There are two kinds of people who visit casinos. The first set of individuals are there for a good time, maybe to have a few drinks and hopefully win some extra cash. Then there are the driven experts, the ones who reckon they can make their fortune by beating the casino. There aren’t many from the second set who have been successful.
However, there are a few individuals out there who have had pretty crazy moments at the tables. From the accountant who became a world champions to the grandmother who set world-record odds at the craps table, the following tales are all proof that beating the casino badly can and has been done!
Chris Moneymaker
Way back in 2003, accountant Chris Moneymaker (which is apparently his actual name) made history when he qualified for the main event at World Series of Poker only through playing online. A rank outsider, he traveled to Las Vegas and eventually ended up playing against professional Sam Farha.
Heads-up against Farha, who had a pair of 9s, Moneymaker bluffed with only king high, forcing Farha to fold despite having a better hand. Moneymaker eventually won the $2.5 million prize after pulling a full house of 5s and 4s out of nowhere against Farha’s 2 pairs. Moneymaker became world famous on the poker scene from not only working his way into pro-poker from internet play, but also bluffing his way to the main prize in the world’s biggest poker tournament. It just goes to show, even if you’re a master on starting hands, if you come up against an expert in bluffing, you stand no chance.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vvXX4qfw63E
Ashley Revell
2003 must have been the year of the big win, as Londoner Ashley Revell also made some serious cash at the roulette table.
After selling his home and worldly belongings, Revell flew to Vegas and walked in the Plaza Casino, asking if he could stake every single penny he owned on red. Naturally, the plaza were happy to oblige and Ashley whacked the lot on the table. And he won.
The stunt may have been filmed as part of a Sky One documentary, but Revell actually did sell all his stuff and put the cash on red, doubling his dosh in just a few seconds. The incredible story became the inspiration for the TV show Red or Black after Simon Cowell was inspired by the story.
Patricia Demauro
Many gamblers spend thousands of hours either perfecting their game or losing money until the big win comes along and fixes everything. Patricia Demauro on the other hand had played craps just once before in her life before winning a life-changing sum of money on a single trip to the casino.
Demauro bought $10 worth of chips and started throwing dice. Within four hours and 18 minutes, she’d won 154 consecutive throws in a row. Despite never revealing how much she actually won, Demauro easily racked up winnings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars based on her bets, potentially even over a million dollars.
She left the casino with her winnings and hasn’t been back since. The odds of throwing 154 consecutive winning dice? 1 in 1.56 trillion, making this quite literally the luckiest night in a casino ever seen.
Sean Connery
James Bond (who Connery is most famous for playing) may have been a good gambler, but we severely doubt that even a fictional character could come close to Connery’s incredible casino win back in 1963. Whilst filming Doctor No in the Italian Alps, Connery visited the casino and wagered his cash on number 17.
The ball landed elsewhere on the first two spins, but Connery kept his cash there, and finally got a payout on spin number three. Instead of picking up his profit, he put the lot on number 17 again. Naturally, the ball landed there again.
If that wasn’t incredible enough, Connery really decided to push his luck, and went for 17 again. Miraculously, he became a three-in-a-row winner at odds of roughly 50,000 to 1. Oh, and he won on 17 again in 1971 while filming Diamonds are forever.
Mike Ashley
The billionaire business is back in the news yet again after bringing his unethical practices seen at the likes of Newcastle United football club and the Sports Direct retail stores into the near-collapse of House of Fraser, but Mr. Ashley also has an incredible casino story that he loves sharing.
Emulating Sean Connery, Ashley walked into a London casino, spread £480,000 worth of bets on combinations that included his lucky number 17, and waited for the ball to come to a rest. After picking up his winnings of £1.3 million, he said ‘that’ll do me, mate’ and walked out of the casino. If that isn’t proof that only good things happen to bad people, then we don’t what is!
Archie Karas
If you thought the rest of the people on this list had incredible luck, skill, or sheer bravado, then they pale in comparison to Greek American gambler Archie Karas. In December 1992, after losing his entire savings gambling in Los Angeles, Karas drove to Las Vegas with his last $50 and took out a $10,000 loan. He then went on ‘The Run’, the most incredible hot streak in history.
By 1995, Karas had turned his $10,000 in $17 million by playing poker and pool. He was betting $40,000 on single games of pool. Taking on world champions at poker and razz and beating them with ease, Karas defied the odds to an extreme degree, barely losing anything during his incredible streak.
Things didn’t continue in that manner however. Like plenty of others before and after him, Karas had lost the lot, betting away $11 million on dice and Baccarat. He had a couple of further streaks after that, but now lives a much quieter life, living off appearance fees and media appearances. He still plays poker now and again.