Categories: Poker News
| Published On Dec 26, 2018 11:04 am CET  |  Updated on May 2, 2021 11:55 am CEST | By iGaming Team

Amateur defies 20 million-to-1 odds to win $1 million

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A New Jersey based poker player scooped $1 million from a $5 bet  to defy the 20 million-to-1 odds at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City on Saturday. It came a day after he found out that his wife was cancer-free. Identified as Harold McDowell, 85, of Lakewood, the man expressed delight on hitting a royal straight flush of diamonds during a three-card poker game

McDowell told the newspaper that it must be luck of the Irish. He happened to be playing next to his wife and had his back to her. When he turned around to tell the wife that he had won a million dollars, she could not believe it at first and replied with, “You’re full of crap.”

According to the officials at Borgata, it is for the first time the bet had been hit at the venue. The man was dealt a 10, queen and ace of diamonds. The dealer’s hand was the nine, jack and kind of diamonds. McDowell, ,.

 

According to the lucky winner, the wife had undergone multiple surgeries for liver and colon cancer and has been frequenting hospitals in recent years. “It was better news that she’s healthy — money isn’t the most important thing,” he told the newspaper.

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When asked what will he do with the winnings, McDowell said he may well take a cruise. The winner took out at least $200,000 in taxes from his winnings. He wants to use the money on the kids. “Our lives will probably stay pretty much the same. But it might get better for our children,” he added.