Baccarat, the casino game synonymous with high-stakes glamour, has created some of the biggest winners in gambling history. While the house always has an edge, a few legendary players have walked away with mind-boggling fortunes. Let’s count down the most epic baccarat wins of all time!
The Top 5 Baccarat Wins
5. John Warne Gates – $1 Million Known as “Mr. Bet a Million,” this barbed-wire pioneer and industrialist lived up to his nickname. He famously wagered a cool million dollars across two baccarat hands in his lavish New York City suite. While he won one hand and lost the other—resulting in a net-even outcome—the audacious bet cemented his place in history.4.
4. Phil Ivey and Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun – $9.6 Million This dynamic duo, a famous poker pro and a skilled gambler known as “The Baccarat Machine,” didn’t just get lucky—they were geniuses at “edge-sorting.” By identifying microscopic flaws on the backs of playing cards, they gained a massive advantage, winning millions. Their story is a dramatic one, filled with legal battles with casinos, but their incredible winning streak is still talked about today.
3. Lin Hasan – $12.9 Million Unlike the others on this list who won over multiple sessions, Lin Hasan’s victory was a single, monumental win. He entered the Guinness World Records for winning the 2015 World Series Baccarat Championship in Macau, taking home an incredible $12.9 million prize. This is considered by many to be the single biggest baccarat win ever.
2. Akio Kashiwagi – $15 Million “The Warrior” was a legendary Japanese real estate mogul who was famous for his marathon baccarat sessions, sometimes lasting for days. He once walked away with a massive $15 million from a casino in Australia. He’s also known for a high-stakes showdown with Donald Trump at the Taj Mahal, a game that ended in controversy.
1. An Anonymous Group of High Rollers – $55 Million The biggest baccarat win in history wasn’t by a single person but by a group of high-stakes players at Crown Casino in Australia. During a risky promotion, the casino allowed these players to make massive bets. The casino’s gamble backfired spectacularly, and the group of players won an estimated $55 million, teaching the casino a very expensive lesson.
These incredible stories prove that when luck, skill, and a little bit of audacity align, baccarat can be one of the most thrilling and rewarding games in the casino. What do you think is the key to winning big—is it skill, or is it just pure luck?