I decided to take advantage of an offer from Harrah’s Cherokee River Valley last week. The casino is located just outside of Murphy, North Carolina. It is about two hours north of the metro Atlanta area. It also gave me a chance to visit with my family before the holidays as I am from Atlanta.

Harrah's Cherokee Casinos are one step closer to sports betting with the recent agreement between the State of NC and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In the final steps of this process, the gaming. Free breakfast isn't provided at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, but cooked-to-order breakfast is offered for a fee of between USD 10.00 and USD 25.00 per person. It's available every day from 6:00.

The Harrah’s offer was two $150 free play coupons, free hotel, and a $25 food voucher. The $150 free play coupons go directly into a slot or video poker machine as if it was a ticket. It must be wagered one time before it can be cashed out.

The first free play coupon ended on December 14, while the second started on the 15th. The time the offers start and end is midnight. This created the opportunity to receive $300 on this trip.

I got this offer from visiting Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in June. I’ve received them every month since. My previous action was mostly video blackjack with some odd play on some bad video poker games like Shamrock 7’s. I even played some video keno to mix it up. I booked a moderate win on that trip.

1. Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel The room was clean and the casino was clean but the payout from the slot machines was the worst I ever been to I lost a lot of money. Only a couple places.
2. Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort Concerts & Entertainment Come out and play with great concerts, shows and big name entertainment at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River offers little more than gambling. There is a small hotel. There are five fast food outlets; Starbucks, Earl of Sandwich, Panda Express, Papa John’s, and Nathan’s Famous. There is no entertainment or sit-down dining options. There is a small Diamond Lounges where drinks are half price. Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River and its larger sister casino do not comp drinks. Total Rewards points may be used.

Games Available at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

There is a variety of games at Cherokee. Many are the same slots and Games Kings found in Las Vegas. Table games like craps, roulette, real money blackjack, Three Card Poker, and Mississippi Stud are also there.

There are some machines that are rare outside the North Carolina Harrah’s casinos. These are Pot O’ Gold devices. Most are video poker and keno games with bad pay tables. These include 6/5 Jacks or Better where quads only pay 15-1, and Deuces Wild that only pays three on a full house and shorts a deuces royal flush.

The most popular game on these machines is Shamrock 7’s. This is a joker game that has a bonus feature when making three or more 7’s. The player chooses one of three pots of gold for a bonus of six to thirty times the bet. The progressive jackpot, which resets at only 500 bets, is five of a kind.

Real money keno games on these devices require skill, so to speak. The game drops 10 numbers and asks the player if he wants to double the bet. Once that decision is made, the other 10 numbers drop.

Video Blackjack Best Game at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

There are video blackjack games on separate Pot O’ Gold machines. This version is much better than the live blackjack.

The rules are single deck with the dealer standing on all 17’s. Blackjack pays 3-2. Players can double down on 9, 10 and 11. Double down after splitting is not allowed. Pairs may only be split one time. Split aces may be hit.

The player automatically wins on a six-card charlie. If the dealer hits six cards, he must stand. This last rule is quite odd. If you stand on 13 and the dealer makes 16, you lose. On the other hand, if you stood on 17, you’d win. It doesn’t come up often.

This video blackjack machines only pays one Total Rewards point for every $45 wagered. That’s 4.5 times worse than the rest of the machines. However, the game triggers mailers for free play. The bet range is $2 to $50. It’s possible to achieve Diamond from daily tier point bonuses. It’s far more difficult to do it without these. Dedicated players can make Seven Stars on about 15-20 visits.

This video blackjack game is lightning fast. It’s possible to play about 1,500 hands an hour. Each hand only takes two to five seconds.

Blackjack – There are two live blackjack games. Both permit double down on any two cards and after splitting. The $10 game hits soft 17. The $50 game in the high limit room stands on it.

Roulette – The roulette is double zero. Craps is 10 times odds. The Field only pays double on 12.

Here is a list of all table games at Harrah’s Cherokee:

• Six-deck blackjack H17: $10-$1,500 (26)
• Six-deck blackjack S17: $50-$3,000 (3)
• Double Zero Roulette: $10-$300 (6)
• Baccarat: $25-$5,000 (8)

• High Card Flush: $5-$200 (3)
• Craps: $10-$3,000 (4)
• Three Card Poker: $10-$300 (4)
• Mississippi Stud: $5-$25

Harrah's Casino Cherokee Nc

• Double Zero Roulette: $5-$100 (1)

The Game Kings in high limit have two reasonable games. One is 8/5 Bonus Poker. The other is 9/6 Double Double Bonus. The denominations are $2 and $5.

