The Biggest and Most Famous Casino Wins in History

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, casino walking away with a fortune that becomes the stuff of legend. Let's look at a few legendary tales of astonishing casino victories.

The Biggest Slot Win Ever
The record for the biggest-ever slot win was set in Las Vegas in 2003 at the Excalibur. 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. He wagered just $100 before the machine's reels aligned perfectly, triggering the progressive jackpot. 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. His story is the quintessential example of how a small bet can lead to an unimaginable fortune.

Don Johnson: The Man Who "Broke" Atlantic City's Blackjack Tables
Sometimes, a big win is about more than just a lucky spin. 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. Johnson, a savvy businessman, negotiated special rules with the casinos before he even started playing. These included a 20% "loss rebate" (where the casino; amicireggiavenariareale.com, would refund him 20% of his losses if they reached a certain amount), the ability to bet up to $100,000 per hand, casino (https://amicireggiavenariareale.com/games/brain-dead) and 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
To hit a huge jackpot once is a miracle; to do it twice on the same machine type is beyond belief. 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 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 casino $21.1 million. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, including relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.