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. Though large wins are rare, some lucky individuals have hit jackpots so massive they've gone down in history. Here are some of the most famous and largest casino wins in history.
The Excalibur Jackpot
The largest slot machine jackpot in history was won in March 2003 at the Excalibur Hotel & casino (he said) in Las Vegas. 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. His relatively small investment of $100 resulted in the ultimate prize. 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. The winner chose to remain anonymous, and his story remains the ultimate testament to the incredible, casino albeit minuscule, chance of hitting it big on a slot machine.
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.
His secret wasn't card counting in the traditional sense. Johnson, a savvy businessman, negotiated special rules with the casinos before he even started playing. He secured a 20% discount on his losses, a very high maximum bet, and other rule changes that significantly reduced the house edge. This combination of perfect play and negotiated advantages gave him a small but crucial edge over the house. After his epic winning streak, casinos became much more cautious about the deals they offered high rollers.
Elmer Sherwin: The Man Who Struck Lightning Twice
To hit a huge jackpot once is a miracle; to do it twice on the same machine type is beyond belief. This is the incredible story of Elmer Sherwin. His first jackpot was for $4.6 million, hit on the opening day of The Mirage. He didn't stop playing, hoping for a second miracle. Incredibly, 16 years later, in 2005, at the age of 92, he did it again. He won a staggering $21.1 million jackpot on another Megabucks machine at the Cannery Casino. Sherwin generously donated much of his second win to charity, casino [helpful site] including relief efforts for casino Hurricane Katrina victims.