Original Harrah’s Cherokee

The original Harrah’s Cherokee is about one hour east of the one in Murphy and is a different world. It has exponentially more tables and machines. It also offers a bowling alley, spa, entertainment complex, spa, poker room, buffet, and higher end restaurants. The blackjack rules are the same except at there is one double deck game in high limit.

Harrah’s Cherokee Table Game Inventory:

• Six-deck Blackjack H17: $10-$1,000 (54)
• Six-deck Blackjack S17: $50-$2,000 (11)
• Double Deck Blackjack H17: $50-$2,000 (1)
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em: $5-$200 (2)
• High Card Flush: $5-$200 (2)
• Mississippi Stud: $5-$25 (4)
• EZ Pai Gow Poker: $5-$1,000 (1)
• Big Wheel: $10-$100 (2)

• Double Zero Roulette: $10-$300 (11)
• Craps: $10-$3,000 (9)
• Baccarat: $25-$5,000 (5)
• Three Card Poker: $10-$300 (8)
• Let it Ride: $10-$300 (8)
• Crazy 4 Poker: $10-$200 (2)
• Stadium Baccarat: $25-$1,000 (1)
• Stadium Double Zero Roulette: $5-$300 (1)

• Stadium 6-5 Blackjack: $1-$100 (1)
• Stadium Double Zero Roulette: $.25-$100 (1)
• Double Zero Roulette: $0.25-$325 (1)

One Final Victory Before Leaving

I booked another moderate win at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. It came from the video blackjack game and a $400 royal flush at Shamrock 7’s.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is a casino located just outside of Murphy, North Carolina. Though it is owned by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, it is operated by Caesars Entertainment through a partnership agreement. The property is fairly new, having opened just a few years ago, on September 28, 2015. It is one of two North Carolina casinos that are operated by Caesars Entertainment and owned by the Cherokees with the other property being about an hour away in Cherokee, NC.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is about one hour closer to most parts of Atlanta than its sister casino. This helps attract players from northern Georgia and Chattanooga that can make a day trip work better with the closer casino location.
The property is home to 300 hotel rooms, a food court with six dining options, a Diamond Lounge and two casino bars that serve cocktails. One of the bars is in a non-smoking part of the casino.

Casino at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

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There are 55 live table games, 13 electronic table games and 700 gaming machines made up of video poker and slots. Most areas of the casino permit smoking, but there is a handful of table games and a small slots section located by the food court that are non-smoking.

Pot O’ Gold Machines

Are Drinks Free At Harrah's Cherokee

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River and its sister casino in Cherokee are one of the few casinos in the country that still spread Pot O’ Gold video poker machines. The most popular game on these devices is Shamrock 7’s; a Joker Poker game with a bonus round for making three of more sevens. The machine goes to a bonus screen where the player chooses a pot of gold. The winning pot ranges from 6x to 30x the original bet. The jackpot for this game is any five of a kind. A royal flush, whether natural or with a joker, pays the same.
Being multi-game machines, Pot O’ Gold have several other options. These include Toucheasy Keno, Powerball Keno, Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Wild Jokers. The pay tables on these games are typically lower than the Game Kings found throughout the casino. However, the jackpots for these games are much higher. Keno players hit the jackpot by making 8 out of 8 or 9, 9 out of 9 or 10 or 10 out of 10. The video poker jackpots of Pot O’ Gold machines require a royal flush, except in games with a joker where it is four of a kind.
There is a bank of 10 heads-up video blackjack machines on Pot O’ Gold Devices. These are the best video blackjack games in the country. It is single deck that reshuffles every time. The dealer stands on all 17s. Players can double down on 9, 10 and 11 on the first two cards but not after splitting. Pairs may only be split once, split aces may be hit and the player automatically wins if making a six-card hand that does not bust.
If the dealer makes a six-card hand without busting, it must stand with whatever it has. These games require $45 in coin-in for one Total Rewards point. The betting limits are $2 to $50. All bets on this game must be in $2 increments. That is because the original software is programmed to use dollar coins.

Game King Machines

There are several banks of Game King machines. These devices spread video poker in the 97 to 98 percent range. Keno is also on them. Some have Ultimate X. Otherwise, the remaining games on the floor at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River are slots.

