Posted on: January 19, 2026, 12:58h.
Last updated on: January 19, 2026, 01:07h.
- Regular slot player ventures upstairs, joins $500 Mystery Bounty tournament
- First-time participant, aged 88, finishes 14th out of 2,628 competitors
- Popular contestant cashes in about $10K as heater continues.
A surprising new contender drew a crowd at one of the Gulf Coast’s premier poker events on Friday. Linda Hammons, an 88-year-old great-grandmother, marked her debut in live tournament poker by making an impressive run in a $1 million guaranteed event during the Beau Rivage Heater festival. Hammons almost reached the final table, finishing in 14th place, according to The Biloxi Sun-Herald.
Originating from Dadeville, Alabama, Hammons stumbled into the poker room after discovering that her usual slot machines had vanished from the casino floor.
Once tournament officials confirmed her familiarity with Texas hold ’em rules, she invested the $500 buy-in and sat down at one of the large ballroom tables.
‘I Showed Them’
The Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold ’em tournament she entered attracted a staggering 2,628 participants, featuring a total prize pool exceeding $1 million. Hammons’ impressive performance netted her $8,400 for her placement, plus an additional $1,700 in bounty rewards, bringing her total earnings to approximately $10,100.
“I showed them,” she proudly expressed to the Sun-Herald afterwards.
Hammons’ remarkable journey quickly captured the attention of social media users, with many applauding the octogenarian’s unexpected success among a field filled with seasoned players from all over the nation and beyond.
“Go get ’em, gramma,” one enthusiastic viewer chimed in.
It wasn’t a completely smooth experience for Hammons, who admitted she struggled with some physical aspects of the game, including chip manipulation, humorously attributing the difficulty to her long, cherry-red nails.
Granny on a Heater
The “heater” came to an end when she pushed all-in with a K-9, only to encounter pocket queens, which led to resounding cheers of support as she departed the table.
The tournament concluded with Randall Chase Cummins and double WSOP bracelet winner Michael Lech chopping the prize, each walking away with $115,136.
Meanwhile, staff at Beau Rivage located Hammons, who was still at the hotel with her family, and presented her with a certificate honoring her 14th-place finish, as well as covering the buy-in for a following one-day event she intended to enter.
The Beau Rivage Heater, running from January 7–19 at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, represents one of the Gulf Coast’s standout poker series, featuring various events and a total of over $5.5 million in guaranteed prize pools. The series offers buy-ins ranging from several hundred to above a thousand dollars, culminating in a grand main event with a $1.5 million guarantee.