Choctaw Travel Plaza Durant West | 500+ Slots, Table Games & Full-Service Dining

I was just killing some time on a Thursday afternoon, playing the same machine I always do when I visit Durant. My wife was at the gift shop, and I'd been down about $300 that day, so honestly I was ready to call it quits. Then suddenly the lights just went crazy—bells, sirens, everything. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. I actually had to sit down for a minute because my hands were shaking so bad. We're using some of it to finally fix up the back porch, and the rest is going straight to savings.

I was playing blackjack with my buddy Tom, just a casual night out like we do every few months. The dealer kept busting, and I kept hitting lucky hands—21, 20, 19. Tom kept joking that I had the magic touch that night. By the time I cashed out, I couldn't stop laughing. My daughter's been talking about college, so that money's going to help with her tuition. It feels good to actually be able to contribute sometihng meaningful.

I signed up for the tournament kind of on a whim—hadn't played in one for about five years. Made it to the final table and my heart was pounidng the whole time. When I won that last hand, I just sat there for a second trying to process it. The other guys were shaking my hand congratulating me, and I'm thinking this can't be real. I'm paying off the house early and taking my family on a trip we've been planning forever.

I had just gotten out of a rough breakup and my sister convinced me to get out and have some fun. We were at the roulette wheel, and I decided to put money on my lucky number—it's my birthday. The ball landed right on it. I screamed so loud people came running over thinking something was wrong. My sister hugged me and we just kept laughing. I'm using it to move into my own place, fresh start and all that.

I was there with my nephew who was visiting from out of state. He'd never been to the casino before, and I was showing him around. I jumped on this Buffalo Gold machine real quick while he was grabbing a drink. Hit the bonus round and everything just exploded into this big win. My hands were literally shaking when I hit the cash out button. We celebrated with a nice dinner that night, and I'm putting the rest toward my truck—it's been needing some work.

I was nervous at first—never played Three Card Poker before, but the dealer explained the rules real patient-like. I started playing small and just kept winning hand after hand. The lady next to me kept saying I had beginner's luck. I was up and down a bit, but when I finally cashed out, I couldn't believe the number. My dog needs some dental work that's expensive, and this covers that plus a little extra for my retirement account.