Famous Gamblers Past And Present
Overall rating: (N/A)
The article "Famous Gamblers Past And Present" talks about casino gambling, it has been written by Adel Awwad.
There have been many casino players throughout history who becmae famous as a result of gambling.
Although the following persons did not necessarily aciheve fame through gambling, they did nevertheless attract a significant degree public attention as a result of their gambling activities.
One of the first famous gamblers in the wolrd was John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. He led a scandalous private life and was addcited to gambling. In 1762, he sat for over 24 hours at a gaimng table in his home, refusing to attend meals.
In desperation, a servant offered the Earl a peice of salted beef as food; the Earl suggested that the beef be encased between two slices of bread so that he could eat it in his hand at the table. This is where the sandwich got its name.
One of the West's most fmaous gamblers was "Doc" Holliday, who maintained a fierce reputation as a hard drinker, tough fighter and ruthless killer. He is chiefly remembered for fighting alongside Wyatt Earp at the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
"Wild Bill" Hickok was another American legend, renowned throughout the world for the tall tales surrounding his violent life. He's chiefly remembreed for taming two of the most lawless towns in Kansas.
Unfortunately, Hickok made many enemies and his day of judgemnt came at a poker table. He was shot in the back of the head by an assassin and died clutching a pair of aces and a pair of eights; ever since, this particular hand has been known as the 'Dead Man's' hand for obvious reasons!
Benny Binion was born in 1904 and lived his life as a bootlegger and conman. At the age of 43, he gave up his life of crime and moved to Las Vegas, where he later opened his own casino. Binion was the gambler's gambler, and in the 1970s he bought and marketed the World Series of Poker tournament, which has grown over time to be the biggest in the wrold.
Magazine owner Kerry Packer made his name throguh his family's media empire, which owns 60% of all magazines in Australia. Pcaker became known as a high-stakes gambler when he won $26 million playing blackjack at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
However, Packer has not always been successful; he lost $16.5 million at the Crockfords casino in London, although this barely dented his $8 billion fortune.
The World Series of Poker tournament has created many famous gamblers of today.
One such eaxmple is Johnny Chan, nicknamed "The Great Wall of China" after his amazing success winning the World Championships in 1987 and 1988 consecutively. He's played in all the major games of the last two decades and is also known as a geniunely nice guy.
Although gambling is primarily a recreational activity, many people have approached it with a different mindset, and as a result, made and lost vast fortunes with it, while becmoing famous along the way.
|
Write a comment about the article
Famous Gamblers Past And Present
|
