My friend always used to have a saying when it came to gambling: the (roulette) wheel always comes back around.

It's a funny saying, but more times than not, it's true. If you're having the hottest streak of your life, whether it's table games or sports wagering, odds are, the house will start to earn their money back, one way or another. Conversely, if you're on a cold streak, that one bet can change everything for the better.

Sometimes, however, the wheel comes back around more often than it doesn't, and that's when the winnings begin to pile up.

Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady has seen its fair share of big winners, but there are a few stories of winners who have risen above the rest. Here is a selection of stories of those people: the winningest nights on-record at Rivers right here in the Capital Region.

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$500K on a Single Hand of Poker

Unsplash / Michał Parzuchowski
Unsplash / Michał Parzuchowski
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Possibly the most impressive win at Rivers ever, an unnamed man won $497,152 on a SINGLE HAND of three-card poker, according to an article from The Times Union in 2017. The man went royal on every at Rivers, pulling a 10, a king, and ace of spades, which combined with a queen and jack of spades to make a royal flush, according to the article.


East Greenbush Man Wins Nearly $300K

Unsplash / Michał Parzuchowski
Unsplash / Michał Parzuchowski
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This time, we can put a name to the winnings. The name was Paul Harter Jr., a man from East Greenbush, NY, who was also playing three card poker. A simple $5 bet netted $295,331.45 on a royal flush, according to an article from WNYT. This happened just under a year ago, back in July of 2021.


Post-COVID Re-Opening Starts with a Massive Win

Unsplash / Apolo Photographer
Unsplash / Apolo Photographer
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It had been just a few weeks since Rivers had re-opened its doors due to COVID-19, and yet, a guest was still able to win a massive hand. Same song and dance as before, as a three card poker hand yielded a royal flush, and the unknown bet yielded $272,228 in winnings, according to an article from CBS6 Albany.


Massachusetts Man Wins Over the Border in NY

Unsplash / Pranjall Kumar
Unsplash / Pranjall Kumar
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Back in 2019, a man named Jeffrey, dressed in a "pineapple print dress shirt", was playing Mississippi Stud Poker at Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady. As it turned out, he was the stud after all, as a $5 wager led to a massive win on a Royal Flush. The winnings totaled $352,778, according to Rivers' official website.


Overall Winnings at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady

According to a report from The Daily Gazette, the first ten months of 2021 yielded massive earnings for Rivers. On electronic gaming machines alone, $1.21 billion was played by guests, and $1.09 billion was won back.

That's $106 million in revenue on those games alone.

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