I first started playing with Caesars Rewards in 2002. It was called Total Rewards at the time. Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina was the closest casino to my home just north of Atlanta. It was about a two-hour drive.
My first visit to Harrah’s Cherokee resulted in a massive win. I made the Diamond tier the same day. It triggered offers with hundreds of dollars in free slot play. Harrah’s gave me a free hotel room in New Orleans for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to go to the Sugar Bowl in a suite.
Nearly every year since then, I made the Diamond tier. It came with many perks. Most of those are now a thing of the past.
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No More Diamond Lounges in Las Vegas or Cherokee
The Diamond Lounge was my top perk offered by Caesars Rewards. It was later rebranded as the Laurel Lounge. It was a great way to escape the casino atmosphere for a drink and snack. Planet Hollywood was my favorite in Las Vegas. Caesars used the pandemic as an excuse to permanently close every Las Vegas Laurel Lounge.
Travel clubs elevated many non-casino players to Diamond through Caesars partnerships. This caused Caesars to raise the entry to Diamond Plus players. Standard Diamond players could enter for $10 in points. Today, there are no lounges. Players at Diamond Plus and above get up to four free drinks in lounges daily in Las Vegas.
Both Harrah’s Cherokee casinos had Laurel Lounges. Players could get food once per day. The drinks were half-price. Like Las Vegas, the lounges closed in 2020. The main Cherokee casino now has something that resembles a Laurel Lounge, but all its benefits are gone, except the half-price drinks that were available on the floor before the change. Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River does not have a lounge anymore.
Atlantic City Still Has Laurel Lounges
One major disappointment in losing Laurel Lounges is that it did not happen everywhere. Most Atlantic City casinos have VIP lounges. The Atlantic City Caesars casinos are no different. Here is a sample of the menu guests get there:
Gambling Quality Dropped Considerably
While the gambling at Caesars casinos has always been below average in most markets, it fell off a cliff in the last couple of years. Here are some examples.
Cherokee Casinos Removed Best Game, Raised Limits
Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River removed Black Gold from its casino floor in 2022. This was a video blackjack game with great rules. It only paid one point for every $50 wagered. Black Gold was one of the most popular machines in the entire casino. The main casino had over 20 of them. There were 12 at Valley River. I have not been to either since these games were removed.
The other low-limit gambling was destroyed at both casinos. It often takes $25 to get a 3/2 blackjack game at either. The lower limit tables pay 6/5. The poker pit games have $15 and $25 minimums. Most of the video poker is unplayable. The only exception is in high limit at the main Cherokee casino. The poker room at Harrah’s Cherokee rakes up to $7 per hand.
I asked an employee why there were so many negative changes. He blamed it on Eldorado taking over Caesars.
Blackjack Conditions Continue to Deteriorate in Las Vegas
In Las Vegas, the company’s gambling is worse than it was before Eldorado took the company over. Most Caesars casinos in Las Vegas don’t deal 3/2 blackjack on the casino floor. Caesars Palace, Cromwell, and Planet Hollywood are the exceptions. The minimum bet for it is usually $50, though you may find it for $25 at slow periods at Cromwell and Planet Hollywood. The other casinos only deal 3/2 blackjack in the high-limit salon (Flamingo, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, and Paris), or don’t have any 3/2 blackjack tables (Linq and O’Sheas).
Most of the video poker at Caesars properties in Las Vegas is unplayable. The exception is in the high-limit slots room at Caesars Palace. Rio had good high-limit video poker. That is no longer a Caesars casino. The new Rio owners removed the good games.
The smaller Caesars Las Vegas casinos still offer a good deal with $5 poker pit games. However, points are earned slowly on those games, so it is not a viable way to move up in tiers, though it may generate some mailers.
Fewer Hotel Offers
I used to have free hotel offers at almost any time, even without a mailer. While I am still Diamond for the rest of the year, I don’t have much in the way of offers beyond the dead time between the National Finals Rodeo and New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. I can’t even get a free night at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River or most regionals.
At some point, it is time to say goodbye to what was once the best players club in the country. The time is now. The action Caesars once got now goes to independent operators who still know how to take care of players.