The Queen is at it again. The McHenry VFW Queen of Hearts game generated $4 million in bets this week and a $2 million winner Tuesday, re-creating the buzzy excitement of its previous big games.
With only two cards left to play, a man identified only as George L. had his ticket pulled and correctly guessed which envelope held the queen of hearts, ending the yearlong raffle.
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The lodge drew national media attention in 2018 when the pot reached $7 million, with the winner getting $4 million. Crowds swarmed the tiny post daily to place their bets.
Officials swore they needed a break, and reduced the amount that rolls over, but since 10% of the total remains held to start the next game, the pot has remained huge.
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Cmdr. Duane Lungren explained George would win a minimum of $500, and as he opened the envelope to reveal the winning card, he said, “and a whole lot more.”
Queen of Hearts is a game in which the 52 cards of a deck and two jokers are hidden in numbered envelopes and displayed under glass on the wall of the lodge bar. Each week, one envelope is opened to reveal a card. Players try to guess which envelope contains the queen of hearts, with lesser prizes for other face cards.
If no one guesses the correct envelope, the pot rolls over to the next week, and players continue to buy $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win.
The winner gets half of the pot, the lodge keeps 40%, and 10% is rolled over to start the next game. In this case, that should amount to more than $400,000.
Past proceeds have helped the lodge to build a new parking lot, build a new kitchen and outside grounds, and donate to veterans’ causes. A party atmosphere prevails on drawing night, with hundreds inside and out cheering the results. A food truck, selling deep-fried balls of risotto, served hungry patrons.
The lodge also announced 110 winners of $500 each in a separate 50/50 raffle.
Mayor Wayne Jett helped draw the raffle tickets and thanked volunteers for working to make the drawing possible.
