There’s an old saying that goes, ‘the House always wins‘.

• Greenbrier Resort Poker Tournament
• Greenbrier Resort Poker Tournament
• Greenbrier Resort Poker Tournaments

And this isn’t far from the truth, because lets face it, the house does win more often than not. How else do you think those massive structures and all the staff running around inside them are financed? So when we hear about a casino that’s taken a bit of a beating at the hand of some big winners it does bring a smile to the face. And last month at West Virginia’s Greenbrier Casino Club this is exactly what happened.

The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. As a National Historic landmark, The Greenbrier Resort’s classic architecture, exquisite interior design, carefully sculpted landscape, impeccable service and outstanding amenities have hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778. Jennifer Garner mingled with the governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin, yesterday at the opening of the Greenbrier resort's new Casino Club. It was her latest evening out with husband Ben Affleck.

July was one of the casino’s busiest months since opening just on a year ago in terms of both patrons through the door and action at the tables. This was largely thanks to the resort’s hosting of the Greenbrier Classic from July 25 to 31 – a PGA Tour sanctioned golf tournament with a $6 million prize purse.

I bet Greenbrier resort management were licking their chops at the prospect of 150 or so deep-pocketed professional golfers (but novice gamblers) and a few thousand golf fans enjoying their casino’s hospitality. And no doubt most dropped some coin. But according to West Virginia Lottery reports, the casino lost $293,893 on its blackjack tables, $97,491 on its baccarat tables and $51,135 on roulette for the month. All due to big wins by a few individuals.

The exact amounts won and the individuals in question weren’t disclosed of course.

The wins must have been very big to put the casino in the red considering all other action at the tables…7 figure sums are surely conceivable.

As the identity of the high roller(s), I don’t want to start a totally unsubstantiated rumour, but join the dots on this…

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• a certain PGA pro known for his aggression at the casino tables was on the Greenbrier Classic starters list;
• that same pro missed the cut, leaving him with an unplanned, spare weekend at the end of July;
• his first name starts with a ‘J’;
• his second ends with a ‘Daly’.

The Casino Club at The Greenbrier is a fairly new addition to a historic resort facility. The Greenbrier is located in West Sulphur Springs, WV and can trace its roots back to 1858 when it was originally constructed. Through its long history, it has mainly been an exclusive resort and even hosted presidents including Dwight D Eisenhower. Since 1858, Greenbrier has underwent several renovations, while still keeping many of its historical elements. It did not offer any casino games until October of 2009, shortly after a local referendum was approved by local voters the previous year.

Today Greenbrier is an exclusive destination for gamblers and vacationers throughout the country. It now features a 103,000 square foot casino floor which is host to both table games and electronic games including video poker and slot machines. Aside from gambling, it also includes a golf course, spa, estate homes, exclusive resort-style rooms and a variety of top-notch dining facilities. This makes it not only a popular casino, but one of the most prestigious resorts in the North East.

Casino Club at The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier Casino Club is a little above my taste, and I have never personally been here. It does however include a gaming floor that measures over 100,000 square feet, which is fairly large when compared to other options in the area. The casino currently features over 300 slot machines in addition to 37 table games. Based on the size of the floor and amount of machines/tables, I would say that overall the games are somewhat spread out.

Besides these types of gambling options, since 2013 it has also featured simulcast horse and greyhound races from around the country which you are able to wager on. Its table game offering includes popular games like blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and three card poker. The gaming floor here is smoke-free and has a pretty strict dress code.

Even though the casino is somewhat upscale compared to many others, it does not only have high-limit options like you might expect. It is not uncommon for them to offer low-limit blackjack tables with minimum bet sizes of as little as $5. They do also obviously offer a high-limit room with table max’s that are pretty comparable to other casinos. One unique aspect that sets it apart from its competition is the fact that you must be a registered hotel guest to gamble here.

If you are looking to get in to the casino without staying here, you can also be an event attendee or purchase a yearly pass which start at a whopping $1,590 (annually). Owning or renting an estate home in the Greenbrier Sporting Club will also give you access to the casino. Homes generally start at around $1,000,000, so it is probably not a practical purchase, unless you are looking for an expensive home in the area. Rentals are also available, though I was unable to find pricing online.

