Archie Karas

Introduction

Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis commonly known as Archie Karas was born on 1 November 1950 in Antipata, Pylaros.

Archie had a passion for gambling from a very young age, and he always wanted to be a professional gambler. He came from a poor immigrant family that had nothing, and therefore made sure he took steps that would change his future and take him away from a life of poverty.

In 1965 Archie left Greece after a massive blowout with his father and worked as a waiter on a ship for two years before he jumped ship on a trip to Portland. He eventually found himself in L. A and started his gambling career in the bowling alley next door to where he worked.

His Gambling Career

In 1990 he had accumulated in the region of $2 million and landed up losing all but $50 within two years. With this $50 he moved onto Vegas, and this is where “The Run” he is so well known for began. In Vegas, Archie met a friend who lent him $10,000 to get started. He hit the tables, and within a couple of hours, he had doubled the money at the Razz Tables.

He now had his own money and went looking for lucrative pool games and came upon a game a local businessman was looking to start for a buy-in of $5000 for a game of 9 balls. During this extended game of pool, Archie won around $1.1 million.

His winning streak continued, he played Stu Unger and won $1.2 million. Next in line was Chip Reese who lost $2 million to Archie. The following two in line were Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Moss both legends and even they could not put an end to Archie’s winning streak which saw him win a total of $17 million.

Conclusion

During Archie Karas’s career, he had won close to $40 million, and the only thing he ever bought with those huge winnings was a car and the rest went straight back to the casinos. He has however won six gold bracelets in the WSOP. The once-great Archie Karas is now just a regular gambler and the perfect example of a rags to riches story with some exciting and drastic twists.

Queen Marie Antoinette

Introduction

Marie Antoinette was born at Hofberg Palace in Vienna, Austria on the 2 November 1755. She was born an archduchess of Austria and the youngest child of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis. She got married in May 1770 at the tender age of 14 years old. Her husband was Louis Auguste, who was the heir to the French throne. On 10 May 1774, her husband ascended the throne and became known as Louis XVI, Marie Antionette then became the Queen.

Many have criticized this young Queen for her escapades of sleigh riding, attending balls incognito, hunting and watching horse racing. However, they were reasonably innocent past times for a twenty-year-old queen. The gambling, however, became a severe addiction and added to this gambling was an entrenched part of court life dating back to the reign of Loius XIV. It obsessed all levels of the French Society during the Enlightenment.

The Start of Marie Antoinette’s Gambling

Marie Antoinette learnt to gamble by her mother. Her mother taught her purely to protect her from suffering huge losses. Also, the stakes at the court of Austria were far higher than the court of France, which made this young Princess a fearless player. As the years progressed, she incurred substantial gambling debts, and Louis XVI forbade her to play, as he was trying to save the Government finances. She was relentless, and after much begging and pleading to play one last game, he allowed her the privilege. Marie Antoinette used this to her advantage, and the game lasted for three days solid.

Conclusion

Marie Antoinette’s gambling addiction only took up a short period in her life, yet it is what she is remembered for. Sadly not for her contribution to charities, her loyalty to her husband, the loss of her children or her famous words “Let them Eat Cake.”