Dollar Bills can Bloom: The World's Top 5 Players

The Number of the Best

Gambling can be very lucrative for people. Here’s Casinoin’s rundown of the top 5 wealthiest players on the planet. Clue: There’s a hint about the top 2 in the title and main banner of this article.

Although Lady Luck plays her pristine, manicured hand in winning, it’s interesting to note that 3 of the world’s richest 5 players are expert mathematicians. At the end of the day, the universe is all math. What do you call someone who loves numbers and math in general? A Pluviophile loves rain. A Dendrophile loves trees. An Astrophile loves stars. There is no name for a person who loves math. It seems appropriate that a lover of Numbers cannot be labeled by Letters. Perhaps a lover of Math should be called a Player? Here’s that list of the premium players in terms of their ability to make dollar bills bloom and bloom into flourishing fields of financial satisfaction…

#1. Bill Benter

Bill Benter was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Soon after finishing a university physics degree in 1977, he went to the blackjack tables in Las Vegas and used his math skills to count cards. He came across the book, Beat the Dealer, by Edward Thorp (who's at number 3 spot!), which guided his talents. After 7 years of playing in the Las Vegas Strip casinos, he was banned. Bill collects an annual net worth of $100 million dollar bills!

#2. Tony Bloom

Tony Bloom was born in Brighton, Sussex, U.K. He started spinning the slot reels very early on in life. Such was his passion for gambling, he decided to become a professional sports bettor. He's also a well-known figure in the poker world, being no stranger to the World Poker Tour. Since 2009, Bloom has been the chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, a Premier League club. Bloom has grown a net worth of up to €1.7 billion.

#3. Edward Thorp

Edward Thorp was born in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Thorp is a mathematics professor, author and blackjack researcher. He pioneered the modern applications of probability theory, including following patterns for financial gain. Thorp used an early computer, which weighed in at nearly 10 tons, as a research tool in order to investigate the probabilities of winning while developing his blackjack game theory. Thorp has a net worth of $800 million.

#4. Andrew Black

Andrew Black was born in London, U.K. He's a gambling entrepreneur, who co-founded Betfair. Early on, Black took many unskilled jobs after dropping out of university. He then worked for a London-based derivatives firm. During this time, he became an evermore  successful gambler, which allowed him to quit his day job. Horse racing and bridge are his games. His 15% share of Betfair is worth over $270 million. His current net worth is $670 million.

#5. Zeljko Ranogajec

Zeljko Ranogajec was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He's a businessman and professional gambler. This master mathematician is known for betting on horse racing and playing blackjack, among other forms of advantage play. Ranogajec studied Commerce and Law at the University of Tasmania. He became a master of blackjack card-counting and started making profits playing at Australian casinos. His net worth is $465 million.