Charles De Ville Wells was born in 1841 in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, UK.
His claim to fame was the fact that he broke the bank at the roulette tables in Monte Carlo.
Each roulette table had a cash float of 100,000 francs, which was known as “the bank.” If a gambler won more than 100,000 francs, then they were said to have “broken the bank.”
His Early Years
When Wells was still a baby, his family moved to Quimper in France, and this is where he spent his childhood. The family was a church-going family, and Wells was a respectful young man.
He graduated top of his class at L’ecole de Diwan school which was a private school in France. He also got himself a scholarship to study his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering at Clermont-Ferrand University.
After University he worked as an Engineer at the Marseille shipyards. Whilst working there he invented a device for the ship’s propellors, which he sold for a large sum of money.
The Life of Gambling and Fraud Begins
Now that Wells had some extra money, he started gambling at the local casinos in France. Before long, he had a gambling addiction and lost all his money.
He desperately needed cash and got investors to invest in various schemes he had. However, he took the money and went to England, where he gambled it all away. This went on for several years.
Breaking the Bank in Monte Carlo
In July 1891 Wells broke the bank several times at Monte Carlo by using the Martingale system of roulette. Given his history of being a fraudster, they assumed he had cheated, and he was sentenced to 8 years in jail.
Once released, he set up a private bank which worked as a Ponzi scheme using investors money which he also gambled away. A second jail term ensued.
Where is he now?
Upon his release, he kept a low profile but continued to gamble his money away. He passed away from kidney failure in 1922.
Daniel Colman was born in Holden, Massachusetts, USA on the 11 July 1990.
He is an American Professional Poker player who was known for winning $1 million at The Big One for One Drop event at the 2014 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He was playing Texas Hold’em Poker when he got the win.
The Early Years
Not much is known about Colman as a child as he is a very private person. However, we do know he was interested in gambling from an early age and initially placed bets on sports betting.
Although he was successful, he was an ambitious young man and wanted more. Before long, he discovered an interest in playing Poker. He was fascinated with the techniques, interest and exhilaration that a game of Poker gave him.
His Poker Career
From the start, he was successful at the Poker tables; however, he was not good at managing his bankroll and often incorrectly increased his stakes.
He was banned at PokerStars for opening multiple accounts in 2013, but they allowed him to resume play a year later and he behaved himself from then onwards.
During the 2014 WSOP, he won $111,942 at the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Head-Up event where he finished in third place.
At the same event, he won the Big One for One Cash Drop event against Daniel Negreanu, another well-known Poker player. He also earned a cash prize of $15,306, 668 at the end of the event. This amount was the second largest single payout in any poker tournament history.
It was at the 2014 WSOP that he won the only bracelet he holds.
Where is he Now?
Colman currently lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his Brazillian girlfriend and still plays Poker at various online poker sites. The estimate of his net worth is $29 million.