Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: TIMSPEED

Trust me, you're not missing much! As we locals like to call it, the "Hooker Hotel"

Whoops! Now maybe I need a second opinion from rdw4potus. Based on your description, my wife has already added this casino to the list of spots to which she would not accompany me.

Diamond's isn't listed at CasinoCity.com, which was my primary source for a slate of candidates for that trip, and I really had thought that I had only missed outliers (if that's the right word) like Alamo, Boomtown, Bonanza, and Western Village.

Quote: Doc

Whoops! Now maybe I need a second opinion from rdw4potus. Based on your description, my wife has already added this casino to the list of spots to which she would not accompany me.

Diamond's isn't listed at CasinoCity.com, which was my primary source for a slate of candidates for that trip, and I really had thought that I had only missed outliers (if that's the right word) like Alamo, Boomtown, Bonanza, and Western Village.

I didn't think it was all that awful, though I'd probably never go back. Diamonds is the casino that is at the Ramada (listed on casinocity as Ramada Reno).

Quote: rdw4potus

Diamonds is the casino that is at the Ramada (listed on casinocity as Ramada Reno).

Ah! Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps that is a bit like Westin Las Vegas hotel and the Casuarina casino not mentioning each other.

Quote: Doc

Ah! Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps that is a bit like Westin Las Vegas hotel and the Casuarina casino not mentioning each other.

I think that may be the case. I'm pretty sure that the American Casino Guide also listed the Ramada as the controlling entity. The more I think about it, the more I remember being surprised that the chips said Diamond's.

Off the topic of casino chips, but has anyone here been to that One Six Sky Lounge at Eastside Cannery that I made reference to when posting their chip? If so, is the view of the strip really as dramatic as suggested in that ad or is that just an artist's hyperbole? If it's really that good, I might have to think again about trying to get access for a similar photo of my own (but without those people blocking the view.)

the strip is farther away than it appears in the picture.
if you look at the 2:00 mark in THIS VIDEO you may get an idea of what to expect...

Thanks, WongBo. I suspected as much. Part of the difficulty with it being farther away can be compensated for with a long lens. However, I once tried to take a strip skyline view from out east of town near Hollywood Boulevard, where the terrain climbs. There was just too much debris in the air (dust, moisture, pollution, whatever) and I just could not get a clear image of the buildings from way out there. It would probably be the same from a roof on Boulder Highway.

I wonder how they really generated the photo in the ad. As I look at it, the perspective (how the spread from Luxor to Harrah's appears), I feel a photo like that might need to be taken from somewhere on the UNLV campus, if it's a real photo from one position.

BTW, while considering this, I took a look at Google Maps. The street view image of the Eastside Cannery locale from Boulder Highway shows the Nevada Palace, with a tower under construction behind. I also looked at the Luxor Pyramid, and I found an identifying tag right there claiming it is the Bellagio Casino. It that an error with my system/browser, or does that tag appear for everyone else?

hey Doc, i also found THIS DAYTIME VIDEO
which shows the distance a little better. about 0:33

Quote: WongBo

hey Doc, i also found THIS DAYTIME VIDEO
which shows the distance a little better. about 0:33

Thanks again. Except the view at 0:33 is Sam's Town and downtown Las Vegas. You have to wait closer to 0:45 to see the strip. But it's still a distant mirage.


(Ooops, was that a pun?)

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Edgewater

The Edgewater is the third Laughlin casino covered in this thread and is located right between the Aquarius and Colorado Belle that were covered previously. The Edgewater is, of course, included in the Wizard's Laughlin Review, where he notes that the establishment provided a field trial for his casino game a few years back.

I'm really not very good at looking through records to determine casino ownership. It appears that Edgewater is/was owned substantially by former baseball player Anthony Marnell III, who originally was half owner (I think) of M Resort, before Penn National took over ownership there. This thread really needs some input from someone with a better understanding of the business/ownership side of casinos.

Does anyone know whether there is or ever was a connection between the Edgewater casino in Laughlin and the Edgewater casino in Vancouver? I suppose the name duplication just implies that each is on the edge of a body of water, but it seems that most such casino name matches imply some kind of history link.

