Best ways to Seven Stars, Diamond, or "Diamond in a Day" for Caesars properties around the US

** Updated March 14, 2025 **

One of the most frequent questions I get from people is, "How do I get Seven Stars or Diamond in the cheapest way?"

This isn't an easy question to answer, because it depends where you live. If you are too far away from the best video poker games at Caesars properties, then it won't be cost-effective to travel across the country for a slightly better paytable than your local Caesars casino!

Therefore, I will use this thread to list the BEST video poker games to play in order to earn Diamond or Seven Stars.

Before we begin, here are some IMPORTANT facts which are universal to all Caesars properties:

- You earn Diamond once you reach 15,000 tier credits in a calendar year. You earn Seven Stars once you reach 150,000 tier credits in a calendar year.

- Paytables matter! It makes a huge difference in your expected loss. For example, "9-6 Jacks or Better" means 9 credits won for a full house, 6 credits for a flush. An "8-5" version of the same game would pay 8 and 5, respectively, which essentially rips money right out of your pocket! At a $5/credit game, that's a difference of $25 every time you get a flush or full house! This guide shows you the best paytables to play at each property.

- Most Caesars video poker machines earn one tier credit per $10 wagered in video poker. However, many properties have degraded this on the "better" video poker machines! If you see a notice on the machine that you earn tier credits more slowly (for example, one tier credit every $25 wagered), do not play these machines! With only a few exceptions as noted, the ones I will be listing below are all one tier per $10 wagered.

- You can earn tier credits quickly through "multiplier days", where every tier you earn is multiplied by up to 10x. The Nevada market (Vegas/Reno/Tahoe) has tier multiplier days, and Arizona has it sometimes, as well. Your local market may also have it, so try googling to find out. This is a great way to earn your way to Diamond. Be aware that bonus tiers won't be multiplied, but you'll still get them normally. For example on a 5x multiplier day, if you earned 2500 tiers credits normally, you would get 10,000 extra from the multiplier, plus 5,000 more through the daily bonus (see next item below). Also, there is sometimes a limit to how many tiers they will multiply -- usually you can't get more than 30,000 extra tiers through a multiplier in one day. Note that if you reach 150,000 tiers mostly through multipliers, your Seven Stars will almost surely be denied.

Here are the multiplier days for the remainder of 2025, though some others will be announced as the year goes on, so keep checking back.

3/23-3/28 Las Vegas 10x (invite only)
3/24-3/30 Atlantic City 10x (invite only)
3/28-3/30 Reno 5x
4/14-20 All Caesars properties 5x
5/27-6/1 Las Vegas 5x machines, 7x table
5/30-6/1 Lake Tahoe 10x
8/25-30 Las Vegas 10x
Late August (other than Vegas) - 5x or 10x, check properties
12/22-28 All Caesars properties 5x

The above are subject to change, so verify these multipliers before playing, and always swipe in and select the promotion via the rewards kiosk to activate!

- In order to earn tier credits most efficiently, you must earn the maximum number of bonus tier credits each time you play. This means that you must earn EXACTLY 2500 or 5000 tier credits in a day. This is because 2500 tier credits in a day earns you 5000 bonus credits, and 5000 tier credits in a day earns you 10,000 bonus credits. However, any credits earned beyond that will NOT earn you any further bonus credits! For example, playing 4,999 tier credits will still only earn you 5000 bonus tiers (the same as if you had only played 2500), and 12,000 tier credits would still earn you only 10,000 bonus tiers (the same as if you had only played 5000). Again, plan to play EXACTLY 2500 or EXACTLY 5000 tier credits in a day (unless you have a 5x-10x multiplier that day, in which case it's less important).

- You can earn "Diamond in a Day" by earning 5000 base tier credits in one day (after the 10,000 bonus tiers). You can earn Diamond in two days by earning 2500 base tier credits each day.

- It is important to understand that the "expected losses" are likely to be MUCH greater if earning Diamond, as you are unlikely to hit a royal, which accounts for about 2% of the machine's return. Also, if you fail to hit a royal while earning Seven Stars, you will REALLY suffer. If you do not hit a royal while earning Diamond, your expected loss will be approximately an additional $1,000 above what's listed. If you do not hit a royal while earning Seven Stars, your expected loss will be approximately an additional $10,000 above what's listed.

- A "Caesars day" typically begins at around 6am and ends at 5:59am. It almost never begins and ends at midnight! This is important to keep in mind. Furthermore, each casino has different hours for when their "day" begins. Some are 3am, some are 4am, some are 5am, and some are 6am. Check with whichever casino you play to find this out, if you plan to play into the wee hours of the night. Keep in mind that the hours of the "Caesars day" are constant in each market. So if one casino in Vegas is 6:00am to 5:59am, so will the rest of the Caesars casinos in Vegas.

