Lucking Out

James Lowe of Vermont had to appear for jury duty on June 9. But he had work and family obligations he had to tend to. If he was picked to be a member of the jury, it would be hard on his family financially. How could he get out of it? He showed up in a mock prison outfit. It worked! The judge immediately threw him out, and James went home, elated.

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Christian Pham of St. Paul, Minnesota, was an average poker player. So when he signed up for a tournament this past June, for $1500, he hoped for the best. When it was time to play, he sat down and soon realized he was not playing Texas Hold'em, as he had thought, but something called no-limit deuce-to-seven draw lowball. What?! That's what Christian thought, "What?! Oh no! What have I gotten myself into?!" Not knowing how to play, he learned "on the fly" and from helpful fellow players, who told Christian the rules of the game and basic strategy. He survived the first day... and found himself at the top of the leader board! Two days later, he played in the finals and beat everyone! He won $81,314 and the coveted gold bracelet.

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Jennifer Daniel, of Modesto, California, was hurrying back to work because she had to use the bathroom. Not being able to "hold it" any longer, she stopped at a CVS on the way, to relieve herself. On her way out, she put $20 in the Ultimate Riches Scratchers machine. Before leaving the store, she scanned her ticket to see if she had won anything. She had... $5 million!

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