Whatever the opposite of a double whammy is, it happened in Las Vegas over the weekend when two gamblers ended up hitting over $1 million in jackpot winnings each.
The gamblers were coming over for a quick gambling session from afar, with one Quoclong Pham, a resident of Vancouver, Washington, realizing a jackpot win only moments after he sat down at a Face Up Pai Gow table at Harrah’s Las Vegas.
Pham described the unexpected turn of fortunes as “surreal” with the casino rushing the pay out overnight. Commenting on his win, Caesars Entertainment, which owns Harrah’s, said that Pham managed to get a seven-card straight flush, resulting in the eye-watering $1,393,273 in wins.
Pham had placed a side bet that allowed him to enter the Mega Progressive Jackpot and win the hefty sum. No specifics about what the size of his placed bet was, but Face Up Pai Gow Poker is played with a 52-card deck, not counting the joker. That and the fact there is a progressive jackpot often make the game an appealing choice with Strip gamblers.
Sunday Forges Not One but Two Las Vegas Millionaires
Pham’s story is not the only noteworthy one this weekend as another gambler managed to turn blind luck into a huge payout. Before he landed his seven-figure jackpot, another gambler identified only as Nikki, a Southern California resident, managed to hit a $1,075,234 payout on the Wheel of Fortune progressive slot.
She was playing at Circa Resort & Casino and her jackpot even caught the eye of Derek Stevens, the casino’s owner, who rushed down to the floor to congratulate the winner. IGT’s machine is not the only one paying jackpots in Las Vegas. The company claims to have paid over $1 billion in progressive jackpots since they first introduced their products in the city back in the 1980s.
More Jackpot Winners Lining the Headlines
While the weekend was busy for a couple of gamblers, the week also proved fortuitous for others. Las Vegas Vital, a respected local publication, reported that another lucky gambler managed to hit a Wheel of Fortune jackpot in as many days on Tuesday.
That is two jackpots falling off the IGT’s machine in as many days. Jackpots winnings have incentivized more people to show up at The Strip and play, although the events can be chalked up to what is most often true about gambling, that is sheer luck.