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No Whammy, no Whammy, STOP!
Back in May of 1984, history was made as Michael Larsen, an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Ohio, managed to win $110,237 on the classic CBS television game show Press Your Luck. Having watched Press Your Luck since it premiered, Larsen came to the conclusion that the swift, seemingly random flashing lights that bounced around the Press Your Luck board were not as random as they seemed. By taping the show religiously and pausing the tapes, Larsen discovered that there were just six light patterns on the board. With this bit of knowledge, he practiced at home while watching the show and realized that he could stop the board wherever and whenever he wanted, if he just had patience. The article is worth visiting, if only to see the looks on the host's face as Larsen racked up the dough. Ironically, Larsen eventually wound up losing all his winnings in a bad housing investment deal.

This post is part of the Kaedrin Weblog. It's been categorized under Culture and was originally published in November 2001.

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