An Essex man with a system for Powerball play could proudly state there wasn’t any madness to his method – that is, until the madness of winning happened.

Last week, while checking a trove of tickets, he discovered that his method had led to a $50,000 win in the February 17 drawing.

The 37-year-old, calling himself “April Jack,” works as a member of the law enforcement community.

Until last week, his system of Powerball play had netted a series of small payoffs, the loyal player said.

In his experience, selecting random numbers on a few tickets is one of the keys to winning. The Essex resident also told Maryland Lottery officials that he never buys more than five tickets at a time and believes he needs to wait at least a week before checking them.

That play strategy wasn’t on his mind, however, when “April Jack” discovered the winning ticket. Instead, the loyal player was thinking about unexpected costs he and his wife had been surprised with while closing on their first home. The hefty bill could’ve left his family budget tight for some time. His worry soon melted away after he checked old Powerball tickets at a Lottery retailer.

When a strange message appeared on the retailer’s ticket checker about the February 17 ticket, “April Jack” rushed home to check the winning numbers for that drawing. He discovered he had matched four numbers and the Powerball, good for the $50,000 prize.

The winnings are enough to cover the unexpected closing costs and help the new homeowners move from their apartment! “April Jack” immediately called his wife, bursting with the good news.

The lucky Lottery retailer that sold his winning ticket is the 7-Eleven located at 836 Eastern Boulevard in Essex.

This happy Powerball player was one of two Marylanders who won $50,000 in the drawing. Still unclaimed is the winning ticket sold by Brown’s Discount Liquors in Frederick. No one hit the jackpot that night or in recent drawings, leaving a $293 million jackpot awaiting a winner in the Wednesday, February 28 drawing. The cash option is $172.6 million.