The Venetian $5 Table Bet Makes Another Player a Millionaire in Vegas

Posted on: July 23, 2022, 08:44h. 

Last updated on: July 25, 2022, 04:44h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

On Thursday night, The Venetian Las Vegas was the site of a payout of over $1 million. It was from a $5 side bet on a Three Card Poker game.

A player was dealt a spade royal flush on Three Card Poker at The Venetian Las Vegas
A player was dealt a spade royal flush on Three Card Poker at The Venetian Las Vegas. The payout was over $1 million. (Image: The Venetian)

The player was dealt a spade royal flush, according to a statement from the Las Vegas Strip gaming property. The side bet made them eligible for the mega tier of The Venetian’s Millionaire Progressive. It paid out $1,040,235.

This week’s Millionaire Progressive is the second million-dollar payout year-to-date for The Venetian. In total, 10 players have won more than $1 million since the Progressive started. The most recent winner chose not to disclose their name. 

In 2018, The Venetian began the Progressive, which begins at $1 million. A player is eligible for the mega tier of the Millionaire Progressive after making the $5 side bet. To win, the player must be dealt a natural spade royal flush.

Beyond Three Card Poker, the Progressive is available on Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Let it Ride, Crazy 4 Poker, and Mississippi Stud at The Venetian and The Palazzo casinos.

Wheel of Fortune Win

At The Venetian last December, a player won $1,022,077.71 on the Wheel of Fortune game on a slot machine. The lucky guest made a $2 bet on the Wheel of Fortune Double 3X4X5X Pay game on Dec. 3. The three symbols lined up to activate the progressive jackpot.

The game is made by International Game Technology. As of January, Wheel of Fortune slots have created more than 1,100 millionaires and awarded more than $3.3 billion in jackpots since 1996.

Venetian Sees New Leadership

Last month, The Venetian announced that George Markantonis would step down as its president and CEO. Patrick Nichols is taking over the helm next month.

Nichols will be in charge of The Venetian Resort, including The Palazzo. It is the second-largest hotel in the world with 7,092 rooms, and The Venetian Expo and Convention Center, a 2.25 million-square-foot conference center.

Nichols started his career with The Venetian 14 years ago as a financial analyst. Most recently, he has been the general manager and chief strategy officer for The Cosmopolitan. After starting as a financial analyst for The Venetian in July 2008, he became the financial planning and analysis manager for Marina Bay Sands in October 2009. Marina Bay is the Las Vegas Sands (LVS)-owned integrated resort in Singapore.

A year later, he moved to The Cosmopolitan, starting as director of strategic planning and moving up the ranks. He became a vice president at the casino resort in May 2014 and the chief strategy officer in April 2018. Nichols added the GM role to his title two years ago. Nichols is a graduate of Cornell University.

The management switch at The Venetian comes four months after Apollo Global Management closed on its $2.25 billion acquisition of the property from LVS.

Markantonis is not leaving immediately. After the switchover in August, he will become a special advisor to The Venetian’s Board of Directors.