Jackson Holliday, one of the Baltimore Orioles’ most promising young talents, has shed light on a surprising off-field story involving the San Diego Padres. During an interview in November 2024, Holliday revealed that a Padres player reportedly owes Manny Machado a staggering $900,000 from playing Blackjack, highlighting the high-stakes gambling that sometimes takes place among MLB players. This revelation underscores the addictive nature of Blackjack and the vast sums wagered given baseball’s high salaries.
Big Leaguers’ Gambling Habits and Holliday’s Insight
While Jackson Holliday remains focused on his baseball season, where he has posted a .259 batting average with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs for Baltimore, he acknowledged the widespread interest in card games like Blackjack among major leaguers. In an interview with golf content creators Mason Nutt and Cole Lantz, the Austin, Texas native explained the scale of bets in these games.
Holliday said,
“I think it was only $4000 (the highest amound I’ve seen bet on a Blackjack game). In San Diego, I heard someone owed Manny Machado $900,000, because they kept an open tab all year,”
shedding light on the staggering amounts involved. He also noted,
“I heard that those games are ridiculous. They play Blackjack with one deck. Guys bet a ridiculous amount.”
Jackson Holliday’s Favorite Card Game: Bourré
Besides Blackjack, Holliday shared his fondness for another card game called Bourré. Explaining its appeal, he noted that Bourré can also lead to significant betting. He said,
“I play Bourré a lot. Bourré can get pretty expensive. It’s like spades, if you get boo-ed, so if you don’t win like a buck, you have to match the pot.”
Bourré is notably popular in the Acadiana region of Louisiana and is also played on the Greek island of Psara, where it is known as Boureki. Like Blackjack, its status as a gambling game contributes to its excitement and addictiveness among players.
Implications of High-Stakes Gambling in Baseball
This glimpse into the gambling activities of major league players highlights how the combination of large earnings and access to high-stakes games can lead to substantial debts and ongoing tabs. Jackson Holliday’s remarks bring attention to this lesser-known aspect of players’ off-field lives, suggesting that gambling remains a serious and potentially risky pursuit within the baseball community. As more players navigate such challenges, awareness and management of these habits may become an increasing focus for teams and the league going forward.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Will Jackson Holliday be called up?
A. Jackson Holliday is starting his career with the Baltimore Orioles. On Wednesday, the team brought up the 20-year-old player, ranked as the top prospect by MLB Pipeline, from Triple-A Norfolk. To add Holliday to the team roster, they designated infielder/outfielder Tony Kemp for assignment.
Q. Is Jackson Holliday being called up?
A. Mateo shared playing time with Jordan Westburg. Westburg also splits third-base duties with Ramon Urias. Holliday was the top pick in the 2022 draft. He quickly moved up through the minor leagues and joined the Orioles’ talented young team on April 10.
Q. Why is Jackson Holliday #7?
A. Before Holliday was born, that jersey number was associated with Cal Ripken Sr., a veteran coach for the Orioles. The last player to wear it was his son, Billy, in 1988. Although the team didn’t officially retire the number, they weren’t eager to assign it to other players.