Taking On the Odds: What History Can Teach Us

You win some, you lose some.  That’s certainly been the lesson throughout history when it comes to wagers and gambles and many prominent people have learned it, from Lord Byron’s daughter and mathematician Ida Lovelace to Queen Victoria’s son, Albert Edward, later King Edward VII. Ida acquired large debts after trying to beat the odds in horseracing; Edward became embroiled in a gambling scandal called the Tranby Croft Affair.

Cumbrian historic home and gardens, Levens Hall and Gardens, which has its own link to the topic, has been looking at some historic and more recent bets and gambles that changed people’s lives and fortunes for better or worse.

Take note, determine whether the risks are worth taking and make the right choices!

1. The 1960 Book Bet

In 1960, the founder of publishers, Random House, bet an author named Theodor Geisel, that he couldn’t write an entire book comprising 50 or fewer unique words.  The publisher, Bob Cerf, lost the bet when the author, under the name of Dr Seuss, wrote Green Eggs and Ham.  At least the book went on to be a bestseller, with 8 million copies having been sold worldwide.

2. The Presidential Poker Game

Ronald Reagan was allegedly one luxurious sports car worse off after playing a game of poker with another future president, Lyndon B Johnson.  Reagan was still an actor, having not yet ventured into politics, and was apparently, not known for playing poker, so why he gambled his Dual-Ghia Chrysler sports car in a poker game is questionable.  Only 117 were ever made and, even back in the 1950s, it was worth around $7600, so its loss must have hurt.  Ouch.

3. The Ambitious Artist

We might never have been able to revel in the works of impressionist painter, Claude Monet, had it not been for a game of chance.  Monet’s 100,000-Franc win in the French lottery, in 1891, was a little bit of good fortune that allowed him to fully explore a career as an artist, knowing he had some financial independence.

4. Football Folly

A Ugandan man was so convinced Arsenal would beat a Manchester United side not playing at their best under manager David Moyes, he bet his house on a Man Utd loss.  Meanwhile, his neighbour put his house, wife and car up as a stake, betting that Arsenal couldn’t pull it off.  The Arsenal fan lost the 2013 bet – plus his house!

5. Drake’s Devon Delight

Gambling is nothing new and Levens Hall and Gardens has discovered that Sir Francis Drake, whose bowls are on display in the Hall, won one of the oldest houses in Britain in a £500 wager with Gerard de Spineto, Lord of Sampford, in 1581.  The house in question was Sampford Spiney in Devon, mentioned in the Domesday Book and dating back to the 800s.  Drake spent his honeymoon there but never lived there permanently, preferring to reside at nearby Buckland Abbey.  The property recently went up for sale priced at £1.25 million.

6. Antoinette’s Addiction

Marie Antoinette did not have the happiest of ends but could also have been signing her own divorce papers, thanks to her passion for playing and wagering on cards.  Taught by her mother, when living in Austria, she was the hostess of nightly games in the French Court but began to hit a losing streak.  Husband, King Louis XVI, put his foot down and insisted she play just one more game. Marie Antoinette obliged but did make sure it lasted for three days!

7. James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok’s Hand

Wild West legend, Wild Bill Hickok, was an avid poker player but one who always sat with his back to the wall, having acquired a fair few enemies along the way.  One fateful day in 1876, he couldn’t resist a game in Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon (the No. 10) in Deadwood, despite having no option but to sit with his back to the door.  A local vigilante, Jack McCall, took the opportunity to shoot him in the head, meaning Bill lost his life, rather than just the poker game.  The cards he was said to have been holding – a pair of black Aces and a pair of black 8s – is now (along with similar card combinations) known as ‘the Dead Man’s Hand’.

8. The Wife Wager

In 2007, Russian man, Andrei Karpov, put his wife,Tatiana, up as a stake in a poker game against opponent, Sergey Brodov. Karpov lost and, when Brodov turned up to claim his winnings, Tatiana was not impressed. Suffice to say, divorce papers were quickly drawn up.  In an ironic twist, she did actually later marry Brodov, having found him a much better proposition.

9. The NZ Nelson Castle Bet

Anyone who knows the city of Nelson in New Zealand will know of the building locally known as ‘Nelson Castle’.  What they may not realise is that this distinctive home – Warwick House - was lost in a poker game in the early part of the 20th century, when its millionaire owner, Charles Buckland Pharazyn, was outsmarted by the local doctor, Dr Jamieson and not dealt a great hand by fate.  Charles’ hand of four aces had looked pretty good and, having not got any more cash with him, he put the house up as the stake.  Unfortunately, Dr Jamieson had a straight flush. The house is regarded as possibly New Zealand’s largest home.

10. The Levens Hall Ace

Eleven head gardeners have shaped the world’s oldest topiary garden at Levens Hall and Gardens in the Lake District, Cumbria, but none might have had that honour, were it not for a game of cards played by the 1688 owner, Alan Bellingham.  It is said Bellingham lost the game on the turn of one card – the Ace of Hearts – leaving him with massive debts and no option but to sell the historic property.  His cousin, Colonel James Grahme, Keeper of the Privy Purse and Master of the Buckhounds to James II, bought the Hall and appointed Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont, a gardener with experience acquired at Hampton Court and (according to legend) Versailles, to create new gardens.  As this led to the founding (around 1694) of what is now the world’s oldest topiary garden, at least something wonderful came out of the card game, including the Guinness World Record, now held by Levens Hall and Gardens and now the annual celebration of World Topiary Day, being staged on Sunday May 14 in 2023.

Be careful which challenges you take up and don’t be tempted to bet or spend more than you would care to lose.  A little flutter here and there is usually harmless but take heed of what history has taught us and don’t tempt fate or try to beat the odds.  The odds are usually the ultimate winner.

Ends

Editors notes

Levens Hall & Gardens is a historic house in the South Lakes, Cumbria, close to Kendal and home to the world's oldest topiary gardens, dating from 1694, created by French garden designer, Guillaume Beaumont. The Hall is a stunning Elizabethan house built around a 13th century pele tower and has close links to the Duke of Wellington, as well as various items which once belonged to him and Napoleon Bonaparte. Levens Park is home to the rare Bagot goats gifted to the Bagot family and a place in which to stroll and enjoy nature. Levens Kitchen is the contemporary new cafe, full of delights for cake lovers and foodies alike.