Poker Pro Jake Cody's £43k Roulette Spin Goes Viral

Jake Cody has already gained a great deal of fame through his poker career. But the British poker pro became even more famous recently after he made a roulette spin that went viral.

Cody was fresh off winning a £2,200 No Limit Hold’em High Roller event at the UK Poker Championships. And he collected a £42,670 (US$59,393) payout for his efforts. But rather than keeping the winnings, Cody did the unthinkable – he wagered the entire £42,670 prize on a roulette spin.

This scene took place at England's Dusk Till Dawn Poker Room & Casino. And owner Roy Yong was on hand when Cody wanted to place his very large bet on black. Yong was more than happy to take the wager, and he even spun the roulette wheel himself.

Dozens of people crowded around the table to see the fate of Cody's spin. And a number of them also recorded the event on their smartphones.

Yong released the ball, and the crowd watched in anticipation as it spun around the wheel. The ball landed in a black pocket, which ignited a celebration among Cody and his mates. He parlayed his original £42,670 tournament prize into £85,340.

Don't Try This at Your Local Casino

Cody has caused quite a stir among millions of people after his roulette feat when viral. And it may encourage more poker players and gamblers to try a similar move. But I highly caution you against doing so, given that you have less than a 50% chance of winning.

It's unclear from the video whether Cody was playing on an American or European roulette wheel. American roulette features a 5.26% house edge, while European roulette has a 2.70% house advantage.

Odds are that his spin took place on a European wheel, given that this feat occurred in the UK. But even in this case, he only had a 48.65% chance of winning his black wager on red/black.

That said, if you're able to win a big poker tournament payout, don't let it ride on a bet that's worse than a coin flip.

This isn't to bash roulette in general, because it's actually one of the more-favorable casino games. You especially have a good chance of winning on the European wheel when compared to other games.

However, if you’re a skilled poker player like Cody, who’s capable of long-term winnings, you should just collect your tournament prize and put it back into your poker bankroll.

Of course, Cody can afford to do something like this since he's won over $4.5 million in live tournaments and has a sponsorship deal with PokerStars.

More on Jake Cody's Poker Career

Hailing from Rochdale, England, Jake Cody is one of the most-successful British poker players in history. His $4,503,496 in winnings currently rank 11th among British tournament players.

Some of his biggest triumphs include winning the 2010 EPT Deauville Main Event (€857,000), the 2010 WPT London Main Event (£273,783), and the 2011 WSOP $25k NL Hold'em Heads-Up Championship ($851,192).

What's impressive is that Cody has done all of this despite not playing much poker over the past couple of years. However, he appears to be back on the felt and winning once again.

Considering the fame stemming from his roulette spin, Jake Cody brought attention to both himself and Team PokerStars. It'll be interesting to see if the 29-year-old has any more surprises like this in store for the future.