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rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 5:20:29 PM permalink
Quote: bigfoot66

While Technically Blythe and El Centro are in the southern part of CA, those of us who live in Southern California think of those places as being more like Phoenix than LA or San Diego. I don't have those places either, but I think I have everything in San Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, and most of Riverside and San Bernadino covered. Do you have Diamond Jim's in Rosamond? If you went all the way out there you are close to being a degen ;)



I went to Diamond Jim's. I have a $5 chip and a $4 chip from there. The trip on which I visited that casino was a loop from San Diego to San Jose and back. I took that trip solely for the purpose of collecting chips. So, while I may be close to being a degen, I'm a bit worried about what side of the line I'm on...:-)
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 5:39:42 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

That place and the four in the western U.P. Are the only ones in MI I haven't been to. Four Winds Hartford is nicely hidden :)



So I decided to do Michigan next. As I was getting things together, I realized that there are a lot of poker rooms in MI, some of which have BJ as well. I haven't been to any of those. Damnation. Maybe I'm going to more than just Four Winds in a couple weeks.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 18th, 2013 at 5:42:08 PM permalink
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rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 5:49:53 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Are you talking about all of the charity rooms?



Yeah. I didn't realize those were there.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 18th, 2013 at 6:06:38 PM permalink
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Doc
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August 18th, 2013 at 6:14:36 PM permalink
Quote: rdw4potus

So I decided to do Michigan next. As I was getting things together, I realized that there are a lot of poker rooms in MI, some of which have BJ as well. I haven't been to any of those. Damnation. Maybe I'm going to more than just Four Winds in a couple weeks.


Well, if you want to route the thread back through Nevada for two days sometime, I picked up chips from the Aliante (non-Station) and Quad when we were out there for WoVCon ]I[. Maybe you did, too, and I could post mine in reply to yours. But please don't do it while I'm on the road -- leaving this Friday morning -- for I might not be able to post mine.

On the other hand, there are several more "new" places that might re-open by next spring in Las Vegas with new chips to collect -- Downtown Grand, Gansevoort, Silver Sevens, and SLS -- so we could wait until we have added those to our sets before posting Nevada casinos again in this thread.

On a related note, I assume that Harrah's Philadelphia has still not issued any chips that say "Philadelphia" on them, right? There aren't any shown in the MOGH catalog, but I'm going to be passing through the area on this trip and wouldn't want to miss out if they are now available.
rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 6:20:26 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Well, if you want to route the thread back through Nevada for two days sometime, I picked up chips from the Aliante (non-Station) and Quad when we were out there for WoVCon ]I[. Maybe you did, too, and I could post mine in reply to yours. But please don't do it while I'm on the road -- leaving this Friday morning -- for I might not be able to post mine.

On the other hand, there are several more "new" places that might re-open by next spring in Las Vegas with new chips to collect -- Downtown Grand, Gansevoort, Silver Sevens, and SLS -- so we could wait until we have added those to our sets before posting Nevada casinos again in this thread.

On a related note, I assume that Harrah's Philadelphia has still not issued any chips that say "Philadelphia" on them, right? There aren't any shown in the MOGH catalog, but I'm going to be passing through the area on this trip and wouldn't want to miss out if they are now available.



My plan is to wait on the new NV chips, at least for now. I don't know how long I can go before running out of other chips, but hopefully it'll be at least until the next flight of casinos is opened.

I don't know if any new chips will be coming from Harrah's Philadelphia. The facility is technically just named "Harrah's," and it's still in Chester (no matter what Harrah's says...) so the face of the chip remains correct.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 6:21:15 PM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

There are hundreds of them throughout the state. They definitely put a dent into the Detroit casinos poker room profits.



It sounds like the rules are changing on 9/1, and many of the poker rooms have not posted September schedules. That's ominous.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 18th, 2013 at 6:27:48 PM permalink
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rdw4potus
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August 18th, 2013 at 8:14:08 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Brimley
Casino: Bay Mills


Today's chip of the day is from the Bay Mills Resort and Casino in Brimley, MI. Bay Mills opened in November of 1995. It has 998 machines and 16 tables on a 17,000 sqft gaming floor. Brimley is a very small (Pop: 1,400) town in the Eastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's quite near Sault Ste Marie on the South shore of Lake Superior. I thought it was a very charming little touristy town, but that can be said about just about any lakefront community in the UP.

