Harveys Lake Tahoe History. Harveys, or Harvey's, or Harvey's Wagon Wheel depending on how far back your relationship with Tahoe goes opened in 1944 as a one room gambling hall owned by Harvey Gross. Over the next 12 years Harveys, which is situated right on the Nevada/Tahoe border in South Lake Tahoe, Harveys grew enormously.
Harveys Lake Tahoe is one of four premier casinos located on the Stateline border of California and Nevada. Harveys sits alongside its accompanying hotel and casino, Harrah’s, and along with the other two casinos, MontBleu and Hard Rock. It is one of the biggest hotels for visitors and snow sport lovers to come and enjoy yearlong fun. Harveys is a popular casino destination, and when guests are not enjoying the beautiful mountain town activities, Harveys provides an array of nightlife fun with its gambling, dining, and tableside bars. Drinks are free when gambling and you can find legal Vegas style games within the casino. The beautiful scenery and unlimited outdoor adventures are the perfect counterpart to the nighttime gambling, drinking and lodging that Harveys offers.
As for the outdoors scene, you can go bike riding and water skiing on Lake Tahoe in the summer and enjoy snow skiing or snowboarding at many of the winter resorts located in North and South Lake Tahoe. If staying at Harveys, guests can walk only a few blocks to find Heavenly Village, which has a gorgeous Ski Resort. Other ski locations around the whole lake include Northstar, Squaw Valley, and Incline Village and accommodate skiers from the novice to the expert.
Only a little bit more than an hour by car (61 miles), Reno is the closest big city to fly into and begin the adventure. Visitors are advised to attach chains on their cars in the wintertime in order to get up the mountain and avoid any unwanted police tickets.
Casino at Harveys Lake Tahoe
The Casino is the featured event at Harveys. Although Harveys doesn’t have the number of machines and tables as Las Vegas casinos, Harveys does a great job in filling the space correctly with over 900 slot machines and a vast amount of table games, including all the favorites like Craps, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Holdem, and all the blackjack variants.
Blackjack: The blackjack offered has good odds, with a three to two payout on all blackjacks. They use mostly six deck shoes and double deck. As a bonus for blackjack enthusiasts, the casino offers a blackjack tournament every Thursday at 5pm. The buy in is $20 in this winner takes all tournament. Sign up is in the Party Pit across from the Hard Rock Café.
Craps: Craps is one of the most exciting features of the table game sections. On weekends the craps tables get crowded with boisterous guests who are never short on loud cheers when they hit their points. There are a few tables to jump on and always live shooters, so don’t miss out!
Poker: 2-3 no limit, 3-5 no limit, and 4-8 limit are offered in the cash game poker room. With 16 tables and a bad beat promotion, the poker room is one of the best places to gamble. The World Series of Poker Circuit comes to town every October, offering live no limit tournament action as well as Pot Limit Omaha cash games.
Other games that you can find within the casino include Baccarat, Pai Gow, Roulette, and Let it Ride Poker.
Don’t forget to go to the Total Rewards center to get your rewards card and get points and rewards for your hotel stay, dining and gaming throughout the property. The card is linked with all Caesars casinos in the country.
Dining at Harveys Lake Tahoe
Harveys Lake Tahoe has restaurants for all occasions. From casual to upscale, breakfast to dinner, there are plenty of options to get a bite to eat or go on a romantic date. For the casual eater, your options include Straw Hat pizza (a create your own toppings pizza place), Cabo Wabo (a cantina with a bit of nightlife to go with its live music), and the always-popular Hard Rock Café.
For eaters on the go, the lower level has Starbucks, Cinnabun, and Carvel Ice Cream.
Harveys also has two fine dining restaurants. The Sage Room on the casino level serves an array of steakhouse flair with great garnish and sauce options for every item. Guests are treated to tableside service for salads and desserts like Banana Foster, which are made right at the table. Also for a great date or for a fancy dinner, Kitchen 19 is the place to go. Ask for a seat by the window, which overlooks the vast landscape of Lake Tahoe and the scenic mountainside. Enjoy the steak and order some good wine from their vast wine list. The menu is limited during the summer months but everything on the menu is delightful. The best part is dessert! A complementary bowl of cotton candy is served with each meal. There is also a swanky bar accompanying the restaurant where you can have a drink before or after your meal. Make sure to call and check for reservations, as both Kitchen 19 and Sage Room are not open year around.
Nightlife And Clubs
The outdoors of Lake Tahoe is where the fun is during the day, but at night Harveys comes to life. Along with the buzz of the casino there are several bars to go and have a few drinks with friends.
There are bars next to the poker room and throughout the casino floor near the table games and if you have Diamond or higher status you can get free drinks without having to gamble. For those who want to hear live music and dance, Cabo Wabo has the fun and drinks every weekend. Although fairly quiet during the week, on the weekends Cabo Wabo converts into a happening spot for people of all ages to dance, drink, and laugh the night away. Also guest can go partying the night away just under the tunnel to Harrah’s where the nightclub, Peek presents a Las Vegas style atmosphere with bottle service and live DJs.
For Guest with children there is a 24/7 Arcade in the lower level with fun games and great prizes.
Harveys Lake Tahoe Hotel
Harveys lodging is perfect for any guest looking for an exquisite scenic view and a spacious room to stay in. Each room has remodeled bathrooms and a view of either the mountain or the lake. Harveys has 704 regular rooms and 36 suites. Some of the suites include a Jacuzzi that overlooks the lake.
During the week, pricing starts at $79 and prices can reach up to $679 for the suites on the weekends. Other amenities include a fitness center with sauna and locker room privileges as well as a pool and hot tub that over look the Tahoe scenery. There is a fee to use the fitness center, but can be used for free if you are a Diamond member or one of their guests.