Post by Salem6 on Apr 12, 2004 10:07:46 GMT
A professional gambler has emerged victorious after betting everything on a single spin of a roulette wheel.
Ashley Revell, 32, from Kent, gambled around £75,000 in a Las Vegas casino on the ball settling on red - and won about £135,000.
Ashley Revell said he made a last-minute choice
Mr Revell, whose win was broadcast on Sky One on Sunday, risked coming away with nothing after selling all his possessions, including his clothes.
He said he now planned to celebrate his win with his family and friends.
The professional poker player raised cash for the bet from car boot sales and auctions before travelling to the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The difference between losing everything and gaining thousands rested on whether he chose to place his two piles of chips on red or black on the wheel.
Mr Revell said he only decided at the last minute to choose red - knowing what happened next could change his life.
When the ball finally settled in the red slot, he punched the air with delight and was greeted with a bottle of champagne and cheers from the watching crowd.
'Rollercoaster ride'
After the win, he said: "That was just the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life.
"The first thing I am going to do is buy some new clothes, some sunglasses, obviously!
"It was just wicked. I can't describe my feelings going through that.
"It has just been a complete sort of rollercoaster ride. First it's on, then it's off."
He added: "I just wanted to get the bet over with, and know either way. Obviously, I was feeling lucky, but I just didn't know.
"Really all I am going to do now is chill out, my family are here, my friends are here, so just spend some time with them."
Mr Revell added: "The main thing I have learned from all this was that it wasn't really about the money.
"It's easy for me to say now I have won of course, but it is important my family and my friends were there to back me up - and if they weren't there I wouldn't have risked everything."
He described his all or nothing gamble as the "purest bet you can do".
He added: "I'm not married and I haven't got kids. It's almost like my last chance to go mad."
Mr Revell had spent the week leading up to the bet trying to increase his pot by gambling with $3,000 in Las Vegas, but by Wednesday he had lost $1,000.
Mr Revell said he had hoped to raise more. "I thought I was worth at least £100,000", he said.
A Sky One documentary, Double or Nothing, will now follow Mr Revell for a month.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3618883.stm
Ashley Revell, 32, from Kent, gambled around £75,000 in a Las Vegas casino on the ball settling on red - and won about £135,000.
Ashley Revell said he made a last-minute choice
Mr Revell, whose win was broadcast on Sky One on Sunday, risked coming away with nothing after selling all his possessions, including his clothes.
He said he now planned to celebrate his win with his family and friends.
The professional poker player raised cash for the bet from car boot sales and auctions before travelling to the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The difference between losing everything and gaining thousands rested on whether he chose to place his two piles of chips on red or black on the wheel.
Mr Revell said he only decided at the last minute to choose red - knowing what happened next could change his life.
When the ball finally settled in the red slot, he punched the air with delight and was greeted with a bottle of champagne and cheers from the watching crowd.
'Rollercoaster ride'
After the win, he said: "That was just the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life.
"The first thing I am going to do is buy some new clothes, some sunglasses, obviously!
"It was just wicked. I can't describe my feelings going through that.
"It has just been a complete sort of rollercoaster ride. First it's on, then it's off."
He added: "I just wanted to get the bet over with, and know either way. Obviously, I was feeling lucky, but I just didn't know.
"Really all I am going to do now is chill out, my family are here, my friends are here, so just spend some time with them."
Mr Revell added: "The main thing I have learned from all this was that it wasn't really about the money.
"It's easy for me to say now I have won of course, but it is important my family and my friends were there to back me up - and if they weren't there I wouldn't have risked everything."
He described his all or nothing gamble as the "purest bet you can do".
He added: "I'm not married and I haven't got kids. It's almost like my last chance to go mad."
Mr Revell had spent the week leading up to the bet trying to increase his pot by gambling with $3,000 in Las Vegas, but by Wednesday he had lost $1,000.
Mr Revell said he had hoped to raise more. "I thought I was worth at least £100,000", he said.
A Sky One documentary, Double or Nothing, will now follow Mr Revell for a month.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3618883.stm