![nick the greek nick the greek](https://wiki.phantis.com/images/9/9c/Dandolos.jpg)
To the surprise of Nick, he had found a lot of success, especially when it came to playing poker. Nick was passionate about gambling by this time and was not ready to give up that lifestyle, so he went back to American casinos to try his luck out there. To keep their reputations pure, and to avoid Phil losing his job, they decided that part ways would be in their best interest. They collectively made over half a million dollars in less than a year which naturally made people think they were exploiting the system in some way.
Nick and Phil formed a partnership, working their bets off each other to make more money. He began using his grandfather's money to fund his gambling endeavours. Nick easily kept on with his techniques and eventually became an expert in gaming, using the math skills he learned at school to help him assess what his odds were of winning a given bet. It wasn't long before the introduction of Nick to Phil Musgrave, a famous canadian jockey who also knew one or two things about betting on horses. Soon after arrival, Nick walked for the first time on a racetrack and could feel the surge of excitement getting out of there. Horseracing was becoming increasingly popular during this time in Montreal and if you were visiting the city, it was almost inevitable. He started betting on local horse races there and this in turn spurned his love of gambling. Despite living in Chicago quite comfortably, Nick upped his sticks to Montreal once more. That was a staggeringly large sum of money for the time. Nick was shipped off to the United States at the age of just 18, where he was paid a $150 weekly allowance. He also had the privilege of attending Evangelical College, and graduated with a degree in philosophy. In fact, Nick Dandolos was born in 1883 into an extremely wealthy family which at the time was very unusual. Nobody wants to put a mystery out of action. This attitude creates mystery in the mind of the opposition. A trout fisherman fishes for sport, not for meat. Nick was also admired for his contribution to various charitable causes over the years addition to his excellent gambling skills.
![nick the greek nick the greek](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/05/00/93/c9/nick-the-greek.jpg)
In 1979 he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame for his many achievements, nearly thirteen years after he passed away. His reputation as a world class gambler spread throughout Europe. That just makes the story of Nick the Greek a little more interesting though! Nick's story, like most true high-rollers, was filled with massive wins, untold wealth, and then basically poverty. "Nick the Greek" is a very famous nickname that has become quite common, but Nikos Dandolas, a famous Greek gambler and known high-roller, was the very first "Nick the Greek".