Poker Player Wins a Fortune on the Wrong Game

Poker player Christian Pham managed to turn some bad luck into incredibly good luck when he walked away from a Las Vegas event with $81,314 after signing up for the wrong game.

The gambler from Minnesota turned up at the World Series of Poker intending to sign up for the no limit Texas Hold Em tournament but accidentally joined the no limit deuce to seven draw lowball game. He had never before played this game.

The event was one of a total of 68 taking place in the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It cost him a $1,500 buy in to get into the game. The dealer at his final table was Shawn Harris, who said that the two games are “totally different” and that they need “different mindsets” and “different strategies”.

The aim of this card game is to have the lowest poker hand, with no straights, flushes or high pairs if possible. Pham soon realized that he had made a mistake when he was given 5 cards by the dealer instead of 3. He had to ask other players what hands beat what before proceeding.

The guy sitting next to him in the first game was Chris Mecklin. He said that he wasn't sure at first whether the other player was putting on an act by saying that he didn't know the game.

The tournament ran over two days, meaning that Pham can study the new game overnight before going back to the table to win the final game and get the giant cash prize, having defeated 219 other players along the way.