"Cards, money, two barrels": 7 most epic losses in the history of the casino

Gambling drives people crazy, forcing them to sell valuables, real estate, and sometimes even put their loved ones on the line! Below we will tell you about the seven biggest losses in cards and casinos that will make you think before you sit down to play.

Guns to battle!

Many people do not know, but there is one rule in the Monte Carlo casino: do not let people in uniform into the gambling establishment. Why? Many years ago, an officer landed on a military ship in the port of Monaco and went to the casino. The man was so carried away by roulette that he didn't even notice how he lost all the money. But he did not give up so easily: the officer left for a short time, and then returned to the casino with the ship's cash register, hoping to recoup.

But now, quite recently, history has repeated itself. This time there were no ships and guns, but it was not possible to avoid a scandal. The son of the French Foreign Minister lost 700 thousand euros (52 million rubles) in Monaco. After long proceedings, the management of the institution decided to forgive the player his debt.

Let there be music!

Once the director of the Leningrad Music Hall Mikhail Padvo, the chief conductor Isaac Dunaevsky and the composer Dmitry Shostakovich played preference. Shostakovich was clearly inferior to his opponents, since he already owed forty numbers for the play "Conditionally killed". But there were still chances to win back. At least, that's what the composer thought, putting his cabinet piano on the line.

But he never managed to win. As a result, the pianist and composer lost not only an expensive musical instrument that evening, but also his, at that time, only jacket. Later, the Shostakovich grand piano was bought by the Soviet pop singer Klavdia Shulzhenko.

When the popularity of the artist gradually disappeared and the singer-legend began to live on a modest pension to somehow make ends meet, she sold all the precious things and antiques, leaving only the famous grand piano.

A wife on the line

There were whole legends about the wealth of Prince Alexander Nikolaevich Golitsyn at one time. It was rumored that the man was insanely wasteful: he could light a pipe with bills or pay cab drivers with whole handfuls of gold. However, even such a huge fortune did not compensate for Golitsyn's terrible temper — the prince was rightfully considered a very unpleasant type.

On one of these evenings, Count Lev Kirillovich Razumovsky, knowing about the sad fate of the girl, decided to save her. The man, being aware of Golitsyn's addiction to gambling, offered him to play a game of cards. Having lost all his fortune, the prince decided to recoup himself and put his own wife on the line. As a result, he lost miserably, and the girl was released from" captivity", later becoming the wife of Count Razumovsky.

Lost a soul

In the summer of 1862, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky went on vacation abroad for the first time. The writer really liked the German Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden and Bad Homburg, so much so that in the future he began to travel here almost every year. But, as it turned out, it was not the local landscapes that attracted him at all, but the sparkling casino halls. Dostoevsky was so addicted to roulette that he practically put his talent on the line.

Music and literary publisher Fyodor Timofeevich Stellovsky, knowing how many writers fell in love with gambling, decided to "make money on it". At times when creative personalities lost all their savings and were in complete despair, the man offered them to conclude a very unprofitable contract. According to his terms, he provided them with money and the opportunity to recoup, and in return they had to write books for him or compose music.

Fyodor Dostoevsky once became a victim of this scam. In June 1866, the writer promised Stellovsky to hand over the novel on 12 printed sheets by November 1. Otherwise, he was free to publish all of Dostoevsky's works for free for nine years, without any remuneration to the author. The publisher was sure that Fyodor Mikhailovich would not have time to hand over the novel in such a short time... but he was mistaken. So, in 24 days, the novel "The Player" appeared.

Pushkin and "Onegin"

This is for us Pushkin — a great poet and the author of brilliant works. But for the Moscow police, the man was an avid gambler and banker for a long time. Moreover, he was a rather unsuccessful player: he always lost three out of four games, and when the money ran out, he put his manuscripts on the line.

As a result, the composition passed to Zagryazhsky, but Pushkin decided to play it back. The writer put on the line the last thing he had — a pair of dueling pistols "Lepage". Luck smiled on Alexander Sergeevich, and the creation returned to his hands. However, this incident did not teach the poet anything — after that he got into gambling debts more than once.

Wild Bill Hickok

The hero of the Wild West, James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill Hickok, managed to make a lot of enemies during his not too long life. The man met one of them — a real thug — once in a bar in Deadwood, where he was playing poker with local cowboys and soldiers. This time Bill decided to change his habit and sat with his back to the entrance. Very in vain, because such a trifle as a result cost him his life.

On that ill-fated day, Jack McCall appeared in the bar, who had long been looking for an opportunity to get even with his enemy. After drinking too much whiskey, Jack went up to Bill, who was playing a game, and shot him in the back. At that moment, four cards fell out of his hands: two eights and two aces of a black suit. Since then, this combination has been called the "dead man's hand"in poker.

Barefoot Joe's Glory Week

In April 1995, an untidy, barefoot old man resembling a homeless man appeared on the threshold of the prestigious Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas. It was rumored that the man was kicked out of the house by his wife and he did not even have time to pick up his things. The unfortunate man had a couple of hundred dollars in his pocket, which he was given in the social security fund. The man decided to play them in the casino, they say, there is nothing to lose.

Usually, people whose appearance does not correspond to the dress code are not allowed in such institutions. But this time the administration decided to make an exception, thinking that the old man would not stay here for too long. How wrong they were…

In the end, Barefoot Joe still left his winnings in the "Treasure Island", having been a millionaire for about a week. However, before turning back into an ordinary old man, Joe managed to sign a contract with a Hollywood company for the right to film his story. For this, the man received 10 thousand dollars. Well, not a million, but also not bad.