Harrah's Cherokee Poker Room

[pokeraddict]

This is in response to Paul in another thread but figured it needed its own thread.

For Paul and anyone else curious here is the scoop on Harrah's Cherokee poker room. For those unfamiliar with this casino it is at the base of the Blue Ridge Pky in western North Carolina. It is about 2 hours north of Atlanta and 45 minutes southwest of Asheville NC. It is the only casino in any state it borders as far as I know so it has a bit of a monopoly, to my knowledge there isnt a state that borders North Carolina that even has legal video poker so it has a good draw. In my opinion it is a disgrace to Harrah's name. It is all video poker, video keno, video blackjack, slots and a "never ever" craps machine that is in dire need of repair. The selection of video poker is terrible, as well as the payouts and many of the machines are broken in some way. It is literally the graveyard of now illegal machines from Georgia (banned video poker in 2002) and South Carolina (banned video poker in 2000) as well as some 20 year old IGT machines no longer desirable to "real" casinos. Most of the machines in the casino are manufactured in states with no gaming regulations. The main machine, the old Pot O Gold's are manufactured in Georgia, a state that doesnt even allow video poker anymore, mush less ever regulate the manufacture.

In October 2004 Harrah's Cherokee broke ground on a poker room with real cards, no games at this casino have been allowed to use real cards, they are all video. Harrah's felt this was covered under the bingo part of their gaming pact. This pact did not allow any games with cards, the games must require skill (although several of the new slots and the video craps dont seem to require any skill) and the game must otherwise be legal in North Carolina. North Carolina allows video poker across the state but the payouts are limited to $10 in merchandise per transaction. Something that is abused across the state but widely ignored it seems. There are Pot O Gold's everywhere with the famous Shamrock 7's as well as other low payout games, the exact same ones offered at Harrah's Cherokee. These Pot O Gold machines are not approved in any casino state.

The fact that the gaming pact forbids them from using cards and makes them have to offer games that are already legal in North Carolina makes the poker room not fit in to either category. There will have to be a law passed in North Carolina allowing poker for the entire state or the entire gaming pact must be renegotiated. This would require approval from the governor, the secretary of the interior as well as the chairman of the National Indian Gaming. I asked a suit there a couple of months ago and they said "we hope to have it open in 2006 as it appears the state will not approve it this year." Also keep in mind the powerful NC video poker lobby is against this poker room. The more of a draw Cherokee has the more money the video poker machine owners lose to Cherokee.

[Zacaroni]

To my understanding, it is on an Indian reservation covered under federal law, not state. Still the worse Harrah's around. I would like to see a poker room though. I haven't heard nothing about that. I live about 1 1/2 hrs. away in the TN valley. It's NW af Asheville, not SW.

[pokeraddict]

I am 99% sure Indian reservations must have gaming pacts with the state they are located in. I am 100% sure this is the case for Cherokee. This is why they only have video poker. This is their agreement with the state of North Carolina.

Also this sure does look SW on Asheville to me. WSW I guess.

[mary]

The Cherokee's video blackjack tables act mathematically just like paper blackjack--they can even set the parameters to offer a countable game, if they want to.

They could have poker if they installed poker tables that were the same i.e., digital representations of paper cards. That's how these same blackjack tables are regulated in Washington State and so non-Indian cardrooms can have them (but can't have video poker or slot machines).

[pokeraddict]

The best blackjack game at Cherokee is not the dealer ones. There are Pot O Gold blackjack machines that you can bet $2-$50. Unlike the other 2 blackjack games you can double on 9 (the other 2 games are 10 and 11 only), dealer stands on any 17, you can hit split aces and get a 6 card charlie and if the dealer hits 6 cards and does not make a hand you automatically win. This is only about a .5% house advantage. This is easily the best game in the house with the possible exception on the $100 6/9 jacks or better being about the same. All of the other jacks or betters are 5/8, 5/7 but most are 5/6. The other 2 blackjack games are over 2%. The BJ blitz is the 2nd best because it does not hit soft 17. The only advantage the "dealer" games have is that you can resplit once which I guess happens every 2200ish hands but the dealer hits soft 17. None of the games allow a double after a split.

For most it is worth the trip to Tunica, Biloxi or on the other side AC to get a more fair game of video poker.

[mary]

Do the Pot of Gold machines pay 3 for 2 on BJs? Sometimes machines short the BJ payment...which is eeeevil.

I read in a magazine that the Cherokee proposed not running raked poker, but charging a fee per player.

I couldn't figure out why some of the slot machines had to be hit & hold * respin, while others were just hit & spin.

[Zacaroni]

Originally Posted by pokeraddict

I am 99% sure Indian reservations must have gaming pacts with the state they are located in. I am 100% sure this is the case for Cherokee. This is why they only have video poker. This is their agreement with the state of North Carolina.

Also this sure does look SW on Asheville to me. WSW I guess.

I stand corrected! I always go through Knoxville, then through Gatlinburg up the mountain. Didn't realize Asheville was that close. Always went to it via I-40.

[pokeraddict]

All 3 of the blackjack games offered pay the 3-2 for blackjack unlike most video blackjack games found elsewhere. Dont give them any ideas!

As for the slots the games had to require skill so they implemented these lock and roll slots machines where you got a second spin. At some point a few months ago traditional slot machines hit the floors and when I asked they said the governor had OK'd this. Games like Wheel of Fortune and other popular slots hit the floor. An entire side of the casino now is dedicated to these games. My 2 favorite games were removed to make room for these. Video Let it Ride and 10 hand draw poker. I have not been up there in a while because of this. Video blackjack with no alcohol is only so exciting. Besides if you know where to look you dont have to go all the way to Cherokee to find most of these games as they are already legal in North Carolina.

[pokeraddict]

I was at Cherokee last night. For now they have given up on opening the poker room and are converting this new room into a no smoking gaming area upon completion of construction.

[Lord_Have_Mercy]

I quit going to Cherrokee when they moved the table stakes from $5 to $10 and $15 min. I am not going to bet $10 on Video BJ that has it own share of losing streaks for the players.