The SideshowUPDATE: Las Vegas roulette wheel reportedly hits 19 seven straight times
[UPDATE: 6/21 6:19pm ET]
ABC News reports that the numerical sequence was only a test by the casino and not a live result. Professional card player Jeff Romano has updated his Twitter feed, stating that he was not intentionally trying to mislead the public. Romano responded to a request for explanation on Twitter, writing:
"I dont need to explain anything I took a pic of the wheel when I saw people around it, then left, what do you want from me"
The Detroit News confirms the non-news, adding a quote from Rio spokesman Gary Thompson, who told the paper, "There was no one playing at that table. It was just a diagnostic test being done."
Needless to say, we're glad we hedged our bets on this one. Original story begins below. We've also added a pair of photos from readers showing other purported roulette anomaly occurrences at the bottom of the original post.
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A photo taken by a professional gambler in Las Vegas purports to show a roulette wheel hitting the number 19 seven times in a row. And as the Las Vegas Sun notes, the odds of striking such a remarkable set are an astounding 3 billion to 1.
The sequence reportedly occurred at 8:32 p.m. on Monday at the Rio Casino when professional poker player Jeff Romano captured the image on his phone's camera and uploaded it to Twitter. In a subsequent tweet, Romano responded to inquiring readers by noting he was "just passing by" the roulette table when he spotted the numbers.
After hitting 19 for the seventh time in a row, the wheel landed on the number 15 for the eighth spin. But the wheel then hit 19 one more time on its ninth spin.
Caesars Entertainment tells the Sun that it was unaware of the alleged string of numbers until contacted by the paper.
The paper has not yet been able to verify the accuracy of the event, including questions about whether it could have occurred if the roulette wheel was not properly aligned. But if true, the Sun notes this would be "one of the rarest documented roulette runs in the city's history."
UPDATE: A few Sideshow readers have written in and shared photos of their own astronomical roulette experiences. Via Twitter, Mahan Husseini sends along this picture from the Hollywood Casino in Charleston, WV. Husseini says he took the picture in February, which shows the number "7" coming up seven straight times. As with the Rio photo, we're not able to determine if the photo has been altered or if the roulette table itself was weighted properly. Nonetheless, it's a fun an interesting photo to have a look at.
Another Sideshow reader, Corey Weinberg sends along a photo reportedly from the MGM Grand over this year's St. Patrick's Day holiday weekend. Weinberg writes:
"So I read your article on the roulette game hitting the number 19 all those times, but I wanted to share my story with you. I'moriginally from Sacramento but was in Vegas for St. Patty's weekend of this year staying at the MGM Grand. I walked by a roulette table and snapped this picture (attached) because I had never seen anything like it. I think it beats the one from today!"
What do you think Sideshow readers? Are the photos real, or have they been doctored in some fashion? And if you have any comparable pictures or stories of your own to share, leave them in the comments below.
