It is probably the dream of most people to bet a small amount of money at a casino and then be lucky enough to leave a winner. The myth and magic of the casino industry act as powerful persuaders for most people who enjoy playing roulette and blackjack, and some people have managed to make a fortune from their ability to win at these games.

Edward O Thorpe is sometimes called the ‘Father of Card Counting’ and he dominates the game of blackjack. He even wrote a bestseller in the 1960s called Beat the Dealer, where he explained that the most important factor in the game does not rely on the cards that have already been dealt but the cards that remain in the dealer’s hand. As Thorpe is a mathematician, he is able to analyse probabilities faster than most people are. He is also known for his success with online slots

Roulette is a harder game to predict and many of the high winners in this game appear to have done so by cheating. Concealing a computer in a shoe was the trademark of the Californian based Eudaemons Group. Another famous winner was Dr Richard Jarecki, who successfully managed to win thanks to broken roulette wheels in casinos in Monte Carlo and San Remo; by careful observation, Jarecki was able to spot if a roulette wheel was not working perfectly and through his observational skills was able to win $1,280,000.

Feb 17 2012