If you watch some of his early televised performances, you’ll notice he rarely engages in conversation and doesn’t look comfortable in a live setting.

He still played great poker, but he felt somehow out of place, especially in lineups that included talkative guys like Negreanu, Tony G, and Phil Hellmuth.

This is something that “Jungleman” recognized, and in some of his interviews, he talked about how he wanted to change things around.

He understood that live poker was a different beast and required some other skills to get the best results.

Cates spent the next few years working on his social skills, and he was getting much better at it.

But no one could have expected the full U-turn that saw Cates go full playboy mode, creating a riot in the poker community.

In May of 2019, “Jungleman” posted a photo of himself surrounded by a dozen topless women.

This is the kind of behavior people have come to expect from the likes of Dan Bilzerian, but definitely not from Cates.

Reactions from his followers and the poker public ranged from mildly shocked, over very amused, to straight-up outraged.

But Jungle didn’t stop here.

He followed it up with a softcore porn music video that saw “Jungleman” involved in a poker game with a bunch of naked ladies and then getting busy with one of them.

To say the poker community exploded would be an understatement.

First of all, nobody saw this coming.

Second of all, it wasn’t the kind of video you’d expect to see on your average poker feed – unless you follow Bilzerian, that is.

Reactions from the community were largely positive, especially from other poker pros (both male and female) who seemed to enjoy the five-minute video quite a lot.

But, naturally, not everyone was as delighted.

Some took to Twitter and other social media outlets to share their outrage, saying that this video was degrading to women and was especially bad if we wanted to have more women in poker.

One way or another, Dan Cates was the talk of the poker world for the next few weeks.

Some congratulated him, some were outing their frustration, but “Jungleman” was once again in the spotlight, and this time it had nothing to do with winning big pots or major tournaments.

Ever since, it seems Cates has taken a much more relaxed approach to poker and life.

Just recently, he appeared in a high-stakes cash game wearing just a bathrobe. Apparently, it was an expensive bathrobe, but still not something you see every day.

“Jungleman’s” entire image has changed quite dramatically over the years, so much so that he’s almost become a completely different person.

He’s still one of the best poker players around, of course, but looking at his demeanor at the tables a few years back and comparing it to today, the differences are huge.

The Dan Cates Ghosting Scandal

About a year later, in 2020, Dan Cates found himself involved in another controversy, but it wasn’t all fun and games this time around.

He was called out on Twitter by Bill Perkins, who claimed Cates was playing under a recreational player’s alias in a private online game.

To give things some perspective, with the coronavirus pandemic and live games shutting down, players in the US have largely turned to social poker apps to set up private games with real money.

One such game included heavy hitters such as Bill Perkins, Dan Bilzerian, and other players who aren’t exactly considered professionals, albeit they spend a lot of time and money on poker.

After Perkins and Bilzerian got involved in the discussion calling Cates out, the pro finally gave in and faced the accusations.

In a relatively short post, Cates admitted he was playing on account of a recreational player but claimed to have only played a few hands against Perkins and none against Bilzerian at all.

He also claimed that the high level of play on the app indicated that almost everyone was using pros to ghost them, so it felt okay if he did it as well.

“Jungleman” still apologized for his actions and stated that he understood that he was held to a higher standard than a random player.

The statement once again divided the poker community.

Some, as is always the case, were calling for Cates’ head, claiming what he did was inexcusable. For the most part, though, players didn’t make too big of a deal of the situation.

Ghosting, while not fair, is rampant in online poker, and Cates was probably right about the fact that some of the top pros actually ghosted other “recreational players.”

After all, if he found the level of play on the app to be very high, it’s hard to imagine it was just some recs tapping buttons.

Although Perkins made a pompous announcement before the reveal, things blew over pretty quickly once all facts were known. The wider poker community just didn’t agree with his assessment that this scandal made Postlegate “look like a church service.”

What Has “Jungleman” Been Up To Lately?

We’re probably going to see some more controversial shenanigans from Dan Cates in the future.

If you check out his Twitter, you’ll see that it’s full of crazy ideas that would likely make poker headlines again and bring a lot of entertainment to his fans.

While thoughts and opinions on “Jungleman” differ, one thing is pretty clear. He decided to turn a page and have as much fun as possible on the felt and away from it.

In doing so, he’s bound to rub some people up the wrong way, but this doesn’t seem to upset him too much.

Poker can never have too many colorful and entertaining characters to keep things alive at the tables and fun for people watching at home.

Cates is clearly on a mission to make this happen, and what’s not to like about it?

He’s also been involved in a pet project of developing an app to rate the integrity of poker players.

This may seem a bit strange, given he’s been called out for ghosting and being involved in shady behavior, but it seems that’s the whole point.

Cates says that he wants an app that allows everyone to rate the poker players’ integrity, including his own.

Such an app would be a valuable addition to the current landscape, as it could help people avoid getting in on bad deals, backing wrong players, or lending money to those known for not paying their debts.

Cates is currently in the process of collecting information on what people would like to see such an app include and how much they’d be willing to pay to have access to it.

If you want to chime in on the discussion, check out his official Twitter account and feel free to contribute.

All in all, “Jungleman” is certainly not your average poker player.

His extraordinary results aside, he’s been involved in quite a few controversial situations over the years, adding some color to his character and allowing us to see the other side of the man considered to be one of the best HU players of all time.

Lead image: World Poker Tour/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

Guy Laliberté, the founder of the famous Cirque du Soleil, clearly belongs to the latter group.

The Canadian billionaire was a part of the high-stakes poker scenes for years, driving action in live and online games alike.

His life and poker journeys are filled with excitement and controversy. While poker was just one of his many hobbies, it was probably the most expensive one on the list.

Laliberté enjoyed playing against the best of the best. For him, it was never about the money. He was motivated by the challenge and the opportunity to sit across some of the greatest minds in poker.

Of course, this came at a price. Taking on some of the most experienced high-stakes regulars on their home turf turned into a pricey lesson for the Canadian.

Luckily, he had the means to afford it.

Guy Laliberté: From Street Performer To Billionaire Businessman

Some billionaires come from the money and get to enjoy the fruits of the labor of those before them, but not Guy Laliberté.

Coming from a very modest background, he managed to build a billion-dollar empire on his own.

The Canadian started as a simple street performer. When he turned 18, he hitchhiked across Europe, meeting other street performers and learning secrets of the trade.

Upon returning to his native Quebec, young Laliberté joined a group of performers there and continued to apply his trade. Then, in 1982, he caught a lucky break that would change his life forever.

He helped set up an international festival of performers in his hometown and the event turned out to be a huge success. Prompted by this, the Canadian applied for a grant to help finance Cirque du Soleil.

Despite struggling initially, Laliberté’s imagination and determination helped keep the business afloat. In 1985, they launched their first tour across North America and never looked back.

Offering unique and original performances fueled by Laliberte’s vision, the circus grew in popularity, becoming one of the world’s biggest sensations. It wasn’t long before the simple street performer turned into one of the richest people in Canada.

Laliberté remained a major part of Cirque du Soleil until 2015 when a group of investors bought out a majority of the shares.

He still retained a small piece of the business and kept his role as a creative advisor until 2020.

Guy Laliberté The Poker Player

Laliberté’s beginnings may have been difficult but once Cirque du Soleil became a global sensation, he no longer had to worry about money. He could turn his attention to other things, and the game of poker captured his fancy.

It’s not exactly clear when Laliberté first took up poker, however, he first became known to the wider audience as a poker player in 2007, when he made the final table of a World Poker Tour event.

Already being rich and famous, he was naturally a catch for poker producers. It wasn’t long before he received invitations to join popular poker shows, most notably High Stakes Poker.

The Canadian’s performance on HSP is still etched in the memory of those who followed the poker world at the time.

With a virtually infinite bankroll and a very competitive spirit, Laliberté wasn’t there just for show. He was the one driving the action, getting involved in some of the biggest pots the show has ever seen.

Mixing it up with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Patrik Antonius, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu and the rest, the Canadian was always an unpredictable opponent.

Of course, Laliberté was outclassed in the company of the best poker players (and probably aware of it) but he was driven by the desire to beat them and was having a great time trying.

In one of the most epic HSP hands of all time, he and David Benyamine got involved in a huge $1.2 million pot. There was a lot of action on the flop, and it ended with Benyamine moving all-in with a flush draw and Laliberté calling with the top two pairs.

When cards were on their back, Laliberté decided to give Benyamine a break. He offered to take what was in the middle (around $70,000), before all the crazy flop action, instead of seeing the turn and the river for the full $1.2 million.

Of course, being well behind with his naked flush draw, Benyamine was thrilled to accept.

It was a great gesture and not something you’d see from any poker pro. But the Canadian never pretended to be a pro. For him, it was more about the love for the game and the competition.

He understood that losing that pot would be a big hit for Benyamine, while a few extra hundred thousand wasn’t a big deal for the billionaire. So he kept things nice and friendly and gave him a huge break.

Unfortunately, Laliberté’s kindness wasn’t reciprocated later in the virtual felt as he became one of the main targets for big-name pros on Full Tilt Poker, but we’ll come back to that topic in a minute.

Big One for One Drop: The Biggest Poker Tournament In History

In addition to being a poker enthusiast, Laliberté has always been a philanthropist.

So in 2011, he decided to bring the two passions together and created the Big One for One Drop, a $1 million WSOP event, with a portion of the buy-in going towards his One Drop foundation.

This was before the time of super high rollers that you see all over today. A million-dollar tournament was a huge deal, and it naturally attracted some of the biggest names in the industry.

In the end, 48 players put up the $1 million buy-in, including Laliberté himself. The Canadian made it to the final table but eventually busted in fifth for $1.8 million.

The winner, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, took home over $18 million.

Since then, the Big One for One Drop took place a few more times, but Laliberté wasn’t particularly thrilled by the fact it was riddled with pros.

In his mind, this tournament was supposed to be a fun event for rich people who wanted to support a valid charity.

So, in 2016, he decided to move the event to Europe, setting up the Monte-Carlo One Drop Extravaganza.

This one was targeted at recreational players who were allowed to have professional coaches they could consult at any time they weren’t involved in a hand.

Despite the lofty buy-in of €1 million , unlimited reentries were also allowed until the start of Day 2.

The tournament drew in 28 entries (including two reentries), so it wasn’t a massive turnout but still a fun experience.

