An Ohio ice cream truck driver who was out of work shocked everyone in 1984 when he won a ‘record-breaking’ amount of money on the game show “Press Your Luck”. Paul Michael “Mike” Larson had figured out how to win. He had memorized the patterns on the game board and used a flaw to keep winning. People were surprised by his strategy, and it became one of the most interesting scandals in the history of game shows. But what did Mike Larson do after his amazing run of luck? His story is full of ups and downs, achievements and scandals that went far beyond the game show stage.
EARLY LIFE AND BEGINNINGS OF A SCHEMER
Michael Larson was born in Lebanon, Ohio, on May 10, 1949. He was one of four brothers. In his early years, he was naturally interested in new things and always tried to figure out how to get around the system. Even when he was a kid, he was known for pulling small con jobs, like selling classmates candy bars that had been marked up. His never-ending drive to succeed and ability to find holes in things would shape a lot of his later life.
Larson graduated from Lebanon High School in 1967. He then went to college and took some classes, but he never finished his degree. Instead, he got a certificate in fixing air conditioners and did a bunch of different jobs for years, like driving an ice cream truck and fixing air conditioners. He became interested in game shows during this time and thought they were the key to his financial success.
By the beginning of the 1980s, Larson had been divorced twice and was living with his girlfriend, Teresa Dinwitty. Three kids from three different women. Dinwitty says he always thought he was smarter than everyone else and was always looking for simple ways to make money. Between 1969 and 1982, he was arrested several times on charges of theft and fraud. However, these setbacks never stopped him from going after what he saw as bigger opportunities.
CRACKING PRESS YOUR LUCK
He got his big break in 1983 when he found a mistake on the game show Press Your Luck. The most exciting part of the show was the “Big Board,” a screen where contestants could win money and prizes or lose everything by landing on a “Whammy.” Press Your Luck used a series of patterns that kept happening, while other game shows relied on luck.
Larson carefully recorded and analyzed episodes of the show on his VCR until he could remember the board’s five repeating patterns. He figured out that squares #4 and #8 always had cash prizes and never a Whammy, which gave him control of the board again. He got better by practicing by playing along with recorded episodes and stopping at the exact times that would guarantee wins. Larson spent most of his savings to go to Los Angeles to try out for the show because he was sure that his method would work.
At first, the producers didn’t trust Larson’s intentions. But his story about being an ice cream truck driver who was having trouble making ends meet convinced them to let him compete. On June 8, 1984, he went on the show and competed against Dentist Janie Litras and Baptist Minister Ed Long.
THE HISTORIC WINNING STREAK
Larson’s first round wasn’t very interesting; he came in last and won only $2,000. He did what he planned to do in the second round, though. He kept getting high-value cash prizes and stayed away from the Whammies, winning spin after spin. He won $110,237 in cash and prizes in a row— which was the most ever recorded in a single day on a game show at the time.
Host Peter Tomarken and the producers of the show knew right away that something wasn’t right. Larson never hesitated before pressing the buzzer, which was different from most contestants. He always seemed to know where the light would land. But because he hadn’t really broken any rules, the show had to give him his prize.
THE TRUE STORY BEHIND “THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA”
THE CROSSING
Larson had a huge win, but his good luck didn’t last long. He was careless with his prize money, putting it into real estate deals and schemes to get rich quick that ended badly. He lost everything in just two years.
Things got worse when he got involved in a lottery scam that was against the law. Larson ran away from Ohio and hid in Florida while he was being investigated for fraud. For the rest of his life, he stayed away from the police and lived in poverty while planning his next big scheme.
THE LAST YEARS AND DEATH
Mike Larson’s story ended tragically. After years of living under the radar, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. On February 16, 1999, he passed away at the age of 49. His remarkable win on Press Your Luck remains one of the most infamous moments in game show history.
Larson died without a lot of attention, but his story has been told many times in documentaries, such as Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal (2003) and Cover Story: The Press Your Luck Scandal (2018). His appearance on the show has been played over and over, and people are still amazed at how smart he was and how he lost.
The story of Mike Larson was made into a movie in 2024 called The Luckiest Man in America. It was directed by Samir Oliveros and starred Paul Walter Hauser. Larson was both brilliant and tragic, and this movie shows both sides of his life. Larson will go down in TV history as the man who beat Press Your Luck but couldn’t beat himself.
You can find out more about The Luckiest Man in America and other must-see movies and TV shows at tvacute.com.
THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA: HOW MICHAEL LARSON CRACKED “PRESS YOUR LUCK”
