For most people, a trip to the casino 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 stuff of dreams became reality for one man at the Excalibur casino. A 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles decided to play the famous Megabucks slot machine while waiting for a basketball game to start. After feeding about $100 into the machine, he hit the jackpot of a lifetime. The total prize was a staggering $39.7 million, a sum so large that the casino agreed to pay it out in 25 annual installments of about $1.5 million. 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, strategy, and negotiation. In an incredible run, Don Johnson managed to beat several casinos at blackjack for more than $15 million.
How did he do it? It wasn't by counting cards. As a known high roller, he was able to negotiate extremely favorable playing conditions for casino - visit this web-site - himself. He secured a 20% discount on his losses, a very high maximum bet, and other rule changes that significantly reduced the house edge. With these conditions, he played with a positive expectation, a rare feat in casino gaming. After his epic winning streak, casinos became much more cautious about the deals they offered high rollers.
The Double Megabucks Winner
The odds of winning a major casino lottery-style jackpot are astronomical, but winning it twice seems impossible. This is the incredible story of Elmer Sherwin. He first won $4.6 million on a Megabucks machine in 1989 at the grand opening of The Mirage. He used the money to travel the world, but he continued to play the Megabucks slots, dreaming of a second win. Sixteen years later, at 92 years old, lightning struck again, and he won a second Megabucks jackpot, this time for $21.1 million. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.