- If the next "Caesars day" crosses over while you're playing, you must remove your card, wait 30 seconds, and put it back in, in order for the tier credits to count towards the "new day". So if you inserted your card slightly before 6am, make sure to re-insert it before playing after 6am, if this casino's day starts at 6am.

- You should always play maximum credits, or you will get screwed when you hit a royal flush.

- It is good practice to remove your card and put it back in about once per hour or so. When you do so, make sure that it shows your tier credits properly for that day on the little screen next to where you insert your card. If it's not correct, take out the card and reinsert it. If it's still not correct, go to Caesars Rewards and have them check on it. If you do not do this, it's possible you will get screwed out of the tier credits you earned, and it will be a huge pain in the ass to reinstate them.

- If you played the previous day, it is wise to make sure the screen shows the proper date and the fact that you've earned 0 tiers for the current day. For example, if it's March 20, and if the screen says, "On March 19, you earned 7500 tier credits", then it's still "stuck" on the previous day. You will want to take out your card and put it back in, and look for it to say "On March 20, you earned 0 tier credits" before earning anything toward the current day.

- Once earned, you keep your status until January 31, TWO calendar years later. For example, any status earned in 2025 will last until January 31, 2027. Therefore, it is not wise to earn Diamond or Seven Stars at the end of the year. Wait until the beginning of the next year to do it!

Make sure you fully understand all of the above before attempting to earn Diamond or Seven Stars optimally!

It is also important that you know the proper strategy for each video poker game:

Jacks or Better: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-...r/9-6/optimal/

Bonus Poker: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-...nus-poker/8-5/

Double Bonus Poker Strategy: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-...le-bonus/10-7/

Double Double Bonus Poker Strategy: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-...ble-bonus/9-6/

Triple Double Bonus Poker Strategy: https://www.realmoneyaction.com/vide...oker-strategy/

Deuces Wild Strategy: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-...ll-pay/simple/

You are allowed to print these out and bring them to the machine.

You can also just bring these up on your phone. Technically this may not be allowed (because your phone is an "electronic device"), but I doubt anyone will care, since these are not interactive and are equivalent to a printed strategy card.

If you do not play correct strategy, you will waste a lot of money, so make sure you have these either memorized or available to consult!

In the next post, I will list each market where I know the games are good enough to be worth earning Diamond or Seven Stars.

If your market is not listed, I either don't know it well enough, or you simply don't have a good option to earn Diamond or Seven Stars cheaply.

I am also only listing options where one can earn at least 2500 tiers in a day without investing an insane number of hours in a day.

I am assuming that the average video poker player can play about 500 hands per hour. It will take $25,000 of play ("coin-in") to earn 2500 tier credits in a day. So at a $1 machine ($5 per hand when maximum credits is played), this would take 5,000 hands -- or 10 hours for the average person to achieve. For this reason, I am making this the "cutoff", as I don't think it's realistic to expect anyone to play more than 10 hours in a day.

On the flip side, I am not listing the very high limit machines (anything more than $5/credit), because their variance is too high for most players.



Can You Get Diamond Cheaply Without Gambling?

If you want to earn Diamond without playing, unfortunately there's only two ways, and it's not going to be very helpful to most of you.

First, you can attempt to status match from other casinos. It requires a high tier card from other casino programs. You can read about this here, but only new Caesars Rewards cards are eligible, and it only lasts for a year.

Second, you can earn Diamond status through Wyndham, which is matchable to Caesars Diamond. However, this match only works if you earned Wyndham Diamond by hotel stays, and not through status matches or credit card benefits. Therefore, it is not cost effective, unless you already stay at Wyhdams a lot.

Be aware that earning Diamond through a status match will NOT get you any freeplay or extra comps unless you earn them through play. However, you will get all of the basic Diamond benefits, which is the most important thing here.

The rest of the methods you may have heard of are no longer viable.

As mentioned above, the Wyndham Earner Business Credit Card will no longer match to Caesars Diamond.

The Founders Card, once a path to get guaranteed Caesars Diamond, no longer has a partnership with Caesars, and has switched to Wynn.



Feel free to add to or correct any information presented in this thread. which is updated as I get information.

Las Vegas (Updated February 5, 2025)

The Las Vegas maket is not good for video poker at Caesars properties, but the tier multiplier days (see first post in this thread) can make it a decent option to earn status, with some days being as much as 10x.

Here are the offerings:


Caesars Palace

NOTE: These are all $25/tier credit, requiring 2.5x play to get tiers compared to normal!

