ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Man bet entire life savings and sold everything he owned on a single roulette spin: "I picked red..."

He made a whopping $195,000, doubling his life savings in under a minute.
PUBLISHED NOV 6, 2024
Representational photo of two men playing Russian Roulette | Cover Image Source: Getty Images | William Thomas Cain
Representational photo of two men playing Russian Roulette | Cover Image Source: Getty Images | William Thomas Cain

It's hard to imagine someone risking all their life savings on a single roulette spin, but that's exactly what Ashley Revell did. He took a gamble that most of us wouldn't even consider. Revell sold his home, his entire wardrobe, and everything he ever owned to gamble $97,500 at the Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

This rare incident was showcased in the Sky One reality show "Double or Nothing" and viewers were more than happy to help him make a decision over whether to go with red or black. "It was just… pleading that I’d pick[ed] it and that it would come in red," he told CNN at the time.



 

“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," he added. Eventually, he decided to put it all on red. “But … 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," he said.

Ashley revealed that his father was totally against the idea, as any parent would. The dad said that he was a "naughty" and a "bad boy" and advised him against the decision. "So, you know, I think most all dads are just concerned, and he’s seeing all my friends being married off and having kids and stuff, and he’s like any father, he just wants me to settle down and make sure I’m secure," Ashley said in the interview.



 

All his doubts vanished when his daring move doubled the money. Revell made a whopping $195,000, doubling his life savings in under a minute. Needless to say, his daring feat soon became a viral hit across the globe, so much so that it inspired another reality show, "Red or Black." After the win, he was greeted with a bottle of champagne from his family.

"It was just wicked. I can't describe my feelings going through that. It has just been a complete sort of roller coaster ride. First, it's on, then it's off," he said about his decision to bet his entire life savings.  

Image Source: Getty Images | William Thomas Cain
Image Source: Getty Images | William Thomas Cain

As per reports, Revell spent some of the cash on a cross-Europe motorbike trip, where he ended up meeting his future wife. Fifteen years after the big win, Revell returned to Las Vegas where the hotel commemorated the win and its new single zero roulette table with a promotional free chip to players.

Ashley was an avid poker player all his life, so he set up his online poker site, pokerutd.com shortly after his trip to Vegas. However, he later shut it down because of unknown reasons. He then moved on to start a recruitment agency for gambling companies, as per Roulette Star. However, it's safe to say that he is still very much in the gambling world.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
One of the customers contacted her employer after receiving her wage twice, and soon realized it was an error.
8 hours ago
The expert estimated that if the item was authentic, it would have been 10 times more in value.
17 hours ago
Jennings' record-breaking steak earned him a whopping $2.52 million in winnings.
19 hours ago
There have been incidents when people went too far with celebrations and even ended up hurting themselves.
20 hours ago
The firm that was popular among sharks is still going strong with the innovative product.
21 hours ago
Early 1980s was a special era as several rare coins were minted then.
1 day ago
The investor is known for his suave and no-nonsense approach and needs to maintain a sharp look.
1 day ago
The year may be 2024 but women's basic safety still seems to be too much of a challenge for society.
1 day ago
Winners know winning on Price Is Right it isn't like what it's cracked up to be.
1 day ago
Seacrest has stepped into the shoes of Pat Sajak who entertained audiences for decades.
1 day ago
The "Rolling Stones" singer said leaving a part of the inheritance might "do some good in the world."
2 days ago
Leilani had to go through a lot of paperwork and wait only to find out what she won wasn't what she'd get.
2 days ago
The guest investor Gwyneth Paltrow was also impressed by the entrepreneur's thought process.
2 days ago
The decorator still didn't get it when the woman returned to Walmart with her cake.
2 days ago
Steve Harvey is known for his infectious sense of humor that can come out at any moment.
2 days ago
One of the rarest Rolex watches in the world was kept in a safety deposit for decades, unworn.
3 days ago
The product was invented by a mother who wanted to protect her kids from rashes.
3 days ago
It's not everyday one gets to see a contestant come back on The Price is Right after decades.
3 days ago
Fellow workers suggested that people are sleeping on how much one can make as a server.
3 days ago