This guaranteed a rich payday for the library and for Sotheby's.

Excluding the 24 lightly raced 2-year-olds, whose richest paydays lie ahead, the 63 other entrants have earned an average of $907,627.

Private equity has typically meant a leveraged investment with an eye toward a rich payday five years or more down the road, through a public offering or a sale.

The deal, if completed, would mean a rich payday for P. Anthony Ridder, the chief executive.

And Tarver would receive a richer payday with a contractually obligated rematch with Jones.

THE richest paydays are supposed to be reserved for Wall Street titans, oil barons and banking moguls.

Private counsel often demand full payment up front and enjoy a rich payday when a case ends in an effortless plea bargain.

It also provides a rich payday for Mr. Hanzman and the other plaintiff lawyers who worked on the case.

The prospect of a rich payday is so palpable in the offices of China's young Internet companies that some experts fear money may corrupt the industry.

Left unsaid is that China's Internet entrepreneurs could miss out on a rich payday.