A total novice poker player just walked away with a £135,000 prize – after paying 1p to enter a tournament.

A penny!

Andy Jankowski, managed to win his way into the professional rounds of the World Poker Tour at Lenton’s Dusk Till Dawn casino in Nottingham.

Woman unfriends guy on Facebook – so he beheads her chickensThe 44-year-old paid just one penny to enter into the online stages, beat 886 other competitors – including some professionals.


All in on the final round and losing on a pair of eights, the last card was another eight, meaning he won the hand with ‘three-of-a-kind.’

Andy said: ‘It was a complete fluke, but perhaps it was meant to happen. I was wearing my 888 poker T-shirt at the time!’



When things started to get more serious, Andy thought he needed a strategy, so he decided to be the real joker in the pack.

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The Dusk ’til Dawn Casino in Nottingham (Picture: GoogleMaps)

He said: ‘I decided to be as unpredictable as possible. That way they wouldn’t have a clue what I was doing.’

And apparently luck was on his side, which is even sweeter – as the former IT worker had quit his job just one month before.

Residents are opposing rape crisis centre opening in case children are ‘exposed’Andy said: ‘It’s perfect timing. If I hadn’t quit my job I wouldn’t have had the time or energy to take part.’

Now he has won a tournament in Europe’s largest poker club, his mates are encouraging him to turn pro and try his hand in the super casinos of Las Vegas. But Andy has no such move on the cards just yet.

He said: ‘I didn’t know what to do with the money when I first won, but now I think most of it will go on property, after I’ve bought a new car.’

He started playing poker as a hobby five years ago in pub poker games organised by the casino.

He entered with just 1p (Picture: Alamy)

He visits a couple of times a week, but before giving an ace performance in the tournament, his biggest win was only £1,000.

David Allsop, Dusk Till Dawn’s poker league and academy manager, said: ‘It’s massive for the club that one of our home-grown players has won such a major tournament.

Dramatic pics show roof of £660,000 house collapse during renovation’It just goes to show that anyone can win if they give it a good go. There’s no bigger accolade for the game.’

Entry to the tournament’s professional stage was £2,200, but after winning through the online qualifying, Andy’s entry seat at the table was free.

After winning, his seat at the next World Poker Tour event in October is also secure.