just got back from a weekend at the harrah's casino in cherokee. this is the only casino i've ever been to, and the first time i've ever played with live cards. i went to this same casino back in 2010, and i must say it is much better now that they have actual table games.

i'm sure it doesn't compare to vegas or atlantic city, but good times were had by all. my group especially enjoyed the game ''let it ride'', and we recovered a good bit of the weekend's losses playing through last night

anyone ever won big at this joint?

4/7/2013 4:37:31 PM

The indians win big all the time.

4/7/2013 4:45:22 PM

largest hotel in NC. i was surprised how nice it was but i hate how much cigarette smoke is in there.

also, the hotel is ridiculously expensive. Like $300/night and always sold out months in advance. I have a friend who works there so i get some pretty good comp offers but id never pay their going rate and they have a lot of robberies in the parking lot and nearby motels so those aren't terrific options either.

world series of poker is coming through there soon, good time to visit if you are into poker

4/7/2013 4:58:47 PM

^that was going on this weekend. as a result, the casino was extremely crowded. probably our biggest gripe was the difficulty in finding places to sit, but what can you do.

4/7/2013 5:04:59 PM

I hear poker players there are horrendous, which is good to know for anyone experienced

I beard the same about the wsop circuit field there

4/7/2013 5:23:03 PM

Headed there again on Thursday night with some friends to play poker over the weekend. It is nice. Not Vegas nice but good enough for NC.

I won a grand at the craps table the first time I played there last fall. Laid a doller on the fire bet. Shooter hit all 6 points to win 1000:1. Fun watching them shut the table down for an hour to payout 22k to the table. Not fun since it happened at 11am on Sunday so no drinks to buy during the hour

[Edited on April 7, 2013 at 6:11 PM. Reason : ]

4/7/2013 6:09:26 PM

we love it there. go at least 2-3 times a year. We get vouchers for free nights at the hotel all the time... We have never paid to stay at the hotel.
One time I didn't have a voucher but called them and asked if I could get 2 free nights and they said yes. They are very accomodating.

Since they renovated it and expanded the casino, the new part of the hotel, and the parking deck, it is really awesome.

Plus, I love being able to leave the casino and go up newfound gap road and sight-see, plus at the other end is Gatlinburg (even though that road is currently closed b/c of a landslide)

FYI: Down the road in Maggie Valley is an awesome breakfast place called "Joey's pancake house".. I highly recommend it!

[Edited on April 7, 2013 at 8:32 PM. Reason : yep]

4/7/2013 8:30:22 PM

By down the road you mean 30 minutes away. That's the only problem with it. There is nothing else in the immediate area to do.

4/8/2013 11:43:55 AM

I'm part Cherokee...

Where my royalties at?

4/8/2013 11:45:31 AM

Always been curious to go, especially since the gf is from Hayesville, NC & we kinda pass the area every time we go visit her family. Seems like they have been getting some more relevant acts (Alicia Keys, Shinedown, etc.) to play up there as well.

4/8/2013 11:48:05 AM

Went there for my bachelor party weekend last month. Pretty cool place, I enjoyed it. I'm sure it doesn't compare to AC or Vegas but it's a hell of a lot closer. The hotel was booked up by the time my buddy made reservations so we had to stay across the road, but other than that it was pretty cool. My only gripe was the poker room--all the tables have video screens instead of actual dealers. Changed the dynamic a bit, for me at least. Would have strongly preferred dealers and actual cards in my hand.

They do have some pretty good entertainment options too. Blake Shelton played there the weekend I went.

4/8/2013 3:18:38 PM

Quote :

"but i hate how much cigarette smoke is in there."

Is it like this at ALL casinos?

I went to my first casino in Aruba about a month ago and the smoke was unbearable. I worked in bars in Wrightsville Beach before the smoking ban and I don't think I can ever be around that shit again.

4/8/2013 3:23:53 PM

^^ the live poker room just launched

4/8/2013 6:32:55 PM

^as of this past weekend, the low-limit poker tables still had screens and the high-limit tables now had live dealers.

as far as the cigarette smoke, it didn't bother me that much, despite all the people smoking. they must have a banging ventilation system.

[Edited on April 8, 2013 at 6:58 PM. Reason : .]

4/8/2013 6:55:20 PM

they are still training dealers but i think their plan for now is to keep the low limit games with no dealers.

People like that because you get twice as many hands in and don't have to tip the dealer or play with stupid jackpot bonuses that rob you.

But it's a major deterrent to the fish that's for sure.

4/8/2013 6:58:02 PM

Drove past it last year on vacation. Pretty sweet looking.

4/8/2013 7:12:13 PM

Yeah Maggie Valley is about 30 minutes down the road, but it really doesn't feel like that at all b/c the drive through the mountains to get there is pretty scenic and relaxing.

They have a pretty large non-smoking section. My wife had to stay in the non-smoking section in December b/c she was pregnant, so I stayed with her most of the time and I had no problem finding a variety of machines.

