Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: Doc

Yes, this whole collecting business is a bit of a compulsion. Didn't teddys say something back last Thursday about my being obsessive-compulsive?

I think the "obsessive-compulsive" part does not refer to the chip collection, per se, but that each chip has a history of your play that goes along with it.

For what it's worth, my understanding is the histories of the two locations are a little more diverse. Evidence of this is that the clowns on the roadside marques are very different.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I think the "obsessive-compulsive" part does not refer to the chip collection, per se, but that each chip has a history of your play that goes along with it.

For what it's worth, my understanding is the histories of the two locations are a little more diverse. Evidence of this is that the clowns on the roadside marques are very different.

Yes, I do ramble on. Back in post #1 of this thread, I said my concept was that "I will post a photo of one of the $1 casino chips in my collection, along with some comment about the chip and/or the casino and/or some extraneous issue that the chip brings to my mind." Obviously, many of them bring a lot to my mind, if you disregard that trip to North Las Vegas in which I forgot everything.

In that first post, I also said, "My hope is that this will provide the stimulus for other members to post their comments, anecdotes, whatever about that particular casino." So please tell us more about your understanding of the histories. I have only been posting what I know, what I have come across on the internet, and what I can make up on my own. I need some more help here. :-)

If my rambling tales are just too much, make that clear to me and I will try to cut things shorter. No promise of success at that, though.

Don't worry about rambling too much. Oh, sure, some days some of us will gloss over some of itm but you never know who will read it when you first publish, who will read it down the road, or who will use the index you've been building on post one. That index is a great idea given the nature of this thread.

As far as the Circus Circus history goes, I've already given you everything I remember without doing internet research: Just they they had different histories, and one result is the very different clowns out front.

Hey Doc,

This thread isn't really up my alley but I can appreciate all the effort you have put into your collection over the years.

I was cleaning out a closet the other day and came across a fairly old - (read dirty) $5 chip from a casino boat out of Little River, SC. Do you already have one? If not, do you want it? I haven't read the thread enough to know if your collection is based solely on the chips from casinos you've been to or not... Let me know and I'll mail it to you.

Quote: Woldus

I was cleaning out a closet the other day and came across a fairly old - (read dirty) $5 chip from a casino boat out of Little River, SC. Do you already have one? If not, do you want it?

Thanks very much for the offer, but I do indeed have a practice of collecting chips only from the casinos I have been to. That may not make much sense, but at least it keeps me from buying stuff on Ebay. There are other collectors who participate in this forum, some of whom are posting examples from their collections here. One of them might be interested in your chip, but I will leave it to them to contact you if they are. I don't know their "rules" for themselves.

I think there used to be two casino boats that operated out of Little River, maybe from adjacent docks. I don't see how they could stand the competition. I considered going to Myrtle Beach for a few days and trying out one of those casino boats while I'm in the area just to see what it is like. Some of those boats have terrible reputations. In a few days, I will be in Cocoa Beach, FL, and they have the Victory casino boat that's a bit larger, I think. I doubt I'll be able to convince my wife to try that one.

I'd say you won't have much chance of convincing her unless she loves to inhale vast quantities of second hand smoke...or has always wanted to re-enact the scene in Fast Times where Sean Penn comes tumbling out of a van filled with smoke in the school parking lot.... "Mr. Hand....you DICK!"

There were in fact two boats side by side in Little River. I believe one has ceased operating. The one we went on (somehow my friends got me to go twice!) looked like people had gotten sick over the years off the upper deck and the crew didn't care enought to wash it down...but almost every slot machine had someone's "holder" on the seat on the way out so what do I know?

State: Nevada
City: Reno
Casino: Club Cal Neva

This will be my last Casino Chip of the Day for a little while. My wife and I are headed to Cocoa Beach, FL for three nights followed by five nights on a cruise ship out of Port Canaveral. We will be on the Ecstasy from our least-favorite cruise line (Carnival), but at least it's fairly cheap and convenient for us. If the ship's casino has $1 chips that are different from the generic "Fun Ships" chip that I got from the Fantasy back in 2006, I will have that to add to my collection.

The ship will be making port calls in Key West, Nassau, and Freeport. I already have chips from what I think are the only two casinos currently operating in Nassau, but I hope to pick up one in Freeport. The casino that existed there on my last visit way back in 1976 (before I started collecting) seems to be long gone, but there is another one open now that I will try to find.

