How to Win Rivers Casino Schenectady
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Rivers Casino Schenectady: Twinkling lights, a surreal atmosphere, and a chance to win some money—gambling in a casino can be really fun!
There are a few things you can do to help yourself have a more successful casino trip and hopefully leave with more money than you came with.
For example, setting a budget for yourself, leaving while you’re ahead.
And carefully choosing which games to play are all things that can bolster your winnings.
Rivers Casino & Resort – one of Schenectady’s top attractions – opened in 2017 and is part of the mixed-use Mohawk Harbor project.
Rivers Casino & Resort is operated by Rush Street Gaming, the same group that operates award-winning casinos in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Des Plaines, IL.

Rivers Casino Schenectady
Casino Highlights
Whether you prefer slots or table games, you’re sure to find the type of fun you’re looking for at Rivers Casino & Resort.
Features you can expect include:
- More than 1,100 slot machines from penny slots to High Limit slots
- Almost 70 table games including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, and Let It Ride
- A poker room with 15 tables
Making a Game Plan
Practice different games before heading to the casinos.
There are a lot of online programs that allow you to “gamble” without actually spending any money.
Spend some time practicing the different games you’d like to play when you get to the casino. Common casino games are:
- Poker
- Blackjack
- Slots
- Baccarat
- Roulette
- Craps
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Set a budget for yourself before you head to the casino.
Decide beforehand how much money you’re willing to spend, and assume that you aren’t going to win anything.
If you can, bring a set amount of cash with you with the intention that once it’s gone for the day, you’ll leave the casino.
- This helps you to win by reducing your chances of losing more and more money.
- Also, if you know you have a limited amount of funds, you’ll be more choosy when deciding which games to play.
- If you’re going gambling for several days in a row.
- Try putting your allotted gambling money into a separate envelope for each day—that way you won’t accidentally start using money that’s meant for the end of the week on a Monday!
Learn the layout of a casino by visiting during the day.
Casinos are designed to be disorienting—there are no clocks, no windows.
And the games are set into various labyrinth patterns so it’s easy to lose track of the time!
Take a trip to the casino during the daytime and take a look around when you won’t be distracted by the hustle and bustle of nighttime gambling.
- An added bonus of visiting when it’s less busy—you may be able to play a game while a dealer gives you a breakdown of the technical aspects.
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Stay hydrated and don’t consume too much alcohol.
You’re likely to spend more money and pay less attention to the games when you’re drinking alcohol, which is easy to do if the casino you’re at offers free drinks.
If you’re going to imbibe, try to pace yourself by having a glass of water between each alcoholic drink.
- It can be tempting to drink a lot of free complimentary beverages—but remember.
- Casinos are able to offer so much free alcohol because they’re calculating how much money they’re winning every day from people losing their games.
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Keep track of the time by wearing a watch or setting a phone timer.
The longer you stay at a casino, the higher the chances are that you’ll lose money—the odds are always in the house’s favor!
So set a time limit for several hours, and after that time, call it quits.
If you’ve won money, that’s great! If not, take a break and come back refreshed the next day.
- It’s so easy to lose track of time in a casino—and the longer you spend there.
- The more money you will be spending.
- If you have a budget and still have money left when your timer goes off, transfer that money over to the next day’s budget.
Leave while you’re ahead so you don’t risk losing your winnings.
If you win big, cash out and leave the casino.
The chances of you hitting a big winning streak, tempting though that is, are very, very low.
Casinos will want to keep you in there after you win so that they have a chance to win their money back.
Experts suggest cashing out and walking away after you’ve won.
- Some casinos will even start offering you free things: a room for the night, meals, and gifts, in an effort to get you to stay and play. It’s okay to accept the gifts (because who doesn’t want a complimentary room for the night?)—just remember to leave the gambling area!
Choosing and Playing Games
Avoid the bright, flashy games—they have the worst odds.
Instead, focus your attention on the dimmer, calmer games.
- For example, the wheel of fortune game and the slots are all very flashy because they have the worst odds.
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Choose table games over the slots for better odds at winning.
