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.

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.

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

Shamrock 7s is a popular video poker game in the South. The game uses one joker. It is spread at Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Both casinos are in North Carolina. Finding the Best Free Video Poker for You Whichever exciting online video poker game you play, you will always get a thrill. Don’t miss out - play at the best online video poker casinos in 2021.

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

• 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.

Shamrock 7s is a popular video poker game in the South. The game uses one joker. It is spread at Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Both casinos are in North Carolina. Some California tribal casinos offer Shamrock 7s. It is also a common game in the West Virginia and Louisiana video lottery. Some bars and gas stations in the South also spread the game.

Leisure Time Technology invented Shamrock 7s. It was originally sold to tribal casinos. The game eventually made its way into a Pot O Gold platform that includes other video poker titles, slots and keno.

Shamrock 7s Special Features

Shamrock 7s has a special bonus feature. A player that makes three of more sevens in a hand gets a bonus round. The player will choose one of three pots of gold. The machine will award anywhere from six to thirty times the bet. The hand also pays the typical payout for its trips, full house, four of a kind or five of a kind. It the player hits five sevens with an amount that qualifies for the progressive jackpot, a hand pay is required and the bonus round will pay after the machine is reset.

All Shamrock 7s machines require different than the typical five coins to trigger the progressive jackpot. This can make it difficult to compare to other games. The progressive jackpot reset is usually 500 to 1. This means a quarter machine requires eight coins for $1,000. Half-dollar games require $4 for $4,000. The dollar and two-dollar machines require four coins.

Pot O Gold machines are restricted to one denomination. If you want to move up or down in limits, you will need to find a different machine.

How to Find the Best Shamrock 7s Machines

The best Shamrock 7s games pay 15 per coin on four of a kind while paying 2 coins on three of a kind. The pay tables are on the screen when you choose the game from the menu.

Shamrock 7's Video Poker App

Best Shamrock 7s Pay Table

The pay tables tend to get better as the denomination increases. The pay table below is the one found on the two-dollar machines at Harrah’s in North Carolina. The amount shown is how much is won per coin wagered. Three sevens receives a special bonus round with an award of six to thirty times the bet.

• Five of a kind: 500 (progressive that resets at 500:1 with four coins)
• Royal flush, with or without joker: 100
• Straight flush: 50
• Four of a kind: 15
• Full house: 5
• Flush: 4
• Straight: 3
• Three of a kind: 2
• Two pair: 1

Where to Find the Best Shamrock 7s Video Poker

The only machines we are aware of with this pay table are at Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in western North Carolina. It is on the $2 denomination in the high limit salon. You may find this pay table on machines in gas stations, but it is not spread at any other casinos. Shamrock 7s is not available at any online casinos.

How to Maximize Your Return at Shamrock 7s

The best Shamrock 7s pay table only returns about 97 percent with perfect play. The return will increase slightly with the size of the progressive. The best bet is to play another game in the casino. If you prefer Shamrock 7s due to its bonus round and easier to hit jackpot, we have some suggestions.

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The machines will allow the player to wager up to 50 coins. The progressive jackpot remains the same in this case. We do not recommend betting more than the number of coins that triggers the progressive.

Make sure that you understand the return of the bonus round. Players should not throw pairs away to go for a bare 7. Go for open-ended straight draws over a bare 7 but go for a pair of 7s over an inside straight draw. Break apart two pair if one pair is 7s. Never throw away a full house to go for the bonus round. Treat the joker like a 7 if it appears in a hand like one.

A players card is a way to get reimbursed for some of the house edge in this game. It takes $10 of coin-in to receive a penny in comps at Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River through its Caesars Rewards loyalty program. That is only 0.1%. However, the mailers you will receive on this action may be substantial. It is common to get tickets in the mail that are worth hundreds of dollars several times each month. You may also get bonus tier and credit days. These are typically on Sundays and Mondays.

Shamrock 7's Video Poker Online

Hotel rooms and food comps may also be offered through Caesars Rewards. The mailers may include other destinations, such as Atlantic City or Las Vegas. This is why it is important to get a Caesars Rewards card before playing Shamrock 7s at Harrah’s.

Shamrock 7's Video Poker Cheats

Unfortunately, most other gaming establishments with Shamrock 7s do not offer any perks. The best you may get is a free soft drink or a match play.