Baccarat is a popular card game played in casinos across the world. It is fun, exciting and offers a dose of suspense and intrigue for good measure.
The rules are easy to follow and in essence, it is a game of chance. Considered by many to be more straightforward than blackjack, baccarat is enjoyed by keen enthusiasts in online casinos and in land-based casinos.
Over the years, many have won some huge amounts of money from playing baccarat. Which, got us thinking here at InstantCasinos.com – what are the five biggest baccarat wins of all time? Scroll down to find out.
The 5 Biggest Baccarat Wins
5. John Warne Gates – $1 Million
Known to many as ‘Mr Bet-a-Million’, John Warne Gates would do exactly what his moniker suggested! Gates was actually an industrialist as well as a gambler.
Famed for his high-stakes poker parties and baccarat games, Gates paid around $30,000 a year for a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
During a game of baccarat, Gates landed $1m. However, the wager was across two hands, which ended with him winning one and losing the other. So in theory, Gates didn’t ‘win’ but we will include it as the five biggest baccarat win of all-time.
4. Phil Ivey and Cheung Yin Sun – $9.6 Million
Professional gambler and a legend in the world of poker, Phil Ivey and his baccarat partner Cheung Yin Sun won $9.6m back in 2014. However, their win was clouded with controversy.
The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City went as far as suing the pair for edge sorting and in 2016, a judge ruled in favor of the Borgata. They were ordered to pay back their winnings.
Nonetheless, Ivey continues to be held in high regard amongst poker and gambling enthusiasts. His partner, Cheung Yin Sun is still widely feared by casinos and their talks of a film being made about the exploits.
3. Lin Hasan – $12.9 Million
Finally, we come to our first genuine winner – and what a win it was as well! Lin Hasan ended up in the Guinness World Records after his extraordinary victory at the World Series Baccarat Championship in Macau.
Hasan’s win in 2015 was not suspect, contradicting or illegal in any way, shape or form. He collected an impressive $12.9m and went down in baccarat history.
It’s widely reported and suggested that Hasan’s win is still the biggest from an individual in a single game/session of baccarat. His achievement will go down in baccarat legend and rightly so.
The Two Biggest Baccarat Wins
2. Akio Kashiwagi – $15 Million
Enthusiasts from all over the world will be familiar with the story of Japanese gambler Akio Kashiwagi – and his dealings with former president Donald Trump.
Known to many as ‘The Warrior’, Akio won an estimated $15m across some lengthy sessions on the table playing Baccarat. Trump had heard of Akio’s exploits and even invited him to some high-state marathon games.
Akio certainly won big but he lost big as well. He was that well established in the gambling community that a character in the film Casino was based on his endeavours.
1. Asian Gambling High Rollers – $55 Million
The biggest baccarat win of all time was landed by a mysterious group of Asian high rollers at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. They reportedly scooped a huge $55m.
To a baccarat enthusiast, the biggest win of all time is certainly frustrating as very few people know exactly who they are. With that in mind, you can’t blame the group for wanting to shield their identities after such a vast win.
It was back in the 1990s that this happened – the Crown Casino pushed hard for high rollers to play as part of their promotion. It’s fair to say, their marketing ploy certainly had an adverse effect on what they were intending.
Check out Instant Withdrawal Casinos for the best online gaming experience.
