December 21, 2024
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McHenry VFW’s Queen of Hearts game pot still growing, now at $2.3M

Charitable drawing has been rolling over more than a year

By Shaw Local News Network
Ben Keefe, commander at the McHenry VFW Post 4600, reads off the name pulled and card picked for the posts weekly Queen of Hearts game on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Keefe died early Monday morning.

The late Ben Keefe, then-commander of the McHenry VFW Post 4600, in August reads off the name pulled and card picked for the weekly Queen of Hearts game. (Janelle Walker)

The McHenry Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600 Queen of Hearts game continues to roll over. Here is everything you need to know about the game.

How much is the pot now?

No overall winner was picked at the last drawing Dec. 10 so the jackpot now sits at just over $2.3 million.

How much goes to the winner?

The winners get half the pot, or $1,150,833, minus taxes that are taken out. Overall, 40% of the pot goes back to the VFW for its programs. The other 10% is seed money for the next jackpot. If the weekly ticket holder gets a joker, the prize this week is 5% of the pot, or $115,083.

When is the next drawing?

Drawings take place at the VFW at 8 p.m. each Tuesday, with the next drawing scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.

If the queen of hearts is selected on Dec. 17, there will be no drawing Christmas week, and the game will restart on New Year’s Eve. If the queen of hearts is not selected at the next drawing, the VFW will be open Monday, Dec. 23, for a drawing and will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Winners need not be present, and the drawings are streamed live on the VFW’s Facebook page, facebook.com/MchenryVfwPost4600.

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. Tuesday, 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 – $115,083 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 12 cards left unopened out of the 54-card deck, including one joker card.
  • 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 of hearts, 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.

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