Online Poker And Multi-Million Losses

The Guy Laliberté poker saga took an ugly turn when the billionaire became more involved with online action. This was around the same time he started to play in live high-stakes games, and he was mostly active on Full Tilt.

No one can say for sure how much money Laliberté lost playing on the virtual felt as he’s believed to have had multiple aliases. The estimated number is over $30 million.

Over a few years, the Canadian tried to change his online identity to avoid the high-stakes pros who were following him around like sharks. His strategies didn’t work, though, as they would always find him.

Laliberté online exploits ended with Black Friday and he disappeared from the online poker world for a while.

Then, in 2014, he gave an interview for Journal de Montreal, in which he stated that he lost a lot of money playing on Full Tilt but felt he was cheated.

He said that FT pros, the likes of Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, and even David Benyamine, essentially had access to unlimited bankrolls provided by the room, which allowed them to play without any concerns.

These accusations created a lot of fuss in the poker community.

Some sided with Laliberté, while others claimed that even if his accusations were true, it didn’t matter because they did end up beating him, playing the game the way it was supposed to be played.

Regardless of how you decide to interpret the situation, it clearly put Laliberté off online poker.

Perhaps it was an expensive lesson if his losses really do amount to over $30 million, but given Laliberté’s net worth, it was the kind of swing he could still handle.

You could say that the Canadian was the ultimate whale who happily gave away his money for the privilege to compete against the best. After all, that’s how the poker economy works.

At the same time, though, poker skills aren’t the only thing that matters.

If Laliberté felt he was getting cheated and if that put him off playing, those who profited off of him the most let the proverbial fish off the hook.

After all, he personally knew most of the pros he played online. He gave Benyamine that huge break several years ago.

And after all that, they had no problems hunting him down at the tables and doing whatever they could to squeeze every single cent.

You could say poker is a brutal game at times and that’s just how it is, but you can’t completely remove the human factor, either.

This behavior caused Laliberté to stop playing online – hardly the outcome the pros wanted to see.

Where Is Guy Laliberte Today?

In recent years, Laliberté hasn’t been very active in the poker world.

It was probably the sum of all things that happened that turned the billionaire away from the idea of poker and towards other things.

He probably still plays on occasion, but his Hendon Mob is showing no recorded results past 2012.

He kept 10 percent in Cirque du Soleil until 2020, at which point he sold his remaining shares and turned completely to his new ventures.

One of these is Lune Rogue, a company he set up in 2017 to support various arts, entertainment, and technology projects.

In 2019, the entrepeneur’s name appeared in the news when he was detained for growing marijuana on his private island, which he said was just for personal use.

Guy Laliberté continues to pursue his passions, and he’s keeping his entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit alive. This is hardly a surprise given the background of a man who came from nothing and built a global empire of sorts.

But the real question is: Will we see Guy Laliberté take a more prominent role in the poker world once again?

While I have no mind-reading abilities and didn’t have a chance to talk to the man himself, it seems highly unlikely given everything he said over the years.

There is this feeling that Laliberté was really disappointed by poker as a whole and the high-stakes community he was a part of for a few years.

Perhaps his expectations were too high. For better or for worse, poker players don’t cut others much slack and they’ll take the edge wherever they can find it.

That’s just the nature of the beast!

Lead image: Twitter/DanBehringer221

Hearing how the likes of Tom Dwan or Annette Obrestad came out of nowhere and conquered the game gives hope to everyone else that they could make it on the green felt and go on to live their best life as poker pro.

Whenever a new prodigy appears, it sets the poker world abuzz, and that’s exactly what happened in late 2010 when a thread popped up on the popular 2+2 poker forum about a young gun from Portugal who was crushing high stakes.

According to some accounts, the alleged prodigy was still underage, but he was already crushing some of the biggest online games.

This is how the myth of José “Girah” Macedo started and at first, people were simply intrigued. Who was this new kid, and was he really as good as the rumors made out?

Sadly, what had the makings of a great poker story, similar to those of Tom Dwan or “Isildur1,” ended up as one of the most notorious scandals in online poker history, involving several other well-known pros.

The Makings Of José “Girah” Macedo

For several months, rumors were spreading across the poker community but there was no real information about this alleged Portuguese poker prodigy.

Then, in early 2011, a thread appeared on the 2+2 forum that would set the course for future events.

The thread was created by none other than “Girah” himself.

After so many months of being kept in the dark, the entire community was eager to get some answers, and José Macedo generously offered some of them.

In this thread, “Girah” gave his backstory and explained how he got into poker. According to this post, he started grinding 1c/2c tables and slowly building his bankroll, playing six to 10 hours every single day.

Describing his poker journey and how he kept learning and improving, Macedo left quite an impression on the community.

A screenshot of his results across various stakes was added to his post, and the numbers were really impressive. It seemed like “Girah” was really crushing it on these smaller European sites, but he wasn’t willing to share his screen names.

Given all the circumstances, this made sense. He had only recently become of legal age to play poker, and it was probably better for him if his online aliases were kept hidden.

But, reading that post with fresh eyes and knowing what we know now, something wasn’t quite right about his story from the get-go.

Too many metaphors, a mandatory sob story, and a few other bits and pieces that could indicate that not everything was how Macedo was trying to portray it.

At that point in time, it didn’t seem like Macedo had any incentive to lie, and his story was backed by two well-known pros: Dan “Jungleman” Cates and Hasibi “DogIsHead” Qureshi.

But, some posters were skeptical about the whole thing, claiming “Girah” was a fictitious creation of these two players and that they actually used “Jungleman’s” stats in the post.

The picture, which was later removed from the thread, showed Macedo was over $1.6 million in profit, playing everything from $3/6 NL all the way up to $50/100 NL.

Despite these doubts, José “Girah” Macedo was hailed by most as the new poker prodigy, which opened doors for him.

He landed a contract with Lock Poker and got involved with Poker Strategy, one of the leading poker training sites at the time.

“Girah” Cheating Scandal: The Fall Of The “Portuguese Prodigy”

The controversy over Macedo continued over the next few months.

The poker community was divided between those who believed the whole story was made up by Cates and Qureshi and those who were convinced “Girah” was the real deal.

But, by August 2011, things started to unravel, and the story of the new poker prodigy began to take an ugly turn.

In the months leading up to the scandal, Macedo spent a lot of time sweating high-stakes players.

He got them to play against an alleged “whale” and watch their sessions over Skype. The account in question – “sauron1989” – was a horrible player according to “Girah” and he was giving money away.

Yet, it seemed that everyone who decided to take on this supposed “whale” somehow ended up losing.

While it’s possible even for the biggest of fish to run hot every now and again, for them to consistently beat some of the best players around was very suspicious.

Something didn’t add up in Macedo’s story.

“MossBoss” – one of the players who was part of “Girah’s” Skype strategy group and who lost over $21,000 to “sauron1989” – decided to start an investigation, and what he found was very interesting.

He looked at Skype chat logs and concluded that Macedo and “sauron1989” would often disconnect at the same time. This, combined with the fact that this supposedly bad player was crushing everyone, was enough to blow the whole thing open.

Other members in Macedo’s Skype group started to pressure “Girah,” demanding an explanation.

Eventually, he crumbled under pressure and came out clean in another 2+2 post. This one wasn’t nearly as impressive as the first one, though.

He explained that a friend of his suggested to him that he should set up matches where he could see the players’ hole cards by watching them via Skype.

He would then convey the information to said friend, giving them all the advantage they needed to win.

Whether there was a friend or just “Girah” all the time and the “friend” is just another product of his imagination was of no consequence.

José “Girah” Macedo admitted to cheating. Not only that, but he did it in the most sinister of ways, taking advantage of people who trusted him.

The jig was up.

The myth of the “Portuguese poker prodigy” crumbled, and it was substituted by the outrage of the entire poker community. Macedo lost his sponsorship deal with Lock Poker and was forever marked as a cheater.

But, how did José “Girah” Macedo come into this position in the first place? Why did he have to steal money if he was so good at poker?

There were still so many questions, some of them not answered to this very day.

Was There Ever A “Poker Prodigy”?

After the whole “Girah” scandal was uncovered, people went back to the original story and started questioning its legitimacy once again.

The new information seemed to suggest that Macedo was never really a poker prodigy. He was just a young guy hyped up by a couple of pros since his actual results were never confirmed.

Cates and Qureshi came under heavy fire from the community. Since they were the ones vouching “Girah” was the real deal and played a critical role in his rise, people wanted an explanation.

Were they duped as well, or was there something more sinister going on?

Both pros were friends with “Girah” and have been known to back him. They were also about to move to Portugal to live with him and play poker together just before the scandal broke.

For his part, Cates explained that this came as a shock to him as well.

“Jungleman” said that he couldn’t understand why “Girah” would do something like this and throw away his entire career in this fashion. He repeated the same thing in several interviews later on.

Quershi, who had a much closer relationship with Macedo, was even more upset.

In his forum post, Haseeb stated that the whole situation was completely unexpected, and he couldn’t believe Macedo was the kind of person who would do something like this.

In that same statement, Quershi also refuted all accusations that “Girah” was some puppet of a high-stakes scamming ring and that the whole point of his existence was to somehow scam other players out of their money.

Haseeb and Cates promised to reimburse Macedo’s victims as they were the ones who vouched for him in the first place but took no responsibility for the cheating scandal.

As always, the community was split.

Some believed that the two pros, and Cates especially, were also victims of Macedo’s lies. Others weren’t as convinced.

However, it was impossible to say what had really transpired. There were many questions but very few answers, and one of the most infamous cheating scandals in online poker remains covered in a veil of mystery to this very day.

As for Macedo, after his confession, he disappeared from online poker.

His demise was just as quick as his rise to stardom. The legend of the Portuguese poker prodigy was over, and it left everyone who was a part of it in one way or another with a bad taste in their mouth.

What Ever Happened To José “Girah” Macedo?

It was clear “Girah” had no place in the online poker community after everything that took place.

He lost the trust of his friends, he lost his backers and, most importantly, he was marked as a cheater. His days of playing high-stakes online poker were over.

In most cases, this is where the story ends, as those who exit the poker world tend to fall off the radar, and it’s very hard to find any relevant information about their whereabouts.

However, in 2014, PokerNews caught a story about José Macedo, who was back on his feet, albeit doing something not connected to poker in any way.

Instead, he started a cleaning service agency in the United Kingdom, allowing students to earn some money by taking up cleaning jobs at the University of Lancaster campus.

