NOVICE gambler Sue Holt defied the odds when she scooped a £20,000 windfall playing poker at a casino.

But when the self-confessed 'dabbler', who had only joined the casino weeks before, went again four days later, she astounded staff by winning £21,000 on the same game!

And after stretching beginner's luck to ridiculous lengths it was drinks on the house for the regulars at Sue's pub, The Farmers, Higher Walton.

Sue, 62, said: "After the first win I could just not believe it. I had a permanent smile on my face for days after and was just ecstatic at the time.

"I'm hardly a hardened gambler. I just joined for something to do on my day off.

"I enjoyed that and when I went back a few days later and won again it was just unbelievable. It's taken days to calm down."

Sue joined the Stanley Casino in Blackpool, where she had her second win, around eight weeks ago and visited two or three times before her luck came in.

On the way home after one visit, she dropped in and joined the Stanley Casino in Lytham.

On her first visit to the Lytham branch a few days later, she scooped the jackpot at progressive poker, where punters take part against the dealer and others in other Stanley venues across the country.

Her winning hands were running flushes of 4/5/6/7/8 of diamonds and then a 3/4/5/6/7 of spades.

Casino manager at Lytham Simon Holt said: "I was working on the night and we couldn't believe it at first. She was absolutely over the moon to win.

"The odds of winning in the way Sue did are around 70,000 to 1.

"The odds on her winning again a few days later are absolutely astronomical!"