The Edgewater is currently advertising a performance this Friday night by Ted Nugent. If you go, keep your eyes open for Secret Service agents. And don't go dressed as a bear. The following night, the Edgewater hosts two of the three surviving members of The Doors. "And then," as Monty Python might say, "for something completely different", on the night of WoVCon][ they will have a show by Paul Anka. Strange Days, indeed. I liked a lot of Paul Anka's music, but I think I will stick around Las Vegas to join our little group going to see The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

This chip, with the obvious chip out of the upper left quadrant, is a Chipco ceramic chip with a satin finish. The themogh.org site indicates that there was also a release with this same image but with a linen finish. The other side of my chip has a chip that is even worse than the one visible in the photo. And the graphic looks quite faded compared to the image provided at themogh.org. I must not have gone to the effort of gathering the best specimen available. Hopefully, other members will post images of better Edgewater chips.

When looking at the enlargement, there is a dot pattern in the image, name and location. Looking closely, there is even a dot pattern in the whitespace around the image, but not extending all the way to the edge.

This is NOT the same as the dot pattern seen in color newspaper photos. There, the 4 colors have patterns at differing angles to form the photo.

In this chip, it appears that the dot pattern is part of the overall design and printed with high quality - or that the image was printed in high quality, but on a media that has a dimpled texture of it's own causing the dots.

Intriguing....

Also intriguing is that there are no edge marks.

P.S.
Thanks for commenting about the satin finish photo at themogh.org. I checked.

Here's their linen version:


Here's their satin version:


They don't have enlatgements, but even in this size, you can see the dot pattern in their linen photo, but not the satin. Maybe that's the difference?

On the other hand, BOTH of these samples have edge spots....

Here's my Edgewater chip. The surface of the chip is textured, I'm not sure how/why.

Yes, indeed. The graphic on my chip looks like a linen chip finish, but the chip feels completely smooth, like the satin finish. It is more as if the graphic were printed through a screen. My chip does have three edge spots in tan that are not visible in my photo. I suppose that it is slightly possible that I have a linen finish chip that has been worn completely smooth without completely removing the graphic.

Quote: Doc

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Edgewater



Does anyone know whether there is or ever was a connection between the Edgewater casino in Laughlin and the Edgewater casino in Vancouver? I suppose the name duplication just implies that each is on the edge of a body of water, but it seems that most such casino name matches imply some kind of history link.

The Vancouver Edgewater Casino is owned by a company that also owns several other casinos in British Columbia. They had a proposal to build a new casino/ resort near the existing building but failed to to get approval from the City of Vancouver (good left wing politicians gambling=bad).

The proposal involved partnering with a company from Vegas to provide funding and management experience. I don't think that company was related to the Laughlin Edgewater.

Thanks for the info, kenarman. I've only been to two of the BC casinos, so I don't know much about them. I suspected that "Edgewater" was just a nice, descriptive name that didn't imply a corporate link, but it seemed possible.

Here is my older Edgewater chip. I grabbed it probably around 1990 I think. Sorry for the blurry pic

[IMG]

Quote: DJTeddyBear

you can see the dot pattern in their linen photo, but not the satin. Maybe that's the difference?

Quote: rdw4potus

Here's my Edgewater chip. The surface of the chip is textured, I'm not sure how/why.

Quote: Doc

... my chip looks like a linen chip finish, but the chip feels completely smooth, like the satin finish. ... it is slightly possible that I have a linen finish chip that has been worn completely smooth.

Perhaps I should have mentioned this page at themogh.org site, where they illustrate the difference between the linen, recessed, and satin finishes on Chipco chips.

Quote: Johnzimbo

Here is my older Edgewater chip. I grabbed it probably around 1990 I think. Sorry for the blurry pic

Thanks for the image, Johnzimbo. That Museum of Gaming History site I have been citing says your chip was issued in 1989 and that the chip with the graphic as I posted was issued in the linen version in 1995. They don't offer an issue year for the satin version, and I am growing ever more uncertain as to whether mine is satin or worn-smooth linen.

Quote: Doc

Thanks, WongBo. I suspected as much. Part of the difficulty with it being farther away can be compensated for with a long lens. However, I once tried to take a strip skyline view from out east of town near Hollywood Boulevard, where the terrain climbs. There was just too much debris in the air (dust, moisture, pollution, whatever) and I just could not get a clear image of the buildings from way out there. It would probably be the same from a roof on Boulder Highway.