Head to the blackjack, baccarat, or craps tables for better chances at winning some money.
- If you love playing slots, set aside a smaller, specific amount of money that is just for them. That way, you can use the rest of your money on the table games while still getting to enjoy everything you like.
Place bigger bets for a higher payout.
Because the casino odds work in the house’s favor, the more times you place a bet, the higher the chances are that you’ll lose because you’ll be giving the house more opportunities for the odds to work in their favor. Placing several bigger bets decreases the house’s odds simply because you aren’t allowing them multiple opportunities to win your money.
- The house edge on blackjack is low, meaning you have the highest odds of winning, whereas its edge on games like the wheel of fortune or the slots is very high, about 2% for blackjack versus about 11% for the wheel of fortune.
Play poker at casinos that cater to tourists to win big.
Instead, focus on casinos where there are a lot of tourists (and hopefully slightly drunk tourists, too!).
- If you sit down at a table and the dealer is able to greet everyone by name, you should probably get up and switch to another game—unless you are a professional poker player!
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Choose calmer craps tables to make smarter bets.
Craps tables get loud—people watch the games, they get excited, and things get crowded. Try to keep your wits about you and stick with either the “pass line” or the “come” bet.
- Not familiar with craps? Look up some online tutorials and virtual games to get some experience before stepping into the fast-paced atmosphere of the craps table at a casino.
Look for a sloppy dealer in blackjack for a chance to get ahead.
Try to spot a dealer who looks less experienced and who maybe handles the cards with a little less expertise than the seasoned dealer.
The chances of them accidentally flashing a card as they deal is much higher, which gives you a huge edge.
- Happening to see a card dealt by a clumsy dealer that is different from counting cards, which is frowned upon.
Bet with the banker if you’re playing baccarat.
If you bet the banker and it wins, continue betting the banker until it doesn’t anymore.
- Baccarat is a really fast-paced game!
- Sometimes the dealers will get anywhere from 150-200 decisions per game, so practice playing ahead of time!
Look for “surrender” or “en prison” games when playing roulette.
Some roulette tables won’t offer these options, so check around for the ones that do before you start playing.
- Another good tip is to choose a table with only a single-zero slot rather than both single- and double-zero slots—again, this lowers the house’s odds by about half because the percentage of the house’s edge goes from about 5.25% to 2.7%.
Rivers Casino Schenectady
Place the highest bet if you’re going to play the slot machines.
You’ll go from about an 86% return to a 98% return when you place the highest bet possible.
So rather than playing the penny slots, choose a machine where you can bet $5, $10, or even $20.
- Slots are really all about chance. Everything is random by design, and just because a machine hasn’t paid out in a while doesn’t mean that it’s “due” for a big win. They’re fun to play, but nothing is guaranteed!
How do you pick a winning slot machine?
In general, it’s best to pick the machines with the highest payouts.
Search online to find specific machines that are known to have a high RTP (“return to player”).
Pay attention to volatility, too. Low volatility slots have a higher chance of winning.
But high volatility machines usually offer a bigger payout.
Check out comments and reviews by other people who have used the slot as well.
What casino game has the best chance of winning?
Most gambling experts agree that table games have better odds than slots, and Blackjack is the easiest of those to win.
If you play Blackjack, spend some time observing the game before you join in.
This will give you a better idea of the winning strategies.
If you go at a time that’s not really busy, you might also be able to get a basic walkthrough of the game from the dealer.
What happens when you win at a casino?
If it’s a big win (over $25,000), you’ll likely get an option to receive regular payouts from a settlement, or sell your settlement in exchange for a lump sum of cash.
Either way, you’ll need to pay taxes on the money you win.
For lower prizes, you may simply be offered cash or a check.
You’ll need to show your ID and fill out some tax forms in order to receive the money.
Rivers Casino Schenectady
More tips
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Remember that your visit to the casino should be fun!
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You’re there to have a good time and hopefully win some money.
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So try to enjoy yourself and relax within the parameters you’ve set up for yourself.
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If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, don’t be afraid to seek help.