I expect to get home quite late on Friday 4/20 and will post my next Casino Chip of the Day on that Saturday. Anticipating this absence from the forum, let's have a good discussion today before I hit the road. Maybe you folks will have something good to say about chips while I am gone, and I will catch up upon my return.

Today's chip is from the Club Cal Neva, which opened in Reno back in 1962. According to Wikipedia, the place was originally a club, but I'm not sure of the implications of that. Did you have to be voted in as a member in order to be allowed to lose money there? Wiki also says Club Cal Neva has one of the most profitable sports books in the state. I'm not sure whether that means that the players in Reno are particularly inept punters or that this sports book just has a huge number of satellite operations under their name.

This place should be carefully distinguished from the Cal Neva Casino Resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe. I visited both facilities last October, but I found that the table games had been removed from the Cal Neva Casino Resort, leaving a vast "lobby". If you have chips from there, this would be a fine time to post their images, since I won't be covering that casino elsewhere. Of course, post your Club Cal Neva chip images here also.

I visited the Club Cal Neva the day after my disappointment at the Cal Neva Casino Resort. I was there early in the day, and their crap table was not in operation, so I played blackjack, contributing just a smidgen to the establishment's net revenue for the day. In the last few years, I have only played blackjack when craps was not available or when I was trying to stem the bleeding by going to a slower, less-volatile game. The Club Cal Neva was my first stop on that ten-casino day that I mentioned yesterday.

This Club Cal Neva chip has an exceptionally smooth surface surrounding the center insert with repeating patterns of unknown meaning. On the edge, there is an additional pink/purple/fuchsia/whatever dash in between each of the eight marks that wrap around to the faces. The on-line resources indicate this is another Bud Jones injection molded chip, but I can find no manufacturer's logo – rarely can find a BJ when you want one, eh?



Edit 5/27/12: Check this post later in this thread about UV images visible on this and other chips.

Quote: Doc

According to Wikipedia, the place was originally a club, but I'm not sure of the implications of that. Did you have to be voted in as a member in order to be allowed to lose money there?

I would have assumed that it was like a night club. "Honey, I'm going down to the club." Not necessarily a membership thing, but a type of establishment.

OK, but how would that kind of "club" be different from a typical casino? The actual quote from them is:

Quote: Wikipedia article on Club Cal Neva

Opening originally in 1962 as a club held by the gaming magnates of the time.

Not at all an important issue, but I thought it a little odd.

Here's my Club Cal Neva chip. I'd say it's one of the prettier chips in my collection. The design also seems to help avoid some of the scum that sticks to chips made via other methods.

I walked through downtown Reno from about 11pm-3am to collect this and the other downtown chips. People have since told me that perhaps I shouldn't have done that, but I didn't perceive any real danger. I'd equate the walk to the Sands with the walk from the FSE to the El Cortez, but even that was well-lit.

Quote: rdw4potus

I walked through downtown Reno from about 11pm-3am to collect this and the other downtown chips. People have since told me that perhaps I shouldn't have done that, but I didn't perceive any real danger. I'd equate the walk to the Sands with the walk from the FSE to the El Cortez, but even that was well-lit.

Nah..hell, I used to walk from the Siena all the way down to Eldorado (THAT'S a hike! Across the river, cross the street into the Cal-Neva parking garage, then across the street through Harrah's casino)
To add to the discussion of Cal-Neva...this is the ONE place in Reno that's the absolute FILTHIEST, yet STILL manages to stay PACKED during the weekends (Apparently people ALL know to go play at the ole' Cal-Neva, haha)

Quote: DJTeddyBear

You'll note that there is a white spot on the $25 and $100, as well as a triangle on the $25, and other mark on the $100. In truth, there is something within the white spots. And significance to these marks?

I *think* it's the Paulson Alpha Dot security technology. Can you look at it under very high magnification? If it is, it should look like the 2nd-to-last slide in this chip-collecting overview (which is a good resource in any event):
Chipology 101

I did not find the answer in the above link. So I will have to ask.

Has any casino used wooden chips ?

I am considering using them to demonstrate my game before a Focus group.

I remember as a kid being warned not to take any wooden nickels. LOL

Quote: MathExtremist

... chip-collecting overview (which is a good resource in any event):
Chipology 101

Wow. Cool. VERY interesting stuff.