I wonder how they really generated the photo in the ad. As I look at it, the perspective (how the spread from Luxor to Harrah's appears), I feel a photo like that might need to be taken from somewhere on the UNLV campus, if it's a real photo from one position.

I suspect the photo on the webpage was composited from shots taken from a helicopter. I would expect the hotels on each end of the banner to appear more warped if it was a single long lens photo.

Doc,

Are you aware of this Las Vegas group: "The Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club."

Thanks.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: El Cortez

We have finally reached one of the establishments to be patronized as part of WoVCon][. Unless something interrupts the progress of the thread, we should reach the other one prior to that coming together of the troops. (I started to say "congregation of our members," but I didn't want to risk having this thread stumble into the debates over religion.)

There is also the opportunity here to touch base with the Spanish Word of the Day thread by asking this question: Is it really appropriate to alphabetize "El Cortez" according to the "El"? I mean, other than perhaps for DJTB's band The The, we try not to alphabetize in English by a leading "The", so what's the rule in Spanish? Yes, El Cortez goes together as the name of a place, but just a few days ago we had a casino with an official name of "The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas", and I presented that with the Cs. (Or did we decide in another thread that should be the "C's"?)

To date, I have only visited El Cortez one time. My wife and I went down there for the purpose of my getting a souvenir chip, of course, and we had a less-than-wonderful time. Bad enough that she has declined to join me there for the WoVCon][ activities next month, unless someone other than me can convince her to change her mind. (She softened her stand on that very slightly yesterday evening, so I'll keep trying.) I won't tell all about our first visit there, but I will relate just a little bit.

We parked in the parking deck and encountered a security guard patrolling the grounds before we even made it to the stairwell. He gave us a look as if he couldn't understand why we would be foolish enough to be there. As we reached the casino area, we witnessed an intoxicated man being given the bum's rush, which may have been entirely appropriate. My wife's recollection of the interior is that it was dimly lighted, with low ceilings that made her feel she had entered a cellar. She felt uncomfortable the entire time we were there.

I do not remember that aspect, but I do remember the clientele that I met at the crap table. The only person at the table who seemed to have a total bankroll that reached triple digits was a feeble man who appeared to be several decades older than me, and that's saying something. He was in a wheelchair and quite possibly had been conveyed in from a nursing home, assisted living center or similar facility. He was accompanied by an attendant who assisted in placing the wagers on the table and transferred winnings to the rack. When it came time for the gentleman to shoot the dice, his attendant assisted him to a standing position and braced him while the man filled his role and got his entertainment from the game. Some day, that could be me; but for him to be the high-roller, bon vivant of the table did not leave the impression that this was the best place to play the game.

I'm hoping very much that our gaming time at El Cortez for WoVCon][ will change my impression of this venerable establishment to a favorable one.

The El Cortez chip shown below is a RHC version of the Paulson top hat and cane design, in a solid blue without edge inserts. The center insert has a matching color with ornate scrollwork as a background pattern. The image that MOGH has of the El Cortez $5 chip of this same series shows four edge inserts in two close-packed sets rather than their being 90° apart. I guess El Cortez just couldn't justify the expense of edge inserts for a $1 chip.

If rdw4potus posts a $5 chip of that pattern (I'll be astonished if he doesn't post some $5 chip from El Cortez), we may want to look at it closely or even ask him questions. The chip on the MOGH site appears to have a cross-hatch pattern on the outer ring, with the top hats and canes raised above the background rather than being recessed, as are all of the top hats on my chips. This might be a new mold pattern for me. Or maybe it's just an optical illusion.

Quote: teliot

Are you aware of this Las Vegas group: "The Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club."

I am aware of collectors and their groups, but I am not familiar with that particular club. Are you a member? I wouldn't mind knowing more about that club or others.

I have not aligned with with any such group (other than this forum's membership), mostly because I don't really consider myself a serious collector -- I'm just out having some fun!

Here's my El Cortez chip. I didn't mind the El Cortez much. It's a bit musty, and the low ceilings are not exactly good for limiting the smoke smell. But, the games are cheap and fair.

I've never parked at the El Cortez, but I've heard that their parking ramp is sort of a wasteland. In the past, I've done what I'll probably do again for WOVcon ][ and park at the 4 Queens and walk to the El Cortez when it's time to migrate.