9-6 Jacks or Better 1 play, $5/$10/$25 per credit (99.54% return), 1 tier credit per $25 wagered. High limit room. One slant-top machine. The rest are all higher denominations.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $575
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5750



Flamingo

7-5 Super Double Double Bonus, 1-play, $1 per credit, progressive (98.61%, plus add 0.01% for every $20 you see the Royal above $4000). This game is similar to Double Double bonus, except the top payouts are higher. I do not have an optimal strategy to give you, so you should play it as you would Double Double Bonus. Might be worth trying if the progressive is high. If you see the Royal at $4780, it's a 99% game. This will earn credits slowly because it's only $1 per credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $695
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $6950



Paris

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), $1/$2/$5 per credit, 3/5/10 play. In high limit room, 4 slant top All Star III machines.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Super Times Pay 7-5 Bonus Poker (98.28%), 25c/50c/$1 per credt, 3/5/10 play . Don't play Double Super Times Pay, as that is a 6-5 paytable. Same All Star III machines as above. Super Times Pay costs an extra credit. Extra variance but more fun. Same strategy.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $860
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8600



Planet Hollywood

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), $1/$2/$5/more per credit, 1/3/5/10 play. In high limit room, lots of them.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Super Times Pay 7-5 Bonus Poker (98.28%), $1/$2 per credt, 3/5/10 play. Don't play Double Super Times Pay, as that is a 6-5 paytable. High limit room, All Star III machines. Super Times Pay costs an extra credit. Extra variance but more fun. Same strategy.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $860
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8600



Horseshoe

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), $1/$2/$5/more per credit, 1/3/5/10 play. In high limit room, lots of them.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Super Times Pay 7-5 Bonus Poker (98.28%), $1/$2 per credt, 3/5/10 play. Don't play Double Super Times Pay, as that is a 6-5 paytable. High limit room, against wall. Super Times Pay costs an extra credit. Extra variance but more fun. Same strategy.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $860
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8600



Harrah's

8-6 Jacks or Better (98.39%), $1 per credit, 50 play. In high limit room, one slant top machine.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $805
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8050

8-6 Bonus Deluxe (98.49%), $1 per credit, 50 play. In high limit room, one slant top machine. Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $755
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7550



Cromwell

8-6 Bonus Deluxe (98.49%), $5/$10/$25 per credit, 1-play. In high limit room. Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $755
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7550



Nothing worthwhile at LINQ or O'Sheas. Note that Rio is no longer a Caesars property.

Lake Tahoe (updated February 10, 2025)

Lake Tahoe was long of the best options you had to earn Diamond or Seven Stars at Caesars. Unfortunately, they removed most of the good machines (99.54% return and above) in December 2022. However, two good 9-6 Jacks machines remain in the High Limit room, as shown below.

Reno has good games, but they're $20/tier.

In case you're wondering, semi-nearby Harrah's Northern California (Ione) has no machines which are even semi-decent, so don't bother with that property.



Harrah's Lake Tahoe

9-6 Jacks or Better (99.54% return), $0.50 per credit, 10-play minimum up to 100: There are two slant-top 100-play machines at 50c per credit in the high limit room. You must play at least 10 hands at a time, which makes it $25/spin -- equivalent to a $5 machine. If you're feeling ballsy, you can do as many as 100 hands ($250/spin). Best game in Tahoe by far.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $230
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2300

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit, 100-play (98.91% return). High limit area. There are also some $1/credit, 1-play machines at the California Bar, with a progressive. Payout for progressive goes up 0.044% for every extra 100 credits paid for the Royal, but note that this machine will earn credits very slowly, given the $1/1-play limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-6 Double Double Bonus, $1/$2/$5 per credit (98.98% return), 1/3/5/10 play. High limit area.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

20-9-6-4-3-2-2 Triple Deuces Wild (98.86% return), 50c/$1/$2 per credit, 50 play. High limit area. Strategy can be found here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $570
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5700



Harvey's Lake Tahoe

9-6 Double Double Bonus, $1/$2/$5 per credit (98.98% return), 1-play. Four of these by the elevators.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

Laughlin (Updated February 4, 2025)

Harrah's Laughlin still has a few playable machines. Laughlin is located 95 miles southeast of Las Vegas, and is kind of like a mini-Vegas aimed at working class people. There's also the Colorado River there. It gets brutally hot in the summer, sometimes topping 120.

8-5 Bonus Poker $5/$10 per credit, 1-play (99.17% return). Six machines in high limit, two in Chances Bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $415
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4150




Tropicana Laughlin is now a Caesars property.

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $1/credit 1-play (98.91% return): Located near center bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2/$5 per credit, 1-play: Located in high limit and high limit bar. Also machines near the entrance to the casino.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Reno (Updated February 26, 2025)

Reno was one of the best markets to earn tier credits cheaply, but they have reportedly changed all the good games to $20/tier. That ruins a lot of it.

