Roulette Story

One enterprising individual from Great Britain in January 1994 took his dream to Las Vegas for the ultimate roulette spin. Chris Boyd, 40, a computer programmer from London, saved $220,000 over a three-year period.

He searched Las Vegas for one casino to wager it all on one spin of the wheel. Initially rebuffed by Caesars Palace, he was referred to Binion's Horseshoe Club in the Downtown area. The Horseshoe, which at the time had a limit of $100,000 on red or black roulette bets agreed to accept the wager. In addition, the casino agreed to "block out" the double zero on the wheel, which does not exist in the European version of the game.

Boyd had chosen red as his color. After the casino and the dealer agreed to a few "practice spins", Boyd made his bet-on red. The ball landed on the red 7. He had won $220,000-and immediately asked his winnings be placed in the casino cage. He also vowed never to gamble again. It was the largest roulette bet in the-then 43-year history of the casino.

Most casinos allow players to track the results of the game on cards they offer. Some strategies involve patterns of odd/even, red/black, sections or rows or just repeating numbers. However you play, always bet with your head, not over it.