Canada’s largest casino, Casino de Montreal, paid out it’s biggest ever jackpot on Friday after local Claude Martin won $3 million playing 3 card poker.
The winning player had only been at the casino as he had tickets to a concert, but whilst he was waiting decided to try his luck at a 3 card poker table. After only a few minutes he was dealt a Royal Flush which won the tables progressive jackpot of $3,056,175.
Casino de Montreal opened almost 30 years ago in October 1993. With 3,200 slot machines and 115 table games, millions of dollars have been wagered and won at the casino but no player has ever scooped a jackpot as big as Mr Martin.
The progressive table game jackpot is offered throughout Quebec with Casino du Lac-Leamy, Casino de Charlevoix, and Casino de Mont-Tremblant also participating. The jackpot is built through play on 3 card card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em, with the jackpot been won when a player lands a Royal Flush on either game. The $3,056,175 jackpot won by Mr Martin had accumulated from $5 bets placed on 3 card poker across the 4 casinos.
A Royal Flush is the highest poker hand and is extremely rare. It involves having all the highest cards of the same suit, in 3 card poker it means holding the Queen, King and Ace of the same suit. The probability of being dealt these cards is just 0.002172.
Poker hand probabilities in 3 card poker
| HAND | COMBINATIONS | PROBABILITY |
|---|---|---|
| Straight flush | 48 | 0.002172 |
| Three of a kind | 52 | 0.002353 |
| Straight | 720 | 0.032579 |
| Flush | 1096 | 0.049593 |
| Pair | 3744 | 0.169412 |
| Ace High or Less | 16440 | 0.743891 |
With the online poker and gambling industry booming in Canada and only set to expand further, the progressive jackpot run by Loto-Quebec is a great incentive to ensure players are still visiting the land based casinos. Casino du Montreal is a thriving venue offering variations of Poker as well as roulette, blackjack, baccarat and a range of slot machines.
The 3 card poker jackpot now starts again, giving Canadian gamblers the opportunity to become a millionaire by betting as little as $5.