Caesars increased its presence in Reno by their merger with Eldorado Gaming. They closed Harrah's Reno, but now have Eldorado Reno and Silver Legacy. Circus Circus Reno, briefly a Caesars property, is no longer one.



Here are the games at the two Reno properties:

Note that these are all $20/tier credit, according to a February 2025 report.

Eldorado Reno

8-5 Super Aces, $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit, 1-play (99.94% return). On the surface this appears to be great game, but beware. It has almost 100% return, and a similar strategy to Double Double Bonus. Super Aces is a form of bonus poker which rewards quad aces extra -- half of a royal flush payout! Located near the sports book, 2 machines. You do not need a kicker to get a big payout. However, don't get too excited by the extremely low "average losses" below. The quad aces comprises a whopping 9.5% of the game's return, so it becomes a horrible 90.5% payout average if you don't hit quad aces! And if you don't hit a royal or quad aces, your return will average 88.5% It will also be slow earning, due to the low limits. The strategy is here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $60
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $600

Joker Poker 2 Pair or Better, $2/$5per credit, 1-play (99.92% return). This is a tough game to master, so you should probably avoid it. If you want to give it a shot, learn ALL of the strategy listed in this link. You can find these at the Ringside Bar or the bar next to the showroom.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $80
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $800

9-5 Triple Bonus Plus, $0.50/$1 per credit, 5-25 coins, 1-play (99.80% return). Good alternative to Super Aces. Also gives bonus for certain kinds of quads, mainly aces. The strategy can be found here. Located in several bars, and near Starbucks. If you fail to hit 4 aces, your return will be reduced by 5.6%, and failing to hit quad 2s-4s will reduce your payout by another 6.3%, so the variance can be fairly high on this game.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $200
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2000

25-16-10-4-4 Deuces Wild ("Not So Ugly Deuces") $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit, 1-play, some machines up to 50 coins (99.73% return): You will find these at various bartops, and near the poker room. Do NOT play the ones in the high limit room, as those are $20/tier credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $270
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2700

9-6 Jacks or Better, $1/$5 per credit, 1-play, progressive (99.54% return): Avoid the ones in the high limit room, as these are $20/tier. The ones you want are in the Gold Room -- at least for now. For every 100 credits paid extra on the progressive, the return goes up 0.055%.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $460
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4600

Ace$ Bonus Poker, $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit (99.40% return): Located near players club. Strategy identical to Bonus Poker. Note that the increased return is due to the unlikely hitting of the ACE$ feature, which occurs fewer than 3 times per million hands on average.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $600
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $6000




Silver Legacy

25-16-10-4-4 Deuces Wild ("Not So Ugly Deuces") $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit, 1-play, some machines up to 50 coins (99.73% return): You will find these just outside the poker room. Will be slow earning.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $270
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2700

9-6 Double Double Bonus Plus, $1 per credit, 1-play (99.44% return): Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker. Not sure where these are located, but I know there are several throughout the casino.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $560
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5600

Missouri (Updated March 14, 2025)

The better of the two is Horseshoe St. Louis.

Note that 4% tax will come out of all handpays ($1200 or more) due to Missouri law, lowering the return a little bit (but not significant, because handpays don't happen that often).

Thanks to mickeycrimm for surveying Horseshoe St. Louis in March 2025.

Horseshoe St. Louis

35-8-5 Jacks or Better (99.61% return), $5 per credit, 1-play: Weird (but good) Jacks or Better / Bonus Poker hybrid, which pays 35 credits on quads (instead of 25), and the rest of the paytable is the same as 8-5 Jacks or Better. Oddly enough, this changes the game to a 99.61% return, which is 99.56% if you consider that you'll lose 4% on handpays to Missouri tax. Very similar strategy to 8-5 Bonus poker, or you can use this chart for completely optimal strategy. Playing it like you play 8-5 Bonus Poker will be good enough, though. In high limit area.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $195
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $1950


8-5 Bonus Poker (99.17% return), $1/$5/$10 per credit, 1-play, but some 3/5 play: There are some $1/1-play machines near high limit, but the high limit room itself has $5 and $10 versions.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $415
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4150


25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $5/10 credit 1-play, $1 credit 3/5 play: The 3/5 play machines are All Star II machine near high limit. The $5 machine is in main video poker section. $10+ are in high limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450




Harrah's North Kansas City

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), $1 per credit, 1- play, with progressive. The progressive adds 0.055% for every 100 credits added to the Royal return. Will be slow to earn due to low limits. On 2nd floor.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Phoenix Area (updated February 4, 2025)

Harrah's Ak-Chin isn't a very good place to earn tier credits cheaply. It's not even in Phoenix -- it's somewhat south, in the middle of nowhere. But if you really don't want to leave Arizona...


