|
|
 |
| |
| |
| |
The Great Roulette Wheel
A Trifecta of Roulette Trivia for the Curious
Roulette, the French word for "Little Wheel", has featured in our culture from way back.The French mathematician Blaise Pascal, who was famous for his work in the field of probability, invented the first roulette wheel. The first time that a modern roulette wheel, as we know it today, was used in a casino in Paris in 1796.
Famous Roulette Players
In 1873 Joseph Jagger used some helpers to keep track of all the winning numbers at roulette games in one of the Monte Carlo casinos. Jagger then studied the results and concluded that there were some numbers on the roulette wheel that came up more often than others. With this information, he managed to win over $400,000 at the roulette tables of that casino.
William Nelson Damborough was another famous roulette player who made big money wins at the beginning of the 20th century. Damborough, according to the stories, had the ability to predict where the ball would roll and eventually fall on the roulette wheel. He used only his eyes and brain. His bets were always very quickly placed as soon as the croupier spun the roulette wheel. It is said that Damborough was a regular winner in Monte Carlo and won large sums at the time.
Charles Wells was another roulette player of note. He made two million francs at only two visits to the casino. He became known as the "Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo", also a song written by Fred Gilbert which made Wells famous.
In the 1990s, a Spanish-speaking gambler by the name of Gonzalo Garcia-Pelayo watched the roulette wheel in a Spanish casino very carefully. He used a computer to work out the number most often hit over a long time-period. His hard work was not in vain. In the mid-1990s he managed to win more than a million dollars in just a number of years. Garcia-Pelayo is one of a long line of roulette legends. Who will be the next famous roulette player?
Did you know that the total sum of all numbers together that appear on the roulette wheel is 666? People once believed that this was the Devil's number, also known as the Number of the Beast.
Roulette in the Movies
The most famous of all is "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The famous quote from the movie script is: "A kiss is just a kiss but roulette is always special."
In "Run, Lola, Run", a German movie that showed in 1998 the main character has to win at the roulette wheel in order for a happy ending.
In "Indecent Proposal," a movie which aired in 1993, two young newlyweds show us the dark side of gambling when they lose everything at the roulette wheel.
Songs about the Roulette Wheel
Over the years the subject of roulette pops up frequently in music.
Look at this selection:
"Roulette" by System of a Down, Bon Jovi, and Bruce Springstein, Umphrey McGee and others
"The Big Room" by Stephen Cummings
"A roulette wheel, spin it around watch it change
I need a guide map to tell me how I feel
It's like a roulette wheel spinning round the big room..."
"Roulette Girl" by Mary Prankster
"My Roulette Girl, what game is that you're playing?"
"Spin the Wheel" by Bellefire
"Spin the Wheel" by Bobby Weir (formerly of the Grateful Dead and now Ratdog)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
