Meet the World’s Most Famous Baccarat Players

Baccarat is considered as a game of luck and not a game of skill. You choose who has better odds of landing a hand that is closer to nine between the Player and the Banker. Who would’ve thought such an easy game would be filled with lots of controversy regarding its players?

Baccarat attracts a large following of punters because of its straightforward gameplay. It offers 3 options with winning odds almost at par with the odds of losing. Those with millions to gamble find this high-risk gamble worth the adrenaline rush.

In the Baccarat table, it’s common to find ‘whales’ or those players who gamble with millions in their pockets. For them, playing baccarat means they either double their million-dollar bets or get nothing at all.

The most intriguing stories from this industry are born from this high-risk table game. Travel into different decades and places as you learn about four of the most controversial people of the baccarat gambling industry.

Kerry Packer (1937-2005)

Image from Honest Betting Reviews

• Full Name: Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer
• Date of Death: 2005
• Country of origin: Australia
• Nickname: Gambling’s Big Man
• Biggest win: A$33,000,000
  

Kerry Packer was an Australian businessman and media mogul who had no qualms gambling millions because he was always worth more than what he wagered. He had some of the most legendary wins and losses in the industry. By the time he died, he was known as one of the world’s biggest gamblers. 

One of his memorable moments was a three-day baccarat binge in Las Vegas where he lost a staggering amount of £13,600,000. Meanwhile, one of his biggest wins was at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas where he took home A$33,000,000 winnings and lost a total of $27 million. He died in 2005 due to poor health conditions and Australia held a state funeral for him at the Sydney Opera House.

The Greek Syndicate (1920s to 1930s)

• Full Names: Francois Andre, Zaret Couyoumdjian, Athanase Vagliano, Eli Eliopulo and Nicolas Zographos
• Date of Death: 1953
• Country of origin: Eliopulo, Vaglianos and Zographos were from Greece, Andre was from France, and Couyoumdjian was from Armenia
• Nickname: Greek Syndicate
• Biggest win: Approximately £3,000,000
  

The Greek Syndicate is a group of baccarat players from France, Armenia and Greece who uses math and photographic memory in landing huge sums of money across Parisian casinos.

This band of legendary baccarat players was formed in 1919 with members Francois Andre, Zaret Couyoumdjian, Athanase Vagliano, Eli Eliopulo and Nicolas Zographos. They played in numerous casinos across Cannes, Paris, Deauville, and Monte Carlo. 

Zographos was the lead player of the group with his formidable memory and sharp analytical skills in math. He memorized all the cards that were dealt with in the game, giving him and his team a big advantage. 

Akio “The Warrior” Kashiwagi (1938 - 1992)

Image from Baccarat Gurus

• Full Name: Akio Kashiwagi
• Date of Death: 1992
• Country of origin: Japan
• Nickname: The Warrior
• Biggest win: $10,000,000
  

Akio Kashiwagi was a Japanese real estate investor who liked to bet big which earned him great wins and greater losses. Casinos called him the Warrior because he was fearless in terms of betting as much as $200,000 per hand. 

He once went inside a casino with $12,000,000 and made a deal with the owner that he won’t go home unless he loses it all or doubles it. He ended up losing $10,000,000 after the owner, Donald Trump, took back the deal.

What made Kashiwagi a household name in Baccarat up to now is his mysterious death. Kashiwagi was found murdered in his Japanese home with a rumoured 150 stabs from a samurai sword. Legend has it that the yakuza instigated his death, adding fuel to his controversial death. In the end, Kashiwagi passed away, leaving millions of debt behind.

Phil Ivey 

Image from Casino.org

• Full Name: Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr.
• Age: 43
• Country of origin: USA
• Nickname: Tiger Woods of Poker
• Biggest win: $9,600,000

Phil Ivey is a professional poker player who delved into the world of baccarat and won almost $10,000,000 in Las Vegas and London. Alongside a partner named Kelly Sun, he used a then-unknown technique called edge counting where they track the cards based on the minute details on their edges. 

The Borgata and Crockfords, however, refused to wire him his winnings and in fact, The Borgata even sued Ivey, claiming that he cheated and took advantage of defect cards. The court sided with the casino and determined that edge counting is a form of cheating. 

Betting like Crazy

Stripped of all fancy words, Baccarat is simply a game of chance. Some of its players, however, lead colourful lives that are nothing short of exciting. Such is the case when you have a strong sense of intuition, impressive mathematical skills, and a huge bankroll to back up your high-stake hobby.

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