BY JOHN HOPKINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
An unemployed Erlanger man was on "cloud nine" Monday afternoon after winning $238,275 with a royal flush at Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg. Clint Tunning, a victim of downsizing from an electrician's job, beat odds of 56 million to 1 aboard the world's largest riverboat casino.
With his newfound wealth, the 46-year-old plans to finish college and pay off his mortgage.
The win came at a Caribbean stud poker table.
"When I first looked at the cards, I thought I had a flush, then I looked at the dealer's cards and back at mine. . . . That's when I realized I had a royal flush. I just couldn't believe it," he said. Mr. Tunning made the trip to Argosy with a group of friends on a tour bus from Irene's Too pub in Latonia. He spent part of Monday evening buying drinks at the pub.
"I'm on cloud nine," he said. "I didn't holler or anything when I won, but I did about an hour later. . . . But I still can't quite believe it. It's like a dream."
Mr. Tunning expects to graduate from Kentucky Career Institute with a degree in computer science in September. He is also thinking about buying a new pickup truck.
He is the second Kentuckian to win big with a royal flush in Lawrenceburg this year.
Tom Russell, a 53-year-old retired schoolteacher from Alexandria, won $100,450 when he was dealt a royal flush at an Argosy Caribbean stud poker table.
A royal flush, the best hand in Caribbean stud, is a straight flush with an ace as the highest card.
