Hope you're right. I live in SC; go to Atlantic City twice a year.

Of course we have home games, but this is great news to me.

Never played an electronic table, but ready to give it a try.

Gross.
Move away imo.

Yeah, I'm not sure I wanna drive 2 and 1/2 hours just so I can continue to play poker on a screen. I'd rather apply the 2 and 1/2 hours to get to Mississippi.

Anybody has real confirmation on whether these are going in? Anyone got a mailing, seen an ad, or talked to the casino?

Read the thread please.

[snark/] If you had read the thread, you'd know I've posted in the thread already [/snark] - I was just bumping the thread to see if any news has come up over the weekend, since the last post was days old.

Yes, consider it 100% confirmed. My source isn't willing to be cited, since they are going with a soft opening, but is unquestionably in a position to know.

Harrah's Cherokee is scheduled to open five poker tek tables this Friday, March 6th. Expect an official announcement when the tables go live. I did not enquire as to limits, just assumed they were low blind NLHE games.

On a related note, checking the casino website, it appears that the casino hotel rooms are booked every single fricken weekend into 2010. Can that be right?

According to Map Quest, its a 3 hour and eight minute drive for me. Now the question is going to be do I make that drive for five tables of virtual reality poker (I would assume the games are either going to have insanely long lists or only run sporadically) or do I make the 4 hour 10 minute drive (again according to Map Quest) to the tri-state casino outside of Charleston, WV, which has a real poker room with, according some friends of mine who have gone, plenty of 1-2 and some 2-5 tables with a bunch of really horrible players.

In any case, even with only five tables and with the diluted reality of the Poker Tek experience (I've played it on a cruise ship and its, ya know, not bad, but not as good as regular live tables) I'm pretty excited about finally getting legal poker in NC.

Having been in your situation, I'd drive the additional hour each way if it got me immediate access to a game that would run pretty much 24/7.

The Tri-State closes at 3 am on weekdays and 5 am on weekends, but I take your point.

I was at a 1/2 table at Tri-State last weekend, where a guy that had an $1800 stack in front of him stated that he still needed another $200 to be even at that table for the day.

Enough said.

P.S. Thanks for the update - I'm only an hour away from Cherokee, so thats music to my ears

You did not ask for an update, you asked for a real confirmation. I had already confirmed it by talking to the casino.

I flunked Psychic so I responded to the post you actually made.

+1 It will happen Friday at 4:00 p.m.

I'm a North Carolina resident and play poker basically "underground". My question is: since NC law requires game to have an element of skill to be allowed, and they are now allowing Poker, what does this mean for the interpretation of poker and NC law? It was previously ruled a game of chance by a conservative NC appellate court. Does this mean the new Governor/State Attorney have decided to go a different direction and interpret poker as a game of skill?

Don't think so. Poker will only be 'legal" at Harrahs.

basically the ruling is all about video poker slot machines. A state judge ruled that in order for Cherokee's to have video poker slots, they would have to be legal, so he legalized them across the state. Cherokee is interpreting this to mean ANY FORM of VIDEO POKER, hence the snap call of pokerpro tables. Regular poker is still illegal everywhere in this wonderful state.

A+

I seriously doubt this is the case. In the first place, the addition of the poker tek tables has apparently been in the works for a while and the court ruling you are referring to only happened a few weeks ago. Secondly, the ruling has been stayed pending appeal, so is not currently in effect, so the casino could not act under authority of the court's ruling.

Finally, the whole rationale of the ruling, (as I understand it, given that I haven't actually read the courts order) simply doesn't rationally lead to an interpretation by Cherokee that would cause them to decide to put in poker tables.

Latest info:

Opening set for 4:00 pm Friday, March 6 with three tables set for 1/2 NL, one table of 2/5 NL and one table of 3/6 limit.

Trip Reports please, if anybody goes.

The ruling I am speaking of deals with a 2008 ruling of a man who sued the state so he could open up a card room in Durham, NC. Arguing that it was a game of skill and allowable by state law. The court ruled it was a game of chance. I think Chris Bell testified if I'm not mistaken.

Supposedly the games have to be legal throughout the state in order to be played at Harrahs. I have no idea how this is applied throughout the state. Realistically NC gaming/gambling laws is more about politics and appeasing conservative groups in the state than anything else. It's too bad Poker is caught up in this, as there would be an AMAZING opportunity for the state to profit off of allowing card rooms (especially in the Raleigh area).

Sardu was refering to a different case, (involving video poker) which is what I responded to.

Your emphasis in your second paragraph is incorrect: if the game is allowed throughout the state, then the state can not prevent Harrah's Cherokee from having the game. Since, until recently, video poker with a top payout of ten dollars in merchandise was legal in NC, Harrahs could have video poker (without the $10 limitation). It does not necessarily follow that the game has to be legal throughout the state in order for the State to allow it at Harrah's Cherokee. However, the recent (stayed) district court ruling regarding video poker may impact that.

A couple of us are going friday. I will report back. we are curious about turnout, I don't think there will be a waitlist, my friends think there will be a crazed 2+2 poker player mosh pit out the door.

Anyone able to offer on the ground confirmation?

Thanks

I can. Just got a text from a member of PokerTek's team on site at Harrahs Cherokee. Grand Opening went off as planned today.

4 cash games running as of about 30 minutes ago (one table is currently being used for demo mode)

two 1/2 NL games.

one 3/6 limit

one 2/5 NL (avg pot on this game has been $290 thus far !!)

Lou
PokerTek, Inc.

Yep. Just got back. Four tables going strong, and this was a soft opening.
The 1/2 table I was playing averaged $75 a pot.
The 2/5 played BIG.

bobaby

Good luck, Lou.