Claims $10,000 win on $2 game
Happy birthday to a very lucky Essex man, who can celebrate his big day in style after beating odds of 1 in 649,740 to win $10,000 on the Maryland Lottery’s 5 Card Cash game. Even better, he won with a free ticket!
“It feels really good to win,” he said.
The 63-year-old played his numbers on Aug. 3 like he normally does at the Royal Farms located at 627 Mace Avenue in Baltimore. He purchased his favorite games, including 5 Card Cash. To his surprise, the 5 Card Cash ticket instantly won him a free ticket, thanks to the game’s Free Play feature. Players with a pair of Aces, Kings, Queens or Jacks on their ticket automatically win a free ticket. And, what was even more surprising, he saw the free ticket print out with a Royal Flush, giving him the top instant prize of $10,000.
“I knew right away it was a winner,” said the happy player. “But, I wasn’t sure for how much.”
The retired maintenance worker took his winning free ticket to another local retailer to verify the size of the prize. He celebrates a birthday in a few days, he said, so the prize is an early birthday gift!
5 Card Cash is two games in one. Based on a standard poker game with a 52-card playing deck, the $2 terminal game offers players the chance to win instantly as well as later if the five cards on their ticket matches cards selected during an evening drawing. The Lottery has awarded two $100,000 top prizes to winners in the evening drawing since 2012 and 20 $10,000 top prizes to those with instant wins.
The married man immediately went home and stashed his winning Free Play ticket in his wallet. “I didn’t want to lose it,” he said. The Baltimore County man claimed the prize the next day at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. What will he do with his birthday surprise? Buy a snowplow truck, he said.