People

Annette Obrestad

Annette Obrestad was born in Sandnes Norway on the 18 September 1988. She is a Norwegian professional Poker player fondly known as “the Huntress.” She was an online poker legend well before she performed her no-look challenge where Obrestad took the game to new heights when she played an entire poker tournament without looking at her cards.

Obrestad began playing at internet poker rooms at the age of 15 and won her bankrolls through FreeRolls as they were her only option then as her mother would not allow her to use her credit card to make deposits.

Obrestad’s Professional Gambling Career

Annette Obrestad became the youngest player to earn a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 2007 one day shy of her 19^th birthday. She landed up walking away with winnings of £1 million in the WSOP Europe Main Event. She continued on this winning streak and finished in second place at the 2007 PokerStars European Poker Tour Dublin Main Event.

Over the years her success has gained her many sponsorships from Full Tilt Poker, Betfair and Lock Poker. The backing with Lock Poker was a disaster as they shut down and never reimbursed the players.

Obrestad is the second-highest female earner in an all-time ranking of winnings made by women in poker tournaments. However, these days, she spends a lot less time at the poker tables or tolling online and focuses on her YouTube channel.

Where is she today?

Obrestad is now married and living in the gambling hub of the world Las Vegas and solely focused on her YouTube Channel. She offered some excellent advice “I cut my losses and moved on “, and this is a mantra many gamblers should pay attention to, especially when on a losing streak.

She maintains her title of the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet.

Terence Watanabe

Introduction

Terence Watanabe is an American businessman who inherited a company called Oriental Trading. He is, however, best known for being a high roller with lavish gambling habits and one of the biggest Vegas Whales. In 2000 Watanabe sold his company to LA-based private equity and became a philanthropist who subsequently lost most of his fortune gambling in Las Vegas.

Terence Watanabe’s Gambling Habits

After selling his company, he lost $127 million at Caesars Palace and the Rio in Las Vegas after having gambled a total of $825 million. As a compulsive gambler, Wynn Las Vegas banned him, and by then it was estimated he had lost a total of $204 million.

Watanabe incurred massive debts with Harrah’s casino which was bought out by Caesars Entertainment, debts that he never paid back. Caesars filed a lawsuit, leading him to be criminally charged. In 2010 he settled this massive criminal and civil case with Caesars Las Vegas. His main argument was the fact that the casino allowed him to continue gambling while intoxicated, which is illegal. The case was settled and Caesars Entertainment was fined $225 000 in March 2013.

Terrence Watanabe Today

He has mostly stayed out of the news, but misfortune struck in July 2017. He opened a GoFundMe fundraiser for a Medical illness as he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and requires surgery which costs $100 000 and he cannot afford to pay for it as he is flat broke.

Many may see him as looking for pity, however he says he has come to terms with his situation and hopes many can forgive him for his past and assist him, so he lives long enough to help others in the future. Many have shunned him and have made comments like he was rich and blew his fortune gambling, so he deserves everything he gets.

Nobody deserves ill health, and there are many stories about his generosity and he gave millions of dollars to NPO, in particular, LGBTQ and the Elton John AIDS foundation.

As of May 2020, the GoFundMe campaign closed with a total of $28 610 raised.

Billy Walters

Billy Walters, a famed and feared professional sports bettor was born in Kentucky and had a winning streak which extended over 30 years. Walters grew up in a poor rural town of Munfordville. His father, died when he was 18 months old, and his mother, who was an alcoholic walked out on her three children shortly after his father’s death.

Their grandmother raised the three siblings, and Walters credits her for instilling a strong work ethic in him as she took on two jobs to keep a roof over their heads. At age 13 he started working, and in 1965 he went to work as a car salesman where he worked 80 hours a day setting dealership records. In 1972 he started his own business which he sold to become a full-time sports bettor in 1981.

Gambling Career

Walters started gambling at the early age of 9 and was a losing gambler up until 1982, but this did not deter him. His success changed in his mid to late ’30s, and he had constant wins, and in 1986 Walters captured the 1986 Super Bowl of Poker, also known as the Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker, earning $175000.

In 1980 he joined the Computer Group which used computer analysis to analyse sports betting outcomes. Throughout his sports betting career of 39 years he only had one losing year, he bet on NFL, basketball and college football. He would always place his bets through runners and claimed he could make between $50-$60 million on a good year.

His life took a turn in 2017 when he was arrested for insider trading and sentenced to 5 years in prison and fined $10 million. He was imprisoned at Federal Prison Camp Pensacola and then released to home confinement in May 2020 amid the coronavirus.

Conclusion

A man of steel and a noted philanthropist and has donated millions to Opportunity Village. Walters is a man that rose from the ashes to become a Phoenix with a net worth estimated at over $100 million and a sports betting legend.

Phil Helmuth

Philip “Phil” Jerome Helmuth Jr is a professional American poker player who has a nett worth of $20 million. He was born on July 16, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin. Better known as the Poker Brat, this millionaire made his fortune at the World Series of Poker.

This world-renowned Poker player stands at an outrageous 6’7 tall, and his personality is as big as his physical appearance. He’s been quoted as saying “If luck weren’t involved I guess I’d win every one” as well as “I have revolutionised the way to play Texas Hold ’em “living up to his nickname with his bratty quirks.

Gambling Career

Hellmuth played his very first game of poker in the confines of a friend’s room and immediately became hooked. He then started playing high stakes local games mingling amongst doctors, professors and business people. As time passed, Phil built a substantial bankroll before heading to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player.

It was persistence that paid off in the long run, and he had his very first win at the tables with some low stake cash games after nine consecutive losses. His career skyrocketed after that, and when it comes to poker, it does not get any better than the World Series and here Phil Helmuth has dominated by winning a record-breaking 15 bracelets.

His most impressive feat was in 2018 in a game of No Limit Hold ’em where he won $485 082, not bad for a day’s work especially when he was contemplating sitting the game out.

Conclusion

Phil Helmuth is a true legend in the world of poker, but he is more than that. He also has a charitable side. He has raised over $240 million for numerous charity poker events, and his global work consists of fundraising galas for Ante Up For Africa, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Eva Longoria’s Eva’s Heroes and many more.