Cedar Rapids Man Plays Hunch, Wins $28,500 in Lottery Prizes
Bruce Abkes Wins Big in Recent Pick 4 Drawing
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CLIVE, Iowa — When a Cedar Rapids man called his wife to share his good news, she thought he was announcing his retirement.
Instead, Bruce Abkes was exuberant after winning $28,500 in Pick 4 prizes from a recent drawing.
Abkes said his wife, Tracie, laughed when she realized why he was so excited.
“She said I was a little giddy, and I'm getting closer to retirement, so she thought maybe I called it quits and retired,” Abkes said with a laugh on Thursday as he claimed his prizes at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. “I said, 'No, I just won some really good money!' Then she was excited. It was fantastic.”
Pick 4 is a numbers game with a long history along the East Coast, but versions of it are offered by many lotteries across the country, including the Iowa Lottery. Pick 4 players choose combinations of four numbers from 0000 to 9999. The prize that a player could win depends on the type of bet made.
A Hy-Vee employee of nearly 50 years, Abkes said he likes playing number combinations with repeating numbers on days that match up — like 1-1-1-1 on Nov. 11or 1-2-1-2 on Dec. 12. So when Oct. 10 rolled around, he knew exactly which numbers he wanted to play.
“Usually I only play a dollar, but I had a feeling this time so I played more than I usually do,” he said. “It turned out well.”
He made four wagers totaling $6 for the midday drawing on Oct. 10, buying a couple of tickets on his lunch break at Hy-Vee Drugstore, 4825 Johnson Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids, where he works. He also picked up tickets at BP to Go, 4830 Johnson Ave. NW and Casey's, 1495 Blairs Ferry Road NE.
When he checked the Iowa Lottery website after the drawing and saw the winning numbers — 1-0-1-0 — Abkes couldn't help but celebrate.
“It's just excitement and a smile on your face,” he said. “You're just so excited you hit a big one, and it's just great.”
Abkes said he and his wife plan to save the winnings for now, with an eye toward future home improvements.
The Iowa Lottery has offered Pick 4 since September 2003. The game features odds of 1 in 10,000 to win the $30,000 top prize and offers a variety of play options and wagers from 50 cents to $5.
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