And, based upon the last couple pages, I think it's safe to say that Doc just added a UV lamp to his Christmas or Birthday wish list.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

And, based upon the last couple pages, I think it's safe to say that Doc just added a UV lamp to his Christmas or Birthday wish list.

I'd already been thinking about one. In fact, I asked my son (who does a lot of stage crew work) whether he had a portable one, but he doesn't.

I had seen a UV image of the same Caesars Palace chip as I posted here; that UV image revealed a top hat and cane icon that is not visible in standard light. I wanted to see whether it is included in my chip, and I would like to scan my entire collection. Maybe I'll get around to that some day. Right now, I'm just waiting to get my car out of the transmission shop so I drive to Florida tomorrow. Murphy's Law is being tightly enforced.

One new-to-me thing I found in MathExtremist's link was the top hat and cane usage prior to the formation of Paulson.

You can get UV lights at a head shop. Do they still have head shops?

" Head shop" ? I will have you know i bought my bong for medicinal purposes.

Quote: buzzpaff

" Head shop" ? I will have you know i bought my bong for medicinal purposes.

I imagine that these days, they sell mostly strobe lights and music that goes, "WUB WUB WUB WUB"

Quote: Doc

I'd already been thinking about one. In fact, I asked my son (who does a lot of stage crew work) whether he had a portable one, but he doesn't.

How small is portable?

Just about every bank in Mexico has a small lamp combining a UV light and a white backlight. The former is for seeing fluorescent ink and the latter for spotting watermarks. The lamps are about 20-25 centimeters wide, 15 centimeters deep and 10 centimeters tall. Lots of other businesses use them to spot counterfeit bills and, presumably, checks. They fit nicely on a desktop, but need to be plugged in. You coudl carry them on trips, but not around the casino.

They sell them at the local office supply stores. Let me check... Sure enough. There are two models at Office Depot in mexico. One with two UV lights, a white light and a magnifying glass goes for about US $70. The other with one UV, one white light and no magnifying glass is under US $25

Although they don't work as well, ordinary novelty store (Spencers) Black Light bulbs may work. And they're cheap.

Quote: s2dbaker

You can get UV lights at a head shop. Do they still have head shops?

I think they are available at Home Depot or Lowes. I think they sell them to fit either screw-in bulb bases or incandescent lamp bases. I asked my son for one because I suspected I had a one-time use for about ten minutes, and I didn't want to spend a dime. I probably will though, since he didn't have one.

By "portable", I was meaning one that my son didn't have built into the lighting bank in a theater. What I would prefer is something like a UV flashlight.

Quote: Doc

By "portable", I was meaning one that my son didn't have built into the lighting bank in a theater. What I would prefer is something like a UV flashlight.

The only "place" I've seen those is on TV in shows like CSI. It could be whoever supplies forensic labs sells them, or maybe the network's gift shop.

As I recall from highschool chemistry, all fluorescent bulbs produce only UV light. That is, the current flowing through the gas inside the tube causes the gas to emit UV photons only. Inside the tubes there is a coating that absorbs the UV energy and in turn glows in a range of visible light. This phenomenon is calle fluorescence, ergo fluorescent lamps :)

So it would seem UV or "black" light should be easier to produce. Of course, there's a range of UV light as well. You don't want to cause sunburn or retinal damage with the things.

Edited:

Or just try this link at Amazon

Quote: Nareed

Or just try this link at Amazon

OK, so maybe I'm a sucker for something cheap. I chose one of the alternates at $1.79 + $2.99 S&H. It will be delivered while I am on travel status, and I can gripe about my choice of the junky model when I get back home.

Quote: Doc

OK, so maybe I'm a sucker for something cheap. I chose one of the alternates at $1.79 + $2.99 S&H. It will be delivered while I am on travel status, and I can gripe about my choice of the junky model when I get back home.

I can't wait :)

Seriously, if it does work please bring it to WoVCon. I wouldn't mind putting a UV light to crefit cards, passports DLs and other documents.

You might want to avoid shining it on clothing though.

Doc, for your consideration regarding your chip images: stop posting the small ones. Your images are consistently the best looking and sometimes the only one posted. It would be nice to just see the full size image with your post.

Enjoy your trip.