I visited Bay Mills on my drive from MN to PA last summer. I visited in the late afternoon of the second day of my journey through the UP. I thought Bay Mills was an interesting little place. They made great use of their space, fitting lots onto their floor without it feeling too cramped. They also have a wide array of table games given the small pit. I collected my chip by playing BJ. I didn't stay very long at all thinking and hoping that I'd make it to Windsor for the evening.

Here's a picture of the front of the casino. The outside has a lodgish theme, but it doesn't really carry over inside:



My chip from Bay Mills is a Bud Jones product. It's very similar to the chips from Borgata in AC and Hollywood in Aurora, IL. I don't have a blacklight, but I bet there's a hidden "BJ" logo on this chip like there was on Doc's chip from the Borgata. This chip indicates that it is American currency, and the MOGH lists CAD denominated chips for this property. I didn't see those in the tray. Maybe Bay Mills segregates currencies by table?

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 18th, 2013 at 8:22:00 PM permalink
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Doc
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August 19th, 2013 at 6:01:42 AM permalink
So, what's the basis for the "Bay Mills" name? It sounds as if there is some kind of textile industry or grain processing connection, but there are probably better explanations than that.
rdw4potus
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August 19th, 2013 at 6:34:44 AM permalink
Quote: Doc

So, what's the basis for the "Bay Mills" name? It sounds as if there is some kind of textile industry or grain processing connection, but there are probably better explanations than that.



The casino is operated by the Bay Mills Indian Community. I can't get the internet to tell me how/why the tribe was named...
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 19th, 2013 at 7:20:39 AM permalink
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Doc
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August 19th, 2013 at 3:08:48 PM permalink
Yes! A sawmill makes a lot more sense than a textile mill or a corn mill in that location. (Once again proving how poorly my thinking/knowledge covers the states in that region.) It would be nice to know the answer, and it doesn't seem like something that would be hidden from public view, like some tribal password.
Buzzard
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August 19th, 2013 at 3:20:09 PM permalink
DAMN Left Blackhawk and forget to cash in this $5 Saratoga casino Grand Opening chip. Oh well, if Doc promised to post a pix on here, I will mail it to him.

PM your mailing address if interested. Nice HORSE artwork too
Shed not for her the bitter tear Nor give the heart to vain regret Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that filled it Sparkles yet
Doc
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August 19th, 2013 at 4:15:06 PM permalink
Dang, Buzzard! You sure know how to twist a guy's emotions. (Do you do that kind of thing to the women?)

The Saratoga opened four weeks and a day after my visit to Blackhawk last May. It seems they keep closing casinos before I can get to places and opening new ones just after I leave.

Of course I promise I would post an image of the chip if I had it, except there are some caveats I need to mention:

(1) As I have mentioned numerous times, in order for me to include a chip in "my collection", it has to be one I picked up myself from the casino, almost always by playing there. It's how I make the collection special to me. A number of friends have offered to pick up chips from casinos they pass in their travels. That idea usually disappears when I say I would not consider such a gift part of the collection and display it with my others. I did indeed receive and post one previous chip that was sent to me by a forum member, but I tried to make clear that it was an "extra" apart from the "collection."

(2) To provide a sense of order to the thread, we only have one establishment represented by the Casino Chip of the Day, and one member taking the lead who decides which casino that will be. When I (temporarily) ran out of chips to post a few months back, I turned the lead role over to rdw4potus. In order to post a Saratoga chip I might receive from you, I need to wait until rdw4potus chooses to post a chip from that casino or turns the thread over to someone else, possibly back to me. For now I'm just a follower who posts chips he has from the same casinos that rdw4potus is representing with his chosen Casino Chip of the Day.

I do not mean for those caveats to be impolite in response to your generous offer, but I wouldn't want you to expect me to post an image right away if you sent the chip to me.

