Casino Chip of the Day

I have speculated several times in this thread that such things just have to be for the amusement of someone in the chip manufacturing industry. (Or maybe to entertain/amuse nerdy chip collectors!)

That's a possibility. Sometimes called 'easter eggs'. I've read about chip counterfeiting through the years, but it was easier back in the 50' and 60's for sure. People would make the larger demom and then gamble and of course keep the change. I doubt that the small time casino crook is bothering to do this much any more.

And with the last 20/30 years of computers and cameras, casinos are a whole new deal.

Just today, I got around to rearranging the display of my chip collection on my home office desktop, specifically for the purpose of adding the few chips that I gathered on trips in May and June. As I have done nine times previously, I am presenting here a photo of that display:



As is usually the case with my chip photos, you can see a higher-resolution image by clicking on the one above. If you click on that image (perhaps depending upon your browser), it displays full-size, allowing you to scroll the image. Even the "full-size" resolution is marginal for examining individual chips, but all of these chips have been posted individually somewhere in this thread, in case you are interested in seeing the details.

The array of my collection now contains 461 chips, with five additional chips received as gifts from forum members shown to the upper right and four "extra" tokens and one "extra" chip to the lower right that are from casinos represented by other chips in the main array.

The last time that I posted such an image, there were 456 chips in the array, and it's really not very easy to detect the difference between a desktop almost full of 456 chips and one only very-slightly-more-full of 461 chips. Over an extended period, you really can see a progression -- the history of these images of the collection is presented below, behind spoiler buttons. Some, but not all of these, have higher-resolution images available if you click on them. As you can see from the labels, the growth rate of my collection has attenuated significantly.

Quote: PokerGrinder on 6/27/16

On another note we have news coming out of Bossier for the second time this week. First was the news that DiamondJacks sold and I am assuming will be renamed. The second batch of news came today that the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from Alabama bought the closed Margaritville Casino and plans to reopen it. I am not sure if they plan on keeping the name or not but either way I will head that way when it reopens as I never collected a Margaritaville chip before it closed.

PG, do you have a link to more info about this casino in Bossier City being closed? Their web site makes it sound as if everything is just fine, with rooms available to book, gaming promotions, upcoming concerts, etc.

Are your certain that you did not confuse the Bossier City establishment with the one in Biloxi, which did close?

BTW, there is a new Margaritaville facility on the verge of opening in Biloxi -- perhaps already open -- but it doesn't currently involve a casino. It is just a block down the road from the site of the aborted 2007 Margaritaville casino project associated with Harrah's. I suspect that a casino is a future possibility for the new facility.

Quote: Doc

PG, do you have a link to more info about this casino in Bossier City being closed? Their web site makes it sound as if everything is just fine, with rooms available to book, gaming promotions, upcoming concerts, etc.

Are your certain that you did not confuse the Bossier City establishment with the one in Biloxi, which did close?

BTW, there is a new Margaritaville facility on the verge of opening in Biloxi -- perhaps already open -- but it doesn't currently involve a casino. It is just a block down the road from the site of the aborted 2007 Margaritaville casino project associated with Harrah's. I suspect that a casino is a future possibility for the new facility.

I did mix the two up, someone had pointed that out to me on another thread but I forgot to fix my comment here, It was the Bossier one that sold but it isn't currently closed.

I knew about the new Margaritaville opening in Biloxi sans casino. The articles that I have read made no mention of a possible casino though.

Margaritaville in Biloxi opened about 10 days ago. It is an entertainment, eating, and retail complex on the Gulf of Mexico, across the highway from Harrah's. It does not currently have a casino.

I posted my chip from Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, MN a while back. Well they are building two new casinos this year in Bagley, MN and next year in Dent, MN both named Shooting Star Casino. The one in Bagley was scheduled to open July 1, well I don't think that happened. I just checked the live webcam they have set up so that you can watch the construction (not sure who would want to) and they are finishing up the decor on the outside of the building but there is still no parking lot or any paved ground for that matter so I don't think it will be open for at least a month.

You need a bigger desk!

But that's a beautiful thing.

Quote: sammydv

You need a bigger desk!

That's been suggested before, but my calculations say I have room for a total of 624 chips in the "collection" portion of the desktop, i.e., where the 461 chips are in the array. As you can see from the attenuated growth rate, it could be a very long time before I get to 624.

Edit:

I would have to say I don't ever see you getting to 624. That's over 160 more, you would have to do the Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, ND, SD and Iowa casinos I think to get there.

(Hint Hint)

Category: Caribbean Islands
City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Casino: Casino Del Mar

Like I mentioned last week, I made a trip to Puerto Rico in June and visited 8 casinos, 7 of which have not been posted here yet. I will post the ones from San Juan first, followed by 2 from outside. Casino Del Mar is located at the Renaissance La Concha, on Ashford Ave. Travel sites state that Ashford Ave is where the nightlife is. I didn't notice much since I went during daytime, but because it is close to the beach there were many ladies in beachwear walking to/from the condos/hotels. This is one of the nicer casinos in the San Juan area with an assortment of table games. They have about 10 BJ tables at $5-100 and $10-200, all of which are "London deal" which means the dealer takes no hole card. This is the only casino I visited on this trip that had this rule. They were also all dealt from a CSM. There are 3 Roulette tables at $5-50 with lights on winning bets, and a summary board. Ez Baccarat is well represented with 6 tables at $5-100 and $10-1000. As well, there is a 3CP and last but not least 2 craps table at $5-1000 with ATS bonus bet and over/under 7 bet where Big6/8 normally is. All the craps tables I saw on this trip had the wire in the middle, and dealers did not seem to mind people setting the dice, sometimes too long... Rolls are called out both in English and Spanish, and I had no difficulty placing bets in English. I've noticed that casinos in PR don't really care if you use smartphone at the table, so I decided to take one of the craps table while pretending I was messaging. The chip itself is in good condition, and both sides are the same. While I was playing craps a line started to form. Pretty soon I found out they were serving food, so after the line was gone I too went and got a small plate of rice, mac, and chicken. Also, at many places patrons can ask the cocktail waitress for a sandwich PR style, which is pretty much like Cuban sandwich.