His new business was doing pretty well as the demand was big, and Macedo, who started the company with a couple of his friends, was going places.

It seems like José Macedo learned his lesson and turned the page to earn money the right way. That’s at least one bright takeaway from this entire story.

As for the rest, it’s impossible to say what really happened in 2011.

It’s clear that “Girah” scammed players – that much he admitted himself. But the real circumstances of the whole scandal and whether someone else was in on it will probably remain a secret.

Lead image: Twitter/maisev

Loud, brazen and flamboyant, Bilzerian has been involved in more scandals than we can count.

Although not a professional poker player, he’s touted his poker success for years, claiming to have won millions in private games. His official results tell a different story, though.

“Blitz” certainly didn’t become famous for his poker-playing abilities. It was his crazy and reckless lifestyle that he openly shares on social media that made Bilzerian a celebrity and brought him the unofficial title of the “King of Instagram.”

With a lot of money burning a hole in his pocket, he created this persona that people either love or hate. This is true for his personal life and his endeavors as a poker player alike.

So, who is Dan Bilzerian really, how good is he at poker, and why does controversy seems to follow wherever he goes? It’s not easy to answer these questions, but I’ll certainly try to in this article.

The Rise Of Dan “Blitz” Bilzerian

One of the biggest mysteries about Bilzerian is how he made his money.

It’s generally believed that his father, who was convicted of fraud, found a way to funnel money to his son. While this is hard to prove, the fact is that Paul Bilzerian only returned a few million of the $62 million verdict against him.

What happened with the rest is anybody’s guess, but it’s not wild to think he would transfer at least some of it to his son.

“Blitz” has never really denied this, but he claimed he made most of the money himself, and poker profits have supposedly played a huge role in the process.

But how did Bilzerian get to be the King of Instagram and everything else he stands for today?

He grew up in a rich family, not wanting anything more, at least in the material sense.

In one of his interviews, he said he didn’t have many friends growing up, which may have played a role in him becoming a “flashy lunatic” as he describes it.

When his father got arrested, things took a turn for the worse. He started getting in trouble and was expelled from several schools.

Later on, Bilzerian tried joining Navy Seals, but that went about as well as expected. He wasn’t the type to follow orders, and after a short stint there, he dropped out.

After that, he enrolled with the University of Florida, and this is where his poker journey would begin.

At this point in time, he still didn’t have access to trust funds in his name, so by the second year, he was completely broke.

According to Bilzerian, this is when he turned to poker seriously, playing in home games – apparently making as much as $90,000 on some weeks.

But, the story of the flamboyant playboy was just beginning.

Bilzerian Introduces Himself To High-Stakes Poker Community

In 2007 Dan Bilzerian caught the eye of the poker community for the first time and this was the first of many controversial stories.

According to those who were at Lake Tahoe at the time, Bilzerian got there with a suitcase full of cash – hardly a surprise for a man who always wants to leave an impression.

Supposedly, there was $100,000 in that suitcase, and Bilzerian jumped straight into the high stakes action. But he wasn’t playing a loose or reckless style. Instead, he was waiting for others to do so, allowing him to profit off of that.

When that didn’t happen, he got up and left.

Apart from the bag full of cash, there was nothing particularly controversial about Bilzerian at that time.

However, this was just the beginning for the 27-year-old and the first of many chapters in the Dan Bilzerian saga.

Instagram Shenanigans And Lawsuits

Putting poker aside for a moment, Bilzerian became famous primarily for his completely uncensored Instagram account.

On there, he regularly shares photos and videos of himself surrounded by naked models, expensive cars, and – guns.

Blitz is apparently a fan of guns and has a huge private collection (below), which doesn’t sit well with many people.

But it seems like the King of Instagram doesn’t care about that too much. While some may hate him for it, there are also quite a few who admire this approach, as evident from his 32.8 million followers.

One such performance got Bilzerian in a bit of trouble after a porn star, Janice Griffith, sued him for damages.

The whole situation was caused by the photoshoot organized by Bilzerian and the Hustler, during which Blitz tried to toss Janice into the pool from a rooftop. The porn star didn’t quite land right, though, and she hurt her foot in the process.

Like so many scandals before and after, Bilzerian pretty much brushed the whole thing off, not worrying too much about it. He made fun of the entire incident and kept going.

Of course, Bilzerian’s lifestyle doesn’t come without its consequences, even if he can afford good lawyers and make legal troubles go away.

He suffered two heart attacks by the time he was 25, and more recently, he had a pulmonary embolism likely caused by too much booze, gambling, and everything else he likes to do in his spare time.

And that seems to be the only kind of time he has.

Although he has ties in the business world, the King of Instagram has never been much of an entrepreneur – unless he also has some secret companies that no one knows about.

His most recent marijuana business endeavor lost over $50 million in one year. According to his accountants, Bilzerian traveled the world and threw lavish parties, expecting the company to pay for all of it.

And if you live the lifestyle he lives, spending a few million isn’t really all that hard.

But where does poker come into all this?

How did Dan Bilzerian become a part of the high-stakes poker circles, and how much of his self-proclaimed success is real?

A Controversial And Obscure Poker Career

Apart from his suit-full-of-cash shenanigans back in 2007, Blitz didn’t leave much of an imprint on the poker community – at least not in the form that anyone could see.

His only recorded live tournament result dates from 2009, when he made a fairly deep run in the WSOP Main Event, finishing in 180^th and banking something over $36,000 for his efforts.

Yet, several years ago, he made a very bold statement, claiming he won $50 million playing poker!

Obviously, you can’t put a number like that out there and expect the poker community not to react. Bilzerian’s results were questioned, and everyone who saw him play thought this was impossible.

But, this doesn’t have to be the case.

Putting aside his larger-than-life character, it seems he’s a very intelligent guy. At least all IQ tests he did over the years say so.

This and the fact that he is a celebrity gives him access to some of the best, most profitable private games around. Add to the mix the fact he is perceived as a losing player with a lot of money, and all doors are open to him.

Now, let there be no mistake. Despite what he might say or think, Bilzerian is a losing player when playing against the best in the world.

He can’t stand up against the poker wizards who spent years studying the game and learning everything there is to know.

Perhaps Bilzerian even knows this, and his provocative tweets and statements are just a part of his ruse, helping him build this character of a fish.

But in a game with A-list Hollywood celebs and models, it’s not that hard to imagine he’d be one of the best players in the lineup.

He plays the game more than most, he’s a smart guy, and he certainly has the bankroll and the courage to mix things up in big pots.

He’s also been friends with some of the best in poker, so it’s not hard to imagine he’s picked up a thing or two along the way.

Perhaps $50 million is an exaggeration and another attempt to create some fuss and controversy. But is it possible he’d won a pretty penny playing poker in very private, hush-hush games?

I have to say yes!

As to why he’d brag about it, that answer is pretty clear.

Because he is Dan Bilzerian.

Recent Partnership With GGPoker

Whether he’s a professional poker player or not, Dan Bilzerian has recently been signed up by GGPoker, one of the largest online poker sites in the world.

The news created a lot of buzz in the community, with many players and poker fans voicing their discontent. Bilzerian isn’t the poster-boy profile, and him representing a major poker site could hurt the game’s image.

But from a business perspective, the deal was pretty huge for GGPoker.

The man can reach over 30 million people on his Instagram page, and when he posts about playing online, you can bet at least some of those people will hurry to log in and join the fun.

Some of the biggest pushback came from women in poker, many of whom believe that it’s bad form to have someone like him representing a poker site.

After all, over the years, he hasn’t actually been very kind to women in general, so how can he act as an ambassador for the game and appeal to that segment of the player base.

Bilzerian’s response to these statements was exactly what everyone expected. He pretty much shut down everyone who didn’t like the idea, throwing in a few insults for good measure.

All of this didn’t cause GGPoker to break the partnership, so they clearly knew what they were getting into.

They’ll have weighed up the pros and cons, concluding that his wide reach outweighs any bad press that comes with having Dan Bilzerian as a brand ambassador.

Conclusion: Poker God Or Imposter?

When we sum up everything we know about Bilzerian, he still remains a mystery in so many aspects.

He clearly has some money to spare, but where exactly that money came from is largely unknown. Even if his father did leave some millions behind, the way he burns through them, he’d have run out by now.

Are his stories of multi-million poker winnings true, then? Has he really been a regular in some super-soft, super-rich games where people are happy to donate some cash to the Bilzerian fund?

We’ll probably never know for sure.

But one way or another, there is no denying he adds some color to the whole poker ecosystem.

It’s not always the right kind of color, but every story needs some villains, and Dan Bilzerian is doing a fine job at it.

Winning a big tournament will surely get you on the map, or you can start a blog, vlog or anything in between. In this day and age of wide poker media reach, there are plenty of options.

However, Christian Lusardi decided to take another path and gained notoriety by bringing a bunch of fake chips to a major poker tournament.

Without the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open incident, the general poker public would probably never have heard of Lusardi.

He doesn’t have any major results on his resume and to the best of my knowledge, he didn’t appear on any poker shows or streams.

Since his poker career wasn’t going in the right direction, it seems Lusardi decided to give it a boost, but not by improving his game.

Instead, he made a bunch of counterfeit chips and brought them to the 2014 Borgata Winter Open tournament.

The idea was simple: use the chips to top up his stack as necessary and give himself a massive advantage over the field.

Unfortunately for Lusardi, his plan went sideways pretty quickly, and his contingency plan to try and hide what he did was no better, either.

The Borgata Fake Chips Saga

In 2014, Borgata hosted a big stack event with a $2 million guarantee. A big guarantee and good structure did the trick, as players congregated in Atlantic City to try their luck on the felt.

By the end of the registration period, there were more than 4,000 players.

Christian Lusardi was just one of many hopefuls, but, unbeknown to anyone, he had a proverbial ace up his sleeve for this event.

After all initial flights were over, Lusardi emerged as a massive chip leader over the field going into Day 2 of the event. At this time, poker media outlets reported the fact, but no one suspected any foul play.

To have a player accumulate a massive stack in a poker tournament was nothing out of the ordinary.

However, it wasn’t long before tournament officials realized something was wrong when the total chip count was bigger than what it should have been.

This triggered an internal investigation and, sure enough, it discovered a significant number of counterfeit chips in the mix.

The Borgata security team got to work and the local police were made aware of the situation. It wouldn’t be long before they found the culprit as it’s not easy to hide something like this.

After all, every inch of the casino is covered by cameras, so it was only a matter of time.