On the other hand, I think it would be delightful if you would post an image of the chip yourself, whenever rdw indicates its your turn to select a casino of the day to represent. Or you could post it in reply to whatever chip he posts from the Saratoga. He has a goodly supply of un-posted chips left in his collection, so it could be a while before he's ready to turn the lead role over. I don't know whether he will encounter periods, as I did, when he knows he will not be able to make a daily post and calls in a relief poster or two to cover in such an absence.
Buzzard
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August 19th, 2013 at 4:19:17 PM permalink
If you look up " computer Illiterate " in the dictionary, my picture is there . Will try and get one of grandkips to post it. Daughter says I should buy a scan wand, whatever the hell that is !
Shed not for her the bitter tear Nor give the heart to vain regret Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that filled it Sparkles yet
Doc
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August 19th, 2013 at 4:44:37 PM permalink
Quote: Buzzard

... a scan wand, whatever the hell that is !


I think it's a cross between McCoy's tri-corder and one of those sticks like Luke, Yoda, and Darth carried.
rdw4potus
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August 19th, 2013 at 8:22:31 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Battle Creek
Casino: Firekeepers


Today's chip of the day comes from Firekeepers in Battle Creek, MI. Firekeepers has 3000 machines and 86 tables on its 107,000 sqft gaming floor. The property also has a great new hotel and 7 restaurants. Battle Creek is in Southcentral MI about halfway between Chicago and Detroit. Battle Creek is at the confluence of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo rivers, and is best known as the headquarters of Kelloggs. Wiki says that the city is also the site where Post was founded, and that Ralston has a factory there as well. I guess that's why it's called the Cereal City. I wonder how/why these companies originated in Battle Creek while General Mills and Malt-O-Meal are both headquartered in Minneapolis. That seems like an odd amount of geographic grouping in the industry, and Battle Creek (pop 55,000) seems a tad small to support the corporate structures of Kellogg and Post.

I visited Firekeepers on a trip to the "Chicago area" in May of 2010. This was as far into MI as I went, and I spent the night at the Quality Inn up the street from the casino. That was an unusually good Quality Inn, and a strong exception to my rule that adjectives in hotel names do not actually apply to the properties. Now that the Firekeepers hotel has opened, I wonder how that hotel is doing. Firekeepers is an unusually nice casino. I hit the hotel first, and went to the casino in the morning. I honestly didn't even pay attention to the casino the night before, and I was very surprised by the casino's quality. I guess it's not really nicer than some of the other southern Michigan native casinos, but this one is so far from the major cities that I thought it would be less upscale. Basically, I expected Arizona Charlie's Boulder and got the M instead.

I played PGP for several hours at Firekeepers. On a banking hand, I managed to hit a pair of aces with a straight flush. That hand allowed me to be up $25 for the session. Then I left to head back to O'hare to fly out. The folks at the casino warned me that the drive to ORD was extremely variable, so I left plenty of time. Of course, there was no traffic and I arrived 3 hours early. I could have played more, darn it!



My chip from Firekeepers is a Paulson RHC. The casino had been open for about 10 months when I collected this chip. Despite that time, the chip is almost perfect. One thing that's odd on this chip is that some of the edge inserts extend into the center section. So many times, the inlay extends out onto the hat & cane section and here the inserts extend into the inlay.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 19th, 2013 at 8:31:42 PM permalink
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Nareed
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August 19th, 2013 at 9:49:43 PM permalink
Quote: rdw4potus




What a beautiful building!
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
rdw4potus
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August 20th, 2013 at 8:31:42 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: New Buffalo
Casino: Four Winds


Today's chip of the day comes from the Four Winds Resort and Casino in New Buffalo, MI. This is a brief departure from alphabetical order, as I apparently haven't photographed my chip from the Four Winds location in Hartford and I am not at home this evening. Four Winds opened in 2007 and has 3,000 slots and 70 tables on a 130,000 sqft gaming floor. New Buffalo is a tiny town on the IN/MI border along the shore of Lake Michigan, and this is the Michigan casino that is closest to Chicago.

It's hard to put into words how nice this casino is. At least, it's hard to do that without just sounding like an idiot. I didn't perceive much of an external theme, but the lodge theme inside is extraordinarily well done and the quality of the property is ridiculous. It's a couple years older than Firekeepers, but age notwithstanding it's also a bit nicer and that's just silly. I said yesterday that Firekeepers was like the M in the middle of Michigan, and that's a fair comparison. I don't quite know what that makes the comparison here. I'm not sure that there is an exact comparison to be made. But, it probably says enough that I'm hung up deciding whether this is more like MGM at the top of tier 2 or like Mandalay Bay at the bottom of tier 1.

