Royal Flush does the trick for retired secretary from Montgomery Village
A 75-year-old fan of 5 Card Cash said she plays the game often because she always gets “a little something back.”
But on June 14 she got a lot more than just a little in return when she purchased a $2 ticket: She instantly won $10,000.
The poker-style game is unique because it offers two ways for players to win. There is a nightly drawing where five cards out of a standard 52-card playing deck are selected, and players win if they match at least two of the five cards drawn. But the ticket also has an instant-win feature, where players receive cash if the poker hand on their ticket shows a pair of Jacks or better.
The retired secretary from Montgomery County had a Royal Flush on her ticket – the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of Spades – delivering $10,000, the game’s top instant prize. The lucky winner knows poker and could see right away that she had a Royal Flush.
“I knew I won something, but I didn’t know how much,” she said. “It was a nice surprise when the cashier told me I instantly won $10,000.”
The winner immediately called one of her brothers, who is a skeptic of the game, to share the good news.
“Even though he’s not a fan, he was still happy for me,” she said with a smile, adding that she then shared the news with her other brother and her neighbor, who accompanied her to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize.
She purchased the winning ticket at Goshen Beer and Wine, located at 9150 Rothsbury Drive in Gaithersburg. The Montgomery County retailer will receive a $100 bonus for selling the ticket, equal to 1 percent of the prize value.
The $10,000 winner said she plans to purchase a new television and is unsure about how she will use the rest of her prize. She did share that she planned to treat her friend to lunch for bringing her to claim the prize.