Queen of Hearts frenzy fascinating

There is going to be a very, very happy person at the Custer VFW two days from now. Why? Because the Queen of Hearts frenzy that has been building and building for the past couple of months is going to be over. Well, at least this iteration. It’s likely going to build again very quickly. But we will save that part for later.
If you recall, a few weeks ago we did a story on the Queen of Hearts jackpot at the VFW. At that time the jackpot had reached $116,000. Fast forward a month later, and the jackpot is sitting at $252,872. You read that correctly. The jackpot is now a quarter of a million dollars. That’s mind-boggling, and could very well be life-changing money for somebody.
The event has become the talk of the town. Anywhere we go, people want to talk about the Queen of Hearts. Someone even suggested we do a story on it. At least we get to say we already did that! And boy oh boy, is the VFW the place to be on Friday night. The crowds have gotten so big that most people are milling around outside of the building before the drawing, simply because the building can only hold but so many people. We have to wonder what would happen if this were the dead of winter and it was six degrees outside. Honestly, the crowds probably wouldn’t be much smaller. We think most people are more than willing to stand outside in the cold for a while if it means they can win that much money.
For the uninitiated, here is how the game works: Tickets are $1 each, and you can buy as many as you wish. The tickets then go into a tumbler (well it was a tumbler, but now so many tickets are being purchased it’s a giant tote, and they may need a 55-gallon drum this Friday), from which one ticket is drawn. The lucky ticket holder then gets a chance to guess which card from a deck of cards behind a protective coating is the Queen of Hearts. As the wrong guesses pile up less cards are available to pick and the jackpot grows—as does the crowd. If the person who wins isn’t there, they win only half the pot and half is put back in to start the next pot.
The catch this week, however, is that whoever’s ticket is drawn will win the money. It’s down to two cards—one of which is a joker. If you pick the joker, you get to pick again.
This has been a huge moneymaker for the VFW, which is a great thing. When we reported on the large jackpot a month ago, they were ready for someone to win, however, because the large crowds—while a huge benefit to the post—are taxing on everyone who is working the event.
The crowds have gotten so large that the amount of tickets being sold almost assures another monster pot once it restarts. It’s our understanding that half the sales the night of the event go to start the new pot on the night the Queen is hit. Which means the pot is likely going to start at $50,000 to $60,000—with 54 cards from which to choose. Yikes.
Congratulations to the big winner Friday evening, and congratulations to the VFW on a great fundraiser.