All or Nothing on Red!
Who exactly is Ashley Revell? If you are a long time fan of Roulette, then you would already know that this unassuming man is something of a legend in the gambling world.
The “legend” actually happened just a few years ago, back in 2004. At the time, Revell was a 32 year old bloke from London, England. His claim to fame began when he sold all of his possessions – save for the clothes on his back – and was going to risk the entire bankroll ($135,300) on one spin of the Roulette wheel. Yea, we know – nutty Brit…
So off went Ashley Revell, from his home in London to the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was there, in downtown Freemont Street at the Plaza Casino that Revell was to make history. With the world watching (because, obviously, this makes for great TV, so it was recorded), he bet it all on “Red”, essentially a double or nothing bet.
With the ball in play, Revell’s hopes rode with it. As mentioned, he had sold off every material possession that he owned, right down to his underwear, so the personal stakes were incredibly high. As the ball’s momentum began to slow, it found its home… in a red slot. Red 7 to be exact.
Ashley Revell had won.
So his (literal) net worth had gone from $135,300 dollars to $270,600 dollars. Revell’s story, by all accounts, was a lucky break.
So what are the odds that he would win? Considering that Revell has used the red or black bet, he had slightly less than a 50 percent chance of winning. This is because the American Roulette wheel has 2 green slots (0 and 00), with the rest red and black (note: some information suggests he negotiated with the Plaza to allow a 00 to be a re-spin, so if this is true, his odds were the same as a European Wheel. This makes sense for a Casino to allow this for one bet, as it was good for business – great theater, this is…)
Theater aside, however, we admit that doing this kind of bet isn’t a sound idea (not with your life savings, anyway). In fact, unless lots of TV cameras were involved, most casinos would likely discourage the idea of allowing someone to bet their entire net worth. And real life isn’t like the movies: You are not guaranteed a win no matter how you play. Revell was even later quoted as saying that it was a “mad” bet, and he would never attempt it again (he was asked if he wanted to try and double his money again, to which he politely declined.)
Still, it makes for a great story, one that will likely never be forgotten. Here’s to you, Ashley!
