Last year the tourney was underappreciated; events had to have entrance fees lowered.

was last year an actual WSOP Circuit Event, with rings and POY points and such?

No. This is the first ever wsopc event at Cherokee. I really am hoping for a good experience here, but honestly am expecting more of a **** show.

Last year was sub-par. Some reasons I believe contributed to it, It was done on all poker pro tables. I'm a fan of electronic tables but many are not. They had several small tourneys < $200. The main event was really only a satellite to the 10k main event in vegas. It was ran by current employees who did a decent job but were overwhelmed. The did little to no advertising or promotion.

I think this year will be better. It's an actual WSOP-C event which by itself should attract more traveling pro's. Harrah's did pay an appearance fee to have a pro play last year. The softness of the field will attract people. They will bring in an outside company to run the event which should help it run smoother. I assume the poker room will continue with 1/2 electronic tables (17 tables). The event center will house tournament tables/cash game tables. Don't remember how many they had last year but i'm guessing it could hold 100 tables. They have several banquet rooms if more space is needed.

Atlanta is a short 2.5hr commute(5.8m people). Charlotte a little farther at 3hrs(2.4m). Greenville-Spartanburg 2hrs. (1.2m) Knoxville (700K) so decent amount of people close by. I think turnout will be fine. It won't be like Chicago or WPB but 1,000 people would be a success in my eyes. There are dozens of home games in greenville. Many are running satty's for the tournaments.

Hope it goes well. I plan to be there the entire week.

+1 Didn't make it this weekend. Plan to make this game much more regularly. It was running Sat afternoons only but is really growing lately. Expect some bankrolls to get crushed. Hopefully not mine.

Planning to be there for entire series as well; and I do think this should have draw from those cities lists. In reference to your "1,000 people would be a success", do you mean for the re-entry event or what? I would say a turn out like Tunica would perhaps be a lofty goal? 1,300 for a pre-lim and 666 for ME.

From Seth @ WSOP on tables/expectations for Cherokee:
76 total tables, 61 tournament, 15 live action. Just feels good to know something before @Kevmath

Im looking forward to the WSOP-C even though I do not plan to plan in the tournament. First Id love for it to introduce new people to Cherokee (the poker room) and bring back people who have not been there in a while. Over the last few years the casino has become a lot nicer. Second I hope that after tournament players drop out they will move to the cash tables. A lot of the tournament players I’ve played with do not do very well at cash.

By having low expectations, you're setting yourself up for a great time. If you were to go in with high expectations, there'd be a much higher risk that they wouldn't be met.

I'm thinking it may have Tunica numbers as well...which is pretty good. It should have a soft field too.

Any idea what table numbers tunica had can compare to these numbers

need to make a trip from atlanta soon.

Not sure. Haven't made the Tunica stop in awhile.

I have a three day "weekend" this week Monday - Wednesday. I'm thinking of coming up for the first time. Obviously there won't be weekend type traffic, is it worth coming up for two days/1 night stay?

I live about 200 miles away and would be playing $1/2 or small tournaments.

I am also debating going to Elizabeth, IN horseshoe which is an extra 50 miles, but would only be for live dealer tables.

Any good food there or near?

Brio, right next door to poker room, is best food in town.

Brio>ruthschris?

I can never understand people who recommend Brio. It's a large chain and essentially a more pricey version of Olive Garden. Not saying the food is or isn't good but just often dumbfounded that people, at the tables and on the forums, refer to it as some sort of go-to dining destination.

Ruth's Chris is also a chain. Both establishments are consistent in quality and pricing that you would expect in your local city. You should probably dine at either place just because it's pretty much your only choice.

Yeah i didn't know if there was a hidden gem of an independent restaurant at the hotel or something

Peter's Pancakes and Waffles has excellent breakfast. Granny's Kitchen is a very good home-cooked, southern buffet. It doesn't open for the season until March 28.

Seems you do understand. Not much on the reservation in the way of fine dining. People recommend the two because Paula Deens and the food court suck. Hmmm, $15 for a stale burger at the food court or a decent meal at Brio for $30. Easy decision.

Seems a little low. 15 for cash games. Guess you can convert tourney tables to cash as players are eliminated. They fill that many tables on a busy weekend now.

Hi all, just your regular forum lurker here...

I grew up near Knoxville, TN, and go to school in Auburn, AL right now.

I'm considering coming to Cherokee in April for the WSOP event. I've never been to any big card rooms (in fact I've only been to one live card room and it was in Vienna, Austria!) so I think it'd be pretty interesting to lose my money with a (hopefully) large group of fellow fish.

So can someone give me a bit more info on this WSOP stop? It seems odd that they tournies would be played electronically but I don't see how Harrah's would be able to use live tables for a tournament but not use them in their regular card room.

Also -- I saw a fellow Auburn man (I assume, sorry if you're a woman) posting in this thread. Perhaps we can discuss decent poker games around here via PM if you're interested.

Thanks all.

I fully agree with RedThunder, go to Brio over the food court. The increase of quality from the food court to Brio’s is more than worth the cost. Brio’s has very good food. The food court at its best is barely edible. Before Brio’s I would bring snack bars to eat at the table as an alternative to the food court. To answer your question, the $30 is for something you can eat which will not harm you.

Two side notes, you can get something to eat at Brio’s for around $20, and the new buffet is not too bad.

Ok Brios it is. Thanks guys, I'll be heading up there soon from Atlanta.

Looking forward to playing poker however they got it.