Hey All! Just wanted to describe my experience at Harrah's Cherokee.

I went on Sunday (Mother's Day) and spent one night there. They had a great deal going on- only $52/ night when I booked, so it was a no-brainer. I only gamble ONCE a year; I don't live near any casinos, so I only go to the casino ONCE a year. Usually I go to Vegas once a year, so this is my first time staying and playing at a tribal casino.

The hotel is beautiful and modern. It was very clean inside. I stayed in the Mountain tower and it was very tidy, no complaints about the room itself.

Check in was a little difficult- the line in the lobby was SO long, I went to the check-in kiosks to the side. One machine was acting up and it wouldn't take my drivers license when I tried to insert it. So, it was annoying having to go to multiple kiosks and type my information all over again. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able check in early and my room was ready. Per the website, check in isn't until 6PM, but I was able to be in my room by 3PM.

The Gaming:

The casino was larger than I expected! I walked around several times to get a lay of the land, but I still was not familiar with the layout enough to easily find certain machines. I had to walk around many times to find the same machine twice.

The high limit room is VERY big. They have a mix of some older style reel machines and a lot of newer machines. I did NOT see Top Dollar anywhere in the casino. The Pinballs they have are the newer style. They had the usual- double diamond, triple stars, etc.

Since I only go ONCE a year to any casino, I wanted to go all out. I had been saving for this trip since its my only "vacation" for the year. I brought around $3000 with me and headed to the high limit room. I started at Double Diamond $10 denom, 2 credit spins. I had NO line hits! NONE! I blew threw $300 instantly! I wasn't expecting a handpay, but I was hoping to get a few line hits to end up above $300. Then I headed to triple stars $5 denom, 3 credits. Again, NO line hits!!! Gambling is gambling, but jeez! I was hoping for line hits just to enjoy it longer.

I went to $10 3-credit pinball and hit the bonus after maybe $300 in the machine and got $900 from the bonus round.

I went to $25 3-credit pinball and hit the bonus using the winnings from the previous machine and got $1625. It was kind of disappointing to only get 60 credits on the bonus round!

After that, I really didn't have ANY line hits nor bonuses on pinball or any other machines! I feel like when I am in Vegas, I can keep my money alive longer. Again, this is just for entertainment, and I regret nothing. It was a lot of fun but still disappointing I did not get bonuses more often, nor line hits!

Food options: food is kind of limited. They were short staffed at Brio, so if you didn't have a reservation, they turned you away. Gordon Ramsey food market was a good quick service option. The other food court in the casino doesn't open until 11PM! Yes, night time. Food was a little overpriced at GR's and not as good as GR in Vegas.

In conclusion, the hotel itself was great. The casino action was lacking for me, but it could just be my bad luck this weekend. For what it's worth, I spoke to a slot attendant in the High Limit room and she told me the weekend was kind of slow (not as many patrons) and she said that the machines really just were NOT hitting jackpots from what she saw.