25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $1/credit 1-play (98.91% return). Will take you 10 hours or so to earn 2500 tier credits -- maybe more if you're not that familiar with Deuces. Not a very good option. Located near poker room.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

Atlantic City (Updated February 5, 2025)

Most of the good games at Caesars properties Atlantic City have $25 per tier credit, which will take 2.5x as long to earn tier credits. I will list the $25/tier games, as some are good enough to justify playing for tiers if you're not going to be in a better market. I will also list a few playable $10/tier games.

Note that Bally's Atlantic City is no longer a Caesars property, but Tropicana Atlantic City has joined Caesars.



Caesars Atlantic City

9-6 Jacks or Better 1-play, $1/$2/$5 per credit (99.54% return), 1 tier credit per $25 wagered. Main video poker area downstairs.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $575
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5750

9-6 Double Double Bonus, $1/$2/$5 per credit (98.98% return), 1-play, 1 tier credit per $10 wagered (normal). In the middle of the casino, near men's room, on the left.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), $1/$2/$5/more per credit, 1-play. Several of them on second floor.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750



Harrah's Atlantic City

9-6 Jacks or Better 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit (99.54% return), 1 tier credit per $25 wagered. 3 slant tops in Diamond Cove.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $575
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5750

9-6 Double Double Bonus Aces and Faces (99.46% return), 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit, 1 tier credit per $25 wagered: Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker. Same machines as Jacks or Better above, but also 6 more near Brigantine Entrance.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $675
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $6750

18-7-5 Joker Wild (Kings or Better), (99.29% return), 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit, 1 tier credit per $25 wagered: Strategy is here. Same machines as Double Double Aces and Faces above.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $887
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8875

8-5 Bonus Aces and Faces (99.26% return), 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit, 1 tier credit per $25 wagered: Same strategy as Bonus Poker. Same machines as Double Double Aces and Faces above.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $925
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $9250

9-7-5 Double Bonus Aces and Faces (99.24% return), 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit, 1 tier credit per $25 wagered: Same strategy as Double Bonus Poker. Same machines as Double Double Aces and Faces above.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $950
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $9500

8-5 Bonus Poker (99.17% return), $5/$10 per credit, 1-play, $1/$2 per credit, $5/10 per credit, 1 tier credit per $25 wagered: Same machines as Double Double Aces and Faces above.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $1037
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $10,375

9-6 Double Double Bonus, $0.25/$0.50/$1 per credit (98.98% return), 1-play, 1 tier credit per $10 wagered (normal). Third carousel near Caesars Rewards booth, under World Series of Poker sign. Slow earning due to low limits.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100



Tropicana Atlantic City

All of these are $10/tier, but the games are mediocre.

9-6 Double Double Bonus (98.98% return), $5 per credit, 1-play. In 10 North Lounge Bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return) $1/2/$5 per credit, 1-play: In 10 North Lounge Bar., and two others in high limit area. 10 North Lounge machines $5/credit only.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2/$5 per credit, 1-play: In 10 North Lounge bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Mississippi (updated February 5, 2025)

Very mediocre market. Three Caesars casinos here, though we don't have any information on Trop Casino Greenville. Note that Tunica Roadhouse has closed.



Harrah's Gulf Coast

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2 3/5/10 play, $5/$10 per credit, 1-play: In high limit room.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

8-6 Jacks or Better (98.39%), $1 per credit, 1- play, with progressive. The two in front of Club 406 bar have a progressive, which adds 0.055% for every 100 credits added to the Royal return. There are non-progressives at bartops around the property.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $805
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8050




Horseshoe Tunica

9-7-5 Double Bonus Poker (99.11% return), $1 per credit, 1 play: Note that this is Double Bonus Poker, not Double Double Bonus. These are located in the bank against the wall near the sportsbook. Will take a long time to earn tiers, due to low limits.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $445
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4450

Louisiana (updated February 5, 2025)

All the way through 2015, Caesars New Orleans (formerly Harrah's) was the best option to earn tier credits cheaply. Sadly, 2016 was met with a massive degradation of paytables, and that remains today.

The Eldorado merger did bring a few new properties to Louisiana for Caesars.



Caesars New Orleans

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return). $5/credit 1-play: There's also $1 3/5/10 play in the high limit room. The single play $5 machines are between Masquerade and high limit slots.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2/$5/$10 per credit, 1-play: There's also $1 3/5/10 play in the high limit room. The single-play machines ranging from $1-$10 are both in high limit and the general video poker area.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750




Horseshoe Bossier City

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1 per credit, 1-play, 5-15 coins: The 15 coin option allows you to effectively play $3/credit. Located in the video poker section on the first floor's back wall.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750




Horseshoe Lake Charles

There are a number of mediocre games here, ranging from 98.45% 9-5 Jacks or Better to 99.11% Double Bonus. However, I am not bothering to list them, because they're all $1/credit, 1-play, and will take you a long time to earn. You can find a lot of these around, including at bartops.

