The poker community is saddened by the news of the passing of Archie Karas, widely regarded as the legendary gambler and poker player of his time. As reported by PokerNews, Karas passed away at the age of 73.
A Look at Archie Karas’s Life
Anargyros Karabourniotis, later known as Archie Karas, was born on November 1, 1950, in Greece. He grew up in poverty but gambled his way into a luxurious lifestyle. Karas began his career as a waiter and soon started playing pool as a side hustle.
However, his motivation to play pool eventually died, and that’s when he discovered the card game – poker. He claimed to have built a bankroll of $2 million in the early 1990s from playing cash games. Despite his success, he struggled to gain the respect of poker legends like Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese.
Karas’s rise was full of struggle, but his downfall came very fast. He lost his entire $2 million bankroll, leaving him with only $50. With the remaining $50, Karas came to Las Vegas and convinced a poker player to give him $10,000. Karas doubled the money to $30k, playing high-stakes Razz, and soon repaid his debt.
He continued gambling with the remaining funds and began playing high-stakes poker against an opponent known as “Mr. X” at Binion’s Horseshoe, the inaugural home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Karas rebuilt his bankroll, eventually amassing over $7 million by playing high rollers.
Archie Karas then began challenging some of the top poker players in the world. He famously defeated notable players such as three-time bracelet winner Chip Reese, ten-time bracelet winner Doyle Brunson, five-time bracelet winner Stu Ungar, and many more. The ten-time WSOP bracelet winner Johnny Chan was the only top poker player to defeat Karas, taking $900,000 from him.
Karas’s incredible run ultimately came to an end when he lost everything, and this time, he couldn’t make a comeback. In 2015, the Nevada Gaming Commission permanently banned Archie Karas from playing in any Las Vegas casino due to cheating allegations, putting the final nail in his gambling career.
Archie Karas was primarily a cash game player, so he didn’t participate in many live tournaments. In his poker career, he cashed in a total of 12 events, including 6 WSOP events, earning a total of $204,368 in career tournament winnings.
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Source: PokerNews
