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A $5 wager at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel turned into a $1,977,758 jackpot this week, after a Rancho Cucamonga resident hit a five-card royal flush in diamonds while playing Ultimate Texas Hold’Em. The hand is the top qualifying combination on the game’s progressive side bet — and one of the rarest.
That’s the whole story. But it’s not the only big check Yaamava’ has written this year.
Ultimate Texas Hold’em jackpot caps a big year for Yamamava’
The Highland casino is in the middle of its 40th anniversary year, and 2026 has turned into a run of major payouts.
In August, two Club Serrano members split a $1.24 million progressive baccarat jackpot. In March, a Los Angeles Club Serrano member won $1.2 million from a $100 bet plus a $25 progressive wager on a Blazing 7s blackjack hand. Counting this week’s win, Yaamava’ puts its major table game jackpots for the year at nearly $4.5 million.
Yaamava’ is owned and operated by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation in Highland, roughly an hour east of Los Angeles. The tribal gaming property has leaned into its anniversary year throughout 2026, from a Lunar New Year kickoff in February to a Wheel of Fortune promotion in May.
“A $5 wager turning into nearly $2 million is an incredible outcome,” said Kenji Hall, general manager of Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel, adding that the win reflects the energy the casino aims to deliver on its gaming floor.
Progressive side bets work the same way at tables everywhere: A slice of every optional wager feeds a shared pool until someone clears the top of the pay table. At Yaamava’, that side bet costs $5, and the royal flush in diamonds sits alone at the top — unreached most nights.
Not this one.
The bet is still $5 at Yaamava’ tonight. So is the top of that pay table, waiting on the next diamond royal.