This does appear to be the $5 pattern that Doc described, with the edge inserts closely packed rather than 90 degrees separated. The ornate pattern on the inset appears to be the same as on Doc's chip, as well. When I grabbed this chip, I was absolutely shocked at how clean it was. I'm used to having to clean a significant amount of scum off of the chips I collect, but this one (and, really, all of the $5 chips at the El Cortez) was pretty much pristine in the tray. I'm not sure what it says about a casino when the chips are the cleanest thing in the building...

OK, so the top hats on rdw4potus's chip look to be recessed like all of the ones I have ever seen. Somebody please take a look at this MOGH image and tell me whether it is my imagination or an optical illusion or what. Don't at least some of the top hats look raised in that image?

I think that an M.C. Escher-like effect. They're recessed, but some of those shadows sure do make it look like they're raised.

Regarding alphabatizing:

Since these are Spanish names being alphabatized into a list in English, I say, aplhabatize under "El".

Much of the reason for ignoring "The" when sorting, is just so you don't have a bunch all together. Also, once that became the norm, people expect it.

For the record, the MOGH site has a bunch of casinos sorted under "El".



Regarding the raised impression: It's an optical illusion.


Here's a sample of one of their photos where the chip appears to have a raised top-hat-and-cane.
Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/el_c.JPG

There's the same photo, rotated.
Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/el_c_rotated.JPG

It's just the camera and/or lighting angle.


Still don't beleive me? Turn your monitor upside-down.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Much of the reason for ignoring "The" when sorting, is just so you don't have a bunch all together.

I am reminded of a single-panel comic that I saw years ago. A secretary is standing next to a five-drawer file cabinet with the drawers labeled "A-K", "L", "L", "L", and "M-Z". She is saying to her boss, "We sure get a lot more Letters than anything else."

The El Cortez was my casino of choice for most of the 1990's. My ex and I, and her folks, used to stay at Fitzgeralds mostly but their offers of free rooms had dwindled and since we used to make the trek from So. Cal to Vegas about six times a year, we were trying to find somewhere else that would give us low rollers a comped room. My ex-MIL went to the Cortez and hit a 5 spot on video keno and discovered they would offer to take your picture at the machine and mail it to you. She agreed and several weeks later she received the pic along with free dinner for two at Roberta's and a letter stating she now could get three free nights 4 times a year!

My ex and I wanted in on this so our next trip to Vgeas was the first time we walked down to the Cortez, and she hit something (their promo was you had to hit $200 or more on a quarter machine to get the offers) and we were in like Flynn. We stayed there four times a year for probably every year from 1990-2000 or so, and as long as we requested and received a tower room we were ecstatic. One cool story-- one of the first times we stayed there we were coming down the elevator and it stopped and an older man got on. He asked if we were going to breakfast, we said yes, and he pulled out a comp for two and told us to enjoy. Found out a year or two later that man was Jackie Gaughan, the owner. Here are my two old, dirty chips I pocketed off the craps table about 20 years ago.

[/IMG]

[IMG]

Thanks for the story and the images, Johnzimbo. Glad to hear that you and your (ex-)relatives found things to enjoy at the El Cortez.

I thought I had identified your 50¢ chip on the MOGH site as one that was issued in 1998, which didn't quite match your report. Then I looked closer. The 1998 chip looks the same, except the state is abbreviated "NV". MOGH also shows your chip with the "NEV" abbreviation but without an issue date. Your $1 chip is shown, too, and is listed as issued "1980s".

The chip I posted is listed as issued in 2005.

State: Nevada
City: Henderson
Casino: Eldorado

OK, so even if we accept that El Cortez should be alphabetized with "E" instead of "C", how should I alphabetize a chip from the Eldorado in Henderson with respect to the Eldorado in Reno? My solution is the same one I used with Circus Circus – the name of the city, and "H" for Henderson comes before "R" for Reno. The other casino and chip will be covered tomorrow.

The Eldorado is one of the downtown Henderson casinos, as opposed to those on Boulder Highway. According to the CasinoCity.com web site, the Eldorado's gaming space features 439 gaming machines and four table games, including 4 blackjack, 1 craps, and 1 roulette. Yeah, I know. Higher mathematics. I really hate it when CasinoCity is the "best" source of information I can find.