Illinois (Updated February 5, 2025)

Grand Victoria Elgin joins Caesars in Illinois since the El Dorado merger.



Grand Victoria Elgin

8-5 Bonus Poker (99.17% return), $5 per credit, 1-play: Located in high limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $415
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4150

9-7-5 Double Bonus Poker (99.11% return), $5 per credit, 1 play: Located in high limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $445
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4450

9-6 Double Double Bonus $1/$5 per credit, 1-play machines, (98.98%): Located in high limit. The $1 machine is in the south section with the "gimmick games".
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $5 credit, 1-play: Located in high limit. Do NOT play the $1/$2 machines elsewhere, as those are $25 per tier credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450





Harrah's Joliet

Note that this information is from 2022.

9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker, $1/$2/$5 per credit, as well as $5/$10/$25 per credit, 1-play (98.98% return): If you don't have the patience to play the $1 progressive below, you can play at higher denominations and get this done faster. There are $1/$2/$5 slant top machines near the bar, and more $1/$2/$5 in Game King and Superstar Poker bartops. The high limit area also has $5/$10/$25 machines like this (slant tops). There's a few $1 machines located two rows from the bar, but if you're going to play $1, you might as well do the progressive (see below).
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

9-6 Double Double Bonus Poker, $1/credit, 1-play with progressive (98.98% return or MORE): This is a "progressive" machine. These are new "Game King" machines located outside video poker alcove near left hand side of the bar. To figure out the actual return, look for the royal flush payout for max credits. For every $20 over $4000, add 0.01% to the return. Then look at 4 aces with any 2/3/4. For every $16 over $2000, add 0.01% again. Sadly, this only a 1-play, $1 machine, so it will still take you 10 hours to earn 2500 tier credits.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510 (less with progressive as described above)
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100 (less with progressive as described above)

Double Super Times Pay 25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (99.41% return), $1 per credit, 3/5/10play: Super Times Pay will cost 1 extra credit (return is 99.18%), Double Super Times pay will cost 2 extras. Find these in high limit, and also various All Star Poker II machines outside the video poker alcove. Also there are a few at the bar, labeled Superstar Poker. Increased variance but better return compared to regular version below.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $295
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2950

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $1 per credit, 1/3/5/10play: Located in several places, without Super Times Pay, including high limit, and Superstar Poker machines at bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

7-5 Super Aces, $1 per credit, 1-play (98.85% return). High variance, and slow earning. Not really recommended. An approximate strategy is here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $575
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5750

25-12-9-4-3-2-2-1 Super Bonus Deuces Wild (98.84% return). $1/$2/$5 per credit, 1-play: Located near bar. Also located on Superstar Poker at bartops. Strategy is here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $580
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5800

80-40-20-13-4-3-3-1-1 Bonus Deuces Wild (98.80% return), $1/$2/$5 per credit, 1-play: Located near bar. Also located on Superstar Poker at bartops. Some $1/1-plays are around the casino as well. Strategy is located here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $600
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $6000




Harrah's Metropolis is useless for video poker.

North Carolina (Updated February 5, 2025)

There are two Harrah's Cherokee casinos in North Carolina.

One of them, simply called Harrah's Cherokee, has a number of very good machines to rack up tiers at minimum average loss. This is also a fairly nice place to visit, as it's right at the entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and isn't too far from scenic Asheville.

The other one, Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel is mediocre.



Harrah's Cherokee

All games below are located in the "new high limit room" (next to the table games area), unless otherwise indicated.

These machines have $1/$2/$5 denominations, but only the $5 variation has the good pay table!

Also, Harrah's Cherokee changed these games to $25 per tier credit sometime in 2019, but changed it back in 2022 to $10 per tier. However, a few $25/tier machines remain, so make sure to verify it's $10 per tier credit, by watching your tier credits build as you play. I will list the known $25/tier machines below, so you can look out for the and avoid them.