As Lusardi began to realize the jig was up and he was about to get caught, he went into full panic mode.

While he introduced some of the fake chips into the tournament, he still had hundreds more inside his room and figured he needed to get rid of them.

It was a logical idea – at least from the standpoint of a man who did something wrong and was trying to avoid consequences – but the way he decided to go about it was quite ridiculous.

Lusardi tried to flush hundreds of chips down the toilet, which resulted in pretty much the only possible outcome: pipes got clogged, and his master plan to hide the evidence failed miserably.

Christian Lusardi was eliminated from the tournament during Day 2. He made money and cashed for $6,814, but that was probably not what he was hoping for when he devised his cheating scheme.

Lusardi left Borgata, and the investigators found his room was the source of piping problems. They discovered heaps of counterfeit chips inside, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

It didn’t take long for the authorities to find the 42-year-old as he had just moved to a different hotel in Atlantic City.

However, Lusardi’s actions created a lot of problems for tournament officials.

Adding counterfeit chips into the mix influenced the integrity of the event, and they didn’t know how to fix the problem.

In the end, they decided to cancel the whole tournament. The 27 players who were still left in the event after counterfeit chips were discovered got paid $19,323 each.

While this problem caused a lot of controversies and even had several players suing Borgata as they felt they weren’t properly reimbursed, it also had some positive effects.

After this, the casino improved its security measures and introduced more secure chips that couldn’t be faked as easily.

What Happened To Christian Lusardi?

Lusardi was apprehended by the police and taken to custody. As it turned out, counterfeiting chips wasn’t his only crime, as he was also charged in a separate case involving fake DVDs.

In fact, it also came to light that he was no stranger to being on the wrong side of the law. A few years back, Christian Lusardi was charged with illegal gambling and alcohol sales.

He ended up pleading guilty in both cases and was sentenced to a concurrent sentence of five years in federal prison.

Additionally, the court mandated Lusardi to pay almost $10,000 to Borgata for the damage caused by flushing chips down the toilet.

Lusardi was also ordered to pay $463,540 to the casino, as this is the amount Borgata lost in revenue because they had to cancel the tournament. So, overall, his entire scheme came back to haunt him big time.

This would pretty much be the end of the Christian Lusardi controversy, but in 2016 the news broke out that he was released on parole.

It created quite a stir in the poker community as everyone was outraged that he would be released so quickly after everything he had done.

However, it turned out this information was incorrect, or rather a result of confusion. Lusardi was technically paroled in 2016, but he was never released – just transferred to a different prison.

It was later confirmed that he wouldn’t be released until at least 2019, as he would have to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he could actually get parole.

Interestingly, Borgata was already aware of Christian Lusardi as he was on their watch list.

Back in 2010, the casino received a letter informing them about possible cheating activities and they kept a close eye on him during the visit.

At that time, one incident saw Lusardi dispose of a backpack containing a fake gun and a fake homemade bomb in one of the casino’s trash bins.

He was arrested and questioned but since they weren’t actual weapons Lusardi was released soon after, and no charges were brought against him.

What his plan was at the time is anyone’s guess, but it goes to show that he’s never been a straight shooter.

There’s no telling how many similar schemes he may have been involved with before he was eventually caught at the Borgata tournament.

Where Is Christian Lusardi Today?

It would be great to wrap this article up by providing some information about Christian Lusardi’s current whereabouts, but that seems like a very difficult task.

The last relevant piece of news about Lusardi is about his alleged parole in 2015. After that, there is nothing on his whereabouts or current status.

This being 2021, he is probably out of prison, although this isn’t 100 percent certain.

There is no record of him on the New Jersey Department of Corrections site, so he’s likely a free man once again.

There is only one entry for a Christian Lusardi on the Hendon Mob site, and there are no recorded cashes after 2009, so we can assume he is done with poker for the most part.

He’s probably been banned from quite a few casino properties in the US as casinos don’t like known cheaters and scammers.

So even if he wanted to, he might have a hard time getting into any major tournaments anyway!

While a few names come to mind in this context, the thing about Kassouf is that he did it without cheating or scamming anyone on the way.

In fact, all he did was play his game the way he knew best, and it made him one of the best-known names in poker today.

If you’re a poker fan, the name of Will Kassouf probably at least sounds familiar.

He caught the public eye in the 2016 WSOP Main Event, during which he managed to tilt pretty much every single player who had the pleasure to sit at his table.

Kassouf did all this using the technique he likes to call “speech play” which could best be defined as an extreme version of your standard table talk.

If he gets involved in a hand, you can pretty much be sure that Kassouf will talk all the way to its conclusion.

While the poker community has seen its fair share of trash talkers in the likes of Mike “The Mouth” Matusow or Daniel Negreanu, Kassouf is next level.

His unorthodox approach to the speech play strategy has made him a celebrity of sorts in poker circles, and it divided the community into two camps: Will Kassouf supporters and those who believe he shouldn’t be allowed to do what he does.

The Makings Of Will Kassouf: Taking Speech Play To A New Level

The Will Kassouf saga started during the 2016 Main Event.

The UK lawyer turned poker pro had been running well during earlier levels and made it deep into the tournament, so TV crews quickly picked up on his presence – not that he was easy to miss.

The Brit was just one of many players making a deep run in that year’s Main Event, but by that time, almost every other player in the field had heard about him.

He was the annoying guy who just wouldn’t shut up.

Everyone who got to share the table with Kassouf would quickly find out – they weren’t just rumors.

Every single time he was involved in a hand, he’d start his speech play routine, and he was relentless. Whether there was a response from the opponent or not, he just wouldn’t stop talking.

Some found it funny and entertaining, but for others, Kassouf was bending the rules a bit too much and was coming very close to breaking them.

One particular hand that made Kassouf famous was against Stacy Matuson.

Having reached the river and missing on his slim draw, Kassouf forced the issue and pushed all-in, putting Matuson at a decision for her entire stack.

Matuson was holding pocket queens, an over-pair to the board, so she had a lot to think about.

But it wasn’t like Will to let her do that in peace.

As Stacy was trying to think, he was going on and on, taunting her, telling her he wanted her to call, then suggesting she should fold so she doesn’t embarrass herself in front of the cameras, and so on.

What he was saying didn’t make much sense but his continuous talking was clearly making it very hard to focus on the decision at hand.

Eventually, the floor was called to intervene, and he told Will he had to stop talking, which he did, to some extent.

After he could no longer talk with his mouth, Kassouf continued his speech play using his hands to continue the ruse.

Visibly frustrated, after some five minutes, Matuson finally sent her queens into the muck, after which the Brit proudly turned over his bluff, slammed the cards on the table, and announced:

“Nine high – like a boss!”

Over the years, the expression has become a part of poker subculture, showing that his performance really caught the attention of players and fans worldwide.

And despite the fact he was given a one-round penalty after the hand with Matuson, Kassouf refused to give up on his strategy.

While floors could intervene in some extreme situations, the fact was that his speech play wasn’t against the rules.

Table talk has always been allowed as long as it’s not offensive and doesn’t break specific rules, such as talking about your particular hand, which he never did.

Kassouf was bending the rules for sure, but he wasn’t breaking them.

At the same time, his speech play was working, as he was able to get players to do what he wanted, accumulating chips in the process.

Kassouf And Benger Go To War

While the hand against Matuson gave Kassouf some exposure and notoriety, it was another hand that made his name explode in the poker media.

This one he played against Griffin Benger, a Canadian pro, and it took place with just two tables remaining in the Main Event, with big money looming.

This is where things got really heated, and the fact that hand was a massive cooler that went Benger’s way only helped fuel the controversy.

The pair got involved in a huge pot, which wasn’t surprising given that Kassouf was holding pocket kings, and Benger found pocket aces in the hole.

After 3-betting Benger’s open, Kassouf was waiting for the Canadian’s decision, and, as per usual, he started his speech play routine.

By this point in the tournament, everyone knew the spiel: “How many miles from here to Hollywood?” and all that.

As he kept talking and Benger refused to answer, you could feel the tension in the air as both players were sitting on monster hands and could probably imagine themselves sitting on a pile of chips and riding them all the way to the victory.

But out of the blue, Benger snapped, and he went after Kassouf, calling his behavior “rude” and “abusive”, suggesting he should “check his privilege”.

It was probably the most controversial moment of the entire Main Event and although some people said that Benger went too far with his comments, at the time, it seemed like every other player at the table was with him.

Everyone had grown tired of the speech play routine, which was not just annoying but also extremely repetitive.

Of course, the Brit wasn’t too upset about it, as his whole plan was throw his opponents off – and it was clearly working.

But when the inevitable happened and all chips ended in the middle, he could hardly keep his spirits up.

He tried his best, but Kassouf’s face was that of a man who saw his dreams crumble before his eyes.

As no magical king appeared on the flop, turn, or river, he was sent to the rail, and almost everyone in the room seemed thrilled about it.

Despite busting before the final table, Kassouf pocketed over $300,000, which was the biggest cash win of his career up to that point.

Additionally, he made a name for himself during the tournament by accident or not, and his reputation outlasted his Main Event appearance.

A Trademark ‘Strategy’

Kassouf’s controversial style of play is pretty much his trademark and something he does whenever he plays, regardless of the buy-in or the money on the line.

With the Main Event putting him on the map, Kassouf was invited to other poker shows, and he also became one of the media favorites during bigger events.

No matter where he played, his table manners were the same.

In some of the interviews, he even explained that this was how he learned to play poker and that speech play was always part of his game.

He saw nothing wrong with it and even stated that it made the game more entertaining to watch compared to motionless players wearing hoodies and headphones – and we can’t really argue with that.

There were some heated arguments on Twitter and poker forums about whether what he was doing was okay and if it should be allowed, and it divided the poker world to some extent.

It was really interesting to see how an unknown player could create so much stir and ruffle the feathers of hardcore professionals who have seen it all over the years.

Kassouf didn’t win the Main Event that year, but I think it’s fair to say he got much more media attention than the winner himself.

Poker or no poker, people seem to care much more about controversy and emotions than they do about chips and money.

Will Kassouf Goes Rogue: The Roulette Incident

Whether it was Kassouf’s strategy that helped him make a deep run in the Main Event is up for debate.

However, one thing is certain – his performance and the controversy surrounding it made him somewhat of a celebrity and created new opportunities.

In 2017, he was signed as an ambassador for the popular Grosvenor Casino.

