Famous Roulette Players You Might Have Never Heard Of

Roulette can be a very difficult game to win. With no knowledge whatsoever as to where the ball will land next, it would be safe to assume that this casino game relies on pure luck. These famous roulette players, however, get enormously lucky and went on to prove the saying that when it rains, it pours.

The following names below are known throughout history for winning big at the roulette table. Their hot winning streaks were too much to handle that some rules of the game have to be changed or else casinos have to close shop.

Joseph Jagger

Jagger is one of the first people to have taken advantage of the roulette wheel’s imperfections. A mechanic by trade, the roulette enthusiast, along with 6 accomplices, took to the famous Monte Carlo casino and looked for tables that have roulette wheel bias. For the uninitiated, wheel biases occur due to some wheel defects. Specific numbers would often show up more than they should if a wheel has defects. Jagger used this information to win as much as £60,000 in just three days. The amount has an equivalent of £3 million today.

Charles Devile Wells

Yet another wheel bias player, Wells followed the steps of Jagger and in 1891, reportedly swept clean every table in the same casino within just 11 hours of playing. Even more impressive is the fact that he did the run twice that year, winning big amount of prizes each time.

Roulette historians would sometimes argue that Wells’ success can’t solely be attributed to his knack of finding wheel biases. Aside from luck, the man’s enormous wins was also brought by his use of the Martingale system, a betting system where player doubles his bet after every loss.

Carol Jarecki

Little is heard about the Jareckis hitting it big at roulette casino. Carol was famous as a professional chess player, but even her calculating mind wasn’t strong enough to stave off the call for excitement that only a roulette game can bring. Together with her husband, the couple hit off Monte Carlo and San Remo where they also reportedly exploited the imperfections found on roulette wheels.

As of the amount of their winnings, it wasn’t indicated. It would be safe to assume though that the figures were quite significant since they made it to the list.

Benno Winkel

If roulette is the “King of the Casino,” then Winkel is the “Roulette King.” He is said to have won 1.5 million Deutsch Marks and the German-born player reportedly made that huge bankroll in a span of months during his stay at Hamburg. There’s no verifiable information as to how Winkel did it, but sources are saying that he just got lucky, mad lucky at that.

Chris Boyd

UK’s own roulette popstar, Boyd was known for his indomitable goal to win big at roulette. For three years, the 40-year-old computer programmer worked his butt off to save a considerable chunk of money which amounts to £220,000. He intended to play his entire savings on roulette and that’s what he did in 1991 when he found Binion’s Horseshoe Club, the only casino which allowed him to bet that high. With just one spin, Boyd doubled his money. His winning number – red 7.

Ashley Revell

Like a song that is played twice, the Boyd roulette magic happened yet again with this London lad. Not much is known about this young man but in 2004, he flew to Vegas with his entire family and properties which he liquidated and amounted to £135,000.

His life was suddenly put into the limelight when a television program followed his incredible all-out gambling adventure. The place was Plaza Hotel. He made an outside bet, a Black, which has a 1:1 payout. It was all set when Revell suddenly changed his mind and went for a Red. The ball drop into red 7 (the same as Wells). He walked away with £270,000 and tipped the croupier with £600.

Who are the other roulette players you want us to add in this list? Sound it off in the comments below.

The Lucky Numbers to Bet When Playing Roulette

We can’t emphasize enough that a roulette game, whether it is land-based or online, is a game based on pure luck and there’s no way to accurately predict what number the ball will land into. This total randomness makes roulette one of the most favourite casino games all over the world. However, despite the precarious nature of the game, there are still players who are somehow attached to certain “lucky” numbers. Why? Do they have any basis on why they particularly choose this number or sets of numbers?

We are a bunch of superstitious human beings and we can’t deny that. Almost everyone in all walks of life have this affinity to make up routines which we hope could influence the outcome of an event to our own advantage. Perhaps, it is a way in which gamblers can systematically guess the next number rather than just pulling the figures out of thin air. Regardless of the reason, at the end of the day, it all boils down to luck.

Lucky Numbers from All Over the World

Gamblers have different ways of coming up with their lucky numbers. Some pick it up from their own respective cultures. For example, Western players would look up to the power of the number seven to bring them good luck. The Chinese, however, favours numbers like six, eight, and nine, because they exude positivity. There are also people who watch out for unlucky numbers like #13, as they believe it brings bad fortune.

