Dana White Cashes In $1.2M Baccarat Win After Power Slap Showdown
UFC CEO Dana White followed up Power Slap 13 with a high-stakes appearance at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, not in the arena, but at the baccarat table, where he walked away with a $1.2 million prize.
Shortly after the June 27 event, White placed $300,000 bets in a private gaming room and walked away with more than $1 million in winnings, a moment captured on video during a podcast recording.
High Stakes and Higher Drama at the Baccarat Table
Wasting no time after the slap-fighting finale, the UFC CEO slid into one of the resort’s ultra-exclusive baccarat tables, where the minimum bet is a jaw-dropping $300,000 per hand. That’s not small change even by Vegas standards. With this move, Fontainebleau joins a short list of casinos (think Caesars Palace and Bellagio) that dare to let White play his way.
At his side were Taylor Lewan, co-host of the 'Bussin’ With the Boys' podcast, and his son Aidan White, plus a camera capturing every high-stakes heartbeat. Around the 32:30 mark of the podcast, White grins and says, “I’m at a million now … it’ll be $1.2 if I win this one.” He wins. The table erupts.
Fontainebleau Joins the Big Boys’ Club
White’s not new to this game, he’s just aggressively better at it than most. Earlier in 2024, he raked in $26 to $27 million playing baccarat at Caesars over just three months. That heater did come with a chill: he admits he once lost $8 million in a single night.
His method was, go big, win three hands, and bounce. It’s fast, brutal, and effective, kind of like Power Slap, but with chips. While some casinos welcome the action, others would rather avoid the financial slap in the face. “They don’t like to lose,” White quipped.
Still, he’s not done dreaming. White wants to bet $1 million per hand with $30 million in casino credit but so far, no venue’s been brave (or crazy) enough to take him up on it.
Vegas Couldn’t Handle Dana White’s Blackjack Game. Now He’s Taking UFC to the White House
Before Dana White became synonymous with high-stakes UFC battles, he was already making waves at the blackjack tables of Las Vegas. Back in the early 2000s, White was a fixture at the Palms Casino, betting $25,000 per hand and tipping with wild generosity, like leaving a $10,000 tip on a $10,000 dinner. His winning streak hit a peak in 2012 when he reportedly raked in around $2 million over a single weekend. The Palms responded by slashing his credit line, capping his bets at $5,000 per hand, and eventually banning him altogether. In retaliation, White pulled all UFC events from the casino, ending a 15-season run of The Ultimate Fighter finales at the Palms.
A couple of years later, under new management, the Palms tried to win him back with a $5,000 bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. White returned to the high-limit tables and walked away with an eye-popping $5 million win, carrying the cash out in black garbage bags when the casino refused to provide a proper bag. Still, within six months, the restrictions came back and White was pushed out again. This time, the casino presented him with a custom championship belt declaring him the ‘PALMS Undisputed Blackjack Champion’ and ‘Winner by TKO.’
Though Dana White has since shifted his gambling focus to baccarat’s faster, higher-stakes action, his blackjack legacy remains a bold chapter in his story, one marked by audacious wins, strategic fights, and an unstoppable edge. It’s the same aggressive spirit that built the UFC empire.
Now, White is setting his sights even higher. The UFC is working with federal officials to stage the first-ever fight night at the White House in 2026, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, the Semiquincentennial. The idea sparked from a conversation between White and former President Donald Trump, who envisioned MMA as a symbol of modern American culture and patriotism.
If it happens, this historic event will mark a milestone not just for the UFC, but for combat sports everywhere signalling the sport’s full evolution from controversial underdog to a centrepiece of American tradition.
For Dana White, it’s another high-stakes game, this time on a national stage, showcasing his relentless drive to expand MMA’s reach beyond the octagon and into the heart of the country’s identity.
Dana White’s High-Stakes Journey: From Casino Floors to the White House Spotlight
Dana White’s success at the casino tables is a reflection of the same fearless drive that built the UFC empire. From his legendary blackjack runs at the Palms to his recent $1.2 million baccarat win at Fontainebleau, White has made high-stakes gambling a key part of his public persona. His strategy is simple but bold: bet big, win fast, and walk away, an approach that’s earned him multimillion-dollar payouts and the wary respect of casinos across Vegas.
But White’s ambitions go far beyond gambling. Now, as he pushes to bring UFC to the White House in 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, he’s taking his high-stakes game to a new level, on the national stage. Whether at the baccarat table or in the octagon, Dana White continues to play with unmatched confidence, proving time and again that when it comes to winning, he’s always all in.
