Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River North Carolina Casino

777 Casino Pkwy, Murphy, NC | 828-422-7777 | Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is located just east of Murphy, North Carolina. It is the closest casino to several major cities in the region. This includes Atlanta and Chattanooga. Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is about two hours from both cities. 

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians owns Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Caesars Entertainment manages the casino. The Caesars Rewards players card is used. The casino opened on September 28, 2015. The original Harrah’s Cherokee is about an hour east of this property. The Nantahala National Forest is between the two casinos.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is a nonsmoking casino. It permitted smoking before it closed for the pandemic. The Cherokee Tribe banned smoking in the casino once it reopened and never brought it back. However, the original casino about an hour east of Murphy opened a smoking slots room.

Players must be at least 21 years old at both Harrah’s casinos in North Carolina. Alcoholic drinks are not free at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Caesars Rewards points may be used to purchase alcohol. Diamond and Seven Stars players receive half price.

The casino floor is about 75,000 square feet. It has over 1,300 slot and video poker machines, over 60 live table games, electronic table games, a poker room, and a Caesars Sportsbook. North Carolina online sportsbooks launched in March 2024.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River has 300 hotel rooms. Amenities include a bowling center, sports lounge, and six restaurants. 

Casinos in North Carolina

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Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River casino games

There were 14 different live table games during our last visit. Here are the games and limits that we found:

• High limit blackjack, 3:2, stands on soft 17: $100
• 3:2 blackjack, hits soft 17: $25
• 6:5 blackjack, hits soft 17: $15
• Baccarat: $100
• Crapless craps: $25
• Craps: $15
• Criss Cross Poker: $15
• DJ Wild: $15
• High Card Flush: $15
• Mississippi Stud: $15
• Roll to Win Craps, 5 times odds: $5
• Roulette, double zero: $15
• Spanish 21, hits soft 17: $15
• Three Card Poker: $15
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em: $15

Hartah’s Cherokee Valley River blackjack rules

The blackjack rules at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River are the same at both types of tables, except the dealer stands on soft 17 in high limit. Soft 17 is hit on the casino floor. Neither game permits surrender or aces to be re-split.

There are some new 6/5 tables. Players may double down before and after splitting at all Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River blackjack tables.

Spanish 21 is the blackjack variant dealt at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. This unusual game removes tens from the deck. Face cards remain. This reduces the number of dealer busts. In exchange, special rules include bonus payouts for special 21 hands. Blackjack and 21 always win. Players may double down on any number of cards. The Spanish 21 strategy is different than the traditional blackjack game. It is important to learn this before playing. 

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River craps tables

Roll to Win Craps is a hybrid version of the game. Real dice are used. There is a stickman. Otherwise, the table is electronic. Bets are made on screens. There are no chips. Roll to Win Craps has a bill acceptor. Tickets or cash may be used. Cashouts are paid in tickets.

The field pays double on 12 at all Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River craps games. Live craps tables have 10 times odds. It is five times odds on the Roll to Win Craps machine. 

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Game King video poker

The video poker selection at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is unusual. There are some Game Kings with decent $1 games, like 30/8/5 Bonus Poker (98.49%), 9/5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), 15/9 Deuces Wild (98.91%), and 9/6 Double Double Bonus (98.98%). 

There were 9/5 Double Double Bonus Poker machines with five progressives until early 2023. These games were downgraded to the 8/5 pay table. This can still be a good game if the meters are high enough. 

There are Game Kings on bar tops in the sportsbook and high-limit rooms. These have some of the worst paytables we have ever seen. The returns are in the 90-92% range. There is no other reason to play these because drinks are not comped at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.

Pot of Gold video poker and keno

The rest of the video poker machines are Pot of Golds. These were all over the South 20 years ago, often in bars and gas stations. The two Harrah’s Cherokee casinos in North Carolina seem like the last places to play these in a legal gaming establishment.

The most popular game on these devices is Shamrock 7s. This is Joker Wild with a bonus feature. A player who makes three, four, or five sevens, may choose one of three pots of gold. There is also an 8-Ball Poker that similarly has a bonus round on three or more 8s. The win is six to thirty times the original bet.

Other Pot of Gold games include poor pay tables of Joker Poker, Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, and Tens or Better. All these games offer a progressive. It is a royal flush for games without a joker. If a joker is used, five of a kind wins the progressive jackpot.

There are keno games on these Pot of Gold machines. Each has a progressive jackpot. The options are Toucheasy Keno, which is a traditional version of the game. The other is Superball Keno, where the player wins four times the standard pay if the last ball hits a number pocked by the player.

These keno games have an element of skill. When 10 balls drop, the machine asks the player if they want to double their bet. The decision is usually obvious. This rule is a legacy to the days when all North Carolina casino games required skill.