Table Games

Harrah's Cherokee Casino Coupons

There are 55 table games at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Blackjack is the most popular game. All blackjacks pays 3-2 (this applies to live and video games).
There are 26 $10-$1,500 tables that use eight decks. Players may double down before and after splitting. The dealer hits soft 17.
There are four six-deck blackjack tables in the high limit salon. The limits there are $50 to $3,000. The dealer stands on all 17s here. Otherwise, the rules are the same as there is no surrender or re-split aces at either Harrah’s in North Carolina.
There are six double zero roulette tables with $10 to $1,500 limits. Eight tables of baccarat have $25 to $5,000 limits. High Card Flush is spread on three tables with bets from $10 to $200. Four tables of Three Card Poker take action from $10 to $300.
One table of Mississippi Stud is available. The minimum bet is $5. The maximum is $25.
There are four craps tables with 10 times odds. The Field pays double on 12. Bets from $10 to $3,000 are accepted.
There are three multi-player video table games. There is $1 to $700 Big Wheel. A double zero roulette machine takes bets from $5 to $100. Multi-player video blackjack is offered with $5 to $500 limits. The dealer hits soft 17 on it. Players may double down before and after splitting, as well as surrender.

Total Rewards Player Program

While not owned by Caesars Entertainment, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River still uses its Total Rewards players club. Players earn one tier credit and reward credit for every $5 played on slots and $10 on video poker. Video table games require $45 in coin-in for every point. Table games use a formula that computes the average bet size, length of play, speed of game and house edge.
New players receive $50 in free play at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. This offer is only open to customers that have never had a Total Rewards Card.
Players start at Gold in the Total Rewards program. After earning 5,000 points in a calendar year, Platinum is achieved. This gives players line passes at the cage and players club, and for those that travel, free parking in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Diamond is where the benefits substantially increase. These guests receive access to the Diamond Lounge, though in some markets players with fewer than 25,000 tier points may be required to pay $10 in points for entry. Diamond players do not pay resort fees and get line passes in larger Caesars Entertainment markets. There is an annual $100 birthday celebration dinner that can be used at any Caesars Entertainment property.
Seven Stars is the top tier in Total Rewards. This is achieved at 150,000 annual points. These players always get the best rooms and never wait in line. There is also early check-in and late checkout. The annual birthday celebration dinner is $500 that can be used at any of the company’s properties. There is also an annual $1,200 Caesars vacation available with a $500 dining credit on that trip. Seven Stars players can transfer the status to one friend, too.
Active players receive mailers with free play which are sent as tickets that slots accept. However, they can also be printed on the Total Rewards kiosks. These typically are equal amounts available two or three times a month. There are special free play days, typically on a Sunday or Monday, where guests can double their free play. There is often a day or two each month with bonus tier or reward credit bonuses.
There is a way to speed up the Total Rewards ladder. A player that earns 500 tier points in a day receives 125 bonus ones. A player that earns 1,000 in a day receives an additional 1,000. Players that reach 2,500 in a day get a 5,000 tier bonus, while 5,000 tier credits in a day get 10,000. This last example is what Total Rewards calls “Diamond in a day.”

Dining & Restaurants at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

The dining selection at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is small. There is just a food court. Minors are permitted in it.
The options are Earl of Sandwich, Panda Express, Starbucks, Papa John’s Pizza, Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips and Nathan’s Famous. Guests looking for a full-service dining experience will need to travel to Murphy, which is five minutes down the road.

Venues & Hotspots at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

There are no amenities at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River beyond two bars and the Diamond Lounge. There is a bar in the smoking area and another near the food court. There is also a beverage station by the bus entrance.
The Diamond Lounge is located between the casino cage and food court. Diamond players receive half off drinks in there. Beer is generally $2, well drinks are $3, with calls and top-shelf liquor being $4 or $5. There are many high-end liquors for sale in the Diamond Lounge where the discount also applies. It is open from 3 PM to 10 PM on weekdays and 3 PM to midnight on weekends. Food is served from 5 PM to 9 PM daily.

Hotel at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

Harrah's Cherokee Casino Closed

There are 300 hotel rooms at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. The available rooms are one king or two queens. The trims are luxury and premium. The premium room includes a sofa with a pull-out bed. All rooms have a safe, mini-refrigerator, hair dryer and television. Wireless internet is available for purchase. Nightly rates start at $99 per night on weeknights and $299 on weekends. It is worth noting that unlike properties in Las Vegas, there is no resort fee at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.