His clear love for the game and unorthodox approach has made him a perfect choice for the venue.

Unfortunately, his deal with Grosvenor was somewhat short-lived, and it ended because of a different controversy that had nothing to do with poker.

One night in 2018, Kassouf went out with a group of friends to play some roulette at a casino.

Shortly after, accusations started to appear on Twitter and 2+2 forum that the Brit was caught ‘palming’ $100 chips from the table while his friend wasn’t watching.

The claims were first spread by Shaun Deeb but as the two didn’t have the friendliest of relationships, people took them with a grain of salt.

However, all doubts were removed when Kassouf himself came out with a tweet in which he admitted to the incident, apologizing to the entire community and confirming that his role as the ambassador for Grosvenor was terminated.

How Controversial Is Will Kassouf, Really?

It’s no secret that the poker media loves drama.

The whole Kassouf “controversy” was somewhat blown out of proportion to make him a villain of sorts.

At the end of the day, all he’s doing is playing poker the best way he knows, using strategies that have been around almost for as long as the game itself.

He simply found a way to make them his own and take them to the next level – even it it’s annoying.

If there is one thing we can be certain of is that Will Kassouf will continue doing his thing at the tables for as long as he’s allowed to, and what’s not to love about that?

After all, anyone who can’t handle a bit of “speech play” and gets easily frustrated probably shouldn’t play poker to begin with.

Emotions, tilt, and getting in your opponents’ heads have always been an essential part of the game, and that’s the reason we all love it so much!

Lead image: World Poker Tour/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

When poker players commit so much of their time and energy to their discipline, what do they do when the time comes to put the chips away for the final time?

Retirement… What Does It Really Mean?

For most players, retirement doesn’t mean quitting poker altogether. Many just stop playing poker professionally, but surely enjoy some games from time to time.

Just like Fedor Holz, who announced his retirement early on but still kept battling in some of the biggest high-roller tournaments around the world.

So most of the time, retiring from poker means that a player quits playing full time as a career, but doesn’t necessarily mean never sitting down at the poker table again.

Successful players have a deep passion for the game, so it’s only natural that they want to enjoy it and keep it up as a hobby.

Popular Careers After Retiring From Poker

Players who retire from poker in their twenties aren’t just going to sit on their pile of money for the rest of their life. They’ll pursue other careers instead.

A lot of the time, they already gathered beneficial skills that can transition into other areas and help them reach success over there. So what are those areas?

Business

First and foremost, many professional players build a sizable capital before retiring, which opens many doors in business and investing.

I know quite a few players who moved into business and opened their own companies or partnered with someone to pursue this new career.

We can take Fedor Holz as an example. With his extraordinary success at the tables, he was able to transition into the business world.

He partnered with a leading performance coach and launched the PrimedMind app, is building a community house in Vienna, and seems to engage in different ventures successfully.

Investing

Investing is another accessible career path for successful poker players since they have the luxury of being able to take a more passive route by acquiring an already profitable business.

This way, they don’t need to build everything from scratch and can save a lot of time and energy on the way.

Last year I interviewed Alex Millar, who is one of the most successful high-stakes cash game players in the world, and this is the path he is looking to take. This is a quote from him:

“I want to find some corners of the market, which are not too efficient so that I can gain an edge and be able to spend my time working from home.”

You can see how these great minds think and how they are looking to take every possible edge – and investing is an excellent place for that.

Trading

Those who are seeking a more active job roll than investing turn to trading stocks and reach a lot of success in this field.

This is mainly due to the many similarities to playing poker, like risk assessment, managing money, and making decisions while detaching from emotions.

For example, Vanessa Selbst, who is probably the best known female poker player with way over $11 million in live tournament winnings, decided to take this path and left poker to work at a hedge fund, with a role for trading research and strategy.

Of course, there are many other career paths on top of these options that successful players can turn to after retiring since many have build very valuable skills set over their careers.

Transferable Skills From Poker

So what are skills can the best poker players use after they retire?

1. Concentrating on what you can control

One thing that poker teaches very quickly and in kind of a brutal way is that you need to focus only on what you can actually control.

Every successful poker player concentrates on decision making and improving their game rather than on short term variance and “unlucky” swings it can bring, which helps make better decisions in any other area of your life.

2. Ability to detach from emotions

Emotional decision making is also one of the most costly mistakes. If you want good results in poker, you have to learn thoroughly detach from emotions when making decisions.

Your goal is to evaluate all available information and then make a decision based on that, not on the past events that made you angry but are not relevant anymore.

Ego is a colossal villain in poker, so you just have to learn to let it go.

3. Patience and dealing with pressure

If someone tells you that there is no pressure in poker, they are either lying or have never played the game.

When you have vast sums of money on the line where every decision matters and you still have to judge a situation and make the best possible move, the pressure is on.

Poker teaches how to deal with a lot of stress and patiently wait for favorable conditions to make your move without rushing it, which is useful in every field or career.

4. Risk management

Poker is all about probabilities, and learning how to manage the risk and reward ratio can be extremely beneficial.

This background helps you evaluate potential rewards compared to the risk you take and then make the final decision.

Often, people are very risk aware and fail to make profitable investments just because they are scared, even when conditions are perfect.

Poker teaches you how to evaluate those situations and so much more.

5. Money management

Poker bankroll is one of the essential weapons in every poker player’s arsenal, and you just have to follow strict rules and manage your budget if you want to reach long-term success.

If you start playing too high, you are very likely to lose all of your money even if you are a great player, so planning in advance and sticking to some rules helps to avoid many problems both in poker and in everyday life.

6. Reading other people

While this is probably less relevant than others, poker can help you understand people and notice their behavior patterns, which can come in very handy when negotiating your salary raise, new investment, or anything else for that matter.

I am not sure if you can find a profession where these skills would not add significant advantages over your competition, and that is why poker can be a great place to learn these valuable lessons.

How Young Is Too Young To Retire?

Poker professionals fall into that category of being able to potentially retire a lot earlier than most of us could ever hope to.

In what is considered to be a profession that spans the generations, poker is now providing players with lucrative sums of money in prize winnings.

This means players are now becoming richer at a younger age, which allows them to consider retirement earlier.

And poker players are getting into the game professionally at a younger age than ever before.

Nowadays, there are plenty of resources that can help you master the game by learning advanced strategies or studying with AI software, so some of the players dedicate a lot of time to get a grasp of this game well before they start seriously playing in real casinos.

On top of that, some sites offer free games, and while these will not help you learn any strategy on its own, it can show how an actual poker experience might look.

While not something I suggest doing, I know that many players play poker using someone else’s account, even when they are underage, and use this to hone their skills.

Taking into consideration that they have all of the resources available online, and can play way more hands compared to live players due to multi-tabling and the speed of online poker, they are progressing extremely fast.

When these young players reach legal age for playing in the casinos, they have more knowledge and experience that some of the players who been battling for years.

Fortunate individuals such as Pius Heinz and Peter Eastgate have been lucky enough to secure a big win at the World Series of Poker Main Event. They have then been able to take the decision to retire immediately.

However, the truth is that retiring at a young age through choice is still not very common, even for pro poker players.

What Some Poker Pros Went On To Do

A number of professional poker players have taken the decision to leave the classic casino card game behind them to pursue alternative ventures.

Phil Gordon was one of the regulars on the global poker tour scene. He won a World Poker Tour title and earned $2.78 million in career earnings before setting up a digital messaging business site called Chatbox.

Antanas Gouga, also known as Tony G, made the life-changing decision to quit poker to become a member of the European parliament.

He has accrued more than $7.2 million in career earnings but developed an urge to become involved in politics, although he has now retired and has moved onto other ventures.

Then there are players who have to retire due to numerous scandals in the poker scene.

Annie Duke was once listed as the highest earning female poker player of all time. She won more than $4.2 million in tournament prize money and also sealed a World Series of Poker bracelet.

She sought a new career as a motivational speaker and life coach after her failed Epic Poker League project.

Duke is one of a number of players that had her retirement effectively forced on her due to a scandal.

The likes of Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Russ Hamilton had their names linked to controversy too, so walking away was the best option.

Retirement… Each To Their Own

Retiring is very personal, and while some players move away from poker altogether, others miss the competition and excitement at the tables and come back to play it full-time.

Also, there is a group of players who stick to the poker field even after they finish playing professionally. The best example I can think of is Doug Polk.

Although he moved away from playing poker, he was still seriously engaged in creating content for his YouTube channel and building his training site.

Many players follow this approach and also launch their training sites, start writing books, create blogs or do other things to keep in touch with the poker world.

Quite often, if they stick to their new career path, then they make a success of it. The transferable skills of reading people, analyzing decision-making, and taking calculated risks can benefit them in other business areas.

That’s the beauty of poker. No two hands are ever the same.

Lead image: Twitter/TonyGuoga

Then, Holz suddenly dropped a bombshell in 2016, announcing he was ready to retire from professional poker.

After absolutely crushing it for several years in a row and posting results that were borderline unreal, young Holz announced he’d had enough. The life on the grind just wasn’t doing it for him anymore, and he was ready for new challenges.

Many in the community were quite skeptical about it, though. Born in 1993, Fedor was just at the start of his career and was clearly super-talented and passionate. Nobody believed that he’d really give up poker for good.

And sure enough, they were right.

It wasn’t long before Holz was back on the grind, continuing where he left off. Today, his live tournament earnings stand at $32.5 million and will likely continue to climb in the years to come.

So what happened to Fedor Holz? How did he come to be one of the most successful poker players of all time, and what led him even to entertain the idea of quitting poker?

The Surreal Poker Story Of Fedor Holz

Holz was born in 1993 in Germany. His childhood was difficult as his mother tried her best to raise Fedor and his two sisters, but life was tough.

After finishing school, Holz went to university to study informatics. He was always sharp and intelligent and easily acquired new knowledge, but at the same time, he often felt unmotivated.

Still, completing university and acquiring a degree seemed like a good idea, as it was a good way to create some security for the future.

Fedor never struggled with the technical side of studying, but finding motivation was very hard. At the same time, he met other young people just like him, who were living a great life fueled by their poker winnings.

All of a sudden, he found something that he could be passionate about.

He started playing in some home games, and, at first, things didn’t go as planned. Holz knew very little about poker, so he couldn’t find a way to beat the games. But, with a clear vision in mind, he wasn’t bothered by it.

Instead, this motivated him to study even harder and work closely with other more experienced players.

