Pictured, from left, are Evansville American Legion Commander Ty Becker, Queen of Hearts winner Michelle D. Fink of Waterloo, and Evansville American Legion Manager Glenn Lemmerman. (North County News photo)

With a full house on hand Wednesday night, a 60-year-old Waterloo woman won the Queen of Hearts drawing of $104,100 at the Evansville American Legion.

“I was in shock for about 15 minutes,” Michelle D. Fink said of her reaction to winning the six-figure prize.

Fink, a retired chemical operations firefighter with Monsanto/Solutia in Sauget, purchased $100 worth of tickets for the chance to win Wednesday’s pot. The weekly drawing in Evansville was down to just the final card.

“It’s a game of chance, really, is all it is,” she said.

Wednesday was her first visit to the Evansville drawing, but Fink said she has participated in similar Queen of Hearts drawings throughout the area, including the large Caseyville drawing held recently. The Columbia American Legion hosts its Queen of Hearts drawing every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call 281-5556.

Fink estimates she spent more than $500 at the Evansville American Legion on Wednesday, including her Queen of Hearts tickets, 50/50 tickets, food and video gambling.

“They definitely got their money’s worth out of me,” she said. “The legion halls and VFW posts need all the help they can get. A lot of them are closing down, so they could use the support.”

Fink said she plans to pay off some bills and do a complete rehabilitation of her kitchen at home.

“This money will go to good use,” she said.

To begin the Queen of Hearts game, 54 playing cards (including two jokers) are placed face down on a board. The Queen of Hearts is the “jackpot card.” Tickets are typically $1 per chance or $5 for six chances, with no limit on the number of tickets available for purchase.

The first drawing usually involves more than one ticket. Thereafter, the weekly drawing involves just one ticket. The winning ticket holder gets an opportunity to select the Queen of Hearts playing card, asking a volunteer to turn over a card on their behalf. The game proceeds every week until the Queen of Hearts is chosen.

As the weeks go by, the pot grows bigger and bigger and the odds of finding the Queen of Hearts increases.