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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.

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