I once got a $10 vote on a comment I made. What a kick that was! The guy who gave it was not that long on Steemit - he'd come over from YouTube with a big following and maybe didn't realise that his upvote would give me $10...
I posted on the day of the hardfork, and watched loads of votes pour in, and then, suddenly - nothing! BAD timing. I've been checking in now and then over the past few days, and I've noticed that some people have been posting a lot, just short posts. I think that was a good strategy, as they might not have earned much, but their accounts have got a bit more attention.
Its possible, though I think a lot of the big accounts were also abstaining. I got a break but did miss it.
Yes, those big votes are great. I have had several.