<Tr> <Th> Spouse (s) </Th> <Td> Teresa McGlynn Dinwitty (m . 1983; div. 1994) 2 previous marriages and divorces </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Children </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Paul Michael Larson (May 10, 1949--February 16, 1999) was an American contestant on the television game show Press Your Luck in 1984 . Larson is notable for winning $110,237 (equivalent to $260,000 in 2017) in cash and prizes, at the time the largest one - day total ever won on a game show . He was able to win by memorizing the patterns used on the Press Your Luck game board . </P> <P> Originally from southwestern Ohio, Larson used his cash winnings for taxes and real estate investments . However, he also had problems with the law and was involved in illegal schemes . As a result, Larson lost all of his winnings within two years of the show's taping and moved to Florida, where he later died of throat cancer at the age of 49 . Since his death in 1999, Larson's game has re-aired on TV at various times and inspired two Game Show Network documentaries: Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal in 2003 and Cover Story: The Press Your Luck Scandal in 2018 . </P>

Who did the game pick on his show