Quote: Doc

Quote: Nareed

Or just try this link at Amazon

OK, so maybe I'm a sucker for something cheap. I chose one of the alternates at $1.79 + $2.99 S&H. It will be delivered while I am on travel status, and I can gripe about my choice of the junky model when I get back home.

I bought one like this from Amazon not long ago because I needed it at work, and it will suit your needs perfectly I predict.

Quote: Lucyjr

Doc, for your consideration regarding your chip images: stop posting the small ones. Your images are consistently the best looking and sometimes the only one posted. It would be nice to just see the full size image with your post.

Before I started this thread, I sought some advice from the Wizard, in part as to whether this would be a thread of interest but particularly in regard to image sizes. I know that a couple of years ago, there were some problems with the site, at least for some browser(s), if a linked image was too large. One too wide to fit in the default frame just screwed up the entire display for anyone using that browser. I think that may have been another Internet Explorer issue. JB got all of that resolved, but I wanted to post the images in a way that would work best for the site and best for discussion.

When I started the thread, I followed the Wizard's advice of a 180x180 pixel image in the thread that, if clicked, would provide a 600x600 pixel image. He said that is the way he had found to work best. I should point out, perhaps, that even that 600x600 is not "full size". I call the two sizes that I am using in this thread "small" and "medium". The "full" images run about 1830x1830 pixels, and that is after I cropped the original images. If I posted the cropped "full" images, I don't know that they would appear much larger in the thread than a "medium" anyway, because of the way the site handles display of images.

At times, I have felt that the very large images posted by others right in the thread, while they certainly show up well, may make it difficult to follow the text discussions. But I am quite willing to consider input from forum members other than our host.

How do others feel about this? Would you really prefer the 600x600 image right in the initial post of the day? I am open to other suggestions on how to improve this thread. You have about ten days to think of and post suggestions while I am out of town, and I will consider how to continue/adjust when I return.

Personally, I say stick to the 180x180 (or close to it) for the post, but link to the larger version.

What I've noticed on Internet Explorer as well as Safari is that when an oversized image loads without a web page around it, it will automatically reduce to fit the screen. However, the pointer turns into a magnifying glass.

Just to help people see what we are discussing regarding image sizes, here in one post are the small, medium, and full-size images of the Club Cal Neva chip.

Even though the full-size image is 3x as large in each direction as the medium, the site does not attempt to display it that big in the thread (fortunately). At the bottom of this post, I have included a link that will open the full-size image in a separate window/tab where you can click on it to see it truly in full-size. I doubt anyone has a use/need/interest for that, but I am providing it here so you know what all of the options might be.

Let me know what you think would work best (at least with your browser) as the size for a regularly-posted Casino Chip of the Day. And JB and/or the Wizard, please let me know if any of the larger images would cause any problem in proper operation of the site.

small (180x180 pixels) This is what I have been including in the thread to this point.


medium (600x600 pixels) This is what you have been able to see by clicking on the small image in my previous posts.


full-size, as displayed in a regular post (1817x1817 pixels -- This varies slightly from photo to photo.)


Finally, a link to the full-size image in another window, where you can click the image to see it in really full-size.

The medium photo looks about three times the size of the small photo - as it should.

The large photo looks only slightly larger than the medium photo - like it's about 750x750.

The link opens a new window where it initially fills the screen, but, as I mentioned, has a magnifying glass for a pointer. Right-click on the large version to open the image in a new window, and it looks like the link version, complete with magnifying glass.


The high-res is VERY nice. I'm tempted to run down to the Apple store to take a look on their cinema display....

Quote: DJTeddyBear

The high-res is VERY nice. I'm tempted to run down to the Apple store to take a look on their cinema display....

The larger you view it, of course, the easier it is to see the defects. This image is pretty good I think, but you can see the depth of field issue with using the closeup lenses. I think I have the center of the chip in focus, but the edges of the chip are fuzzy all around. I have noticed on some of my shots that I didn't get really good focus even on the center. That usually can't be seen in the small image, but such things are increasingly obvious as you blow it up.

However, this isn't really a photography thread. I just want the most appropriate images to support discussion of the chips and the casinos and anything else that a photo of one of these chips inspires someone to post about. So I'm looking for input from everyone who reads this thread and who has a preference on how I display the chips. Let me hear from you! (Yes, I know it won't be possible to make everyone happy.)

Head shops in LV? Only on every 3rd block.

