Red Dragon Casino Mountlake | 500+ Slots, Tables & Prime Local Gaming Destination

I was just killing time on a Thursday afternoon, had called in sick to work because honestly I needed a mental health day. Sat down at the Dragon's Fortune machine around 2 PM, started with $40 in my pocket. Next thing I knew the whole thing was lighting up and people were looking over. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely look at the screen. I told my wife that night and she actually cried—we'd been stressed about our daughter's medical bills, and this takes care of it. We're paying that off and putting half toward her college fund.

I've been playing blackjack at Mountlake for maybe five years, regular Friday night thing after work. That particular night I was actually down about $800 and thinking about heading home early. Dealer kept busting I kept hitting 17 and 18, cards were just falling right. When I hit $89K I actually stood up and walked away—my buddy thought I was joking. First thing I did was pay off my truck, then booked a fishing trip to Alaska that I've been talking about forever.

The November tournament had about 140 people, mostly serious players. I'd been studying poker strategy for months, watching videos online, practicing at home. Got to the final table and my heart was pounding, but I stayed focused and played tight. Final hand came down between me and this guy from Seattle—I had pocket Kings, he went all in with Ace-Jack. His card didn't come. I just sat there for a minute not beleiving it. This money is letting me quit my job and pursue poker full-time, which sounds crazy but I'm committed to it now.

My mom passed away two months before and I was really struggling. My sister suggested we go to the casino to get my mind off things. I was just spinning the wheel to have some fun with her, nothing serious, barely keeping track of my bets. Hit red 23 three times in a row—I remember my sister actually grabbed my arm and was screaming. I felt like my mom was there with me somehow, which sounds silly but that's what it felt like. I'm using the money to take a trip to Hawaii where she always wanted to go, and I'm bringing my sister.

I work construction, was there in early December taking a break from the holiday rush. I don't usually play slots but the machine had this gold buffalo theme and something just caught my eye. Threw in $100 and hit the bonus round on like my eighth spin. The way that thing went off, bells and whistles everywhere, I thought I was dreaming. Took me about two minutes to realize it was actually real. My kids are getting a real Christmas now instead of me worrying about making rent and that means everything to me.

My girlfriend and I were there for our anniversary weekend, just trying to have fun and not think too hard about the money. I played Three Card Poker because the rules are simple and I like the pace. Got the Pair Plus bonus twice in a row, then hit a straight flush on like my fifth hand. I couldn't stop laughing, kept saying 'no way, no way.' She won some money playing slots too so we felt lucky together. We used it to extend our trip an extra two nights and didn't feel bad about it.