Is a Golden Touch Required to Win Gold at Gambling?

You probably think that kings and queens must be the luckiest people in the world because of the lavish lifestyles they lead, but does that lucky draw in life also equate to luck at the poker table? Perhaps it does and perhaps it doesn’t. Let’s look at some of history’s most famous and not so famous monarchs and royal blue-bloods to see just how lucky they really are!

First up let’s talk about the woman who made cake more famous than anyone could have ever imagined.

Yes, Marie Antoinette, the infamous Queen of France and Navarre who was forever chiselled into history by her immortal words “let them eat cake” has had her fair share of gambling do’s and don’ts.

While she was the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor and wife to another powerful European monarch in Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette was widely criticized for her brazen spending during times of hardship and famine, and this included rampant gambling, which she used as escapism from the intrigues and gossip of the Versailles court. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a very good gambler and lost quite often. Not to mention she also died by guillotine which is not a very lucky way to die. So Marie Antoinette: started out strong, ended up bust. Final Verdict: Not a good gambler.

 

 

 

 

Next up is probably one the most infamous of all English kings and that’s Henry VIII.

Not only was he excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, had six wives and had a voracious appetite, he also was a well-known lifelong gambler who frequently played dice, table and card games. He was often known to make big wagers (befitting a king!) and famously in a span of two years lost roughly 3,250 British pounds which is equivalent to about 805,000 British pounds today or a very rich nobleman’s yearly income. Yeouch! But even then, he still owned about 50 castles or so, so he still had enough cash to spend. So Henry VIII: Gambled with religion, gambled with love, gambled with games. He technically won two out of three. Final Verdict: Has gambling chops.

 

 

 

For our next monarch we’ve got Princess Caroline of Monaco who was responsible for the prestige and allure of Monte Carlo as a luxury gambling destination not only for Europe but for the entire world. Despite not being an avid gambler herself, Princess Caroline was solely responsible for envisioning the Monte Carlo Casino and despite numerous setbacks and inept support managed to get it running and profitable in a relatively short amount of time against great odds. So, Princess Caroline not being a traditional gambler but more of a risk-taking yet shrewd businesswoman who built one of the grandest casinos in the world and saved her Grimaldi family from bankruptcy, what’s the verdict on her? Final Verdict: Legendary gambler!

We’ve covered a wide range of royal gamblers and it seems that the golden touch doesn’t guarantee a lucky streak when it comes to gaming. It just means they’ve got deeper pockets and more time on their hands, but it also comes down to a fine measure of skill. It’s not all luck! Try your hand at some casinos today and see just how much of a combination of skill and luck you have. Maybe you can be a Henry, Caroline and Marie all rolled into one… minus the guillotine!