Naples man wins $150K poker jackpot at greyhound monitor

1:52 P.M. — John Monti, 61, of Naples, received a jackpot worth more than $150,000 at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Observe.

Monti, a standard on the Bonita Spring’s poker room, won the Major Slick Royal Flush Jackpot on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

To win the jackpot, players have to have a royal flush with the king and ace in their hand.

“It came on the flop,” Monti explained Wednesday. “It just happened. I attempted to stay as calm as I could till the hand was over.”

But with any major jackpot comes some incredibly tense moments.

“After I gained, they had to count all the cards,” Monti explained. “They needed to make sure they were playing with a full deck and that all 52 cards were there.”

Monti stated track and poker room officials seemed pleased that he gained.

“I consider they liked the reality that I’m a normal — that I come here to play a whole lot and that I’m not an individual who comes in once, wins and then isn’t noticed for three months.”

Monti, a retiree, says he had no immediate plans to spend his winnings.

“It’s not like it was a million bucks,” he says. “It’ll come in handy. Possibly I’ll invest in a automobile.”