Summer break turned into a $603,069 payoff for physics professor David Stucke in 2007. While he was taking his summer off, he wandered into Las Vegas from his home town of Henderson, Nev., for a little poker at the World Series of Poker.

It turns out that a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event was just the formula Stucke needed to add a little bonus money to his teacher’s salary. He bested a field of more than 2,000 players to take home the victory, the cash, and a gold bracelet designed by Corum.

It may have been his very first WSOP event ever, but Stucke had been a serious student of the game for three years before taking on a World Series event.

It also helps that he has the brains to tackle all the different statistics, theories and calculations that go into No-Limit Hold’em, as attested by his degree from Carnegie-Melon University and advanced degrees from Iowa State and Penn State.

But his is not the story of a man who uses his brilliant mind to become a professional poker player. Instead, his is a story that gives average poker fans something to aspire to. You can have a day job and play successful poker as well.