4/8/2013 8:01:23 PM

Quote :

"as far as the cigarette smoke, it didn't bother me that much, despite all the people smoking. they must have a banging ventilation system."

Didn't bother me much either and I liked the fact that I could walk around with a cigar. I'll enjoy a cigar every once in a while but I really don't like cigarettes at all.

4/8/2013 11:18:15 PM

just got back from another long day/night of playing. i have to work the actual 4th, but i wanted to at least do something fun for the holiday. went up early yesterday, came back early today, which was plenty. as opposed to the last time i went, where it was impossible to get a seat, it was not crowded in the least.

this place must be really catching on after they legalized live games. they have a lot more tables now, even since going a couple of months ago. i also heard they were planning on building another casino close to the georgia border.

anyone on here like craps? i played that for the first time yesterday and actually made a little money. it was so much fun, but was also very intimidating at first with the frantic and confusing betting.

[Edited on July 3, 2013 at 5:09 PM. Reason : .]

7/3/2013 5:06:09 PM

Thinking of heading to Cherokee soon. Is it worth staying at harrahs? I see there is a Hampton Inn 2 miles away.

10/18/2013 4:40:39 PM

Quote :

" i also heard they were planning on building another casino close to the georgia border"

Yep, they just broke ground on it in the last few days. It's going in behind/near the Walmart in Murphy I believe.

10/18/2013 4:44:14 PM

yes, it's definitely worth staying there. the hotel is really nice and is usually discounted if you have gambled with them before.

though, if you're planning on going on a fri or sat night, you have a 0% chance of getting a room at harrah's. it reads as being booked solid every weekend through december 2014. pretty sure they hold the rooms for higher rollers.

10/18/2013 5:30:06 PM

10/18/2013 5:33:11 PM

There is a holiday inn express across the street that's decent enough.

10/18/2013 5:47:18 PM

I agree, stay at Harrah's if at all possible. The rooms are nice (I prefer the new Creek tower) and the beds are comfortable...

Plus, you can easily walk down to the Casino/restaurants any time you want.

Here's a tip... If the weekend is booked (which it usually is), go anyway and gamble a little bit, then go up to the hotel and try and get a room. If they see you have been playing, they will sometimes "find" a room for you... Not guaranteed, but as someone mentioned earlier, they hold a lot of rooms for the high rollers and for folks who are actually playing...

Some folks just use the hotel for a nice place to stay in the mountains and don't even gamble.

10/18/2013 8:10:51 PM

Do they have single deck blackjack tables?

10/19/2013 8:54:57 AM

I'm heading up Sunday. Anyone been recently?

3/21/2014 10:14:46 PM

Was there in November, heading back two weeks from now for the wsop tournaments.

3/21/2014 10:15:58 PM

Let it ride is where I have most of my luck. I like that game a lot. First time I played it, I turned 80 into 400 in 20 minutes, and was hooked. I, of course lost it back down to 100, but that goes without saying

3/22/2014 8:07:30 AM

^^,^ any single deck black jack tables?

3/22/2014 9:54:12 AM

Last time I went everything in the main casino was pitched from a shoe 6-8 decks. Not sure about high limits.

So no single deck

^^let it ride is a fun game but terrible odds. I have a ton of fun with it though.

3/22/2014 11:18:19 AM

i was up there 2 weeks ago. up $450.
but that was all playing poker. the slot machines there are way tighter than other casinos so if that is your forte, then do not expect to come home a winner

3/22/2014 12:10:34 PM

I'll be there tonight. If I win big I'll buy TWW and ban ddd

1/29/2016 11:55:42 AM

^lol

1/29/2016 12:35:34 PM

^^ Fuck it I'll back you up on that. Lettuce mix some things up around here!!

1/29/2016 1:17:45 PM

What did I do?!?!?!

1/29/2016 2:20:58 PM

general asshattery

[Edited on January 29, 2016 at 2:24 PM. Reason : hey now and I discussed this last night on Xbox Live]

1/29/2016 2:22:54 PM

Update! I’ve been coming up here more rather than flying out to Vegas. The rooms are decent but no way worth 400 a night. I get comp rooms just about anytime Sun-Thur which works out well for my schedule. Also I have a ton of Hilton points so I can stay at the Hampton Inn for free if I can’t get a comp’d room at Harrahs.

10/5/2017 8:29:02 AM

^^^,^^^^ hey now got 'em

[Edited on October 5, 2017 at 9:02 AM. Reason : add another note]

10/5/2017 9:01:38 AM

http://newschannel9.com/news/local/marijuana-could-soon-be-legal-in-cherokee-north-carolina

anyone got an updated story?

10/5/2017 9:21:26 AM

Damn... but don't get too excited... they'll make it so only Native Americans can be cannabis patients.

Wonder what that means for Lumbees. Since they're pretendians, they may only be able to buy sopium.

10/5/2017 10:16:16 AM

That story is almost 18 months old. Any update? #lazy. I’m assuming this would only be legal for Cherokee residents

10/10/2017 10:30:26 PM