I have only played at the Eldorado one time, on an afternoon/evening when I looped around that section of metro Las Vegas picking up chips from casinos I had difficulty even finding. During that one visit, I didn't see anything I consider a compelling reason to return.

I have admitted that sometimes I have had some difficulty in establishing who really owns a casino. The Eldorado web site indicates it is part of Boyd Gaming. The Boyd Gaming web site talks about seven of their casinos in the Las Vegas area and more than half a dozen in other areas, but it makes no mention whatsoever of the Eldorado. Are they ashamed of the place or something? Sounds a bit like MGM Resorts International and Circus Circus.

Just curious – how many of you reading this have ever been to the Eldorado? How many have been a second time? Was there something of interest that I overlooked?

The chip shown below is a typically grungy, RHC version of the Paulson top hat and cane design, with four edge inserts and a gold hot-stamped center imprint. I highly suspect that it is just by chance that the edge inserts on this chip are directly on top of the top hats. The MOGH site says that this chip pattern was issued in 2000. (And their chip doesn't have the insert/hat alignment.)

Maybe no surprise, but I've been to the Eldorado in Henderson. I thought the neighborhood was cute, and I could see spending time there window shopping and unwinding without the constant reminder that I was in Las Vegas. The Eldorado/Rainbow Club/Emerald Island grouping is also one of the more easily walkable casino groupings outside of downtown LV, though I don't know if casino hopping makes sense when only one casino has table games.

On the subject of information sources - It's nothing short of shocking to me how bad that aspect of the gaming industry is. The ACG is 90% accurate, which is good but not good enough. Casino City is better, at least in terms of locating casinos, but the intra-casino info (restaurants, tables, HOURS, etc.) isn't up to date. Worse yet, many of the casinos own websites are out of date. For example, there are pages on the Red Earth Casino website that still list the rules for the BJ game that they took out 3 years ago when they moved.

Quote: Doc

(I started to say "congregation of our members," but I didn't want to risk having this thread stumble into the debates over religion.)

(I'm putting this in parenthesis to prove what's said parenthetically still gets said) ;)

Quote:

There is also the opportunity here to touch base with the Spanish Word of the Day thread by asking this question: Is it really appropriate to alphabetize "El Cortez" according to the "El"?

Typically "el" or "la" are ommited when alphabetizing in Spanish unless the pronoun is very important to the name, same as "the" in English. For example, "El Paciente Inglés," should be listed inder the letter "P" rather than "E."

Not that it matters for this thread because the hote'ls anme is shortened to "Elco," so the "E" still seems appropriate.

Quote:

I won't tell all about our first visit there, but I will relate just a little bit.

Had you told these stories sooner... Oh, really I don't know. I'll just say I'm glad I'm going there in broad daylight and in the company of a group of gentlemen.

Nice chips (the $1 and the $5). If I do start a collection this year, I should take advantage of this opportunity to grab one.

Related to the alphabetizing question....


In Spanish, is Eldorado supposed to be two words?

Quote: rdw4potus

Maybe no surprise, but I've been to the Eldorado in Henderson.

MOGH says your chip (LCV) was issued in 1990, while mine (RHC) is from 2000.

Quote: Nareed (with regard to the El Cortez)

I'll just say I'm glad I'm going there in broad daylight and in the company of a group of gentlemen.

Really? I'll have to check the attendee list again. ;-)

Quote: DJTeddyBear

In Spanish, is Eldorado supposed to be two words?

I asked that question some time last fall I think. If I recall correctly, Nareed seemed to think Eldorado was OK for a casino name used as a reference to a fictional place. Both casinos spell the name as one word.



Gee, I seem to be slipping in the effort to increase my post count. What am I doing combining these replies?

Quote: Doc

I asked that question some time last fall I think. If I recall correctly, Nareed seemed to think Eldorado was OK for a casino name used as a reference to a fictional place. Both casinos spell the name as one word.

I think the "place" name in Spanish must be two words: El Dorado. But since then it has been used, in English, as one word. There's a Cadilalc Eldorado, if memory serves. This mashing together of words tends to happen often, though usually other distortions creep in.

Quote:

Gee, I seem to be slipping in the effort to increase my post count. What am I doing combining these replies?

