GameMaster Rating:
Reserved until real-money play is available.

General Comments: Harrah's is one of the largest (if not the largest) brick-and mortar casino companies and this online casino is evidently their way of establishing a presence in the Internet gambling business. Since there are no laws at the present time that allow Harrah's to offer real-money play, this casino is for play-money gambling only. The software is by Chartwell Technology, a Canada-based company that has supplied software to about 8 casinos on the 'Net. In order to play here, you must have a Harrah's "Total Rewards" (slot club) card that is available for free at any Harrah's casino if you are over 21 and show proper identification. Once you input your card number and date of birth, you may go in and play as much as you'd like.

Recommendations: Have you ever heard the expression, "A camel is a horse designed by a committee"? That seems to be true here as well. I'm only speculating, of course, but it seems to me that senior management at Harrah's wanted to be sure that you won't confuse the Internet version of Harrah's with any of their "real" casinos and they have succeeded in doing that. Now understand that Harrah's is not a company that is famous for its generous payouts, comps or cash-back slot club rebates, but the Cyber-Harrah's is even less generous in so far as payouts and odds on their games are concerned. You'll see more about that in the game review section, but when compared to many of the other Internet casinos out there, the games here are pretty stingy. Will players be willing to give the house a huge edge in many games in return for the security of dealing with a "brand name" casino? Only time will tell. I'm just hoping that these games will be greatly improved if they ever open for real-money play.

Games Analysis (All this information was correct on the date listed above)

Blackjack: Eight decks (I think), dealer stands on A-6, double on any of the first two cards, double after split and pairs may be split one time. Split aces receive only one card and insurance is available. If the dealer has an ace or 10 face-up, it doesn't "peek" so if you double or split pairs, you lose both bets if it turns out that the dealer has a Blackjack. The cards are shuffled after every hand and you may play up to three simultaneous hands. Betting limits are $5-100. Approximate casino edge over a player using perfect basic strategy: 0.59%

*Theoretical Return is what a player who uses proper playing strategy may expect, long term.

Comments: The Jacks or Better game is a 9/6 version with a payout of 150 for a 4K, 750 for a Straight Flush and a 6000 Royal. So far, so good. But what they did was cut the payout on Trips from 15 for 5 to 10 for 5. Not so good. The "All American" game is actually an 8/5 Jacks game with a 100 pay on 4K, 200 on a Straight Flush and a 2500 Royal. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the game by the same name that is, ironically, found in some Harrah's casinos. From a graphics point of view, these games use what must be the tiniest cards on the 'Net.

Craps: This is a more-or-less "standard" game that allows 2x free odds. In fact, unless I was playing it incorrectly, it appears that two-times odds is the minimum and the maximum. At any rate, the software here definitely isn't as user-friendly as most. Normally, if you want to reduce the size of your bet, you right-click on the chips, but in this game you have to hold down the 'shift' key and click. Betting limits are $5-100.

Roulette: As expected, this is a double-zero "American" wheel that carries a 5.26% house edge. Betting limits are $5-100.

Baccarat:This is a 'standard' game with a 5% commission on winning Banker bets. The casino's edge is 1.06% on a Banker bet and 1.23% on a Player bet. A bet on tie pays 8 to 1 for a 14+% casino edge. Betting limits are $5-100.

Sic Bo: This is an Asian dice game where you're betting on various combinations which can be made by the three dice that are thrown. For example, if you bet that all 3 will show 'snake-eyes' (1-1-1), it pays 180 to 1. The only snag here is that the probability is 215 to 1. Any 'triple' pays 31 to 1, but the probability is 35 to 1. Betting limits are $1-100.

Caribbean Poker: This has the usual pay schedule that gives the casino an approximate 2.60% edge over the player that raises only with a hand of A,K,J,8,3 or better. A progressive jackpot is not offered. Betting limits are $5-100.

Pai-Gow Poker: The casino is always the Banker in this game and the 'commission' on a winning bet is 5%, so when combined with the natural edge of the Banker, the net effect is a casino edge of about 3% against a skillful player. Betting limits are $5-100.

Slot Machines: Four different machines are available, but all are 3-reel, single-line games that require three coins for the jackpot, although none are progressives. Play is for credits, only. (Basically $1each and up to three at a time.)

Summary and Rating of Harrah's "Play Money" Casino:
I'll reserve a rating until this opens for real-money play, if ever. But just to put this in perspective, other casino that use Chartwell Technology software would rank somewhere below "average" in our ratings. Let's face it: the wise player (those who use the resources of the GameMaster's Casino Directory) can find far better odds at many, many other casinos. That said, if I was rating this casino it would most certainly get a few extra points because it has the name "Harrah's" on it and that implies that the games are fair and the player will get his or her $$$ without fail. At this point, the casinos that we've rated highly here have nothing to worry about, but it seems like it's only a matter of time before Las Vegas comes to the Internet.