Christmas is often marked as an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends by giving, sharing and smiling. Some people even go one step further at this time of year by giving, sharing and smiling with those unknown to them, often those in need who are unable to spend the festive season with those close to them.    

One poker player has been the recipient of such Christmas goodwill after a cab driver returned $300,000 – that’s right, $300,000 – that was mistakenly left in his cab earlier this week.

The yet unnamed owner of the cash, who the Washington Times described as a “well-known poker player,” left the bag of money in the back seat after the driver, Gerardo Gamboa, dropped him off at the Palms Place in Las Vegas.

It was only two passengers later that Gamboa realized just what was contained in the bag after initially believing it may have been a box of chocolates. A seemingly honest man, Gamboa alerted his superiors about the unexpected find and a search immediately was underway to find its rightful owner.

Apparently, it did not take long to find the player, although the player's lack of identification meant the process to verify him as the rightful owner of the stash of cash took a little while longer. At the end of it all, though, the player was found to have indeed been the owner of the $300,000 and was dutifully reunited with his cash.

The player is said to have personally thanked Gamboa for doing the right thing and reporting the misplaced cash, and also planned on rewarding the driver for his commendable actions. For Gamboa, however, it seems that he doesn’t mind whether or not he receives any material thanks, having said he reported the cash because it was the honest thing to do.

"If he doesn't give me anything, that's OK," Gamboa told the Sun. "I'm not waiting for any kind of return. I just wanted to do the right thing, and I appreciate what the company did for me."

A fitting poker-related story of kind-heartedness for this special day of the year.