Were it not for the gambling public's unwavering faith in the Big Myth, Las Vegas casinos wouldn't win billions a year. And shrimp cocktail couldn't be had for 99 cents. With every quarter dropped into a slot machine, every dollar bet on blackjack, every parlay card wagered at the sports book, a gambler harbors an inchoate, fantastic hope that his meager plunge will lead to something big. He dreams that he might be the lucky soul who makes the Vegas myth come true. The fact is, it never happens.
Statistical deviations do happen.
But nobody, nobody has ever churned mere bus fare into truly big money. Nobody, that is, until Archie Karas. Karas, 43,dresses stylishly but prepossessingly, forgoing the loud tracksuits and ostentatious gold-chunk bracelets many of his colleagues favor. And his nails are always clean. Karas likes to be referred to as the undisputed champion of gambling.