This Week in Jackpots: Pai Gow Prowess, Million-Dollar Bounties

If you're already part of our growing legion of loyal readers here at Casinos.com, then you know we love (BIG) jackpots. They're the outlier experience that brings with them enough excitement to justify ignoring casino-favoring math. And two of them caught our eye last week. 

Canadian Kevin Schenk getting a taste of the big money in Las Vegas. (Image: courtesy of The Venetian)

At The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Kevin Schenk from Canada hit it big playing Face Up Pai Gow at about 11 am on Friday morning. He hit five aces (there's a joker in play) to win 10% of the progressive, along with the payout for the winning hand, too.  winning a $219,578 jackpot by making a $5 side bet activating a chance to win a portion of the progressive jackpot. The Face Up Pai Gow Progressive Jackpot currently sits at $1,976,404.

The progressive is still live, but with this piece of it hitting, it seems like it's only a matter of time before it hits, because quite literally it is. 

DJ Buckley Wins $1 Million Bounty at 2024 WSOP

It was the Event #5: $1,000 Mystery Millions tournament at the WSOP, in the main ballroom at the Paris Las Vegas casino-resort.. Our colleagues at Poker.org were among those who captured it on video:

Buckley would go on to finish in 90th place for $8,170 cash. But the real prize was in the bounty -- which allows players to draw for an additional prize every time they knock out a player. Most of these (84%) are for $1,000. But several are worth more, including two for $1 million.

Buckley is a mid-stakes grinder who holds the record on the Mid-States Poker Tour for all-time MSPT Main Event cashes. 

In a tournament with 18,409 entries, he was the second million-dollar bounty winner of the day. The first was Valentyn Shabelnyk, from Ukraine, who was noted for his relatively unfazed demeanor when winning the seven-figure prize.

Valentyn Shabelnyk winning his $1 million bounty in the Mystery Millions event at the WSOP. (Image: courtesy of PokerGO)

Do you know of big jackpots we're missing? LMK by sending an email to dan at casinos dot com.