Should I answer this in another post? ;)

State: Nevada
City: Reno
Casino: Eldorado

The Eldorado casino in Reno is the southern-most element of a connected-by-pedestrian-bridges, downtown triad with the Silver Legacy and Circus Circus and is just half a block from Harrah's. In contrast to my comments about whether Boyd Gaming was ashamed to admit they own the Eldorado in Henderson, the owners of the Reno establishment seem to beam a bit. Straight from their web site:

Quote:

The Eldorado opened in 1973 and is owned and operated by the Carano family. Over the years, the five Carano children have been active and involved company managers. Don and Rhonda Carano are also proud owners of the Eldorado Resort Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana, the world famous Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma, California and partial owners of Silver Legacy Resort Casino, also in downtown Reno.

On my only visit to the Eldorado Reno, I won a whopping $15 at the crap table. Then I crossed the pedestrian bridge and promptly lost $115 playing craps at the family's shared-ownership casino. C'est la vie.

This chip is from Bud Jones (though with no BJ logo that I can see) and is almost identical to the Crystal Bay chip that was discussed just five days ago. The radial grooves (at least on my chip) are slightly shallower, and the edge inserts are slightly smaller. As DJTeddyBear pointed out before, there does not seem to be any attempt to coordinate the position of the radial grooves with the edge inserts.

Looking at the chip, what do you expect was its issue date? Maybe 1997? Nope, not according to MOGH. They say this chip was issued in 2003, in spite of that clearly-visible copyright date. I can only explain that as possibly a copyright date for the graphic on the center inlay. A very similar inlay was used on a $2 chip issued in 1997. I haven't seen many chips that even have a copyright noted on them.

Nothing on the chip seems to fluoresce under UV light, but the pattern below the full casino name/copyright line and above the $1 is interesting. In the photo, the lines appear in three colors: pink, gold, and silver, but it's not that simple. All of the colors look metallic and some of these colors shift depending on the viewing angle. This may be one of those "hologram" images, but there is not enough of it for me to really tell. The pink lines change to purple, and the silver lines seem to change to white or maybe blue. The reflectivity of the gold letters "Eldorado" changes with angle, but I'm not sure there is a different color I can identify, just shiny gold vs. dull gold. I assume this feature is intended for security, but it does add to the attractiveness of the chip. It looks one heck of a lot better than the chip from Eldorado Henderson.

Along about next October, or maybe November, depending on how many days I travel and skip posting, when this Casino Chip of the Day thread finally progresses to the Carano family's casino in Louisiana, we will see a very similar chip that is used there.



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

I believe it was at the Eldorado in Reno that they used plaques instead of chips for $100 and up denominations. I thought it was very cool and bought in extra just so I could color up to a plaque and check it out.

And you didn't take a photo to share with us?

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Ellis Island

I'm not sure whether I first heard of the Ellis Island casino from driving past its sign on Koval Street, just south of Flamingo, or from its steak dinner being perennially on the "Las Vegas Top Ten Values" list at LasVegasAdvisor.com. I think it may have been there from the beginning of that list, and it holds the #2 spot today:

Quote:

2. Steak Dinner - Ellis Island - 24 hours - $7.95
The Ellis Island steak dinner is served in the Café, and consists of a filet-cut sirloin, soup or salad, potato, vegetable, and a beer. This special is available around the clock.

I have indeed partaken of that special more than once, and I have played at their blackjack tables, though I don't think I have ever played craps there. Once when a neighbor heard I was heading to Las Vegas, she asked whether I knew about the Ellis Island casino. I replied, "Mostly I know about their steak dinner." Turns out, that was all she knew about the place. She and her husband had been pointed that direction on one of their visits, and it made enough of an impression that it was the only question she thought to ask about my upcoming trip.

The establishment began as the Village Pub in 1967 and was owned by Frank Ellis. His son Gary Ellis took over ownership and operation, changed the name to Ellis Island, and opened the casino in 1988. The facility includes a brew pub that I understand is highly regarded, but I don't know whether it was in place in the original Village Pub days. The complex also offers lodging at the Super8 Motel next door to the casino.

