Man sold all his possessions and bet his entire life savings on a single roulette spin
Topics: Film and TV, Money, News, Sport, Gaming
Chelsea Connor
Featured Image Credit: 2004 / YouTube/Ashley Revell
Topics: Film and TV, Money, News, Sport, Gaming
There's different levels to gambling it seems.
There's the odd scratch card here and there, there's the slots, there's Vegas, and then there's Ashley Revell kinda gambling.
His story is one you can Revell in (sorry) , or you can be terrified of, but either way it's certainly one that hits a nerve with gambling enthusiasts.
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Revell was a guest on Sky One's Double Or Nothing, a show that truly makes your cheeks clench.
Revell bet everything he owned, from his home to his clothes, on one single roulette spin.
This happened back in 2004, but the episode still hasn't been forgotten because of the sheer intensity of it.
Revell, 32 at the time, decided to gamble £76,840 (US $135,300) all on red at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, and made the choice with help from the audience at home, who mostly voted for him to choose 'red'.
“Before I actually walked up to the wheel, I was thinking about putting it on black, and then suddenly the guy was spinning the ball around and all the Sky viewers said… they [had] voted that I should put it on red."
Speaking to CNN about what was going through his head when it happened, he said: “It was just... pleading that I'd pick[ed] it and that it would come in red.
He continued: "So i did it. i put it all on red and prayed."
In a twist, he was then asked if he wanted to double money, which he agreed to. He went all or nothing.
He said: "I was just pleading that it would come in and I'd get lucky this time.
“What I was really worried about was that I'd lose and my parents would be upset and my family would, you know, all my friends would be upset.
“So I was obviously just so happy when it came in.”
The episode was so wince-inducing it was viewed around the world, with millions tuning in to see the outcome of the daring bet.
Revell walked away with the prize money - all $270,600 of it - and used it on an online poker company called Poker UTD.
Although this wasn't successful, he made sure he put his winnings to good use, such as a cross-Europe motorbike road-trip where he ended up meeting his future wife.
He still says to this day that it was the best day of his life.
Per KSNV News, he said: “I have said that the roulette spin at the Plaza was the most amazing moment of my life.
“Single 0 roulette wasn’t around back then. Clearly a lot has changed in gaming and at the Plaza. So, I am excited to return, and hopefully, we can all celebrate another successful roulette spin.”
So happy the roulette was kind to him, as it's painful to imagine if it went the other way. The man bet his clothes for goodness sake.