Aside from culture, there are individuals who based their lucky numbers on personal events or information. A lot of players tend to use the dates of their wedding anniversaries, the birthdays of their loved ones, their age, and even their house numbers or car plates.

Popular Lucky Numbers

Writing this post got me thinking, if everything in roulette is random, then how can you explain the magic of number 17? Case in hand is Mike Ashley. He is a Newcastle boss who went over to his favourite casino, wearing his football shirt with the number 17 on it and bet on the said number. In just one spin, he raked £1.3 million just by placing his chips on 17.

The pocket number 17 in a roulette wheel

We also previously mentioned the spectacular betting tale of the actor, Sean Connery, in one of his Italian casino escapades. He placed 5 consecutive bets on the fabled number, lost the first two and won the rest of the spins. Take note that the probability of him hitting the same number in the fifth spin is 50,000:1.

Such stories inspired people from across the globe to always put a bet on the number 17. When asked, croupiers would agree that the most frequently chosen number to bet on is 17, which by the way, happens to lie at the centre of the roulette game board.

Just like 7 and 17, the number 3 is also one of the favourite picks. The Latin phrase saying “omne trium perfectum” roughly means that good things come in threes. 3 primary colors, 3 bones in the human ear, 3 piece suit, the 3 Blind Mice, the 3 “Lord of the Rings” books, 3 Wise Men, 3 strikes and you’re out, need we mention more examples?

Do these numbers make sense?

In a nutshell, yes and no. Yes, in a way that it gives people more confidence when putting wagers on their lucky numbers. Even though they might lose so many times using them, a single win can erase all the failures and can further deepen the belief that this number brings them good fortune. No, because, all the 37 numbers (European roulette wheel) or 38 numbers (American roulette wheel) have the equal chance of coming up in the next spin. Like we said above, luck is what all that matters. So just enjoy and have fun on your online casino roulette game.

 

5 of the Craziest Bets ever made in a Casino Game

These people right here are those who take betting to the next level, so outrageous that it deserves to be called the craziest bets ever made in a casino game.

  1. The two suitcases of William Lee Bergstrom

In the mid 1980s, Williams Lee Bergstrom walked into the Horseshoe Casino carrying two suitcases. One was filled to the brim with $777,000 while the other was empty. He headed over to a craps table and bet all he got on the Don’t Pass Line – he won. Just as what he expected, the empty suitcase came in handy to hold his huge winnings.

  1. The winning hot streak of Archie Karas
Casino chips

Archie Karas is just but one of those people who made a staggering fortune playing in Las Vegas – and he did it with only $50 on his pocket to start with! Impossible as it may seem, Karas’ winning hot streak is still considered to be the greatest in the history of gambling.

A professional poker player, Karas recently suffered loss in a previous Los Angeles poker game. With only half a Benjamin left, he went to Sin City and ran into a friend who loaned him $10,000. Before the night was through, Karas paid the whole amount plus interest, and still left with a hefty wad of cash to keep on playing. That was just the start of his lucky streak. For three years of playing high-rolling poker and some other table games on the side, his $50 blown up to $40 million.

  1. A grandma’s beginner’s luck

There’s more to craps than just simply being called a dice game. For novice players, craps can be very intimidating. Being played in fast-paced manner, one could easily get lost in the many (oftentimes, complicated) betting options. Unless you’re someone who knows the ins and outs of the game, playing craps can be an easy way to lose money. However, this grandma right here just flung the rules to those who care and just went over to the table, throw dice for hours and win every single one of it.

Patricia Demauro deserves to be inducted in the craps hall of legends (if there’s one) for having won 154 consecutive dice throws at an Atlantic City hotel casino. Although it was never revealed how much she had won, one could only imagine the money she made that night.

  1. The legend of number 17
The pocket number 17 in a roulette wheel

We previously mentioned this lucky roulette wheel number in this article. And while we weren’t able to delve deeper into the number’s significance, this time, we will. The popularity of James Bond betting straight on #17 started off with Sean Connery. The actor is a confessed gambler. In one of his sunny Italian holiday getaways, he played at a casino roulette game where he wagered for the aforementioned number. In the first two spins, ball missed the pocket. He stood by it and in the third turn, 17 finally came in. He left his bet there and it won yet another two spins. The third time, he was already at odds of 5,000 to 1 that his number will come up, but he pushed through. He won.

