World Series of Poker Fan Wins $813K Pai Gow Jackpot in Las Vegas
A visitor to the World Series of Poker was celebrating after taking down a Pai Gow jackpot worth $813,553.
Pam W. won the life-changing progressive at the end of June, though news is just filtering through now. It also created a few column inches for The Vanderpump Hotel, the Las Vegas casino that ultimately wrote the check.
The Colorado player was visiting the World Series of Poker (WSOP) when she sat down at one of Caesars’ Pai Gow poker tables. Hitting the jackpot, she won nearly as much as the ninth-place finisher will receive at next month’s WSOP Main Event final table.
At a Glance:
- Pam W. wins $813,553 at a Pai Gow table at The Vanderpump Hotel
- Lucky player made a seven-card straight flush to take down the top payout
- Odds of hitting the hand are over 670,000-to-1
Pam W. hits 676,000-to-1 long shot to win the lot
Visiting from Littleton, Colo., and keen to take in some gambling and World Series of Poker action, Pam W. sat down at the Pai Gow tables for a quick game.
Dealt a Q-Joker, Pam hit 6-7-8-9-10 (all hearts) to form a seven-card straight flush. It was enough to secure one of the biggest Pai Gow progressives ever won at the casino.
Pam told Caesars Entertainment that she’d be spending some of the cash to take her husband on a European cruise.
How progressive Pai Gow works
Progressive Pai Gow combines regular payouts and a special jackpot that increases the longer it goes unclaimed. Most progressive side bets in Las Vegas are priced between $1 and $5.
You play with a 52-card deck and must arrange seven cards into two poker hands: a five-card high and a two-card low. You win by beating the dealer’s hands.
However, you can also unlock a progressive at Caesars and other casinos by making special hands.
You win 10% of the jackpot if you have five aces in your hand. A royal flush (five cards the same suit, 10-J-Q-K-A) pays 500-1.
Jackpot pales in comparison to slots wins in Nevada
Though Pam’s win was impressive, it was dwarfed by some of the progressive slot payouts recorded in Nevada over the last month.
Slots developer IGT reported several million-dollar slot jackpots won at Nevada casinos in June. Among them were a $10.2 million jackpot on IGT’s Megabucks Wolf Run Eclipse, and $3.3 million won on Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Triple Red Hot 7s.
Caesars continues regulated push in the U.S.
Caesars players are also getting access to real-money games online in the U.S. This month, Caesars Entertainment launched three online casino sites in Maine, including Horseshoe and Caesars Palace.
The move came after an iGaming bill passed in the state back in April. In addition to slots, the new sites will feature table games including Pai Gow.
Whether they pay the sorts of progressive jackpots seen in Nevada remains to be seen.