Here's a picture of the property:



Four Winds has Midi and Mini Bacc, BJ, craps, roulette, LIR, 3CP, crazy 4, and PGP. I could have sworn there was a MS Stud table as well, but that's not listed on the casino's website or on CasinoCity. When I visited in 2010 and collected my chip, I played LIR for a couple hours. I ended the session down $100, which was much better than the low point. I got a full house at the end of my session and still didn't get back to even. That really is a boring and depressing game, even when the progressive is +EV.

The casino is a bit outside of town, and I've done the same thing both times that I've visited. My GPS directs me to the back side of the casino, down a road that used to have a 55 mph speed limit and now has a 25 mph speed limit. The GPS's speed limit data still lists 55 mph, and I've been pulled over on that road twice as a result. I managed to talk my way out of both tickets. Once, I was able to show the misinformation on the GPS and the other time I pointed to a curve in the road that was marked 35 MPH and asked if I was meant to speed up to take the turn. I doubt I'll ever get away with that again, but I also doubt that I'll forget that avoiding that road leads directly to the front of the casino.

My chip from Four Winds is a Paulson RHC. The tophats seem unusually far out on the chipface. In fact, the tophats at the 6 o'clock position on both faces touch the edge. The chip is in fair condition, and cleaned up well. But, it shows a bit of edge wear.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 20th, 2013 at 8:52:12 PM permalink
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teddys
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August 21st, 2013 at 4:50:22 AM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

They have two of three Mississippi Stud tables along with a few other games not listed.

They have World Poker Tour 3x all-in hold-em, with a house edge of 0.15%. Play that next time.

The back entrance is somewhat easier to navigate than the front entrance which is a very twisty road. But those tickets suck!

The hotel is insanely nice, too. Every room is a suite comparable to a high-roller suite in Vegas. If FW was non-smoking and had better video poker, it might be the best casino in the world. Good offers, too.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
Ibeatyouraces
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August 21st, 2013 at 6:18:12 AM permalink
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rdw4potus
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August 21st, 2013 at 6:18:41 AM permalink
Quote: teddys

Good offers, too.



Crazy good offers. At one point, it was in-the-money for me to fly to chicago and rent a car just to visit FW and Blue Chip once a month.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 21st, 2013 at 6:32:02 AM permalink
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tringlomane
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August 21st, 2013 at 1:38:01 PM permalink
Four Winds is definitely an awesome property and has a decent craft beer selection as well. It's also nice that one of my biggest hits of the year came from there on my first-ever visit. :)
rdw4potus
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August 21st, 2013 at 8:27:49 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Hartford
Casino: Four Winds


Today's chip of the day is from the Four Winds casino in Hartford, MI. The facility opened in August of 2011. According to Casinocity, it has 569 slots and 9 tables on a 52,000 sqft gaming floor. Hartford is a tiny town on I-94, about half way between Battle Creek and New Buffalo. There's really not much there except for a highway off-ramp.

I visited this property in the fall of 2011, pretty much right after it opened. I was in the area to visit Blue Chip in IN and the Four Winds in New Buffalo so I ventured a bit farther into MI to snag this chip. The casino is pretty great. It is not as wonderful as it's larger sibling, but it is upscale to the point of being out of place. It reminded me a lot of the Saint Croix casino in Danbury, WI, and Rivers in the Chicago area is another good comp in terms of size and quality. I didn't stay at Hartford too long, just long enough to look around and grab a chip from a BJ table. My records show that I won a whopping $20 not counting the chip collection. Woohoo!

Here's a picture of the property. I think that the tower sign and valet covering are Four Winds signatures. It appears that all three casinos have them, albeit to different scales. (I don't have a chip from the third property - maybe by next month)



My chip from Four Winds Hartford is a Paulson RHC and is nearly identical to my chip from Four Winds New Buffalo. The inserts and logo have different colors, but the chips are very very similar.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 21st, 2013 at 9:02:41 PM permalink
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teddys
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August 22nd, 2013 at 4:41:19 AM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

I may be wrong but I'm going to guess that you and I are the only two on here that has been there. Maybe one or two others max.

