The chances of obtaining a royal flush in Texas Hold’em are exceedingly slim, at 639,739:1, or about once in every 650,000 hands. Even the most dedicated poker players go their entire lives without getting one, but a card player in Chile recently struck it lucky and did not even realise it.
A man from a city in southern Chile visited the Monticello casino outside Santiago with his wife this past Wednesday. The anonymous gambler, in town on business, took a seat at the poker table which already had three other players. His wife then wandered off to the slots.
The cards continued to be dealt and the man played diligently against the other players. At first he had little success, but it wasn’t long before his spur-of-the-moment visit to the casino paid off in a huge way.
Chance Meeting Leads to Big Win
Whilst on his third hand, the man noticed an acquaintance from his home town who was also at the casino. The two men exchanged greetings and chatted as the dealer dealt the flop, turn and river.
The player paid scant attention to the cards, focusing instead on chatting with his friend. But when he eventually looked down at his cards, he realised he had a straight. He then flipped over his hole cards and, to his shock, discovered that he had achieved a royal flush.
A moment of stunned silence passed before the table erupted in cheers, not only for his stroke of luck but also for the large pot that he was about to receive. The casino runs a promotion with a generous reward for hitting a royal flush and the man had just won CLP150 million (US$192,000).
He was surprisingly composed, telling the casino that he was not one for displays of emotion. He went to find his wife to tell her the good news, but she didn’t believe him initially, thinking he was playing a prank. To prove it to her, he took her to the table, where the other players were still celebrating. After they congratulated him again, she realised it was true.
As they left, the man shared his windfall with the other players. He gave each one at the table CLP1 million (US$1,260) and the casino staff a tip of CLP2 million (US$2,520).
More Poker Wins
The Chilean poker player is not the only one who has had luck this week. A group of Texas poker players who were wrongfully arrested last year will not face charges, as reported by Poker News.
Police had raided the Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club last October on the orders of a district attorney (DA) who was unaware of state laws. Cops had arrested numerous employees and fined the players during the surprise visit.
The DA had accused the poker room of running an illegal game, but Texas law does not forbid organised poker as long as the house does not take a rake. This has resulted in the establishment of social poker rooms that require a membership to survive.
Several challenges to the practice have been dismissed in the past, resulting in a drive to revise Texas laws while some authoritarian prosecutors and DAs continue to ignore the law.
In the Watauga poker room case, which saw up to $200,000 unlawfully seized in the raid, a judge has signed off a motion to dismiss from the DA’s office. As a result, 46 people will have their names cleared, however three others had already accepted plea deals and these remain in place.
Some of the people arrested, including lawyers, had been hoping for a jury trial. Steve Nichols, one of the players, said in a Facebook post that it was vindication that the DA’s office chose to “back down” in the face of those who stood up to it.
The 46 individuals will receive the $360 each that they paid as a fine. However, the $200,000 is still up for grabs and they are now fighting to get that returned as well.
The probability of attaining a royal flush in Texas Hold’em is highly improbable, at 639,739:1, or roughly once in every 650,000 hands. Even the most devoted poker players go through their entire lives without getting one, yet a card player in Chile recently had the good fortune to achieve it without realising it.
A man from a town in southern Chile visited the Monticello casino outside Santiago with his wife this past Wednesday. The anonymous gambler, visiting for business, took a seat at the poker table which already had three other players, while his wife went to the slots.
The cards continued to be distributed and the man played against the other players diligently. Initially he had little success, yet it didn’t take long for his random decision to visit the
