Joseph Jagger – Monte Carlo Roulette Winner

Joseph Jagger was an engineer working at a mill in Shelf Yorkshire. He was just a regular guy with a wife and four children trying to make a living. That is until the 1880s when Joseph Jagger broke the bank at Monte Carlo, going down in history as one of the biggest roulette winners of all time. Read below to learn more about the prominent roulette player’s life, strategy, and win.

Joseph Jagger Roulette Play – Early Life and Trivia

According to his Wikipedia page, Joseph Hobson Jagger was born on the 2nd September 1830 in the city of Cock Hill, Shelf, England, in a working-class family. Like most working-class children at the time, he did not have the chance to go to school and receive a proper education. For most of his early years, Jagger worked as an engineer at a mill in his hometown. When he was 20 years old, he married his wife Matilda, and the two had four children together (two sons and two daughters). With a big family to support and full of ambition, Jagger was eager to achieve more.

✔️ Full Name: Joseph Hobson Jagger
📅 Date of Birth: 2nd September 1830
🏘️ Birthplace: Cock Hill, Shelf, England
🏠 Died: 25th April 1892
💰 Occupation: Textile businessman
👩 Spouse: Matilda Jagger
🧒 Children: Two sons and two daughters

According to many sources, by the time he was 30 years old, the Joseph Hobson Jagger was running a successful business in the textile industry. Things were going great for the Jagger family, and they had even reportedly moved to a more affluent area. Everything was about to change when the roulette player made an investment mistake in his business.

This mistake, unfortunately, cost him his business and drove him into bankruptcy. In a short time, Jagger was back to working an underpaid job at a mill, and his family moved back to their hometown. This was the turning point, which unlocked a series of events that would lead to the notorious Joseph Jagger Monte Carlo roulette win.

Interesting fact:
The word “roulette” comes from the Old French word “roelete” meaning “little wheel”.

Joseph Jagger Roulette Strategy – How Did He Do It?

Gambling enthusiasts know that there are many roulette strategies such as the popular Fibonacci and Labouchere systems. Regardless of the strategy, however, roulette is ultimately a game of chance. So, what was Joseph Jagger’s roulette strategy? It was not other than his analytical thinking and interest in engineering which helped him win in the 1880s.

He had a lot of experience with wheels acquired in his line of work. Jagger believed that no wheel was perfect. The same, he thought, applied to roulette wheels. Some roulette wheels were faulty; therefore, their outcome was not 100% random. Now that he had his hypothesis, the next step was to prove it.

Joseph Jagger Roulette Player

In the 1880s, most gambling activities in Britain were illegal. Roulette was one of them. Unlike today, there was no online gambling and Jagger was not able to play at some of the best roulette sites. He had to find another way to play the game, so he decided to do so in Monte Carlo. Bear in mind that during that time, it was very difficult and extremely expensive for people to travel long distances. Jagger must have been saving for a really long time before being able to do that.

The story goes that he hired six clerks to carefully monitor all six roulette tables at the Casino Monte Carlo. It was impossible for them to write the numbers since it would have raised suspicion, so they had to memorise the outcomes of each spin instead. Then, they would provide this useful data to Jagger. Once he had enough data, Jagger would later analyse the results, concluding that one of the six roulette tables at the casino was indeed biased due to a mechanical issue. It had the numbers 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28, and 29 appear more often.

Joseph Jagger Monte Carlo

Joseph Jagger Monte Carlo Roulette Win

This was all the proof Jagger needed. He decided to travel to Monte Carlo and play at that exact roulette wheel at the legendary Casino Monte Carlo. The Joseph Jagger roulette adventure began when he placed his bets on the numbers with better odds and, over the next several days, won the amazing $375,000. For reference, this is equal to millions of GBP and US dollars in today’s money.

It is believed that, at a certain point, the games at the rest of the roulette tables at the casino have seized. All eyes were on Jagger and his remarkable winning streak. He managed to actually “break the bank”. That occurs when a gambler has won more than the banker or “the house” can pay. In such cases, the additional money is taken from the casino’s vault. This is how Joseph Jagger broke the bank and became one of the biggest roulette winners in history.

Unfortunately, for many gambling enthusiasts, there is not much information about the Joseph Jagger roulette player in popular culture. His great-great-great niece, Anne Fletcher, a historian and writer, released her book “From the Mill to Monte Carlo” on 15th July 2018. With her experience in history, she managed to piece her great-great-great uncle’s exciting story together, starting with just a photograph, a newspaper article, and the lyrics of the famous “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” song.

Casino Monte Carlo

Many people believe that the song by Fred Gilbert, published in 1891, was, in fact, written about another popular roulette winner, Charles Wells. Regardless, the book was well-received by both the critics and the public. It gives the audience the most comprehensive and detailed overview of the life of this extraordinary man. We hope to see a movie about Jagger one day. It is certainly a story worth seeing on the big screen. Who know, it might be even as good as some of the best gambling movies and TV shows.

Joseph Jagger – One of the Biggest Winners in Monte Carlo

To this day, Joseph Hobson Jagger remains one of the biggest roulette winners in the world. Yes, he exploited an imperfect roulette wheel, but this was not illegal at the time, and he won perfectly fair and square. Furthermore, although deprived of education, Jagger used his acquired engineering and analytical skills to prove his hypothesis and beat the game and the House. He was an intelligent and ambitious man who wanted to provide a better life to his family and himself. The Joseph Jagger roulette strategy proves that he succeeded in doing exactly that.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have reached the end of this article. Hopefully, you found the Joseph Jagger roulette player story as interesting and exciting as we did. If you still have any questions about this extraordinary man’s life, make sure to have a look at our helpful FAQ section below:

❓ Who was Joseph Jagger?

Joseph Jagger is one of the biggest roulette winners in history. Back in the 1880s, he won a huge amount of money by playing roulette at Casino Monte Carlo. In today's money, his win amounted to millions of GBP and US dollars.

🎰 What was Joseph Jagger's roulette strategy?

The Joseph Jagger roulette strategy involved exploiting a faulty roulette wheel. Jagger managed to prove his hypothesis that some roulette wheels are biased, meaning certain numbers appear more frequently than others. He took advantage of a faulty roulette wheel at Casino Monte Carlo.

🎶 Is there a song about Joseph Jagger?

This is a subject of debate. Many people strongly believe that a famous song by Fred Gilbert is about the Joseph Jagger roulette player. On the other hand, there are some people who are convinced that it is actually about another famous roulette winner – Charles Wells. Regardless, our conclusion shows that Jagger remains one of the biggest roulette winners to this day.

🏨 Where did the Joseph Jagger roulette winner play?

In the 1880s, roulette games, similarly to many other gambling activities, were illegal in Britain. Therefore, Joseph Jagger decided to play at the popular Casino Monte Carlo. This is truly impressive, since, back in the day, travelling long distances was extremely difficult and expensive.

📖 Is there a book about the Joseph Jagger roulette player?

Yes, there is a book about the famous roulette player. It was written by his great-great-great niece, Anne Fletcher, and published on 15th July 2018. The book is called "From the Mill to Monte Carlo" and tells the impressive full story of Joseph Jagger.

🤔 What was Joseph Jagger's occupation before his win?

Joseph Jagger was born in a working-class family. He did not have access to education and started working as an engineer at a mill in his early years. In his 30s, he was married with four children and had a successful business in the textile industry. Following some bad investments, he went bankrupt and went back to working at a mill.

Enjoyed this article? Share it with your friends!

Similar Articles