Eventually, he became so immersed in the game that he decided to quit university and dedicate all of his time to playing and studying poker instead.

Fedor Holz Takes Up Online Poker

In 2011, after turning 18, Holz decided to give online poker a go. Since he wanted to get good as fast as possible, the online environment was much better suited for his ambitions.

With the ability to play several tables at once, Fedor finally found the way to put in the volume he needed to improve.

He was particularly attracted to multi-table tournaments (MTTs), and it was this format that Holz would become a true master of in the years to come.

In addition to his live results, Holz had some amazing online wins, primarily under his famous “CrownUpGuy” moniker.

The German had to work his way up from a relatively small bankroll, but he was definitely up for the challenge.

Putting in the hours, taking bad beats on the chin, and powering through massive sessions, Holz was setting up for one of the most impressive poker stories.

The Amazing Run Of the Young German

Fedor’s poker story started to shape up in 2014 when he decided to move to Austria and truly commit himself to the grind.

As it turned out, it was one of the best decisions he made.

It wasn’t long before the first results started to come in. That same year, Fedor managed to take down the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event. “CrownUpGuy” earned $1.3 million for his amazing run in one of the most prestigious online tournaments.

In the following months, Holz got more involved with the live tournament circuit.

It was a big adjustment for him, as he had to play face-to-face against some of the best in the world, always worrying about giving away tells and providing his already strong opponents with an additional edge.

But, with all this, he never gave up. He had his mindset on making it in poker, and giving up wasn’t an option.

By mid-2015, he was already playing in some high roller events, and it was just a matter of time before Holz would break through.

It was in December of that year that Fedor started his climb to poker stardom. The German took down the $100,000 WPT Alpha8 High Roller event, banking just shy of $1.6 million.

Not even a month later, he booked another high roller victory, this time in the Triton Super High Roller Series. Being the last man standing in a $200K event, Holz boosted his bankroll by more than $3,000,000.

High roller tournaments with big buy-ins and relatively small fields were where Fedor felt at home the most. In 2016, he had a series of great results during May, June, and July, winning well over $11,000,000 in that short period alone.

The biggest score from that run was his win in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop. Holz triumphed in the 183-strong field, banking just shy of $5,000,000 for his amazing run and winning his first WSOP bracelet in the process.

Then, in August of 2016, he went on the win the EPT High Roller event in Barcelona, good for another $1,473,000.

In addition to these live results, Fedor was posting great results in the online realm playing under his famous moniker “CrownUpGuy.”

There was seemingly no stopping the young German who was winning everything left, right and center.

But then, all of a sudden, Fedor surprised the poker world, announcing he was “retiring” from playing poker professionally.

Some thought that this meant that Holz was pretty much done with the game, but this wasn’t what Holz had in mind.

He just wanted to cut down on the hours spent on the felt and have time for his other projects, but he wasn’t done with poker. Far from it!

Fedor Holz’s Post-Retirement Life

One of the biggest reasons why Holz decided he would take a step back from the grind was so he could focus on his Primed Mind project. It’s a website offering people mindset coaching and teaching them the mental side of the game.

So, Fedor was never really done with poker. He just wanted to spend some time exploring a different side of the game and focusing on that for a while.

Prime Mind isn’t geared just towards poker players.

Controlling emotions, dealing with stress, and building a positive outlook is important for everyone in this day and age. However, poker players are the prime customers here.

Holz based the project on his own experiences and partnered with famous mindset coach Elliot Roe to help develop a product that delivers on the promise. Judging by the number of memberships and the community’s general feedback, Prime Mind was a resounding success.

But the German couldn’t stay away from the felt for too long.

After several months of “retirement,” Fedor Holz was back at it. He kicked things off in January of 2017 with Aussie Millions and had a couple of notable results right off the bat.

In April, he finished the runner-up in the PokerStars Championship in Macau, banking $868,000.

It seems taking a short break was a great decision for Holz, as he picked up right where he left of, continuing to dominate the live tournament scene.

In July of 2018, Holz had the biggest cash of his career thus far. He paid a cool million to compete in the Big One for One Drop tournament and managed to get heads up against Justin Bonomo.

Although the German couldn’t bring home the trophy and Justin ended up winning, Fedor still picked up $6,000,000 for his efforts.

It is true that Holz reduced his volume a bit and didn’t play as many tournaments as he used to, but the whole “retirement” thing obviously didn’t work out for him.

So, what does life look like today for the German superstar?

Fedor Holz In 2021

One thing is for certain: Fedor Holz has been keeping himself busy. He’s been playing poker, working on his Prime Mind project, and he has some other projects lined up for the future.

Despite his massive tournament winnings, which at the moment are over $32,000,000, the German isn’t happy resting on his laurels.

Of course, it’s hard to say how much of that money actually went to Holz as staking players for these nosebleed events has become a common practice.

Still, he should have more than enough in his bank account not to have to worry about the future.

The Pokercode Project

Following on from the success of Prime Mind, Fedor launched another project, naming it The Pokercode. It is essentially a poker training site geared towards those who want to excel in poker tournaments.

In addition to Holz, the Pokercode enlists players like Matthias Eibinger and Simon Ronnow to bring top-quality coaching resources.

The Pokercode is more than just a training site, though.

Through it, Fedor aspires to create a community of like-minded individuals who can help each other progress on their journey to poker greatness.

It’s an interesting idea that has found a lot of positive feedback and another indicator of just how passionate the German is about the game.

He isn’t satisfied just crushing tournaments left and right. He seems to always aspire to create something new and different and keep his brain busy even when he’s not on the grind.

Online Tournament Results

While Holz didn’t play much in 2019, he was back at it in 2020. As we all know, it wasn’t the best of years for live poker, so Fedor focused on the online aspect of the game and, not surprisingly, continued to post impressive results.

In May of 2020, Holz joined the GGPoker team and became an ambassador for the fastest-growing brand out there.

He played in several online events during the year, but his most notable one came from the $25,000 WSOP Online Heads Up tournament. The German managed to go all the way, defeating Brazilian Brunno De Albuquerque in the final match and banking $1,077,000 for his efforts.

High Stakes Challenge vs. Wiktor “Limitless” Malinowski

Earlier this year, Holz challenged “Limitless” to a high-stakes heads-up duel, but with special rules.

Malinowski, who admittedly has the edge over Holz in this format (as Fedor is a tournament player), agreed to play the challenge drunk.

They agreed to play $100/$200 on GGPoker, and “Limitless” actually had to drink on the stream, so it really took things to the next level. Hardly promoting responsible playing, but definitely fun to watch.

Probably against the odds, Fedor took this one down as well, so he is still standing tall as ever.

What Comes Next for Fedor Holz?

Most high-stakes players aren’t that interesting. They play poker, win some money, and that’s it, but Holz doesn’t fit that bill.

He’s clearly a man on a mission, even if the mission isn’t all that clear.

What is clear, though, is that Fedor Holz isn’t going anywhere.

He tried the “retirement” thing, but it didn’t sit well with him, so it’s not likely he’ll be stepping away from the grind in the near future.

Plus, his contract with GGPoker means that he has serious plans as a player.

As for his business and private efforts, who can really say?

But one thing is for certain: We can bank on the fact that Fedor Holz will come up with a way to surprise everyone with something new and exciting!

Lead image: World Poker Tour/Flickr

Always mild-mannered and often in a mood to crack a joke, Eli has always been one of those players everyone wanted around, from TV producers and fellow pros, to fans sitting in front of their TV screens.

While Elezra has had an impressive poker career and even recently published an autobiography, it wasn’t completely free of controversy. It would appear that there is another, not-so-pleasant side to Eli that only those who spent a lot of time around him got to see.

If you happen to be a fan of Eli Elezra and have been wondering what the seasoned pro has been up to as of late, this article will try to provide some answers.

The good news is that he hasn’t left poker, and he still plays quite often, albeit not as much as he used to back in the golden days.

Eli Elezra: The Story Of Success

With the young generation of poker players, their stories of how they came across the game and became involved with it are often very similar. However, more seasoned pros often have very colorful and unique stories on how they ended up grinding away at the green felt.

Eli Elezra has one of the unique stories.

He was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1960. Although he learned to play cards at a young age, a career as a professional gambler couldn’t be further from Eli’s mind during his early years.

After graduating from high school, Elezra set his goal to become a professional soldier – and not just any soldier at that. Eli wanted to become a member of the elite Golani Brigade, which was a serious challenge.

Despite having to overcome some serious difficulties, young and stubborn Elezra eventually got his wish, joining one of Israeli’s most exclusive land units.

However, in 1982, his dreams of a future army career were shattered.

He suffered a serious leg injury during the Lebanon War and was discharged from military service. He spent the time in the hospital learning more about poker and planning his future.

Once he was physically ready, Eli moved to Alaska as he heard there was a lot of money to be made there. It was a rough fresh start for Elezra, but his determination to succeed paid off again.

He took up a job as a taxi driver, eventually saving enough money to open his own small store.

At one point, he got word from his brother about a business opportunity in Las Vegas, and Eli, always up for a challenge, packed up his suitcases and arrived in Sin City in 1988.

In Vegas, he bought a small company that was in the business of processing films and photos. The company quickly took off, and Elezra started to earn serious money.

He used this initial capital to further his empire, investing in real estate and other business opportunities along the way.

Elezra’s Poker Career

With business going well and being in Las Vegas of all places, Eli started to play more poker as well.

He always loved the game, and now he was finally in a position where he had enough time and money to take it seriously.

Initially, he focused more on cash games, and his lifetime earnings of almost $4 million in tournaments clearly show that Eli was never too big of a fan of MTTs.

For someone who’s been around for that long, that number could have easily been much higher.

But, even with these limited efforts, Elezra has had some notable results. He has four WSOP bracelets to his name, the most recent one dating to 2019.

Interestingly enough, none of his bracelets came from Hold’em events. Three came from Seven Card Stud tournaments, and one was the result of his win in a 2-7 Triple Draw event.

It may seem strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

When Eli first took up poker, Hold’em wasn’t nearly as popular. Plus, high-stakes games like the ones in the Bellagio are often played in the mixed game format. So, mastering these different games is imperative for anyone looking to stick around and not go bust.

As for his individual tournament results, Elezra’s biggest score came in 2004.

That year, he took down the Mirage Poker Showdown, banking $1,024,574 in the process. His second-best score was from his runner-up finish in the 2018 WSOP Omaha 8 Championship, good for almost $260,000.