25-16-10-4-4 Deuces Wild ("Not So Ugly Deuces") $5 per credit, 1-play (99.73% return): Find these in new the new high limit room next to the table games area. Do NOT play the one near the center atrium spiral staircase, as that is $25/tier credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $135
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $1350

The below machines can also be found in the new high limit room:

9-6 Bonus Deluxe $5 per credit, 1-play (99.64% return): Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $180
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $1800

9-5 White Hot Aces $5 per credit, 1-play (99.57% return): Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $215
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2150

9-6 Double Double Bonus Aces and Faces, $5 per credit, 1-play (99.46% return): Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $270
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2700

9-6 Double Double Bonus Plus, $5 per credit, 1-play (99.44% return): Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $280
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2800

Ace$ Bonus Poker, $5 per credit, 1-play (99.40% return): Strategy identical to Bonus Poker. Note that the increased return is due to the unlikely hitting of the ACE$ feature, which occurs fewer than 3 times per million hands on average.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $220
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2200




Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel

9-6 Double Double Bonus (98.98% return), $1 per credit, 1-play. Game King machines between sportsbook & pit. Will be slow earning due to low limits.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return) $1 per credit, 1-play: Game King machines between sportsbook & pit. Will be slow earning due to low limits.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

Colorado

(Updated February 4, 2025)

There are now 2 Caesars properties in Black Hawk, CO. Lady Luck is actually a decent option to earn status.


Lady Luck Black Hawk

9-6 Jacks or Better, $1/$5 per credit, 1-play (99.54% return): There are two slant-tops near the Zephyr Bar.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $230
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2300



Horseshoe Black Hawk

All of these below machines are located both next to smoking gaming terrace and across from high limit table games room.

8-5 Bonus Poker $1/$2/$5/10 per credit, 1-play (99.17% return).
Average loss getting to Diamond: $415
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4150

9-6 Double Double Bonus $1/$2/$5/10 per credit, 1-play (98.98% return).
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $1/$2/$5/10 per credit 1-play (98.91% return).
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

Ontario, Canada (Updated February 4, 2025)

One nice thing is that the dollars are Canadian, which are worth less than 70c US at the time of this writing. This is an edge when earning tier credits, but unfortunately the games aren't very good. The only playable one is below:


Caesars Windsor

8-6 Jacks or Better (98.39%), $1/$2/$5 (Canadian) per credit, 1-play. In far corner, 2 slant top machines.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $805 (Canadian)
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $8050 (Canadian)

Iowa (updated February 20, 2025)

Iowa has two new casinos under the Caesars banner since the El Dorado merger.

Not a good market, though.



Harrah's Council Bluffs

Information is from 2023.

8-5 Super Aces, $1 per credit, 1-play (99.94% return). On the surface this appears to be great game, but beware. It has almost 100% return, and a similar strategy to Double Double Bonus. Super Aces is a form of bonus poker which rewards quad aces extra -- half of a royal flush payout! Located on a bartop machine, as reported by PFA user mickeycrimm. You do not need a kicker to get a big payout. However, don't get too excited by the extremely low "average losses" below. The quad aces comprises a whopping 9.5% of the game's return, so it becomes a horrible 90.5% payout average if you don't hit quad aces! And if you don't hit a royal or quad aces, your return will average 88.5% It will also be slow earning, due to the low limits. The strategy is here.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $30
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $300

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $1/credit 1-play (98.91% return), also $10/$25 machines in high limit: The $1 machines are at the TAG bar near casino entrance.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2/$5/$10/$25 per credit, 1-play: Located against the wall to the right of beverage station.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750




Horseshoe Council Bluffs

Information is from 2022.

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces") $1/credit 1-play (98.91% return), also $10/$25 machines in high limit: The $1 machines are at the bar near Caesars Rewards, and also have 25c/50c on them.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $2/$5/$10/$25 per credit, 1-play: Located in high limit room.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750




Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf

Information from 2022.

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2, $5/$10 per credit, 1-play: Located in high limit room.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750




Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo

Information from 2022.

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1/$2 per credit, 1-play: Located in main video poker area.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750

Indiana (Updated February 5, 2025)


Horseshoe Hammond

Note that these were $25/tier some years ago, but it changed back to $10/tier for most games. But verify this is still the case.

8-5 Bonus Poker, $1 per credit, 1-play Spin Poker (99.17% return, $9 per hand): Regular, 8-5 bonus poker, but it requires 9 coins in order to get the proper return for the Royal. Located near poker room. Do not play the Super Times Pay in high limit, as that is $50/tier credit!
Average loss getting to Diamond: $415
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4150

9-7-5 Double Bonus Poker (99.11% return), $1 per credit, 1 play for 9 coins, or normal 3/5/10 play : The 3/5/10 play machines are on All Star II machines near the promo desk, also near the non-smoking area, and also near the high-limit entrance.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $445
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $4450

9-6 Double Double Bonus $1/credit, 1-50 play machines, (98.98% return plus progressive on some machines): Tons of these, but they're all different. Across the room from the poker room on an aisle is a $1/1-play progressive machine, which will earn slowly but will add 0.056% return for each 100 credits added to the Royal. The rest are non-progressive, but the Super Times Pay in the high limit room will be $50/tier, so avoid that. The spin poker near the poker room requires 9 coins, but is $1/credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $510
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5100

