What do you get when you take America's most revered Indian Nation's already successful casino and cross it with one of the world's most recognizable leisure brands while adding $155 million in renovations? You get the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
More than 130 years after the Cherokee Nation became a sovereign entity, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the early 1970s that gaming was legal in Indian Territory. Another twenty years passed before the Cherokee Nation made the decision to enter the gaming market by opening 14 bingo halls in Northeastern Oklahoma.
Twenty years later, while other gaming projects around the country are on hold or shut down completely, the Cherokee Nation is on schedule to open the doors to their all-new wholly owned and operated Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Renovations and expansions have created a world class resort destination offering guests a full menu of choices designed for their pleasure and comfort. Visitors are greeted with more than 125,000 square feet of gaming spaces, five distinct restaurants including a Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, five nightclubs and entertainment venues, and a 2,500-seat Hard Rock Hotel & Casino event center on target for a 2010 opening. The Center Bar features an 80-foot-long frozen bar top while the Friction Lounge provides nightlife that rivals the best in the ultra chic club experience.
Plan your next vacation at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with a stay in one of the 350 rooms and luxurious suites located in the new Hard Rock Tower including several Hard Rock suites and the top-of the-line Chief's Suite. Don't forget to bring your golf clubs for a challenging round on the 18-hole, par 70, 170 acre Cherokee Hills Golf Club championship course that's been voted one of the top five public access courses in Oklahoma two years in a row by Golfweek Magazine. Make your reservations at 1.800.760.6700 or 918.384.7800.
Of course, this is a Hard Rock branded property so take the time to tour the facility and check out the two million dollars of rock memorabilia displayed throughout the property. Resort guests are treated to a unique blend of the rich Cherokee culture, Oklahoma's renowned musical history, and the rock and roll tradition of the Hard Rock brand. An autumn addition of a "Las Vegas style" swimming pool will keep the sun lovers happy. The resort offers 5,000 square feet of banquet area offering unobstructed views through floor to ceiling glass walls located on the 18th floor. There's also 35,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space located within the resort.
Oklahoma Magazine voted the resort the "Best Place to Place Your Bets" three years in a row, and more than 2,300 modern electronic slots will entertain and please the most jaded gamers wanting to test their luck. Players are reminded to get their free Cherokee Rewards Player Club cards to receive exciting offers and claim their share of the thousands, sometime millions, of monthly cash and prize giveaways. Live game players have a choice of 70 table games to enjoy their passion. Included in the table total are 36 poker tables in the newly expanded and renovated poker room and, after all, poker is why we are here.
Poker players will find the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's poker room the largest in Oklahoma and surrounding states but also the most luxurious and comfortable in the Mid-South. Thirty-six tables spread all of the popular poker variations. No-limit hold 'em with $2-$5 blinds goes 24/7 in the spacious room while fixed-limit hold 'em players have a choice of $2-4, $3-$6, and $4-$8 structured games. There's also action packed pot-limit Omaha if you so desire. The poker room will spread most games and conditions with enough interest.
The poker facility at the Hard Rock Tulsa is under the direction of gaming veteran and poker room manager Lana Salazar. She directs the room's operations and is responsible for the competent, highly trained staff dedicated to making your poker playing experience the best it can be.
Tournament players have a wide variety of regularly scheduled daily and weekly tournaments. Every day at 10 a.m. check into the $35 buy-in, no-limit hold 'em shootout with $10 re-buys and a $10 add-on featuring a $1,500 guaranteed purse Monday - Friday, and a $3,000 guaranteed purse Saturday - Sunday. At 1 p.m. daily it's a $25 buy-in no-limit hold 'em turbo shootout with 10 minute levels and no re-buys or add-ons.
Weekly tournaments begin on Monday at 5 p.m. with a seniors $25 buy-in $10 re-buys and a $10 add-on. Tuesday at 7 p.m. offers a $60 buy-in event with a guaranteed $3,000 prize pool. Wednesday's at 7 p.m. there's a $60 buy-in pot-limit Omaha contest with a guaranteed $2,000 purse, no re-buys or add-ons but players can get an additional 2,000 starting chips with a $10 staff appreciation. Thursdays we're back for no-limit hold 'em with a $60 buy-in, no re-buys or add-on, and a $3,000 guaranteed prize pool. Saturdays at 4 p.m. grab your seat in the $120 buy-in no-limit hold 'em event featuring a $4,000 purse. Sundays at 6 p.m. its no-limit hold 'em with a $3,000 guaranteed prize pool and no re-buys or add-on. Major poker tournaments are scheduled throughout the year with the next one, The Hard Rock Open, set for early October, 2009. Complete tournament details, poker queries, and poker room promotions info are available at the poker kiosk by calling direct at 918.384.6648. Additional information is also available at the website, www.cherokeecasino.com.
Do something really nice for yourself and visit the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stop in on Monday August 3 for the grand opening and check out all the exciting new games, restaurants, and poker room. The opening festivities begin at 1:30 p.m. with keynote speeches delivered by Cherokee Nation Principle Chief Chad Smith and Cherokee Nation Entertainment CEO, David Stewart. Music superstar Toby Keith will be on-hand to open his latest bar and grill.
-Joseph Smith, Sr.
