A visitor from New York walked away with a massive jackpot at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas after being dealt a spade Royal Flush. According to resort officials, the gambler had been playing Three Card Poker.
The rare hand triggered the casino’s Millionaire Progressive and resulted in a $1,661,451 payout on a simple $5 side bet.
Venetian Jackpot Win Delivers Life-changing Payday
The huge success occurred early in February when Nicholas Dandrea placed a $5 side bet while playing Three Card Poker at The Venetian Las Vegas. Casino representatives confirmed that Dandrea was dealt a spade Royal Flush, which activated the mega tier of the resort’s Millionaire Progressive jackpot, paying out a total of $1,661,451. A spade royal flush is considered highly uncommon.
The Millionaire Progressive has become one of the most recognizable table-game jackpots on the Las Vegas Strip. It spans multiple games across the casino floors of The Venetian and The Palazzo. Players can join the progressive through titles such as Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Mississippi Stud, Crazy 4 Poker, and Three Card Poker.
Launched in 2018, the progressive has been responsible for creating 16 millionaire winners to date. Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the structure pools side-bet wagers from eligible games into tiered jackpot levels. Only rare qualifying hands, like a natural Royal Flush, can win the mega prize, which continues to grow until struck.
For Dandrea, the modest $5 wager turned into a seven-figure payout with a single triumphant hand. This ultimately had him join a growing list of visitors whose Las Vegas trips have ended in unforgettable victories.
Huge Jackpot Wins In Like Fashion
This Venetian jackpot win is part of a broader string of memorable payouts in casinos across Las Vegas. In November 2025, another guest triggered the mega tier of the Millionaire Progressive by placing a $5 side bet on Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The player was dealt a spade Royal Flush, resulting in the largest table-game jackpot in the resort’s history, a $3,845,727 payout.
Just days after that record payout, another player won $1,501,338 playing Face Up Pai Gow at the same property. A straight flush hand on that table game unlocked the progressive jackpot once again. The viral win showed how rare card combinations can lead to big rewards.
Beyond The Venetian, other Las Vegas resorts have recently seen major jackpot wins. For instance, a Las Vegas Strip casino guest won over $11.1 million on a Megabucks Mega Vault progressive slot. The player placed a $5 bet at Resorts World, resulting in one of the largest slot payouts reported in the city this year.
How The Progressive Jackpot Leads to Millions
The Millionaire Progressive at The Venetian and The Palazzo operates through a side-bet system linked across several table games. For a player to be eligible for the progressive jackpot, they must place an optional side bet, typically $5. This is in addition to their main wager during gameplay.
Each eligible side bet contributes to the growing jackpot pool. Tiered levels within the progressive award different payouts depending on the hand won. For the mega tier he rarest hands, such as a natural spade Royal Flush, must occur. Only when such a qualifying hand is dealt does the jackpot hit. It then resets only after the mega payout is awarded.