Below is a short video from the Greenbrier’s YouTube channel that just gives you a general idea of the hotel and facilities here:

Restaurants, Dining and Bars at The Greenbrier

Since the Greenbrier’s main focus over the last 100+ years has been on the resort side of things, they have a lot to offer in the way of bars, restaurants and dining. It is currently host to dozens of food options, from breakfast, lunch and dinner to snacks and cafes. Needless to say, many of the dining facilities here have a strict dress code and tend to be up-scale. The food options at The Greenbrier range from your standard quick bites, like pizza, to dinning rooms and traditional restaurants. Below we have outline the various bar and dining options available here.

Restaurants

• The Greenbrier Gourmet
• Main Dining Room
• The Forum
• Prime 44 West
• In-Room Dining
• Draper’s
• Sam Snead’s
• Slammin’ Sammy’s

Cafes, Snacks & Quick Bites

• Cafe Carleton
• The Pizza Shoppe
• Draper’s Ice Cream Bar
• Tree Tops Cafe
• Rhododendron Terrace

Bars & Lounges

• JJ’s Sports Lounge
• Twelve Oaks
• Lobby Bar
• Greenbrier Royale
• 42 Below

Shops at The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is also well-known for its many shopping options. Throughout the resort you’ll find over 30 unique shops, ranging from nationwide brands like Ralph Lauren to local boutiques and gift shops. It is maybe most notable for The Art Colony Shops, which are located in the Alabama Row Cottages (near the North Entrance). These shops offer items made by local artisans on site, who work with materials including leather, wood, metals, glass and clay pottery. You can buy unique gifts here, or watch the artisans in action which if pretty unique.

Hotel at The Greenbrier

The hotel and resort at The Greenbrier offers a few different notable options when it comes to staying overnight. Since it is essentially a resort first and casino second, it places a bigger emphasis on comfort and amenities than it does casino games. With a history dating back over 150 years, the hotel accommodations here are world class. Though you might not expect it, some of these options are actually pretty affordable for the average casino enthusiast. All-in-all, the resort is able to accommodate over 400 people. Below we have outlined each option in greater detail.

Signature Resort Rooms

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The first, and most standard option in terms of the rooms available at The Greenbrier are the “Signature Resort Rooms.” This classification will include everything from your standard hotel rooms to more exclusive options like the Windsor Club (outlined below).

The Signature Resort Rooms include: classic suites, historic suites, The Windsor Club and guest rooms. Within each class of room, there are additional options ranging from a single room to multi-room suites. These will generally run you between $150 and $500 per night depending on the options you choose.

Legacy Cottages

The second option at The Greenbrier are the on-site cottages which include anywhere from 1-4 bedrooms capable of accommodating up to 10 people comfortably. This is an economical option if you are visiting with a large group and are splitting the costs, but not your best bet if visiting with 1-2 people.

This option is great for entertaining guests, as many of the larger cottages can accommodate over 100 people. A majority of cottages include a plethora of complimentary amenities from free drinks and snacks, to parking, flower arrangements, concierge, private tours and more.

Windsor Club

The next option is the exclusive Windsor Club which is located within the Virginia Wing. This section features only the most premier accommodations from better service to full dining rooms, private terraces and grand-staircases. Within the Windsor Club there are options including the Presidential Suite, Congressional Suite, premium rooms and standard rooms.

The largest, and most exclusive option, is by far the Presidential Suite. It has 7 bedrooms capable of fitting 14 people comfortably as well as a grand-staircase, private patio, grand piano, full dining room and living room. In addition to these amenities, you can expect to receive top-notch service from the staff.

Greenbrier Estate Homes

The last, and probably least practical option are the Greenbrier Estate Homes. These are large estates, which usually sell for upwards anywhere from $1,000,000 to $7,000,000. As you can imagine, they are not too economical if you are just looking for a quick vacation get-away. They can be rented (fully-furnished), and I would assume they are rather expensive given the pricing is not displayed on their website.

If you are looking for real-estate in the area, however, these estates do offer an added bonus; and that is exclusive access to the casino and resort. At the time of our review, the cheapest home in the area was around $495,000 with the most expensive estate asking $6.5 million.

Greenbrier Resort Poker Tournaments