Considering the Israeli only had one massive score during his career, the total of $3.9 million is quite impressive. Eli has always been a real grinder, playing his heart out on the felt and loving every moment of it.

Elezra has also been a regular in the highest stakes cash games in Las Vegas, and he spent much more time grinding these games.

Unfortunately, no one can say for sure what his results look like as there is no official tracking for that.

A Big TV Personality

Had it not been for the poker boom, Elezra would probably have remained relatively unknown to the wider poker audience. Since he was more focused on cash games, his name wouldn’t have been out as much and would’ve been overshadowed by those who won huge-field events.

But, with shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker featuring the cash game action and high buy-in sit and goes, Elezra quickly became a proper poker celebrity.

While he wasn’t a “big name” like many others he shared the felt with (i.e., Doyle Brunson, Ivey, Tom Dwan, Patrik Antonius, etc.), it was clear to everyone that he belonged in the mix.

He knew all the players, he was friends with many of them, and he was anything but an outsider.

For the audience, Elezra was a great presence at the tables. As an ex-Israeli military with many fascinating stories to tell, he added something completely unique to the game.

At the same time, he wasn’t some random casual that pros could run over. Eli held his own and wasn’t afraid to mix it up with the best of the best in some massive pots.

And the funny thing is, Elezra was a complete contrast of what you’d expect him to be.

He’s never been some silent, mysterious personality that’s there just to play poker.

He was often the driving force behind conversations at the tables, whether he was the one to start them or responding to other players’ inquiries.

Married with five children, Elezra is a truly colorful personality, and his presence on TV was definitely good for poker.

He’s never been a professional player by the strictest definition as he used his business endeavors to fuel his passion for the game, but you could never tell while watching him play.

Pulling The Trigger: Elezra’s Auto-Biography And Controversy

In 2017, Eli finished writing his autobiography, which was published in 2019 in the US under the name Pulling the Trigger.

It’s an interesting book, especially for the fans of the Israeli player, as it covers much more than Elezra’s poker journey.

In the book, Eli talks about his childhood, the time spent in the war, his struggles in Alaska, and how he was eventually able to join the high-stakes poker circle.

Looking to promote his book, Elezra created a thread on Two Plus Two, the largest poker forum owned by the company that published his autobiography in the States. The thread was supposed to give everyone an opportunity to ask Eli any questions they wanted to know answers to.

However, things quickly turned ugly, leading to the thread being removed.

Several well-known poker pros came out of the woodwork, accusing Eli of not honoring his debts. Abe Mosseri and Cole South were the ones to call Elezra out publically, but then the rumors started spreading that he owed a lot of money to many different people.

Eli denied these accusations, but they started to spread across the internet like wildfire.

Shaun Deeb also came out, claiming Elezra owed him money. According to Shaun, Eli borrowed money from him and, for a while, he was paying back in installments but eventually stopped doing it entirely.

It wasn’t a good look, especially in the wake of his book, but Elezra stood his ground, claiming that he “has always paid his debts”.

In fact, he went so far as to say that he himself was owed about $2,000,000, but he would never go public about it. In his mind, any loans between players are their private business and not something the general public should have any say in.

All the drama probably caused Elezra to remove himself from the public eye for a little while, which might be a part of the reason why we haven’t seen much of him in recent years.

He has no live tournament cashes after the 2019 WSOP, so it seems like Eli has been avoiding crowds at least a little bit.

Where Is Eli Elezra in 2021?

With all this history behind us, it’s time to answer the real question: Where is Eli Elezra today?

While Eli certainly hasn’t been nearly as active in poker circles over the past few years, he is still around, and you can catch up with the Israeli legend on his Twitter.

Most recently he hit the headlines for his success at the U.S. Poker Open earlier this month, where he beat a field of 68 entries in the $10,000 buy-in eight-game mix event, taking home $183,600.

Other than that, he seems to have turned almost exclusively to cash games, which have always been his number one choice.

As for his TV appearances, Eli was one of the players on PokerGO’s new Poker After Dark series, appearing on the “One Night in Vegas” episode.

If you want to see Eli in action, make sure to check it out, as he mixes it up in a $50/$100 cash game against the likes of Mike Matusow, Freddy Deeb, and Nick Schulman.

He also appeared on several episodes of Poker Night in America and Live at the Bike in recent years, showing that he still has what it takes to go up against the best and hold his own.

Elezra was also nominated for the Poker Hall of Fame in December of 2020.

So, there you have it. If you’ve been wondering what Eli Elezra has been up to recently, this article should answer some of your questions and help you understand why the seasoned pro may have taken a step away from the limelight.

If you want to stay in the loop about Eli’s life and career, make sure to follow him on Twitter and say hi.

He’ll probably be happy to hear from you and might even be in the mood to share some interesting stories!

Lead image: Twitter/elielezra1

Always quick to throw a joke and usually sitting at the table with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, Farha quickly became a favorite of poker fans worldwide.

Farha first caught the eye of the wider poker public in 2003 by playing a crucial role in the epic story of Chris Moneymaker that triggered the poker boom.

Sammy was the last obstacle Chris had to overcome to claim the Main Event title, and, in many ways, it was a real David vs Goliath story.

Farha had countless hours of experience and was used to playing under pressure. On the other hand, Moneymaker was a complete stranger to big tournaments featuring millions of dollars in prizes.

In the years following the 2003 Main Event, poker would become huge as millions of people took it to the felt, looking to repeat Moneymaker’s amazing feat.

Farha kept doing his thing, and since he was a member of the inner circle of high-profile poker pros, he was often invited to participate in popular TV shows like High Stakes Poker.

After Black Friday, poker lost a lot of its momentum, especially in the US, and the poker production slowed down significantly. With that, Farha pretty much disappeared from the public eye, leaving fans with the question over their heads.

What happened to Sammy Farha? Where is he these days, and what has he been up to in recent years?

The Interesting Story Of Sam Farha

Ihsan “Sam” Farha was born in Lebanon in 1959. He and his family migrated to the US in 1975, when a civil war erupted in his native country.

Farha landed on his feet. He finished the University of Kansas, earning a degree in business administration. During his time at the college, he also became very good at pool and made money playing the game.

Another fun fact is that Farha was apparently quite proficient at Pac-Man and once allegedly won $5,000 playing this fun arcade game.

The first time Sammy came across poker was when he moved to Huston, Texas, in the 1980s.

A competitive spirit and always looking for new challenges, he quickly fell in love with the game and realized that he could make real money playing cards.

So, after some deliberation, he decided to give it a go and moved to the poker center of the world – Las Vegas.

Sammy had his eyes set on becoming a professional poker player, and with his talent and passion, he was already well on his way.

Back in those days, learning resources were scarce, so those who had the biggest drive to succeed, backed up by some natural flare, would often do well.

Judging by his Hendon Mob and what we know of Farha’s career in general, he’s focused mostly on cash games. He did amass more than $2.8 million in live tournament cashes, but Sammy followed the money, and the money was in the side games.

This didn’t prevent Sammy from claiming three WSOP bracelets, though.

The first one came in 1996, followed by two more in 2006 and 2010. Interestingly enough, all three of these bracelets came from Omaha events, a game that Farha always enjoyed much more than Hold’em and that he’s always been quite good at.

Plus, it was his performance in a tournament that put Farha on the map, at least in terms of the wider poker audience.

Playing such an important role in one of the biggest moments for the game’s future made Sammy an important part of history.

2003 WSOP Main Event Sammy Farha vs Chris Moneymaker

When the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event kicked off, no one could guess just how big of importance it would have on poker’s future.

There have been many Main Events before and after, but none had such a huge impact.

It’s a story that’s been told so many times that everyone knows it. An unknown accountant from Tennessee (aptly called Chris Moneymaker) earned his seat in the Main Event via an online satellite on PokerStars for less than $100.

He then outlasted every person in the field that consisted of amateurs and professionals alike, claiming the title and $2.5 million.

His victory created foundations for the poker boom that would ensue in the coming years.

As is usually the case with poker tournaments, before the 2003 Main Event winner was crowned, there was a heads-up skirmish featuring Moneymaker on one side of the table and none other than Sam Farha on the other.

With $2,500,000 on the line, it was a big moment for both players, but more so for Moneymaker. By that point, Sammy was used to playing for huge stakes.

The final skirmish included a lot of back and forth, and Chris pulled off a massive bluff to make it even sweeter. If Farha managed to find the call in that hand, the poker history could have been much different.

But after thinking for over 20 minutes, Sammy laid down the winner, Moneymaker raked in a big pot and then proceeded to wrap up the tournament some hands later.

Sammy still pocketed $1.3 million for his runner-up finish, which is actually the biggest single score of his career, so it wasn’t a bad day at the office for him.

When asked about it years later in an interview, Farha said that he almost never thinks about it these days. Although it’s one of the most famous moments in all of poker, Sammy says it’s just a memory that he rarely looks back to.

If you think about it, maybe losing that heads-up wasn’t all that bad for Farha, either.

Sure, he lost out on $1.2 million then and there, but he probably got to profit from countless amateurs who headed to Vegas on a quest for fame and fortune.

Plus, he did become somewhat of a celebrity.

In the years to follow, Farha was invited to many televised events and poker shows, most notably High Stakes Poker.

Not that he needed a special invitation to get in as he was already in the inner circle of the high stakes scene, but it probably didn’t hurt.

Sammy Farha On High Stakes Poker

Following his 2003 Main Event performance, Farha became best-known to wider poker audiences through High Stakes Poker’s numerous appearances.

Always dressed in a suit and with a mandatory cigarette in his mouth or between his fingers, Sammy played many memorable pots against the likes of Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Jamie Gold, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and others.

Fans loved seeing Farha at the tables.

He was almost always in a good mood and ready to strike a conversation. It was only in the rare moments that he’d turn gloomy, after a particularly ugly bad beat or a really poor run of cards.

Winning or losing, he was always gracious and a real gentleman at the tables, which meant everyone, from producers to players, loved having him around.

Although he was usually up against the players who achieved much more in poker, at least in terms of recorded results, you could never tell.

Sammy fit perfectly with the crowd, and it was more than obvious he felt at home at the green felt, playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Having already played for a couple of decades by the time poker became mainstream, Farha was a true old-school player.

He was always observant of the table etiquette and was annoyed by any angle shooting attempts or anything that crossed the line.

Sam Farha: Author And Actor

As mentioned, Farha was quite proficient in Omaha, and it was his game of choice.

