The McHenry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600 Queen of Hearts game has rolled over again. Here’s everything to know about the game.
[ McHenry VFW commander Ben Keefe dies at 50; started Queen of Hearts game, ran weekly drawings ]
How much is the pot?
No overall winner was picked at the last drawing Oct. 15 so the jackpot now sits at more than $1.73 million.
How much goes to the winner?
The winners get half the pot, minus taxes that are taken out. Overall, 40% of the pot goes back to the VFW for its programs, or more than $867,600. The other 10% is seed money for the next jackpot. If the weekly ticket holder gets a joker, the prize this week $5% of the pot, or more than $86,700.
When is the next drawing?
Drawings take place at the VFW at 8 p.m. each Tuesday. Winners need not be present, and the drawings are streamed live on the VFW’s Facebook page, facebook.com/MchenryVfwPost4600.
The next drawing is scheduled for 8 p.m. Oct. 22.
How much does it cost to play?
Tickets cost $5, cash only, with a limit of $1,000 per purchase.
How do I purchase tickets?
Tickets are sold in person during the VFW Hall’s regular hours Tuesday through Sunday at 3002 W. Route 120, McHenry. Tickets for the weekly drawings, which occur at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, are sold up until 7:30 p.m. that night and must be turned in by 7:45 p.m. The VFW is closed Mondays.
How does the Queen of Hearts game work?
- A wooden display at the VFW – and posted on the VFW’s website – shows the deck of playing cards in use for the current games, and cards that have not been chosen yet are numbered. Each number has a corresponding envelope.
- On their tickets, players write their name, phone number and which numbered envelope they’ve guessed is holding the queen of hearts card.
- The tickets go into a hopper, and each Tuesday evening, one ticket is pulled from the thousands bought. If the ticket holder correctly guessed which envelope holds the queen of hearts, they win.
- If the ticket holder picks any other queen in the deck, or one of the two joker cards, they get 5% of the pot – $84,066 in the next drawing.
- Even if the queen of hearts is not picked, the ticket holder gets $500 for having their ticket pulled.
- As of now, there are 20 cards left unopened out of the 54-card deck, including both joker cards.
- In addition to the Queen of Hearts game, there also is a 50/50 Blue Raffle each Tuesday. Those tickets are one for $5, three for $10 or eight for $20. The prize money is divided into amounts that do not exceed $500. There may be multiple ticket draws for the 50/50 raffle, and ticket holders do not need to be present to win.
How long has this game been rolling over?
The last winning jackpot of $2.4 million was drawn May 9, 2023. The weekly game continued past 54 weeks – the number of cards to choose from – because if both jokers are picked before the queen of hearts, a new deck is started. The VFW says it will not start a new deck if the jokers are picked before the queen, as a new deck was started in February.
How big can it get?
After the jackpot shot past $7 million in 2018, the huge crowds and traffic drawn to the post prompted the McHenry City Council to cap the jackpot payout at $3 million, or a $6 million total jackpot.
More information
Here is where you can find more on the McHenry VFW’s Queen of Hearts drawing: vfwmchenry.org/queen-of-hearts.