Roulette Hall of Fame
Whilst games similar to Roulette have been played all throughout history, the earliest forms of the wheel we’re familiar with today first came about in 17th century France. Since then, the game of chance has spun into the hearts of many casinos and players alike, becoming so popular that you can now play Roulette online, as well as at land-based establishments.
Throughout the years, there have been many people who have tried their chances, spinning the wheel in the hopes for a positive outcome. A handful of these people have made history, having either revolutionised the wheel or made a name for themselves in the Roulette Hall of Fame. Read on to find out more.
Blaise Pascal
Whilst Blaise Pascal might not have ever had the chance to win a game of Roulette, he does make it onto the Hall of Fame for being the person who actually invented the wheel, albeit by accident. In the 17th century, the French mathematician, inventor and physicist set out to defy physics and create a perpetual motion machine. Naturally, this failed, birthing the primitive form of the Roulette wheel we play today.
Francois and Louis Blanc
French brothers Francois and Louis Blanc also make it onto our Hall of Fame, not for betting on a winning spin, but for winning over the hearts of Europe with their adaptation of the Roulette wheel. That’s right, in 1842, the Blanc brothers moved to Hamburg, Germany, taking with them a version of the Roulette wheel that consisted of just one green zero pocket, rather than two. This not only lowered the house edge from 5.25% to 2.70%, but it revolutionised the world of Roulette – creating what is now known as the European Roulette wheel.
Charles De Ville Wells
It was thanks to Francois Blanc that the Monte Carlo Casino was born, and without this royal structure, Charles De Ville Wells might not have been next on our Roulette Hall of Fame. Known as “The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo”, Wells’ winnings exceeded the amount kept to the side at the tables 12 times whilst playing Roulette at the iconic casino in 1981. After starting out with 4,000 francs, Wells managed to bag himself 1,000,000 francs over a five-day period!
However, in the modern-day, casinos tend to have a maximum betting limit put in place to make sure no one ‘breaks the bank’, so it could be hard to follow in Wells’ footsteps.
Ashley Revell
Londoner Ashley Revell made history in 2004, when he decided to sell all his possessions, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back, to place a single bet on a Roulette wheel at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The spin was televised on a show called Double or Nothing, where the viewers would help players decide whether to go with red or black. Revell stated afterwards that he was planning to wager the entire £76,840 (US$135,300), when he found out that the audience had, in fact, voted for red. He quickly changed his mind, betting on red before the wheel spun and decided his fate. The audience watched with bated-breath, and when the wheel ground to a halt, it revealed that he had won. Thankfully, Revell walked away with his money doubled, and later used this money to open an online Poker company called Poker UTD, all whilst taking a firm seat within the Roulette Hall of Fame.
