The Glamour of Roulette
It would seem that there is a special glamour to roulette. This is evident in the vast number of films in which the game of roulette stars as a prominent centerpiece. It has also led certain people to place all sorts of dramatic roulette bets. Some of these have actually become quite famous. This has, of course, only added to the glory of the roulette game.
Double or Nothing on Roulette
Part of the attraction of roulette is its inherent simplicity. Since it would seem that the even money wagers of roulette offer a nearly even chance of doubling your money this has brought many people to test their luck on fairly even wagers. This "near even" wager has also caused the development of the Martingale system of wagering. Perhaps the most famous of such roulette bets is the wager made by Ashley Revell in 2004. Ashley sold all his earthly possessions including his clothing as wagered the entire sum of over 135 thousand dollars on Red. This is a very dramatic example of "double or nothing"! Ashley won the round and left the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas with over 270 thousand dollars. This event was filmed as part of a mini series and Ashley later used his winnings to open an online poker company.
Beating the Roulette Wheel
Although several mathematicians have declared it impossible to defeat the roulette wheel, their conclusion was reached based on mathematical models of ideal wheels. Wheels are not mathematical models and are thus not completely random. This was demonstrated most dramatically in 1873 by an Englishman by the name of Joseph Jaggers. Jaggers clocked all the wheels at the Monte Carlo casino and discovered one roulette wheel with considerable bias. He and six clerks then exploited this bias in order to win the astronomical sum of over 325 thousand dollars (in 1873 this was considered an incredible fortune!). Today, awareness of such exploitation keeps casinos on their toes and encourages them to test and recalibrate their roulette wheels fairly often.
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