He left the table with £10,000. Years forward, Connery played as the famous spy in “Diamonds Are Forever.” In one of the scenes, the MI9 agent was playing roulette. The number the character bet on? 17.

  1. Revell bets his house

If Connery’s tale impressed you, you better get ready for yet another mindblowing case of casino roulette big win. The name is Ashley Revell and in 2004, he left London with virtually all of his properties amounting to £135,000 to play at a roulette game in Vegas.

A television program even followed his high-risk journey to the gambling capital. Videos of him playing that one life-changing roulette spin can be found online. But for those who missed it, Revell put all he had on black. In a sudden change of heart, the man pushed his chips to red – probably the single best decision he has ever made in his life. The ball pocketed on 7, and it was red. He went home with double the money he brought in.

 

Little Known Interesting Roulette Game Facts to Impress Your Friends With

Roulette, among other casino games, is probably one that heavily relies on the player’s luck. It’s a love and hate relationship with the game because anything can just happen once the wheel stops. It could either be in your favor or not at all. The exhilaration this game brings earns its well-deserved nickname as the queen of casinos, both online and land-based.

A picture of a casino roulette wheel and table.

Basically, the object of roulette is for the players to predict what number the ball will land once the wheel is turned. The face of the wheel itself has different variations across continents. The European version of the game, which is also often found in Asian casinos, has only one zero, for a total of 37 spots. The American variant, on the other hand, has a single zero and a double zero, making up for 38 pockets in all.

The history of playing roulette can be traced back as early as the 17th century, and was believed to be introduced by the French mathematician and scientist Blaise Pascal. Other interesting little known facts about the game are as follows:

  1. Roulette had Albert Einstein scratching his head

The brightest thinker in the history of mankind was said to be intrigued by the game that he decided to formulate strategies on how to beat it. After numerous attempts, Einstein thrown in the towel and just admitted that solving the mystery of roulette was impossible.

“The only way to beat the Roulette is if you steal the money from the dealer while he is not looking,” the famous theoretical physicist was often quoted as saying.

  1. The cases of two players who broke the bank

While still in the topic of beating the game, there were actually two separate occasions when players were able to break the wheel, but not in a way that contradicts Einstein’s aforementioned statement. The truth of the matter is, roulette follows certain laws of physics. Although it seems to be at random, to where the ball lands in a pocket is greatly determined by a lot of factors like the speed of the spinning wheel, the way the ball bounces, the nicks on the wheel, as well as the degree of its tilt. Yes, there are instances where the wheel is poorly balanced or seated. Such mishaps can be taken advantage of by roulette connoisseurs like Joseph Jagger, in 1873. A mechanic by trade, the man who happens to have a keen eye on how things work, reportedly paid a number of people to spot for him defective roulette wheels in casinos. He then used the information to help him win big money.

Charles Devile Wells was said to have followed the latter’s footsteps and managed to broke Monte-Carlo Casino. His great feat inspired the song “The Man who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.”

  1. The number 17

    The pocket number 17 in a roulette wheel

MI6’s own James Bond is quite a gambler himself. As part of his clandestine work, Agent 007 can sometimes be found in roulette tables, placing his bets on his favorite number believed to be 17. Such influence brought forth the aptly-called James Bond betting system. It is a flat betting system where a player wagers the same amount for every round.

  1. “The Devil’s Wheel”

The numbers on the roulette wheels, starting from 1-36, interestingly add up to 666, which is said to be the “Number of the Beast.” Legend has it that Francois Blanc (the operator of Monte Carlo Casino) bargained with the devil to obtain the secrets of the game.

  1. Should I go for the European roulette or the American-style table?

    Example layout of an American roulette table

This is one of the most common questions asked by new players, and veterans of the game would outright say to look for European tables as it offer better odds to players than its American counterpart which, as mentioned above, has extra 00 number. The house edge on an American roulette is 5.26% while the other kind of table has 2.7%.

Do you like our list? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or share it to your circle. We wish you the best of luck!