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $1/credit 1-play: Across the room from the poker room on an aisle is a $1/1-play progressive machine, which will earn slowly but will add 0.044% return for each 100 credits added to the Royal. The rest are non-progressive, but all of these in the high limit room will be $50/tier, so avoid that. The spin poker near the poker room requires 9 coins.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

Double Super Times Pay 8-6 Bonus Deluxe (98.99% return), $1 per credit, 3/5/10 play. Same strategy as Double Double Bonus Poker. Make sure you have Double Super Times Pay activated, which costs an extra 2 credits per hand. Increased variance. Fourth row from high limit entrance. Verify it's $10/tier credit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $755
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7550




Caesars Southern Indiana

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $5/$10 per credit 1-play: In high limit room.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450

9-5 Jacks or Better (98.45% return), $1 per credit, 5-play, progressive: Progressive will give you 0.055% extra return for every additional 100 credits on the Royal. Five machines by the sportsbook.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $775 (but less due to progressive)
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $7750 (but less due to progressve)




Horseshoe Indianapolis

Note that this information is from 2022, so verify these machines are still as listed before playing.

9-6 Jacks or Better, $5/$10/$25 per credit, 1-play: In high limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $230
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $2300

25-15-9-4-4 Deuces Wild ("LV Airport Deuces"), (98.91% return), $1 per credit, 3/5 play: In high limit.
Average loss getting to Diamond: $545
Average loss getting to Seven Stars: $5450



Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino doesn't have anything playable.

The Best of the Best (updated March 14, 2025)

If looking to earn tier credits cheaply, your best bet are games with both a high return and low variance. Also, games higher than $1, single-play are preferred, to speed up the process (so it doesn't take 10 hours to earn 2500 tiers!)

Of all the games listed above (ignoring where they are located in the country), here would be my favorites to play for earning tier credits toward Diamond or Seven Stars:

#1 Choice: Harrah's Cherokee, Not So Ugly Deuces (99.73%). If you can't play this game, the 99.64% Bonus Deluxe at the same casino is also a good choices.

#2 Choice: Horseshoe St. Louis, 35-8-5 Jacks or Better (99.56% after Missouri taxes on handpays).

#3 Choice: Harrah's Lake Tahoe: 100-play, 50c 9-6 Jacks or Better (99.54%)




Ignore These Casinos

The games all suck at these places:

- LINQ and O'Shea's (Las Vegas)
- Harrah's Metropolis (Illinois)
- Harrah's Philadelphia
- Horseshoe Baltimore
- Harrah's Northern California
- Harrah's Southern California
- Harrah's Pompano Beach (Florida)
- Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino

General Information (updated February 4, 2025)

For more info about Caesars Rewards (Total Rewards), read this (now somewhat outdated) thread: http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/sho...-amp-A-Session

It should be noted that, as of 2018, Seven Stars benefits have been greatly degraded. Therefore, it isn't really worth earning Seven Stars anymore, in my opinion. Most of the good remaining benefits also exist at Diamond, which is 10 times easier to obtain (15,000 tiers). If you like the Diamond Lounges (they're much better on the east coast, by the way), you will need 25,000 tiers to access those now.

Are Diamond Plus and Diamond Elite really worth it? Not really. Diamond Plus does get you into some Laurel Lounges, and gets you the Las Vegas 4-drink-per-day benefit, but other than that doesn't do much. Diamond Elite is kind of a poor man's Seven Stars, but it's way too expensive getting there (80k tiers).

There really is a law of diminishing returns after base Diamond.

If you play a lot of events at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, I strongly recommend getting at least Diamond. This will allow you to use a special (much shorter) line to register events, and will give you priority seating (you can basically jump the line) for cash games. It will also give you other little advantages around Horseshoe/Paris.

Long time radio listener.. first time poster. Thanks for the all the info Druff. I am going to cherokee soon, and will be playing video poker for the first time of my life going for diamond status. (and potentially getting a head start on seven stars). If i earn status now, how long will it last? I've studied the strategy a little (and will have it on my phone). Anything else a first time player should know?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ari

Long time radio listener.. first time poster. Thanks for the all the info Druff. I am going to cherokee soon, and will be playing video poker for the first time of my life going for diamond status. (and potentially getting a head start on seven stars). If i earn status now, how long will it last? I've studied the strategy a little (and will have it on my phone). Anything else a first time player should know?

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Ari, glad to see you here.

You will have whichever status you earn until January 31, 2018.

However, if you wait until January 2017 to earn it, you will have it until January 31, 2019, so you might want to delay it if possible.

If you're going for Seven Stars, I would definitely wait until the beginning of the year before you start earning it, as your tier points go back to 0 on January 1 each year.