Craps: it’s not considered the most glamourous of casino games, is it? The less glitzy reputation is probably due to some unconscious revulsion at the name: “Craps”, who chose that name and why? Yep, you’ll find Hollywood Blockbusters about Poker, but not about Craps…then again, there aren’t any Blockbusters about Bingo either!
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Craps Winners: A Spy’s Casino Game of Choice?
I’m sharing with you the 10 biggest casino jackpot winners of all time. 1 – $39,710,826.36. A 25-year-old software engineer who chose to remain anonymous won nearly $40 million on a progressive slot machine at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas. This win happened in 2003 and remains the most significant slot jackpot of all time. New Yorker, Katrina Bookman was a patron at the Resort World Casino and was playing on the slots when she was presented a winning ticket of $42.9 million. This was almost the largest casino win in the history of ever, if only it was not due to a malfunction. The machine she was playing on only had a maximum winning potential of $6,500. The third-biggest Megabucks jackpot of $27,580,879.60 was won on Nov 15, 1998 at Palace Station Casino. The lucky winner was a retired flight attendant from Las Vegas who wanted to bet only $100, but decided to bet $300 on an impulse. Since the 67-year-old ended up winning the jackpot, one can be sure that she did not regret betting extra that day.
Sure, James Bond shoots some Craps in “Diamonds are Forever” (and that isn’t a euphemism – he actually plays Craps. He doesn’t shoot some baddy called “Craps”), but in general, it isn’t considered a stylish game…
…that’s a shame because if more people realised how big you can win at the Craps table, more people would play, and it’s a fun game to play. It’s one of the few casino games that has a complex set of rules, with interesting twists and turns. It’s fun to watch and to play.
In Craps, you can get some long winning streaks (the longest we know of is 154 rolls, but more on that in a minute) and some huge profits. It really is surprising that we don’t make more of a deal of it.
If you’ve never tried your hand at Craps before, then read on. Today, we’re going to show you just how glamourous Craps can be – a millionaire’s lifestyle is ready and waiting for the lucky players amongst you. Now, let’s meet some of the luckiest Craps players…
Five Biggest Craps Winners
First up, we have Stanley Fujitake. In May 1989, Fujitake made more than $1,000,000 in 3 hours at the California Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. What followed was the longest recorded Craps roll in history, at that time. He rolled 118 times before he passed the dice along. So legendary was this particular Craps session that a new name was born for the greatest players. Lucky Craps players are said to have the “Golden Arm”. Today, the casino sees an average of one Golden Arm a month, and lucky winners get their name in “The Golden Arm Club”. Fujitake received a Golden Arm no less than four times!
#2 Craps Winner
Twenty years later, in 2009, Patricia Demauro broke Fujitake’s winning record. She now holds the record for longest ever Craps roll, at 154 rolls over 4 hours and 18 minutes. Much mystery surrounds this winning streak; Demauro won’t say how much she won. It could have been anywhere from $500 to $5,000,000. Our guess is that it leans towards the heftier side. Otherwise, why keep it a secret?
#3 Craps Winner
Next, we meet “The Phantom Gambler”. Why he received this nickname is unclear, because we know perfectly well who he is: William Lee Bergstrom. In the 1980s, at Horseshoe Casino, Las Vegas, he won more than $700K. He walked in with two suitcases, one empty, and one full of money – $770K according to reports – and gambled it all on a single Craps roll, winning a further $770K, which he then put in his empty suitcase. Over the course of the coming months, he did this twice more, winning first $190K and then $90K. Finally, he did what he’d set out to do all along, and bet $1m on a single Craps bet. You’ll never guess what happened…
…he lost! Craps! Yep, he lost $1m and never recuperated that money. Unfortunately, in 1985 he committed suicide. He still had a lot of money in the bank at that time, so it’s unlikely the two events were linked. Still, a warning to would-be big rollers out there: make sure you take risks you can afford to lose!
#4 Craps Winner
The following two stories are urban legends. According to one source, the biggest Craps win at Caesar Palace, Las Vegas is $2m, supposedly won by one of Hollywood’s top executive. This guy was high rolling with working bets of $160K. That’s all we know, but if a big Craps film comes out soon, I’m going to place a bet that this guy has something to do with it.
#5 Craps Winner
Finally, we have the tale of “Mr Royalty” (a Bond name if ever we heard one!). According to Tom Breitling, former owner of The Golden Nugget, Las Vegas, a member of a royal family somewhere in Europe, won $4.7m over a six-hour period on the Craps tables, returning a week later to win a further $1.5m!
Craps isn’t as flashy as some casino games, and the jackpots aren’t as big, but one thing that makes it stand out is the secrecy. We hear urban legends, rumours of big wins, but only three or four verified wins. In all but name, it definitely is a game for secret agents like Bond.
Many people play slot machines and other gambling games, dreaming of hitting the jackpot. After all, who hasn’t imagined what they would do with all their newfound wealth if they won millions while playing an online progressive slot machine or at a blackjack table?
