For casino [amicireggiavenariareale.com published an article] most people, casino a trip to the casino (click to find out more) is a form of entertainment where the dream of a life-changing win is part of the thrill. While most wins are modest, every now and then, someone defies the odds in spectacular fashion, walking away with a fortune that becomes the stuff of legend. Let's look at a few legendary tales of astonishing casino victories.
The Excalibur Jackpot
The record for the biggest-ever slot win was set in Las Vegas in 2003 at the Excalibur. The anonymous winner, a 25-year-old software engineer, was just passing time on the Megabucks slot. After feeding about $100 into the machine, he hit the jackpot of a lifetime. The win amounted to an incredible $39.7 million, paid out over 25 years. He wisely opted to keep his identity private, becoming a legend in the process.
Beating the House at its Own Game
Some of the most famous wins are a result of skill, casino strategy, and negotiation. Between 2010 and 2011, a man named Don Johnson went on an unprecedented winning streak, taking three Atlantic City casinos for a combined total of over $15 million playing blackjack.
He didn't use card counting to achieve this feat. His strategy was to leverage his status as a whale to get better rules. These included a 20% "loss rebate" (where the casino would refund him 20% of his losses if they reached a certain amount), the ability to bet up to $100,000 per hand, and casino favorable rules like splitting and doubling down on any four cards. By combining these advantageous rules with perfect basic strategy, he was able to shift the mathematical edge slightly in his favor. He won so much that he is no longer welcome to play at many of the world's top casinos.
Winning the Jackpot... Again
The odds of winning a major lottery-style jackpot are astronomical, but winning it twice seems impossible. But that's exactly what happened to World War II veteran Elmer Sherwin. In 1989, at the age of 76, he won a $4.6 million Megabucks jackpot at The Mirage in Las Vegas, just 10 hours after the casino opened. He traveled extensively with his winnings but never gave up on his dream of winning again. His persistence paid off in 2005 when he hit another Megabucks jackpot for over $21 million. He was incredibly generous with his second windfall, donating a large portion to charity.
