In 2003 accountant Chris Moneymaker qualified for the World Series of Poker championship by winning a 39 dollar online tournament. The placid number cruncher would go on to redefine the game of poker and introduce a new generation of card players to the game when he bested Sammy Farha.
As Moneymaker faced off against card-shark Farha he had nothing but a high card with his 7 and King, whereas Farha had a pair with his 9 and Queen. With one card yet to show on the flop, Farha had a 61% chance of victory but chose to fold after aggressive betting from Moneymaker, who effectively had nothing.
Poker is a game of skill and probability, but despite how good your maths skills are, there’s still an element of luck involved. If you can keep a straight face and not buckle to pressure, then you have every chance of taking a good haul of money despite not having a strong hand.
Keep on truckin! Cynthia Jay’s slots strategy
Cynthia Jay was a cocktail waitress at the Monte Carlo casino in Las Vegas, and every night after her shift she would have a small punt on the slot machines. On January 26th, 2000 she had her customary flutter and walked away with a life changing amount of money.
On her ninth spin she hit the state-wide lottery jackpot of $34,959,458.56 which changed her life forever. Cynthia was never a big time gambler and only ever wagered small amounts of money before her mega jackpot win.
Unfortunately for Cynthia she was involved in a car crash seven weeks later which condemned her never to walk again. Her story is the perfect embodiment of the foibles of life as she hit a once in a lifetime jackpot before being hit with a cruel twist of fate months later.