A lorry driver has hedged his bets on the same five numbers while playing the lottery - and reaped the rewards not just once but three times.
The 52-year-old man from Charles County, US, scooped his third $50,000 prize playing Pick 5 in just 11 months.
He placed a $1 straight bet on the numbers 48548 - the same ones used for two tickets he bought in a May 18 midday drawing last year.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he will carry on playing after his third big win.
He told Maryland Lottery on Wednesday: "It hit last year and it hit again. My wife said, 'Let’s play this number' and we keep winning with it."
The driver headed back to Lottery headquarters to claim his prize this week after winning the April 13 midday drawing.
He continued: "I play the Lottery all the time. You never know. You can't win if you are not in it."
The man, who has since been nicknamed 'Big Winner', plans to spend his winnings on a "much-needed vacation" with his wife.
He said his hobbies include going to racetracks and playing the Lottery's Racetrax game.
The store he bought his recent ticket from - Big Mouth Beer, Wine and Liquor at 2175 Crain Highway in Waldorf - will also receive a $500 bonus.
It comes after a similarly fortunate man ended up scooping the main lottery prize six times last year after buying the same ticket with the same six numbers on it.
Raymond Roberts Sr. from Fall River, Massachusetts, decided he would be pocketing £21,000 per month for the rest of his life - and this was for just one part of the grand prize.
The US Vietnam-era veteran said he used his "intuition" to pick the winning numbers, adding that he "felt good" about them as they were a mix of special dates to him.
In a statement published at the time, Massachusetts State Lottery said: "Raymond Roberts Sr. of Fall River is the winner of six $25,000 (£21,000) a year for life prizes in the multi-state Lucky for Life game."
It added that he matched "the first five numbers on six tickets he purchased for the drawing that took place Wednesday, December 14."
And in March this year, a husband in Australia won the lottery prize twice in one week after forgetting to purchase tickets the previous week.
The couple won the two division one prizes on the Monday Lotto and were awarded $2million Australian dollars (£1.1m) for two identical tickets that scored $1million each.
The man explained that he had upset his wife the previous week after he forgot to purchase the lottery ticket for the previous draw.
He bought two tickets with the same numbers that his wife had been using for decades, to make it up to her.
He previously told Lotto: "My wife has played these numbers for almost three decades and has always said they'd be drawn one day."
