Tell me this guy isn't your hero.

[Trekker4747]

I saw the blurb about him on Cracked today but he's man I've heard about before. I speak of Michael Larson a man who went on the 70s/80s TV Game show "press your luck" and went on to when over $100,000 -vastly more than anyone had ever won on the show before and since- because he had watched the show at home, memorized the board's patterns and exploited it to go on a hot streak.

Pretty incredible, really.

Part 1:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHa4f3ebf-M&feature=related[/yt]

Part 2:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-VY7SPt9Ng&feature=related[/yt]

Part 3:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2qhTlB7wvQ&feature=related[/yt]

Part 4:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaUB0h9IIEE&feature=related[/yt]

Part 5:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdrOkptK754&feature=related[/yt]

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Big bucks! Big bucks! NO WHAMMIES!!!

 

[Starbreaker]

I watched a TV special about this once. This guy had a $25,000 cap imposed on him.

And he was not my hero. He deserted his family and died as a con man... just sayin.

 

[Trekker4747]

Ummm. What con? That he beat their system? That's as much of "conning" is as counting cards at blackjack is. Neither is illegal neither is breaking any rule. If this con "conned" the show, then people who study before going on Jeopardy are con-artists.

 

[Starbreaker]

No, not this... but soon after he was involved in a lottery scam and went on the run.

 

[Trekker4747]

No, not this... but soon after he was involved in a lottery scam and went on the run.

Ah, didn't know about the part of his life. Yeah, that makes him a bit of a DB, and it's sad that the ponzi scheme and other factors caused him to lose the money he got from PYL. But, still, you've got to give the guy some props for figuring out the board patterns and exploiting it to make TV Game Show history.

 

[tomalak301]

The Documentary GSN did on this guy was very well done. That's what introduced me to him and his story and then I remember they brought the two contestants and a relative of Larson back for the updated version

 

[Spot's Meow]

There was a This American Life episode about this recently. I do appreciate what he was able to do on Press Your Luck, but it does make it less cool when you realize how much of a crazy conman he was. The whole story about taking all of the winnings out of the bank in ones to try and win a radio contest to match the serial number on a dollar bill was really kind of insane. His wife said she left him because he would stand over her bed watching her sleep at night and she thought he might kill her...creepy!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

He's not just my hero...he's the most interesting man in the world.

 

[doubleohfive]

This man is not my hero.

 

[McCoy]

He isn't my hero either.

 

[CorporalClegg]

This guy isn't strong; he isn't fast; and he certainly isn't fresh from the fight.

Nope. Not a hero.

 

[captcalhoun]

my hero is Mad Jack Churchill.

find him on wiki or cracked.com's "Five Real Life People Who Make Rambo Look Like A Pussy" article.