In 2004, a man from London sold everything he owned, down to his clothes, and put all $135,300 on a single spin of a roulette wheel in Las Vegas.
His name is Ashley Revell. In the video below, the casino manager at the Plaza asks him one last time: “Are you sure you want to make this bet with your life savings?”
He says yes.
The casino makes it clear they would never “knowingly condone or accept someone taking a wager of their entire life savings.” They let him do it anyway.
There are no tricks here. No system, no edge. Roulette has a house edge on every spin, and his odds of winning were just under 50/50.
He stands at the table and can’t decide. “What color, then?” “I don’t know.” “Oh man, too many decisions.”
Then he picks red. “Can I kiss it?”
The ball lands on 7. Red.
$135,300 became $270,600 in a few seconds. He used part of it to start an online poker company.
Was it the dumbest bet in Las Vegas history, or the smartest marketing stunt anyone ever pulled with their life savings?
Andrew Kibe dispensing wisdom as usual. One thing I always appreciate is living in this era where we have men like Kibe who lets the young ones learn from his mistakes. On top of that he gives top notch advices. Long live Chairman.
The worst thing that can happen to you isn’t failure. It’s sitting alone in your apartment at 50, knowing you could have been more.
Dana White gets goosebumps telling the story that taught him this.
A chef watches Pelé flip upside down and score on TV. He starts crying. Not because of the goal. Because a human being, the same species as him, did something extraordinary while he sat on the couch.
That’s the fear Dana has been running from his whole life. Not losing. Regret.
The most honest part comes near the end. Not everyone is built for risk, and that’s fine. The world needs people who want the 401k and weekends off.
But if you know you’re meant to build something, there isn’t as much time as it feels like there is.
The last 30 seconds are worth the whole clip.
Time is the one thing you can never earn back, and most people only notice once it’s gone.