Casino Fandango Carson City | 1,000+ Slots, Table Games & Award-Winning Dining

I'd been coming to Fandango for about two years, just playing small amounts on my lunch breaks from the warehouse. That Friday I was down to my last $40 and decided to give it one more shot on the progressive machine near the cafe. When those symbols lined up, I actually thought the machine was broken because the numbers kept climbing. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hit the cashout button. I told my wife I was taking the money and finally getting her that kitchen remodel she's been wanting and paying off the truck.

I was at the table around midnight with a friend who was visiting from out of state. We'd been playing casual hands for maybe an hour when I got a natural blackjack three times in a row—honestly couldn't believe it. The deaelr was great about it, kept encouraging me to let it ride. By the time I cashed out, I was actualy shaking a little. First thing I did was call my daughter and tell her I could finally help pay for her college tuition without taking out loans.

I'd been playing in the tournament circuit for five years, never cashed more than eight grand before. This November tournament had about seventy players and I just felt different that day—made good reads, stayed patient, didn't chase hands. When I made it to heads up and won that final hand, I just sat there for a second before it registered. The whole room erupted and I remember thinking about my mom, who always believed I could do this. I'm using it to open a small poker coaching business and setting the rest aside for retirement.

I was celebrating my 50th birthday with my sister, and we decided to try roulette just for fun since neither of us really knows the game. I put some chips on red and my birthday number, 17, mostly as a joke. The ball landed on 17 and I screamed so loud the pit boss came running over. My sister was jumping up and down calling everyone over—it was pure chaos in the best way. I've never won anything significant before, so I'm being smart and putting most of it in savings for retirement in a few years.

I work nights at the hospital and I like to unwind here on my days off, usually just killing a couple hours. I was playing Buffalo Gold, barely paying attention really, just enjoying the peace and quiet of the casino during the afternoon. Suddenly the machine goes crazy with sounds and lights—I thought I'd hit it for maybe five grand based on the screen. When the attendant came over and counted it all out, I couldn't speak for like thirty seconds. I'm taking my family on a real vacation for the first time in a decade, somewhere tropical.

I was at the casino with my husband for our anniversary weekend, just trying something new instead of our usual slots. He suggested Three Card Poker and I was skeptical but figured why not. I kept getting strong hands and I hit a straight flush on one of my first big bets—the whole table started clapping. My husband said it was the best anniversary gift I could've given myself, and we laughed about how I'd been worried about going broke. We put half toward home repairs that we've been putting off and are taking a nice trip with the other half.