One was the bankers (John’s), while his friend had a choice to play one or both of the remaining hands. They agreed to deal with three hands on the table. One of his fellows accepted it and risked a million bucks of his own. While he was a banker, John decided to raise the stakes and bet $1 million on one hand.� The place shortly became home to some of the biggest poker and baccarat parties. It quickly grew into a passion as John began organizing his private card games.�įrom 1894 onwards, John maintained a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. They often invited him to private poker games, an activity John Warne Gates fell in love with within no time. Thanks to the nature of his job, John had plenty of acquaintances. Gates had to claw his way to the stars as he moved from selling firewood to selling homes and railroads before becoming a pioneer of barbed wire. Although he was a millionaire, his earliest life was by no means fun and games.� He was an American Gilded Age industrialist and one of the most famous gamblers of his era. Gates spent most of his life in the second half of the 19th century.

Bet a Million” Born into Baccarat?Īlthough it was not a win, we have to begin the journey with John Warne Gates and tell his legendary story.

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