Great American Casino Lakewood | 1000+ Slots, Table Games & Live Poker

I'd been coming to Great American Lakewood for about five years, mostly on weekends after work just to unwind. That Tuesday I was actually thinking about taking a break from slots, but decided to play one last round before heading home. When those bells started going off, I honestly thought something was wrong with the machine. My hands were shkaing so bad I could barely press the button to call the attendant. I'm using this to pay off my daughter's student loans and fixing up the house—finally getting that new roof we've needed for three years.

My wife and I had just gotten back from visiting family back east, and I was restless from sitting on planes all day. I sat down at a blackjack table around 8 PM, just wanted to play casual for a couple hours. The dealer was really friendly, kept making jokes, and honestly I was just enjoying the vibe. Then somewhere around midnight I realized I wasn't losing—I was actually up significantly. When I hit that big hand, the whole table erupted. We're planning a real vacation now somewhere warm, and I'm finally going to take that week off my wife keeps asking for.

I've been playing poker seriously for about eight years, and I'd cashed in tournaments before but never anything close to this. I was a little nervos heading into that Saturday tournament—I'd spent all week prepping, watching videos, running through scenarios. By the final table I was running good, but it was still incredibly intense. That last hand against the dealer in position, I had to make a decision I'll probably remember forever. I'm putting half toward a house downpayment and the other half into a small business I've been thinking about starting for way too long.

I'd been going through a rough few months after losing my job, and honestly I was pretty depressed about it. My friend insisted on taking me out, said I needed to get out of the house, and dragged me to Lakewood. I wasn't really feeling it, was mostly just sitting there watching him play roulette. Then he said, 'You pick a number' as a joke—I said 23 because that's my birthday. I still can't belive it hit. I'm using some of this to go back to school for a career change and that feels good, like maybe things are turning around.

I'm retired and I play slots about twice a week at Lakewood—it's part of my routine, honestly. December was particularly slow, business was down and my grandson needed braces. I sat down at Buffalo Gold around noon, just played my usual routine with my regular bankroll. The free spins started triggering over and over, I kept getting this feeling like something was happening. When it finally finished and I saw that number, I had to sit there for a minute just staring. My wife and I are taking our first cruise this spring and I'm covering my grandson's dental work.

I played Three Card Poker maybe twice before, but my coworker was telling me it was his lucky game so I figured why not try it. I was there with a group of friends for a birthday celebration, so the mood was light and funny. I wasn't taking it too seriously, just laughing and throwing some money around. Then I got that straight flush and everyone at the table just went crazy—my friends were screaming louder than I was. I'm using this to finally fix my car and take my mom to that concert she's been wanting to see.