Top 4 Legendary and Unexpected Poker Wins Recorded in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, United States, is known as "the city of lost wages" for a reason. Studies show that 75% of visitors in the city have gambled at one of the local casinos at some point. So, it's unsurprising that some of the legendary wins in poker hail from the city. This post will discuss the most memorable and surprising poker wins in Vegas that shaped the game's trajectory. Continue reading!

Greg Merson - $1.1 Million

Nobody took Greg Merson seriously when he enlisted in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. The event, which started the previous summer in Rio Las Vegas, United States, attracted 6,500+ professional players, making it the fifth-largest poker event in history.

Greg Merson beat all the odds against him to pull off one of Vegas's most iconic and unexpected poker wins. The 24-year-old (back then) had to endure an all-night marathon before pulling off the magic. According to WSOP, Merson has total poker earnings of $8.52 million.

Unnamed Poker Player - $2.5 Million

On Thursday, May 18, 2023, an anonymous visitor on the Las Vegas Strip entered the millionaire list after taking home over $2.5 million playing poker at one of the local regulated casinos.

According to the news source, the unnamed gambler played Live Ultimate Texas Hold 'em, where the player received a spade royal flush. Interestingly, the winning hand for the progressive jackpot had staked only $5.

Scott Blumstein - $8.1 Million

In 2017, Scott Blumstein proved to the world that experience counts for little when playing casino games, specifically poker. The gambler registered one of the most iconic wins in poker after beating 7,200+ professional players to win the 2017 WSOP main event.

After an epic poker battle that lasted for two weeks, Blumstein finally took home $8.15 million. This was the 48th World Series of Poker competition, with a prize pool of $67.87 million.

Jamie Gold - $12 Million

This name alone is enough to bring luck to players at mobile casino apps. In 2006, a former Hollywood talent agent, Jamie Gold, bluffed, and all his poker opponents folded. After a 12-day marathon, the talkative player won the WSOP grand prize of $12 million after amassing a huge chip stack with a nice run of cards.

In a press statement, Gold admitted, "I was just lucky sometimes". Jamie said he had no high expectations of winning the prize when joining the game. However, winning a poker tournament, especially a competitive one like the WSOP, would undoubtedly take more than mere luck.