<Raises hand>
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
Ibeatyouraces
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August 22nd, 2013 at 6:02:19 AM permalink
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Doc
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August 22nd, 2013 at 7:25:38 AM permalink
Quote: Ibeatyouraces

... you and possibly EB.


Not likely to get full disclosure in this thread -- I think EB blocked it well over a year ago.
Ibeatyouraces
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August 22nd, 2013 at 7:57:20 AM permalink
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rdw4potus
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August 22nd, 2013 at 8:33:02 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Detroit
Casino: Greektown



Today's chip of the day comes from the Greektown casino in Detroit, MI. The casino opened in 2000. According to Casino City, it has 2,600 slots and 62 tables on a 100,000 sqft gaming floor. Greektown is in downtown Detroit. I'm sure someone can correct/confirm this, but I think it's actually in the Greektown neighborhood. I know the casino has BJ, craps, roulette, PGP, and 3CP. I think there was also UTH and casino war. The casino's website very helpfully lists their offerings as "(obvious games)..and MORE!"

I visited this casino in September of 2011. I was doing the Great Race promo through Harrah's, and I'd arranged a stopover in Detroit to play at Windsor. While I was in Detroit, I stopped at the casinos on the US side of the border. I thought Greektown was nice enough. It's several steps below the native casinos in rural MI, but still above average. At some point on this trip, my rental car was damaged while I was not in it. This seems the most likely place, as the parking lot was somewhat more cramped than the others that I used on this trip. I won a small amount playing BJ at Greektown.

Here's a picture of the casino:



My chip from Greektown is a Paulson RHC. There's a lot of edgewear, and some dirt that I couldn't clean off. I like the colored torch logo, which carries over to several places/items in the casino as well.



Edit: On July 10th, 2016, member sammydv posted pictures of an alternate chip from Greektown.
Last edited by: rdw4potus on Aug 1, 2016
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 22nd, 2013 at 8:39:10 PM permalink
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rdw4potus
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August 23rd, 2013 at 8:19:08 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Wayland
Casino: Gun Lake


Today's chip of the day comes from the Gun Lake casino in Wayland, MI. Wayland is about halfway between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. According to the MOGH, the casino opened at 10pm on Thursday 2/10/11. That strikes me as being an extraordinarily late opening. I can't see anyone driving over from Chicagoland for that, and it seems like the city draw would have been a big deal. Maybe opening night was packed enough without the extra visitors that an earlier opening would have brought. Casino City shows that the casino has 1,500 slots and 25 tables on an 83,000 sqft gaming floor.

I visited Gun Lake on the same trip that I visited the Four Winds in Hartford. They're only about 60 miles apart, but it took about 90 minutes to drive between the two. Gun Lake has BJ, craps, roulette, bacc (they advertise midi, I assume that means they also have mini tables), UTH, 3CP, and Crazy 4 Poker. The UTH, 3CP and Crazy tables have SHFL's progressive bonus on them. When I visited, the UTH jackpot was almost $200k, so I played that game. I didn't win the jackpot, but I did have a close call on a very odd hand. The jackpot pays on a flopped royal, and I was 4 to a royal after the flop. I made that known, and the dealer slow-rolled the turn & river. The flop was QQJ to my AK, and the turn was another J suited to the second Q. Turns out that another player also had AK and we were both drawing to a royal. Unfortunately, the river completely missed both of us and the dealer had a jack as well. Figures.