So is Cal Nev Ari next? best Casino/Post Office.

Quote: Wavy70

So is Cal Nev Ari next? best Casino/Post Office.

Nope. Don't have that one. Do they even have table games? I didn't think so. If I had one, I would have posted it back between Caesars Palace and California. (I think a blank space is alphabetized before an "i".)

Loading the car -- I'm outa here!

I have an image of a Cosmopolitan chip ready to go if that's next.

Quote: Wavy70

So is Cal Nev Ari next? best Casino/Post Office.

Does anyone happen to know when they took out their table(s)?

Quote: rdw4potus

Does anyone happen to know when they took out their table(s)?

Are they even open? I drove by there, never bothered to stop in.

Quote: teddys

Are they even open? I drove by there, never bothered to stop in.

The restaurant/VP parlor was open last fall. I guess there used to be at least 1 table installed, but it's (I think, long) gone.


The chip, apparently, looks like this (source):

Quote: s2dbaker

I have an image of a Cosmopolitan chip ready to go if that's next.

Not next, but soon.

I'm back home a day earlier than expected -- got off the cruise ship earlier yesterday morning than I expected and drove all the way home last night. I'll post the next Casino Chip of the Day in a few minutes.

I received the UV flashlight that I ordered before heading out on my trip, but I only have in stock one of the three required AAA batteries. I'll pick some up today and check out any "hidden" images on my chips.

I only added one chip to the collection on this trip. The chips on the ship were just like the one I already have from another ship in the Carnival line; they've apparently gone "generic" and no longer have individualized chips for each ship.

I had fun talking to some of the dealers on the ship; they are all from countries I have never visited. I particularly talked to two young ladies from Serbia and Slovenia. I asked whether they knew who manufactured the chips that were being used in their casino, and they had no idea. I showed them the top hat and cane logo (the SCH version), and they both said they had never noticed that. I told them it meant the chip was made by the Paulson division of Gaming Partners International, and I pointed out that their ON/OFF puck on the crap table said "PAUL-SON" right on the face. I still think that was an earlier version of the company name, but I'm not sure.

The chip I added was from the Treasure Bay casino in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, which puts it a long, long way down the waiting list for this thread. Maybe we'll get there about next January. That chip had the reversed hat and cane pattern, and I showed that to the dealers on the ship for the slight contrast to the logo on their chips.

I have received such limited feedback thus far regarding preferences for the posted image sizes for the chips that (at least for now) I will stick to what I had been doing. I'm still very much open to input/comments on that topic. If it has been too long for you to remember what that was all about, check back a page or so in this thread and let me know what you think I should do for future image posts.

i like the way you have been posting the images.
the small one on the chip page, clickable for more detail.
with the more mundane chips, i can see it and move along.
with the more interesting ones, i can get the higher detail resolution.
thanks for the thread!

Quote: rdw4potus

The restaurant/VP parlor was open last fall. I guess there used to be at least 1 table installed, but it's (I think, long) gone.


The chip, apparently, looks like this

As of last fall they had a BJ table in a corner they would pull out on request.

State: Nevada
City: Henderson
Casino: Club Fortune

OK, so the Casino Chip of the Day thread is back up and running.

Club Fortune is the first of the Henderson casinos to appear in this thread. It is located just a short distance and a few twists and turns from Boulder highway, perhaps a third of the way from downtown Henderson out toward Railroad Pass. It is 80% surrounded by residential housing, most of it single-family units, but all of the developments seem to be shying away about 500 feet from the casino. I don't know whether there is some zoning issue or not, but there is just Club Fortune, its parking lot, and two huge dirt fields in the tract between all of the housing.

Club Fortune is located on Racetrack Road, which raises the question: What racetrack? I know there was once a drag strip at an old airport runway in Henderson, and they briefly operated a greyhound track in Henderson, back when racing dogs for wagering was legal in Nevada, but in the same area there is an Equestrian Drive, Arabian Drive, Bridle Drive, Colt Drive, Derby Drive, Quarter Horse Drive…. Well, you get the idea -- someone in the area was at least interested in the ponies. Thus, I just don't know even what kind of racetrack might have been reached via Racetrack Road.

I have been to Club Fortune twice. The first time I found the table games closed, since I had not anticipated the restricted operating hours, so I returned the following evening to play craps and pick up my souvenir chip.

