Joseph Jagger
Back in 1875 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, esteemed British engineer Joesph Jagger acquired the popular moniker of “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo”. Joseph managed to rake in an impressive £65,000 during his brief stay. It might not sound like much (well I wouldn’t sneeze at it), but of course keep in mind that this was during the late 19th Century and a paltry £65,000 in ‘high roller’ terms would actually be the equivalent of around £3 million in today’s money. The win actually had nothing to do with luck but was thanks to the efforts of Joseph who managed to find a flaw in one of the wheels which resulted in a clear bias to certain numbers. And off he went with his team and took advantage.
Charles Deville Wells
A few years later, piggybacking on the hugely publicised win of Joseph Jagger, it was the turn of professional gambler, high roller and confidence trickster Charles Deville Wells to make headlines once more in Monaco when he managed to score the single biggest roulette win ever in recorded history. He managed to ‘break the bank’ 12 times in just one evening with an unbelievable streak of wins. However, whether or not it was genuine luck that won him his $1 million prize or just a complex hustle is still a mystery that is shrouded in the mists of time.
Toon Army General
And then there was billionaire Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley who had a very focused roulette strategy and managed to net $1.3 million on just a single spin of the roulette table whilst he was playing at the Fifty London casino in Mayfair. It took the man just 15 minutes to accumulate his impressive pot where he had utilised the ‘complete bet’. This consisted of Ashley betting on every combination centering on his lucky number 17 (well, all the Inside Bets, anyway). This is a 40 chip bet, so you need deep pockets, and luckily he landed the number, stood up and left the casino with a huge pile of winnings. 17 was his lucky number
Boyd at Binion’s
British computer programmer Chris Boyd was also the lucky recipient of a small fortune thanks to a lucky single spin. Boyd had been hunting around for Las Vegas Casino willing to let him place a $200,000 bet. Eventually he struck a deal with Binion’s Horseshoe Club, which was double the normal $100,000 that the casino accepted. They also agreed to cover up the double zero on the American wheel to make it into a European Roulette wheel (the odds are significantly better for the player) and he increased his odds of winning slightly more. His plan was to place the entire bet on red. The wheel spun, the ball bounced around and settled neatly in the pocket of red 7. The rest is history.
Funny how 7 always seems to appear in these good news stories? Also, be aware, that people love talking about their big wins. It’s not so easy to get them to talk about their losses!
