Regency Casino Laughlin | 600+ Slots, Table Games & Fine Dining

I was just killing time on a Tuesday afternoon, figured I'd play a few dollars on the Buffalo machines since they've always been my thing. Honestly I wasn't even paying close attention—I was thinking about my truck that needs new brake pads. Then the lights started going crazy and I just froze. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely push the cash out button. I kept saying 'no way, no way' over and over. I'm putting half toward the truck repairs and the rest going into savings for my daughter's college, finally.

I've been coming to Regency for years, usually just weekends with my buddies, and we always sit at the same blackjack table. That night I was down about two hundred dollars and seriously considering calling it a night. The dealer was pushing out cards and I had a sixteen—normally that's when you just hope for the best. Got a five, made my twenty-one, and things just started clicking. Four hands in a row, then five. By the end of the night I couldn't even process what was happening. My friend Mike was jumping out of his chair. I'm paying off some credit card debt and taking the family to Hawaii this summer.

I've been playing poker seriously for about five years, always qualified for tournaments online but never placed big in person until November. I was nervous walking into the tournament room—there was real money on the table and people who clearly knew what they were doing. Stayed focused, made some good calls when it mattered, and by the final table I could feel something different happening. When I won that last hand, I acutally teared up a little. Used the winnings to open a small sports bar I'd been dreaming about for years.

My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary—we try to get to Laughlin once a year to feel fancy for a weekend. We were at roulette just having fun, betting small amounts and laughing at our own bad predictions. I put twenty bucks on red just picking it randomly, and it hit. Then I did it again out of pure luck. My heart was going insane and I kept squeezing his arm. We couldn't believe what was happening—felt like someone was playing a prank on us. We used some of it for home renovations and the rest went into our retirement account.

I was recovering from shoulder surgery and my therapist sugested I do some light activity to get out of the house. Figured Regency was close enough and low-pressure. Sat down at Buffalo Gold because that game's pretty mindless, you don't have to think too much. Wasn't really paying attention until suddenly the machine went crazy with the bonus round hitting. I remember looking around to see if anyone else was seeing this. The payout seemed impossible at first—I thought maybe I was misreading the screen. Ended up using it to finally fix my back porch that's been falling apart for two years.

My coworker kept talking about how she'd won at Three Card Poker, so when I was at the casino with my sister we decided to give it a try. I had no idea what I was doing—just following what my sister said about when to fold or play. Within an hour I'd turned my initial hundred bucks into something I couldn't have imagined. My sister was screaming louder than I was. I was laughing in disbelief and feeling kind of light-headed. Put most of it toward my car payment so I could finally get my old Honda paid off.