The most influential Roulette players

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Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, and has made appearances in its various forms, throughout history. Roulette, as we know it, was invented accidentally by French physicist Blaise Pascal in 1655. The game had many similarities to other popular games at the time, such as Even-Odd and Roly Poly. Roulette features either 37 and 38 pockets on the wheel, depending if the European or American version is being played.

Throughout history, there have been some iconic wins, and professional, influential players who have completely changed the way the game is played. Read on to learn all about these players, and how they changed the game of Roulette.

John Henry Martindale

J.H. Martindale, whose name was later changed to Martingale, was an owner of a casino in London in the 18th century. It is said, that he created what is known today as The Martingale strategy, and used it to ensure that the casino would always win. He managed to encourage players to double their bets, for as long as his casino was in trouble. The Martingale system consists of a player doubling their bets after each loss. The player will usually make bets on only red or black numbers, or any other even-money bets. Doubling your bets every time you lose means that when you eventually win, you should win back all of your losses, as well as a profit. The method does have its downsides, however, as it means you will have to play for a considerable amount of time in order to win back your losses.

Charles De Ville Wells

Charles Wells is an example of someone who successfully used the Martingale system, and is often known as “The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo”. Charles Wells broke the bank 12 times within three days whilst playing Roulette at the iconic Monte Carlo casino using this method in 1891. He started playing with 4,000 francs, and managed to win 1,000,000 francs in a total of five days! It is hard to follow in Wells’ footsteps these days though, as casinos often have a maximum bet put in place.

William Nelson Darnborough

William Nelson Darnborough was an influential high roller from Bloomington, Illinois, who became famous for his Roulette wins in Monaco from 1904 to 1911. A regular at the Monte Carlo casino, Darnborough won over £80,000 playing Roulette in 1904 alone. He was the first player to gamble in a systematic way, trying to figure out where the ball would land. His most famous session was when he bet on the number five, five times in a row, and won every single time. During his years at the tables, he managed to boost his bankroll by $415,000, which is worth around $10 million today.

Joseph Jagger

Joseph Jagger earned his place in the Roulette Hall of fame in the 19th century when he decided to hire spectators to hang out in various casinos in Monte Carlo. They would then report the winning numbers back to Jagger, who proved that it is possible to win every time – but only when the game in rigged in your favour. By hiring spectators and analysing the games’ outcomes, he was able to find slight defects in the wheels. A Roulette wheel can be affected by some outside factors, including the dealer and how they spin or drop the ball, what ball is used, and if there’s an incline the wheel sits on, as well as if the wheel itself has any defects. In order to create an accurate account of each wheel, you will have to watch it and record its outcomes for roughly 1,000 spins. Jagger eventually walked away with a whopping $400,000, proving that his patience and observations did pay off.