Thrill of the Unexpected Jackpot

What jackpot gives you a huge thrill?

I  imagine it is  relative to your usual playing level.    If you a quarter player, maybe $250 for four deuces on a DW machine?  Or, maybe it takes a $1000 royal to get your spirits really high.  If you are a $5 player, a $1000 hit doesn’t impress you at all and maybe not even a $5000 secondary jackpot; your big thrill is probably a $20,000 royal.

However, sometimes the thrill of a big hit doesn’t depend so much on the amount as how unexpected it is.  When I won a car years ago, yes,  it was a big hit for a quarter player, which I was at the time, but there was an extra thrill because it was so unexpected – my one little ticket chosen out of such a big drum full of thousands of tickets.

Last week I had one of those OMG surprise hits.  When I cashed a small check – just $200 – at the Palms, the swipe you get with each check cashed produced the $10,000 top prize!

Now $10,000 certainly isn’t my biggest hit ever.  We have played at the $5 level for many years now so we have had many $20,000 royals.  And with multi-line plays I have hit $40,000 and $50,000 jackpots.  But this check-cashing prize was so unexpected, such a surprise.  I was figuring on getting something like a voucher for $15 in the coffee shop or 800 points worth $2, but hoping for the occasional $50 or $!00 cash or free play offer we sometimes get.  I always have a little hope for the Doubler voucher because I did get it once, but also hope I get it when I cash a bigger check, not for a little one.  But thinking about getting the top prize – it had never entered my mind – the odds were just too high against it.

Needless to say, I had a spring in my step after I left the Palms that day!

PS:  You can see the “proof” on the wall of the Palm’s slot club booth!

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17 Responses to Thrill of the Unexpected Jackpot

  1. Janis says:

    We heard my husband’s name announced while we were in the buffet at Harrah’s Joliet on Mother’s Day. We had no idea that there was a promotional drawing happening. Went to the TR desk & they told him he would have to pick out a baseball that had a dollar amount written on each ball. There were 30 balls to pick from with amounts from $250 to $5000. Since his was the first name called he got to pick first. He picked #18 since that is my birthday. When the ball was turned over & the girl said 5000 I couldn’t believe it. We were going to go to the Empress to eat, but I said let’s just stay here. That is plain & simple LUCK!

  2. Jim says:

    While my daughter and I were staying at Bally’s a couple of years ago, my wife was backing our SUV into the garage back home. She hit the accelerator instead of the brake and did $ 5,000 damage to the house and a like amount to the car. With $ 1,000 deductible on both Home and Car, she was down, and so was I. At 7:30 in the morning the next day, I hit a $ 5,000.00 jackpot on a $ 5.00 machine. I called her immediately and put $ 3,500 in the safe at the casino, and Daughter and I spent the rest on shows and our trip. Unexpected by NICE!!

  3. Ann Terry says:

    I am so happy to hear of your good luck!! Your pal from Columbus,Ga., Ann

  4. Bill from Wis. says:

    Was great to meet you and Brad at Palms on Mon. thanks for the photo op. congrats on the big win didn’t think anyone ever won that. Did go to the booth to see your pic.

  5. Pat Abrams says:

    I cannot find anywhere else where I can ask this question as the post has no comment section. I have the Frugal Video Poker paperback from 2006. Jean mentions an up date to the E book. How do I get the updated material without buying the book again in e-book format?

  6. BB says:

    To the poster above that thinks it’s rigged, I LOL’ed at that. It probably is but I don’t think it was rigged in favor of Jean hitting it. The most I have ever got on that damn swipe is free points on my card and I used to cash a lot of checks at the Palms. There is actually a guy that has hit the 10k twice in a year! They had his picture up about a month ago, I think he hit it in June and then again in Dec.

  7. Teresa says:

    Congratulations! I love reading your stories. It’s what keeps us gamblers who only get to Vegas a few time a year going!!

  8. Terri says:

    Only you and Brad!!! I love reading your stories and I do believe you have that little extra bit of luck that seems to follow you around!! Congratulations and nice to have the little something to put a smile on your face!

  9. TomPier says:

    great post as usual!

  10. Don Rust says:

    My wife stomps and snorts each time I call her in to read one of your luckier excursions. Makes me smile to hear both of your luck and her consternation.

    Congratulations.

    Don

  11. lynwofford says:

    What a great story – you’re my hero. I visit Las Vegas often and when friends ask me how I get comped for so many things I give them your book to read!

  12. Starr says:

    You guys are just too lucky LOL! Congratulations! If anyone deserves it, it is you 🙂

  13. Bobby98604 says:

    I can think of a couple of pleasant surprises…one pretty recent. I had deposited a number of tickets for a cash drawing at the Colorado Belle in Laughlin over a period of three days. For some reason I had it in mind that my name would be chosen, even though the barrel of entries was quite full. So even though I was to attend a John Fogerty concert an hour later that same evening, nothing was going to keep me from the drawing. And sure enough, out of four names drawn mine was the second name, for a cash prize of $750. Nothing as big as yours, Jean, but it still gives one an elated feeling. The second surprise came also from the Colorado Belle just a little over a year earlier. I had been playing some very early morning VP at the 25¢ level when I hit a quad. I used that opportunity to raise my bet to the 50¢ level and it was only a few minutes later when I hit the royal for $2,000. Again, not a huge win, but enough to give me a euphoric feeling for awhile.

  14. Mikey says:

    And wasn’t the Palms where you had that dealt royal on the 25c 100 Play? I’ve found certain casinos have absolutely been luckier for me than others. I’m glad you’ve found “your place” (or at least one of them, anyway).

  15. Donna says:

    You are so right on the thrill of an unexpected jackpot.
    The best hit was when I sat down at a Super Times VP machine and put in $20. I played triple hand quarters. On my first hand with max bet I got 5X and drew 4 to the royal. When I drew the 5th card I got 2 royal flushes for a total of $10,000. That was so much fun. I’m normally a $1 & $2 VP player, so I have hit $4,000 & $8,000 royals, but this one was a real special hit.

  16. Kevin Lewis says:

    I would imagine that the quarter deuces player gets the $2 worth of points when HE swipes. No way that this was a “lucky coincidence”–you are a very heavy player in the Palms scheme of things, and you play (mildly) -EV games (and yes, I know that slot club bennies push that back into +EV territory).

    While the swipe awards may be “random” in the strict sense of the word, I’m certain that a top tier player such as yourself gets, say, 10,000 chances to win that top award (with a single swipe, electronically), while the local deuce-pounder gets..one. If he’s eligible for it at all.

  17. Theresa Clift says:

    All I can say is….. You must be some kind of lucky. Congrats on the top prize

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