一个赌徒的传奇

　　网络赌博是很有意义的，它可以使成千上万从来没有进过赌场的人用真钱赌博来试试他们的手气。因特网也允许无法承受去一趟拉斯维加斯赌博的人到大西洋城东部海岸玩轮盘赌博，用真实的钱赌博的时候，他们可能不会做。但曾经有一段时间，在互联网的出现之前，赌博只是依靠一副扑克牌，一对骰子和钢铁般的意志。而在那个时代，一些伟大的著名赌徒留下了印记。扑克在过去的20年里取得了显著的发展，从文艺复兴开始席卷全球。一直持续到今天，主要是以德州扑克的形式，阿奇卡拉斯则为现代伟大的真钱赌徒。

　　阿奇卡拉斯——现代的赌博传奇

　　在6个月期间，卡拉斯以借来的价值$ 10,000到$ 1700万美元的股份豪赌。现年的阿奇卡拉斯43岁，服装时尚，穿着闪亮的运动服和戴着显示其财大气粗的金手镯。

　　卡拉斯“赌博周期

　　卡拉斯喜欢赌博，并无可争议地被称为冠军。“我比地球历史的任何人输光的钱都多，”他宣称。 1992年之前，卡拉斯的故事类似于其他赌徒，他赢了又输，输了又赢。有一天，他驾驶一辆奔驰，接着他在里面睡觉。当他醒来了，他借了GRUB的股份，并重新开始。 “我已经有50次成为百万富翁然后又失去，也许在我的生命中大概会超过一千次这样的情况。”阿奇回忆说。

　　阿奇作为一个十几岁的孩子，他成长的土地充满新的机遇，他学会了玩真钱游戏和扑克。他认为，如果他赢得了$ 10,000，他就永远满足了。这个数字后来被调高至10万元，接着50万美元，最后是一百万美元，现在他知道他将永远不会停止。 1992年12月，在洛杉矶地区的赌场，阿奇在高赌注纸牌游戏中输掉了近2百万美元。后来他前往拉斯维加斯，一位同行的赌徒借给他1万美元参加七张牌梭哈射击，他迅速赢得了20,000美元。

　　卡拉斯“赌博的挑战

　　后来他转移到另一个扑克游戏，并击败了牌友赢得了100万美元的。阿奇挑战任何人，来者不拒，不怕别人在扑克比赛中击败他。他当时挑战在世界上最好的牌友，打败他并赢得了2,022,000美元。卡拉斯花费10万元在他的金表上以显示他的成功，此后在下注上投入更多： “我每一手都玩上万美元的，”阿奇说。

　　武装警卫包围扑克表和禁止围观者伸长脖子观看带芯片的载货表。格拉瑞博士课程滚到得了160万美元，900,000美元，800,000美元，130万美元和400万美元。他又回到牌桌上，并赢得了700万美元。卡拉斯有一个平台提供：他是会玩任何范围内的钱，最好是50万美元或更多。 “钱对于我没什么意思，我不看重它”卡拉斯说。“钱可以买到所有物质的东西，可我想要的是钱买不到的东西：健康，自由，爱，幸福”。

　　一个真正的赌博传奇

　　在两个月的时间内，卡拉斯可能会再次破产。他可能是睡在他的车里，毁灭性地购买高赌注的扑克游戏。他可能仅仅是另一个梦碎的真钱赌徒，但同时，他永远会记住自己的几个荣耀，那些过去的流光溢彩，他的拉斯维加斯梦想成真——赚取1700万美元左右。

　　译文

　　Internet gambling is great and it makes it possible for millions of people who have never been inside a casino to try their hand at real money gambling. The Internet also allows gamblers who could never afford a trip to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or the Riviera to play Roulette or Craps for real money, something they may never have done. But there was a time, before the advent of the Internet when gambling consisted of a deck of cards, a pair of dice and nerves of steel. And it was in this era that some great famous gamblers left their mark. In the past 20 years poker made a remarkable renaissance and started sweeping the world. It continues to this day, mainly in the form of Texas Hold’em, and it too is producing modern day great real money gamblers.

　　Archie Karas – a Modern Gambling Legend

　　In a six-month period, Karas parlayed a borrowed stake of $10,000 into $17 million. Archie Karas, 43, dresses stylishly forgoing loud tracksuits and ostentatious gold-chunk bracelets.

　　Karas' Gambling Cycle

　　Karas likes to be referred to as the undisputed champion of gambling. "I've gambled more money than anyone in the history of the planet," he claims. Prior to 1992, Archie's story was similar to other gamblers'. He'd win; he'd lose. One day he'd be driving a Mercedes-Benz, the next he'd be sleeping in it. When he was broke, he'd borrow a grub stake and start over. "I've been a millionaire over 50 times and dead broke more than I can count. Probably 1,000 times in my life," Archie recalls.

　　As a teenager new to the land of opportunity, Archie learned to play pool and poker for real money. He thought that if he won $10,000, he'd be set forever. That figure was revised upward to $100,000, then $500,000, finally to $1 million. Now he knows he'll never stop. In December 1992, Archie had lost nearly $2 million in high-stakes card games at the casinos in the Los Angeles area. He headed for Las Vegas where a fellow gambler lent him $10,000 to take a shot at a Seven-Card Stud. He promptly won $20,000.

　　Karas' Gambling Challenges

　　He moved to another poker game and beat a player out of $1 million. Archie then challenged all comers, defying anyone to beat him at a poker match. He was challenged by the then best player in the world and went on to beat him out of $2,022,000. Karas "invested" his winnings at the craps tables, betting $100,000 and more on every toss of the cubes. "With each play I was making million-dollar decisions," Archie says.

　　Armed security guards surrounded the craps table and awestruck onlookers craned to see the chip laden table. Karas rolled to winning sessions of $1.6 million, $900,000, $800,000, $1.3 million and $4 million. He moved back to the poker table and won $7 million. Karas has a standing offer: he'll play anyone for any amountof money, preferably for $500,000 or more. "Money means nothing to me. I don't value it," Karas explains. "I've had all the material things I could ever want. The things I want money can't buy: health, freedom, love, happiness."

　　A Real Gambling Legend

　　In two months, Karas may be broke again. He may be sleeping in his car, scrounging to buy into a high-stakes poker game. He may be just another broken real money gambler. But he'll always know that for several glorious, odds-defying months, he made the Vegas myth come true - to the tune of $17 million