The biggest and best gambles

The urge to double your money is one that keeps us all at the casino tables. Even the classic coin flip gives people that buzz. After all, what can be better than a 100% return from a 5 second, random bet? But there are those that take it to the max, risking everything to change their lives. This article explores the top 3 biggest and best gambles in history (well, according to me)*

3rd. The Large Hadron Collider. Yup, the Large Hadron Collider. Not only were Ladbrokes taking bets on the scientific things this crazy hula hoop would discover, but the whole thing itself was a bit of risk, with many eminent scientists believing it could create an event horizon, and anyone that has seen the film knows that's really not very good. But rather than summoning some crazy, scary stuff in deep space the LHC would do exactly the same thing right here. The concern being that it would produce a small black hole that would start off by consuming Switzerland (no more pen knives and wholly cheese) and France (...). Unfortunately they also believe it would insatiably consume all the matter on the planet and squeeze it into the size of a pinhead through its immense gravitational field. Apparently this isn't good. So, as far as risk taking goes, this one was right up there. Fortunately, other than making two infinitesimally small microns bump into each other, albeit rather quickly, the LHC hasn't triggered an apocalypse as of yet. Give those Swiss some time though and who knows...

2nd. Anonymous guy. A chap who saw Lewis Hamilton rip through the go-karting race circuit, beating his own son in the process, recognised his talent immediately. Somehow he managed to convince Ladbrokes to open a book on the 13 year-old Hamilton becoming Formula 1 champion at some point in the future. Sure enough, Hamilton won the title in 2008 and Ladbrokes, who you can see being a bit miffed, paid out on the 10 year old bet. The resulting £125,000 payout must be one of the most insightful bets ever made and that's why it joins this list.

1st. Ashley Revell of London sold absolutely everything he owned to fund a trip to Vegas and to the Plaza Hotel specifically, where he would place the entire sum on red. With $132,000 on the table you can imagine his delight when the ball came to rest on Red 7. Rather, after a few celebrations with family and friends, he coolly walked away with double – a total of $270,600 – though tipped the croupier $600 before doing so (probably wanted a nice round number). Not bad for a day's work...But surely the elation he must have felt cannot be matched as it couldn't have meant more to him, for he would have had nothing should he have failed. With the winnings he went on to form an online poker room. Good man! And if you think this is some tall story then you can watch the whole thing, from selling up to hitting Vegas, as it was televised by Sky.

The great thing about chance is that sooner or later something amazing will happen and produce stories like the above. Both good and bad, they give hope to gamblers and may cause them to go for those one in a million bets but, of course, not everyone's so lucky and they are just that: one in a million long shots. But they do show one thing in that hope springs eternal, and that transcends gambling.

If you fancy a shot at roulette or any other casino games, make sure you do so at the best online casinos, such as the new but excellent Jackpot Games casino. And remember: always play within your budget, and have fun!

The author does not condone risky betting, but is merely celebrating those that came to pass successfully.