While it does seem like big wins are impossible, they do sometimes happen to a lucky few people. While some people leave their gambling sessions with lighter pockets, some walk away millionaires. Here are a few true stories of the biggest casino winners of all time.
MCM Grand — Las Vegas: $20-40 Million
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While in Las Vegas, Kerry Packer, an Australian billionaire, decided to test out his luck at baccarat and blackjack tables. By the end of the night, he had won between $20 and $40 million. The exact amount he won is still unknown because he played at several tables that night. Packer immediately took advantage of his winnings and began to spend the money like mad. He tipped the head waiter and waitress roughly a million dollars by the end of the night. However, Packer wasn’t always lucky, and he lost about $28 million in one night while gambling in London.
Excalibur — Las Vegas: $39.7 Million
In 2003, a 25-year-old engineer from Los Vegas was in town watching his favorite basketball team. While killing time before the match, he decided to visit his preferred casino, Excalibur. He sat down at a slot machine and had spent about $100 when all of a sudden, he hit the jackpot and won an astounding $39.7 million, which is about how much profit the casino makes in a month. The man decided to keep his identity anonymous and requested that the casino transfer his winnings in increments of $1.5 million every year.
Monte Carlo Casino — Las Vegas: $35 Million
In 2000, Cynthia Jay was playing the Megabucks slot machine and managed to hit the jackpot, winning more than $35 million. At the time, this was the biggest casino win ever. Unfortunately, Jay’s good fortune didn’t last, and she was involved in a tragic car accident. A drunk driver hit the car she was in with her sister. The accident left her sister dead and Jay paralyzed from the chest down. After Jay woke up from the coma, she said she would give back every penny if it meant her life could go back to normal, and her sister could be alive again.
Palace Station — Las Vegas: $27 Million
A 60-year-old woman hit it big on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine and won $680,000. Instead of giving up her gambling career, the women continued to visit the casino and eventually won an even bigger prize of $27 million when she was playing the Megabucks slot machine. Persistence paid off for this woman.
Online Casino: $24 Million
While most of these wins are from in-person casino wins, it is possible to win millions from the comfort of your own home. A 40-year-old man from Finland was gambling at a Scandinavian online casino. With just $.25 left in his account, he bet it all and ended up winning more than $24 million. Even though he didn’t have much left in his account when he made that bet, he was able to win such a large sum thanks to the Mega Fortune bonus. The Finnish man said when he saw the amount he had won, he started to cry and laugh simultaneously.
Mirage — Las Vegas: $21 million
Some people truly do have all the luck. Elmer Sherwin, a WWII veteran, was 76-years-old when he hit his first jacket of $4.6 million. The Mirage casino had just opened 10 hours prior to this huge jackpot win. Elmer took his winnings and spent it traveling around the world. Despite his windfall, he continued to enjoy gambling and visited casinos frequently. Sixteen years later, he once again hit the jackpot and won a phenomenal $21 million. This time, he spent the money on helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. Unfortunately, Elmer died before he hit the jackpot for the third time.
Caesar, Tropicana, and Borgata Casinos — Atlantic City: $15 Million
During a four-month period in 2010 and 2011, Don Johnson won more than $15 million at three Atlantic City casinos. Because of his good fortune, he gained the nickname “The Killer from Atlantic City” for his cut-throat skills at the blackjack table.
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Before he won, Johnson had apparently talked to a casino manager about creating a few rules that would reduce the house’s advantage. The casino created a rule that would compensate for 20% of a player’s losses if the losses equaled more than half a million. Unfortunately, the manager didn’t think this rule through thoroughly and ended up getting fired for this careless mistake. But, it helped Johnson reduce his losses and later cash in big time.
There were also some questions about whether he cheated. However, Johnson denies that he was counting cards or using other nefarious techniques to win. He chalks up his win to using basic blackjack strategy and having basic math skills.
Biggest Casino Winners Ever
Gold Coast — Las Vegas: $12 Million
Back in 1996, John Tippin, a post office worker from Hawaii, was visiting Las Vegas on vacation and set a record with his $12 million Megabucks win. He went out and spent the money on women, cars, and luxury items. Five years after his win, Tippin wrote a book I Did It: My Life After Megabucks, which describes how he went from living the high-life to a self-described loser and alcoholic. The book has gotten good reviews on Amazon and might be an interesting read to others who dream of hitting the jackpot.
Biggest Casino Winners
The Almost Winner
Biggest Casino Winners Ever Wins
Katrina Bookman, a New York native, almost had the best luck of everyone else on this list. While playing slots at the Resort World Casino, she got a winning ticket of $42.9 million, which would have made her the biggest casino winner of all time. Her excitement was short-lived though when it was revealed the machine had malfunctioned, and she was only supposed to receive a payout of $6,500. The casino took back the $42.9 million and offered her a steak dinner instead.
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