Blackjack is one of the oldest forms of casino table games still enjoyed today. It is not just one of the most interesting games – it has also paid out some of the highest casino prizes in history.

The good news is, blackjack can still pay out well to lucky players even today. And you can easily find different blackjack games at El Royale casino. All you need to do is master the simple rules and choose a good casino to play at. If you’re lucky enough, you may end up being the next blackjack millionaire.

While you’re still dreaming about the cash you might win from blackjack, let’s discuss the biggest blackjack win in history – 40 million dollars in Las Vegas.

How Kerry Packer won $40 million at the MGM Grand

If you haven’t heard of Kerry Packer yet, we introduce him to you now. Kerry Packer is the biggest winner ever of the blackjack game. Interestingly, Kerry did not only make a one-time huge win from blackjack. He won huge amounts of money more than once. Let’s tell you the story.

Kerry Packer’s first major victory in blackjack took place in 1991. It happened in Las Vegas at the Hilton. He played at a public blackjack table where people watched and cheered. Since then, three decades have passed, and there are no clear details of each of the rounds. What we know is that Packer went home with a huge price of 7 million dollars that night. He was celebrated that night at Hilton and also offered a special suite after that. However, the huge win did not stop him from playing blackjack.

In 1995 at the MGM Grand, Packer got the biggest blackjack win ever. He wagered 250,000 dollars on each round, playing eight hands continuously on that same table. In 40 minutes of playing, Packer won a huge $40 million. This was the biggest win that ever happened at the MGM Grand Casino at the time. That night, Packer was so excited that he tipped the dealers a million dollars.

Even though Packer got the biggest blackjack win, he isn’t considered as one of the most successful players. It is recorded that he once lost more than 27 million dollars within 10 months. However, it still seems clear that he won more than he lost.

Biggest blackjack team win

While Packer is known for taking the biggest win as a single man, a blackjack group also won between $50 to $100 million. This happened sometime between 1980 and 1990 at Atlantic City. It was a team of students.  The story of this huge win became popular when it was featured in a blockbuster movie titled ‘21.’ The movie gives a rough idea behind the real story.

It was told that MIT grad students studied the life of Bill Kaplan, a graduate of Harvard who had beaten the blackjack system for many years. The MIT students overheard him discussing how he won $30,000 from a total of $1000 wager. That night, students asked him to teach them, and so they formed a blackjack team.

Some other sources have proven that the students in the team were not from MIT only but also from Yale, Harvard, and other respected universities. However, the movie only focused on students from MIT.

Kaplan led the blackjack team, which consisted of around 80 players, to victory. It is believed that they won an amount between $50 to 100 million, which they distributed among themselves.

Other notable blackjack wins

Here are some other popular big wins:

• $1.5 million at Treasure Island Casino by ‘Shoeless’ Joe in 1995
• $800,000 at Hard Rock Casino by Ben Affleck
• $470,000 at Bellagio by Michael Geismar