Eight years ago, when the steak dinner only cost $4.95, they submitted plans for a 36-story condo-hotel tower with a casino to replace the Super8. Accounts I have seen differ, but the existing casino may also have been slated for removal to provide space for the new tower. They believed that they had a deal in place to acquire the neighboring Tuscany, which was struggling a bit, sell it to the developer of the high-end Platinum Condo Tower on the same block, and (presumably) apply the net proceeds to development of their current property. That deal fell through when the Tuscany allegedly backed out on a signed deal, so we still have the same Ellis Island facilities today. Considering how the Las Vegas condo market has "prospered" in the intervening years, perhaps Mr. Gary Elgin Ellis dodged a bullet.

The Ellis Island chip shown here is yet another RHC Paulson top hat and cane design, this one with three edge inserts of different colors. The center inlay matches the logo found both on their web site and on the sign in front of the casino. This chip is the only $1 Ellis Island chip shown in the MOGH catalog, which indicates an issue date of 1997.




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

Quote: rdw4potus

"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett

Another outstanding "alumni". A shame to see so much opportunity thrown away.

Quote: Doc

And you didn't take a photo to share with us?

Sorry Doc, didn't think to.

Quote: rdw4potus

My Eldorado Reno chip

Thanks for the chip image, rdw4potus. We missed you yesterday. I assume you have an Ellis Island chip too, no?

Quote: Doc

They believed that they had a deal in place to acquire the neighboring Tuscany, which was struggling a bit, sell it to the developer of the high-end Platinum Condo Tower on the same block, and (presumably) apply the net proceeds to development of their current property. That deal fell through when the Tuscany allegedly backed out on a signed deal, so we still have the same Ellis Island facilities today.

They may not own the Tuscany hotel, but Ellis Island is still the operator of record of the Tuscany casino. It may have been part of the settlement talks in 2004 to give them the license.

The Tuscany, a 716-suite property, opened its hotel in December 2001 and the 60,000-square-foot casino in January 2003. The suit says talks evolved into serious negotiations for the marriage of the two operations in January 2004. By then, it was apparent that the Tuscany was not having the success managers had hoped for, attempting to attract a mix of conventioneers, Strip workers and other locals. One of the big reasons for that lack of success was that entrenched properties like Ellis Island -- which offered free drinks to casino workers, steak specials for under $4 as well as a popular karaoke lounge every night -- had a loyal following. The merger fell apart by summer of 2004.

You can buy a copy of the paperback Manhattanizing Las Vegas - How To Profit From The Next Phase Of Mega Growth for $3.

Quote: pacomartin

They may not own the Tuscany hotel, but Ellis Island is still the operator of record of the Tuscany casino.

Note: I started replying before you finished editing your post.

Thanks for the additional information. You seem to be far better than I am in scouting out ownership and similar what-did-you-know-and-when-did-you-know-it stuff. One of the resources I checked claimed that there was a lawsuit following that signed-but-reneged agreement, but I did not come across a report about the outcome. Do I interpret you correctly that the merger fell apart but the Ellis family still manages the Tuscany casino?

I am not familiar with that Manhattanizing Las Vegas book, so I did a brief on-line check. It was published in 2005, and the Amazon.com site includes a 2005 review that summarizes as, "Paul has his pulse on the market, this was incredibly informative." I don't know what advice author Paul Murad offered, but I wonder how many people followed it and invested heavily in Las Vegas condos in 2005. Or did he say to stay away from them?

I've always enjoyed Ellis Island. Between the brew pub and steak special, it's a great value. Also, it feels very homey. From inside Ellis Island, it's easy to forget that the strip is just a long block away. I've had a lot of fun taking advantage of the EI's point multiplier promos as a break from on-strip gaming.

Congratulations, rdw. Not only do you have a nice Ellis Island chip, but you made the 600th post in this thread!

Doc -

My Ellis Island story is similar.

On my 2nd Vegas trip, my mother told me to go there for the steak dinner. Except she didn't know where it was and Google hadn't been invented yet.

I ended up not bothering to look for it. I happened to be staying at Flamngo that trip. It was in the cab heading to the airport when I saw it and totally felt like an idiot.

I ended up going there my next trip. GREAT steak! Whacky ambiance.

If I can work it in, I'm gonna go there this week.

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Sent from Dave Miller's iPhone

Quote: DJTeddyBear

If I can work it in, I'm gonna go there this week.

My wife and I haven't been there for the steak in a long time. Maybe we'll try again when we're out there for WoVCon][.

Good luck with your presentation!