Florida Man Plays Fortune Cookie Numbers in Lottery, Wins Lottery

Normally when you crack open a fortune cookie, you expect a koan of trivial wisdom and a series of meaningless numbers, designed as temporary relief from the heartburn brought on by General Tso. Anyone who actually takes stock in these mass-printed, totally anonymous horoscopes has to be a damn fool, right?

Well, Florida man Richard Davis, 66, decided to test the so-called "lucky numbers" that sprung forth from his Chinese takeout by playing them in the $10 million Florida lottery jackpot. And guess what? Nothing happened.

Just kidding, he won the fucking lottery!

According to the Sun-Sentinal, Davis likes to regularly play the lucky numbers from fortune cookies he received while visiting a North Carolina Chinese restaurant -- and this time, he hit it right on the nose. The odds of him winning the $10 payout (he eventually accepted a $7 million lump sum, because everything is better in lumps) is approximately 1 in 23 million, or roughly the odds of some guy from Florida holding onto a fortune cookie slip from his vacation to North Carolina. In case you were wondering, the lucky numbers were 16, 26, 29, 39, 45 and 46, and the drawing took place on August 22. The lesson here? Base your life around Asian desserts, and one day you're bound to win the lottery.

Finally, a story about a "Florida Man" the doesn't end with nudity, arson, or bath salts. Good for you, Mr. Davis.

Wil Fulton is a Staff Writer for Thrillist. He thinks fortune favors the bold. And also the rich. Follow him @WilFulton

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