Riverwind Casino Norman | 2,000+ Slots, Live Tables & Hotel Rooms

I'd been coming to Riverwind for about two years, usually on Friday nights after work just to unwind for an hour or so. Nothing crazy, just $20 here and there. That night I was actually thinking about heading home early because I was tired, but I decided to play one more machine. Hit the progressive on the Buffalo Gold machine and I just froze—couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. My hands were shkaing so bad I could barely press the button to call the attendant. I'm using it to finally put a down payment on a house. Been renting my whole life.

I'm not really a gambler—went with my buddy who wanted to try the tables. I sat down at blackjack mostly to keep him company while he played poker. Next thing I know, I'm on a crazy hot streak, getting blackjacks and doubling down at exactly the right moments. The dealer kept busting and I'm just running with it. After about 45 minutes I cashed out before my luck turned, which it always does. That money paid off my truck early and I'm putting the rest toward my kids college fund.

I've been playing poker seriously for five years, grinding cash games mostly. The Riverwind tournament had a decent field that weekend so I decided to enter, even though $1,500 buy-ins are steep for me. Made some good reads, stayed patient when I needed to, and just kept my cool through the later stages. Final table was intense but I played my position well and managed to take it down. My girlfriend cried when I told her—we're finally moving out of state so I can pursue poker full-time instead of working retail.

My mom had just passed a few weeks before and I was honestly in a dark place. My sister dragged me out to Riverwind to get me out of the house for the evening. I was just sitting at the roulette wheel killing time, not really paying attention, when I decided to put money on red—my mom's favorite color. It hit twice in a row and I just started playing methodically, keeping my emotions in check. Won enough to finally take that trip to Ireland we always talked about before she got sick. I'm bringing her ashes with me.

Was there celebrating my retirement with some coworkers—we'd all worked together for 20+ years at the plant. I wasn't really planning to play much, just wanted to grab dinner and maybe a drink. But one of the guys convinced me to try a few spins on the slot machine next to him. Got the bonus feature on Buffalo Gold and the free spins just kept going and going. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Using it to take my wife on a proper honeymoon—we never got one when we got married 32 years ago.

I play a lot of three card at home with friends so I figured I'd give the table game a shot on my birthday. Wasn't expecting to have the kind of night I had—caught some incredible hands and the dealer seemed to struggle against my calls. I was up and down a few times but managed to leave with a serious chip stack. Probably my best decision was knowing when to cash out while I was ahead. My brother and I are using the money to start a contracting buisness together—been talking about it for years.