Pot of Gold machines are available in $0.25, $0.50, $1, and $2 denominations. The quarter and half dollar games require eight coins to hit the jackpot. It is four coins on the dollar and two-dollar games. 

These machines allow players to bet more than the number of coins needed to trigger the progressive jackpot. Betting more than is needed for the jackpot is a big mistake. The maximum is usually set at $50, even on quarter machines where $2 qualifies for the progressive. 

There are some video roulette machines, including one that is single zero. There is also video big wheel. The video Ultimate Texas Hold’em machine was removed in 2023. There are hundreds of slot machines. Most are video penny ones. There are some reels, especially in the high-limit room. Most slots offer a progressive jackpot

Black Gold is no longer available

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River offered Black Gold on these machines from its opening day until 2022. This unusual video blackjack game had player-friendly rules like a six-card Charlie, hitting split aces, and the dealer standing on soft 17. We don’t think any casino deals this game these days.

Poker room

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River opened the second North Carolina poker room on May 22, 2024. It is home to 10 tables. The main games are no limit Texas hold’em and pot limit Omaha. All games are cash. There are no tournaments, which are scheduled to start in July. 

There are nine or ten seats per table, depending on the game and the time of day. The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River poker room opens at 10am daily. It goes dark at 2am on weeknights and 4am on weekends. Players may get on the waitlist through the Bravo Poker Live app. The other waitlist option is calling (828) 422-5678. Players have 90 minutes to arrive before being removed from the waitlist. Checking in is required to remain on the list upon arrival.

Cash Games

The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River poker room has four standard cash games. The options are 1/3 and 2/5 no limit hold’em and 1/2 and 5/5 pot limit Omaha. The buy-in is $100 to $300 1/3 no-limit hold’em games. It is $200 to $1000 for the 2/5 ones. Higher limit games, like 5/10, and fixed limit ones, are available if there is enough interest. 

The 1/2 pot-limit Omaha games have a $100 to $400 buy-in range. It is $300 to $1000 for 5/5 PLO. Players may match the highest stack at the table in all cash games.

Poker tournaments

Poker tournaments started in July 2024. No-limit Texas hold’em tournaments are dealt on Mondays and Thursdays at 7pm. The buy-in is $120.

Poker room promotions

The opening promotion is a bad beat jackpot. A player who loses quad kings or better wins $10,000. The hand that beats it receives $5000. All players who received a hand in that deal get $1000. There are $200 hourly splash pots on Friday nights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. See the poker room manager for promotional rules. 

Players receive 100 Caesars Rewards credits per hour when clocked in at cash games. This is equal to $1 an hour in comps. These may be used at any Caesars casino. 

Environment

The poker room is small. It is new so it may take time for dealers and players to get the hang of it. The property is still under construction. This is a small nuisance to players, especially when parking. The property’s renovation is expected to finish by the end of 2024.

Rake

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River ties for the highest rake in the region. It charges 10% up to $7. The jackpot drop is $1. Harrah’s Cherokee shares this excessive rake amount. 

Caesars Sportsbook

The Caesars Sportsbook opened in March 2021, just in time for March Madness. It offers all the same bets that are available on the Caesars Sportsbook app in other states. North Carolina sports betting sites are not yet live. The bill that made NC sports betting sites legal was signed into law in June 2023. Mobile betting in NC will launch on March 11, 2024. 

For now, bettors must go to Harrah’s Cherokee or Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River to make a wager at Caesars Sportsbook in North Carolina. Available sports include leagues like the NFL, NHL, MLB, NHL, MLS, PGA, NASCAR, UFC, and many more. Straight bets, parlays, teasers, props, live betting and futures are all on the board at Caesars Sportsbook.

Caesars Rewards players card

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River uses the Caesars Rewards players card. Players earn one tier and rewards credit for every $5 wagered on slots and $10 for video poker. Table game players are rated based on the bet size, speed of the game, amount of time played, house edge, and player skill. 

Caesars Rewards often rewards loyal players with bonuses. This includes free slot play, food, and hotel rooms. High-volume players may receive offers to Caesars Entertainment casinos in other markets, like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. 

Dining and drinks at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

The dining options at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River are limited. The only full-service option is The Landing Cafe. It is open 4pm to 10pm Thursday through Monday. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The menu consists of appetizers, soup, salad, burgers, and entrees like pasta, seafood, and steak. 

There is a food court with several options. Those are Starbucks, Earl of Sandwich, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Panda Express, and Nathan’s Famous. 

Hotel accommodations

There are 300 hotel rooms at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. The room types are a king or two queens. The hotel does not have any suites. The hotel is nonsmoking. There is no pool or any other typical amenities. 

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River FAQs