Gun Lake is a clean and well presented casino. It's much less fancy than the casinos farther south, but it's still very well done. I got the impression that it was more of a locals casino for the area towns (and colleges) than it was a resort for more urban clientele. I suppose those folks don't drive past Four Winds and Firekeepers to get up to Gun Lake. Here's a picture of the casino:



My primary chip from Gun Lake is a Paulson RHC. It's in pretty good shape, and has two red inserts and 1 cream insert. That's different than the MOGH's example, which replaces one red insert with a green one. I also have a copy of the chip with that pattern, but I guess I haven't photographed it. I ran into a problem with the inserts when I was cleaning this chip, and the red transferred to the cream. It took a LOT of time to try to correct that, and there is still some red in the cream. I like the casino's logo. It's a unique arrangement of suits.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 23rd, 2013 at 8:46:02 PM permalink
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DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
NokTang
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August 23rd, 2013 at 9:10:36 PM permalink
Quote: rdw4potus

State: Michigan
City: Detroit
Casino: Greektown



According to FOX News, Detroit has been closed and is now run by packs of pit bull dogs? I really need to get back to the USA. Your various chip collection posts have me thinking there are casino's all over the USA now and I could easily just travel around and win money.

At some point of course, sports books will also go nationwide.
Ibeatyouraces
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August 24th, 2013 at 5:31:59 AM permalink
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DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
rdw4potus
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August 24th, 2013 at 7:26:25 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Harris
Casino: Island


Today's chip of the day comes from the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, MI. Harris is a very small town (pop:1,800) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The town is near, but not on, the Lake Michigan coast. It is between the slightly larger towns of Escanaba (pop: 12,000) and Menominee (Pop: 20,000, including Marinette, WI). Casino City's info about the property opens us up for a The Price is Right style game. The size of the casino's floorspace uses 5 of these 6 numbers: 408,520. I'll venture a guess that 40,820 is the right number, with the 5 being a mis-key when the 8 was pressed. The casino has 1,280 machines and 21 table games.

At first, I couldn't figure out why this landlocked casino was called the Island. Especially when there really are lots of islands in/around the UP. Then I stepped inside. The casino's theme is rural Michigan's interpretation of what a tropical island would be like, apparently with no first hand knowledge to inform the situation. Maybe it's supposed to be a campy caricature of a tropical island. If that's the case, it's very well done. Here's a picture of the outside of the property:



I visited the Island on a trip to Marinette a couple summers ago. The fiancee's family has a cabin up there, and we took a break from painting the cabin to visit the casino. I really didn't play much, maybe just 15 minutes of BJ to grab the chip. Then we walked around and people-watched for a while. The Island is an interesting place. It's not breathtaking like the native properties in southern Michigan, but it's still nicer than it should be given the lack of competition and small target population. I just can't get over the theme - I guess it's better than another lodge-themed casino in the north woods.

My chip from the Island is a Chipco product. I guess in some ways the chip exemplifies my amusement with the casino's theme: one side of the chip shows a Native American by a fire, while the other side shows two palm trees. For a chipco product, the chip shows very little wear. As I recall, all of the chips were about this good. The MOGH shows only one non-commemorative issuance, from 1998 when the casino opened. I have to assume that the actual chips in play are from a later run of the same design - there's no way chipco chips made it that long looking this good.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 24th, 2013 at 7:36:23 PM permalink
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DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
teddys
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August 24th, 2013 at 7:38:47 PM permalink
If the casino was really 408,000 sq. ft. it would be the largest casino in the U.S.A.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
rdw4potus
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August 25th, 2013 at 7:44:30 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Sault Ste Marie
Casino: Kewadin


Today's chips of the day come from the Kewadin casino in Sault Ste Marie, MI. Sault Ste Marie, MI is at the eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, an is across the Saint Mary's River from Sault Ste Marie, ON. Between the two cities, the area's population is about 100,000. The casino has a 39,000 sqft gaming floor with 800 slots and 15 table games. The Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Ojibwa Indians operates this casino as well as several satellite properties in the UP. Those casinos - in Christmas, St. Ignace, and Manistique - use these same chips. There is also a slots-only facility in Hessel.

I visited the Kewadin facilities on my drive from MN to PA last summer. The facilities in Christmas and Manistique were about what I expected to see - basic and slightly rundown rural facilities. St Ignace is a much nicer small rural property. And the Sault Ste Marie property is nicer still. It has a lodge theme (they all do), and especially at Sault Ste Marie it's very well done. One thing that I really like about this particular version of the lodge theme is that the facility feels like a northwoods resort that just happens to have a casino in it. Of course the casino is 80% of the non-hotel part of the property, but there's a large central hallway that has a relatively small door leading into the casino. Here's a picture of the outside of the casino:



I played UTH to collect my chips. By the time I reached Sault Ste Marie I'd started to realize that there was no way that I was going to make it to Windsor in time to sleep that night, so I played for a while. In fact, I accepted defeat and played, went to the OLG on the Canadian side of the border, then played again at Kewadin. I spent the night in Traverse City, so my original plan was only off by 7 casinos and 6 hours.