Even that second evening, I was early and there were few players. The crap table was staffed but idle as I approached. There was another patron sitting nearby who apparently did not want to play the game alone. When I bought in, he jumped to the table and played while I was there. I left the table to go talk to my wife, and he sat back down, only to return to play when I came back. We didn't talk to each other, so it wasn't a social thing. My best guesses are that either he didn't like the speed of the game when playing alone, or he had some superstition.

I remember talking to one of the dealers at the table and commenting that I had been running around to different casinos collecting chips. I said that with my style of play it was clear that I didn't have any loyalty to any one casino or any one corporation. His reply was that there was no reason for me to be loyal to a casino, because "they sure aren't going to be loyal to you." I wasn't sure whether he just meant no casino loyalty to a player or perhaps something a bit more personal, like no loyalty to an employee.

I also remember that the casino did not live up to my expectation of it being a dump. It actually seemed like a reasonably nice place, though small. I think I recall that Club Fortune was where NicksGamingStuff got a tryout while going to dealers' school.

This Club Fortune chip is another injection molded Bud Jones production (another with no BJ logo visible), with a pattern at least one resource calls "Sunburst". The Bud Jones/Gaming Partners International web site does not list the names of their patterns. The chip has the same very smooth surface as the Club Cal Neva chip from my last image post an eon ago -- or maybe that was just last week. This chip has a larger center insert than the earlier one.

The three bands appear continuous from the face, around the edge, and onto the opposite face as if it is an insert like on a clay chip. I suspect but don't know for certain that the color is continuous through the thickness of the chip -- I do not know the details of the injection molding process. On the other hand, there are dots on the chip edge aligned with the dots on the faces. Those teal (?) spots may be continuous color internally, but they do not connect on the surface. If the spots do connect internally, it would be quite interesting to know more about the manufacturing process.



Edit 5/27/12: Check this post later in this thread about UV images visible on this and other chips.

Quote: Wavy70

As of last fall they had a BJ table in a corner they would pull out on request.

Yay! I get to stalk another chip!

Quote: WongBo

i like the way you have been posting the images.
the small one on the chip page, clickable for more detail.
with the more mundane chips, i can see it and move along.
with the more interesting ones, i can get the higher detail resolution.
thanks for the thread!

Welcome back Doc! I enjoy this thread very much, especially folk's anecdotes about the smaller joints. I am +1 on the clickable small images, (even though I have not taken the time to figure out how to do it for the images that I post). Keep em coming!

Here's my Club Fortune chip. I was at Club Fortune in mid-October, and it was decorated for halloween at the time. I've never seen a casino do that before, and the lingering mental image is both strange and off putting. I think I'll stop back during the weekend of WOVcon (I'm definitely in, by the way) to see what the casino's "normal" decor is.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Welcome back Doc! I enjoy this thread very much, especially folk's anecdotes about the smaller joints. I am +1 on the clickable small images, (even though I have not taken the time to figure out how to do it for the images that I post). Keep em coming!

I'd be happy to switch to clickable small images, if someone can show me how to set that up.

Quote: rdw4potus

Yay! I get to stalk another chip!

If I recall correctly, your route to WoVCon][ will take you through that area, so you should be able to bring us a show-and-tell chip for confirmation. I'll be particularly interested in what kind of "request" is necessary to get them to start a game. If it's a simple "Please deal me one hand so I can keep a souvenir chip", then I'll have to stop by on my next trip to Laughlin.

Doesn't having even one table game require a different kind of license than just having ten slot machines? I know that info has been posted here before, but I can't remember the answer, and I wonder what is involved in keeping up a different license in order to have a table stored in the corner.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I am +1 on the clickable small images, (even though I have not taken the time to figure out how to do it for the images that I post).

Quote: rdw4potus

I'd be happy to switch to clickable small images, if someone can show me how to set that up.

First, you need to have both the "small" and "large" images stored some place on the web. Then post the image with a line that looks like this:

[link=http://-the-URL-for-your-large-image][img=http://-the-URL-for-your-small-image][/link]

And yes, I had to add a bunch of extra codes to that line to make it show up properly in this post. You don't need the extra brackets in the real post -- just type what appears above (with the real "www.XXXX.yyy/filename.jpg"). It might be easier on your first try to just quote one of my posts, copy that final line, cancel the quote/reply, then paste into your post while substituting your own URLs for mine.