While Hold’em was (and still is) all the rage, Sammy always looked for juicy Omaha games to get involved with, and he’d often make references to Omaha during his High Stakes Poker appearances.

So, in 2007, he authored a book called Farha on Omaha: Expert Strategy for Beating Cash Games and Tournaments.

In the book, Sammy reveals some of his strategies for the game and shares many funny anecdotes from the felt.

It’s not a high-level poker book like some of the PLO stuff you can come across these days, but it’s a still great resource for those just picking up the game and wanting to learn the basics.

Farha was also a part of the crew that appeared in the poker movie Lucky You.

The movie itself wasn’t a great success but it’s fair to say that his appearance, as brief as it is, is probably one of the best parts of the whole movie.

All in all, Sammy has had a great career in poker, and he managed to avoid any major scandals, which deserves some credit on its own.

While many of his fellow pros were often dragged all over the forums for all sorts of reasons, Farha always stayed away from the drama.

What Has Sam Farha Been Up To Recently?

In recent years, we’ve really seen very little of Sammy Farha. It’s not only that he hasn’t been around on TV, but it seems that he had put poker in general on the backburner.

Hendon Mob has his last recorded tournament cash dating back to 2014, but even in the few years before that, he only played a few tournaments.

Because Sammy has always kept to himself and wasn’t interested in being a “star” there isn’t much information about his efforts away from the felt.

But, in 2017, he did an interview for PokerNews, explaining what he’s been up to these days and how he spends his time now that he doesn’t play as much poker as he used to.

Although his days of big games and huge stakes are over, Sammy still plays poker in Huston, where he currently resides. He still enjoys the game, although not as much as he used to.

The reason for this, he explains, is that there was too much drama surrounding big games, and he just didn’t feel like dealing with it anymore.

After playing high stakes for nearly 15 years, he simply got tired and decided it was time to move on.

In that same interview, he also used the opportunity to bash No-Limit Hold’em.

While he says he loves the game, he simply finds it boring at times, and his main motivation for playing poker is to have fun.

So, it’s safe to assume that he was able to find some good Omaha games in Texas.

It seems that Farha’s days of playing poker on the big stage are over.

Not because he can’t afford it or because he is no longer welcome there, but simply because that’s what he decided.

We’d love to see him make another appearance on poker TV shows. Whether he’s up for it or not, though, is anybody’s guess.

All we can do is keep our fingers crossed!

Check out more guides in this series:

• What Ever Happened To Peter Eastgate?
• What Ever Happened To Annie Duke?

Lead image: Wikimedia Commons

But, love him or hate him, there is no denying that Matusow is one of a kind.

Mike has built quite a career in poker over the years and became pretty well-known during the boom. He was frequently invited to various poker shows as his presence at the tables would always add some flare to the game.

Despite his success on the felt, Matusow’s life has been a constant struggle.

He’s had drug problems, health issues and even ended up serving time on cocaine distribution charges. Although he only spent six months in county jail, the experience has left a big mark on Mike’s future.

While we do get to see him on TV every now and then, he’s definitely no longer as popular as he was back during the golden years of poker.

So, what’s “The Mouth” been up to lately? Is he still on the grind, or has he found a new passion?

Mike Matusow Hasn’t Gone Anywhere

He might not be the “big shot” he once was, but it’s hard to imagine Matusow would ever give up poker on his own will. After all, with nearly $10,000,000 in live tournament winnings, why would he?

But, his bankroll is no longer what it used to be, and sponsorship opportunities are few and far between these days. That’s probably the main reason why “The Mouth” is no longer as active in high-stakes games where fortunes are won and lost on a turn of a card.

In fact, times have been tough for “The Mouth” lately, and he’s been pretty open about it on his Twitter.

When the Negreanu/Polk heads-up was happening, Matusow stated that he only had about $20,000 to his name, and he apparently bet a large portion of his net worth on Daniel to win. That certainly didn’t help his financial situation.

Still, Mike manages to find his way into some decent games in Las Vegas, as he often posts about it on his Twitter. It’s a safe bet he’s been playing staked, but the fact that he can get staked for $50/$100 is a pretty big deal.

Matusow has also been quite active on the tournament circuit, so he still plays quite a bit of poker for someone who claims to be broke.

He cashed in several WSOP events in 2019 and 2020, with his biggest score as of late being the 4^th place finish in the 2019 Seven Card Stud 8 or Better Championship, good for $116,225.

As far as his poker career is concerned, “The Mouth” may not be as active as before, but he’s still hanging in there.

He’s been around for a long time and is friends with some of the world’s best-known players, which probably helps a lot.

That said, it’s not like Matusow spends all of his time in the “big boys’ game.”

Apparently, he hosts an (online) home game, where stakes are just $1/$2, but how he can go from playing $50/$100 one day to 200NL the next is anyone’s guess.

The Mouthpiece Podcast

If there’s one thing that Mike Matusow loves as much as poker, it’s talking. You don’t get nicknamed “The Mouth” for nothing.

Those who watched Mike’s appearances on old episodes of High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark know this all too well.

Since his chances to actually play have been reduced, Matusow decided to focus more on this other passion and, thanks to modern technology, he could finally do it in style.

Early in 2019, he launched his Mouthpiece Podcast, allowing him to share his thoughts on current issues in the poker world, share his stories (and he has quite a few to share), and interview many interesting guests over the past couple of years.

Having been on the circuit for such a long time once again paid off for Mike. He knows everyone and anyone in the poker world, so he had no problems getting well-known faces to appear on his show.

His guests included the likes of Matt Savage, the late Mike Sexton, Mori Eskandani (the man who played a great role in making televised poker huge), Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and many more.

“The Mouth” even did an interview with Mike Postle back in 2019 when Postle was accused of cheating players on live-streamed games.

The podcast has been going strong since 2019. There are now over 60 episodes available on his YouTube channel and various podcast sharing platforms, and he seems determined to keep on going.

In addition to his podcasts, “The Mouth” has also been streaming some of his online play, especially during his 2020 WSOP Online run.

So, if you’ve been wondering what’s going on with Mike Matusow and what he’s been up to, you should hop over to his YouTube page to get up to date.

The Struggles Of Mike “The Mouth” Matusow

Those who have been around the poker world for a while probably know Matusow’s story, but newer fans might be wondering what went wrong.

With $10 million in winnings and having quite a few friends in the community, you’d think Mike would be in a great position in poker and life in general.

Yet, the opposite seems to be true, as “The Mouth” has been really struggling in recent years.

The story of Mike Matusow is a complicated one and filled with many bad choices along the way. Some of it was described in his 2009 autobiography Check-Raising the Devil.

Matusow was born in 1968 in Los Angeles, California. Around the age of 18, he developed a passion for gambling, first through video poker games.

This didn’t end too well for Mike as the passion soon turned into an addiction that he tried to fight through Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

Later on, Matusow started working as a poker dealer.

However, more than the job, he was interested in the game and spent his time observing other players, learning from their experience and mistakes.

It wasn’t long before he decided to quit his job and gave the life of a professional poker player a go.

Mike kicked things off in style, finishing the runner-up in a $2,000 WSOP Omaha 8 tournament in 1997, winning almost $82,000 in the process.

The next year, he had a big piece of Scotty Nguyen in the WSOP Main Event, so when Scotty went on to win the whole thing, Matusow received more than $300,000.

In the years to come, “The Mouth” proved himself to be a real grinder. He played his heart out day in, day out, posting many great results over the years.

He accumulated almost $10,000,000 in winnings over the course of numerous tournaments, with only two of them awarding $1,000,000.

A majority of Matusow’s results were in the lower six-figures ($100,000 – $250,000), but he kept on grinding, and his bankroll kept growing.

Over the course of his career, he won four WSOP bracelets, only one of them in a No-Limit Hold’em event. The rest came from Omaha 8, Deuce to Seven Lowball, and Seven Card Stud 8.

Despite his success on the felt and the fact he’s been around for just about as long as anyone else, Mike Matusow is still to be inducted into the prestigious Poker Hall of Fame, despite being nominated many times.

In fact, “The Mouth” has been quite vocal about the Hall of Fame issue, and he’s not afraid to say he firmly believes he deserves a spot.

Matusow believes that his overall contribution to the growth of poker should be factored in, although this is something that’s not considered for the players’ category.

Addiction, Health Issues And His Fall From Grace

While Mike was doing great on the felt, especially in those early days of the poker boom, other non-poker-related issues made it very hard for him to keep his head above water.

The first and the biggest one was his drug addiction.

The challenging lifestyle of gambling, drugs, hardcore partying, sex, and everything else that comes with it took its toll. So much so that in 2004, Matusow ended up facing cocaine charges that landed him in jail for six months.

After that experience, he came back determined to focus on playing poker and fixing his past mistakes. For a while, he did quite well, but life had more curveballs headed in Mike’s direction.

In 2014, “The Mouth” suffered a thoracic spinal contusion, a back injury that led to serious medical complications and made it impossible for him to play poker.

Although he still tried to get in the mix, he just wasn’t in shape, physically or mentally, for long sessions.

It had to get worse before it could get better.

In the next few years, he went almost completely bankrupt, lost his house, and found himself in a really bad place.

But, if there is one thing that Mike learned over the years, it was how to deal with hardships. He wouldn’t let any of it get him down.

When he was finally ready, he got back to playing, starting from the micro stakes online. Gradually, he built his bankroll back up and, after a three-year hiatus, he was back in the World Series of Poker in 2016.

What’s In The Future For Mike “The Mouth” Matusow?

“The Mouth” has seen it all and had a very colorful professional and personal life. He’s pretty much been at the top back during the glory days of Full Tilt Poker, and he hit rock bottom several times over.

Matusow has certainly made mistakes and bad judgment calls over the years but he seems to have found his place in the world once again.

Aside from poker, he’s been producing his Mouthpiece Podcast, and it seems to be something he really enjoys. So, he’ll probably keep at it, at least for the foreseeable future.

As for the poker aspect, who can really tell?

One day, he’s playing NL200; the next, you see him in a huge game with a $100,000+ buy-in. Matusow is also playing many tournaments, so he could easily have a big score in one of them.

You can say what you want about “The Mouth,” but few people have the same passion for the game.

No matter how many times he gets kicked down, Matusow somehow manages to get back on his feet every single time.

So, whatever comes next, one thing is certain: “The Mouth” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Check out more guides in this series:

Lead image: World Poker Tour/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0