Pleasants-Lewis says $500 was her biggest payday as a bowler before her recent performance in Las Vegas, where she claimed a $40,000 first prize. Terri Pleasants-Lewis won four straight matches against male opponents to win the National Amateur Bowling Incorporated (NABI) title. Las Vegas is known for gambling, but it was skill, not luck, that enabled a Richmond woman to claim a fortune in the Nevada desert.

Theresita "Terri" Pleasants-Lewis returned from the "Entertainment Capital of the World" $40,000 ahead, without having to chance the slot machines or roll the dice.

A long-time fashion model and a 28-year employee of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Pleasants-Lewis struck gold July 18 in Vegas' Orleans Hotel/Casino/Bowling Center.

Winning four straight matches against male opponents, Pleasants-Lewis captured the National Amateur Bowling Incorporated (NABI) title.

It was a jittery joy ride, to say the least.

"I was so nervous," she said, "that I asked permission to use the bathroom after each round."

In the final, the 48-year-old left-hander used four straight strikes to oust Willie Andrews 259-233 in the handicap event.

Another string of four consecutive strikes enabled Pleasants-Lewis to edge Joey Arata 195-184 in the semifinals.

With a handicap of 38, she parlayed scratch totals of 161, 175, 194 and 221 into her best payday ever -- by far.

"The most I'd ever won before was $500," she said.

Sound investment: Pleasants-Lewis, who bowls locally at Shrader Lanes and Bowl America, invested $280 to enter nationals, plus another $25 for the progressive pot.

The top prize was $30,000, with another $10,000 tacked on for the progressive pot.

She qualified for nationals via success in area Tournament of Champion stepping stones.

Sharing the wealth: It wasn't until some time later, after officials had tabulated the scoring, that Pleasants-Lewis officially was notified of her jackpot.

"I was so shocked," she said. "All I could say was, 'Thank you Jesus!'"

With that thought in mind, she promises to contribute 10 percent of her earnings to the First Baptist Church of South Richmond.

She also plans to become debt free, pay back her husband (Matthew) for his support and "invest in my retirement."

Those receiving big hugs included her coach, Ron Simms Jr., training partners Brian Funnell and Mike Crawley, and "Big Mo" of Orbdriller's Pro Shop.

Pleasants-Lewis' Vegas luggage included five, 14-pound Ebonite Gamebreakers.

Easy on the eyes: If anyone can look good in a bowling shirt, it's Pleasants-Lewis.

For much of her life, she has modeled clothing, with Green's Extravaganza Modeling Group and the Miller & Rhodes Tea Room among her employers.

She's been backing off of modeling gigs of late, yet she says "once a model, always a model."

Maybe it's the on-stage background that enables Pleasants-Lewis to maintain composure in front of a crowd with the pressure-cooker humming.

Her local league average is a modest 172.

But in Vegas, with the money on the table, she pumped up and cashed in.

"I like the challenge of having to produce when it counts," she said.