My chips from Kewadin are both Chipco products. One is purplish gray and denominated in USD, and the other is blue and denominated in CAD. The casino's system is quite convenient. Both currencies are accepted and playable at all tables. The cage has both currencies as well. The result is that no conversion is necessary for table games players, and play is possible without a conversion fee. Perhaps not surprisingly at this US-based casino, the USD denominated chip shows more wear than the CAD denominated chip does.



"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Buzzard
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August 25th, 2013 at 7:45:58 PM permalink
About five years ago I read a story about a casino in Las Vegas that issued one dollar chips that were black in color. This created quite a stir amongst the other casinos who have $100 chips that are black. There were concerns that scam artists would mix some of these in with the legitimate chips. The pressure was put on and the casino in question quickly recalled the one dollar black chips.

Is this an urban legend ?
Shed not for her the bitter tear Nor give the heart to vain regret Tis but the casket that lies here, The gem that filled it Sparkles yet
rdw4potus
rdw4potus
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August 25th, 2013 at 8:08:06 PM permalink
Quote: Buzzard

About five years ago I read a story about a casino in Las Vegas that issued one dollar chips that were black in color. This created quite a stir amongst the other casinos who have $100 chips that are black. There were concerns that scam artists would mix some of these in with the legitimate chips. The pressure was put on and the casino in question quickly recalled the one dollar black chips.

Is this an urban legend ?



I know that lots of places don't like the Hard Rock's coloring ($1 is blue, $10 is white, $25 is dark purple), but I don't know about this black $1 chip story.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
Ibeatyouraces
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August 25th, 2013 at 8:25:07 PM permalink
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DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
rdw4potus
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August 26th, 2013 at 8:11:39 PM permalink
State: Michigan
City: Watersmeet
Casino: Lac Vieux Desert


Today's chip of the day comes from the Lac Vieux Desert casino in (just north of) Watersmeet, MI. The casino has 629 machines and 16 tables on a 25,000 sqft gaming floor. The casino is named for the tribe that owns the property, which is named for a lake that is just south of Watersmeet on the Wisconsin border. The lake is interesting for a few reasons: 1. it is the source of the Wisconsin River, 2. It is in both MI and WI, and the MI shore is the only place in MI that is in the Mississippi river watershed. 3. While the name means "lake of the old clearing" in French, the irony of a lake with desert in the name is wonderful.

This property is much more like the nearby casinos in Wisconsin than it is like the other casinos in Michigan. It is, for lack of a better description, in the utter middle of nowhere. While it's true that US2 and US45 cross in Watersmeet and this casino is right on 45, it's also true that this casino is not the closest property to any city with a population over 3,200. Like the WI properties, the target audience here is tourists and vacationers and not locals - there just aren't many locals.

I visited Lac Vieux Desert on my trip from MN to PA. I think this was the point where things started to go awry, as I didn't realize how long the drive from Bad River in WI to Lac Vieux Desert to Baraga, MI woud be. It's all highway driving, but it's also all through national forest. It took about 50% longer than I'd budgeted, and later in the day I ran into a property whose tables had closed before I arrived. The casino has a very dated assortment of games: BJ, craps, roulette, LIR, and Caribbean Stud are their offerings. LIR and Caribbean both had more than one table (1 each was open). I collected my chip by playing BJ.

Lac Vieux Desert has weak lodge theme. There's some nice woodwork, but mostly it feels like a pretty generic hotel and casino. Here's a picture of the outside of the property:



My chip from Lac Vieux Desert is a Paulson RHC. One side features images of cards and dice. The other side has images of a fish, an eagle, a drum, a turtle, aand what I think is a black bear. My chip is in relatively good shape, and what little dirt was on it cleaned up well when I scrubbed the chip this spring.

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
teddys
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August 26th, 2013 at 8:45:38 PM permalink
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
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