I took the bus from Old San Juan to the casinos in the San Juan area. They are comfortable and air conditioned, and the fare is only 75 cents. The only downside is there is no schedule, only frequency (which is not adhered to anyway). None of the bus stops I saw had schedule/map posted, so you need to check online for the routes available. It took me almost a whole day to collect 6 chips in San Juan. If you decide to drive in the San Juan area be aware that there is no free parking for casino customers. Parking will be in the range of $10-15 or so. A local lady I talked to at the bus stop said the buses are frequent during peak period of 6-9AM, Monday-Friday, and the rest of the time it's hit or miss. Overall not very reliable. Only use if you have plenty of time. It will take you from the airport all the way to Old San Juan for 75 cents in about 45 minutes, versus $20-25 for taxi so it's definitely a bargain for the lone traveler.

That's a nice looking chip Konbu. It appears that there is actually a "moat" that the gold ring sits in. I don't recall seeing that feature anywhere else.

I noticed on the craps table felt an "Over 7" and "Under 7" space where the "Big 6/Big 8" usually are found. Did it pay even money? I also note the 2/12 in the field are both of the stingy double variety, and the center bets seem to be poor payers too, as if the 10%+house edge on regular Vegas odds wasn't good enough already.

If you win a big slot jackpot in Puerto Rico, do they withhold taxes and give you a W-2?

Great write up Konbu, I am amazed at the detail that you went into. Doc has listed the previous chips from Puerto Rico as being in the Caribbean Islands so I am assuming he will want that for these as well. The chip that you posted is very similar to the British Columbia chips that I previously posted here. I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

Very nice chip, Konbu, and an extremely nice post! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your new chips and the accompanying info. I have visited Puerto Rico a fair number of times associated with cruises, but the only times I made it into a casino there (way back in the 1970s) I had not yet started collecting chips and didn't even play any of the games.

The last time I was there, in 2009 for both the start and end of a cruise, I tried to get a chip from a casino that was right inside the international airport terminal. My timing was off, and they were under reconstruction at the time, with the casino operations suspended. According to the listing in the MoGH Chip Guide, the Airport Casino opened in 2007 and closed in 2010.

PokerGrinder is correct that I have been listing the Puerto Rico chips under Caribbean Islands, the same as I did for St. Croix. As you said, no offense intended toward any category of the residents -- those who want statehood, those who like having their U.S. territory, or those who want total independence. (If it were a state, they likely would not be eligible to have their own team in the Pan American Games.)

I have provided a link to the Casino del Mar in the index under Caribbean Islands. Konbu, if you are willing to edit your post (and adjust the format for your upcoming posts), I suggest the top two lines of your header be:

Category: Caribbean (or Caribbean Islands)
City: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Besides, that is how you listed it when you posted your chip from the Caribe Hilton there more than two years ago.    ;-)

I'm going on a pretty decent collecting trip next week (Western, Northwestern, and North Central WI that will complete WI for me; and East Central and Northeast MN (excluding MSP area), which would include the Shooting Star Casino.

I'm not sure if I'm happy that the new casinos aren't yet open because if they are, it would throw off my schedule or because if they aren't, it means I have to go back to a similar area to get these chips once they're open.

I suppose I should be grateful they won't be open for another month or so. If I missed the open by like a couple days, that would be highly annoying.

Quote: Brewfangrb

I'm going on a pretty decent collecting trip next week (Western, Northwestern, and North Central WI that will complete WI for me; and East Central and Northeast MN (excluding MSP area), which would include the Shooting Star Casino.

I'm not sure if I'm happy that the new casinos aren't yet open because if they are, it would throw off my schedule or because if they aren't, it means I have to go back to a similar area to get these chips once they're open.

I suppose I should be grateful they won't be open for another month or so. If I missed the open by like a couple days, that would be highly annoying.

There is a current Shooting Star in Mahnomen and they are currently building the Shooting Star in Bagley. The other Shooting Star is scheduled to be built in Dent but not open until about this time next summer.

Nicely done, Konbu.

Category: Caribbean
City: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Casino: The Ritz-Carlton San Juan


Today we move away from San Juan and into Carolina, right next to the SJU airport. There is a cluster of 4 casinos that can be reached by foot, and that is what I did.

The Ritz-Carlton San Juan has a nice, wide open floor with about 12 tables, consisting of 2 roulette at $5-50, 5 BJ, 2 LIR, 3CP, 2 mini bac, 1 poker table, and 1 craps at $5-1000, which was closed. You will definitely not feel crowded here, even if it's full house. No indication of how much odds, but my experience at the 3 casinos I played craps at tells me it's probably either only 2x or full odds. Also, all the craps tables I saw had only 2x on the field, if anyone's interested in field bets. My notes says I placed a $19 bet on a column bet and lost. I don't remember much else other than there was a separate entrance from the outside to the casino, which faces a small parking lot with about 15 spots. I checked online and looks like parking hourly is $5 and daily is $22 something.

As for the chip, it's in fairly good condition and not worn out, but has a little dent. Both sides are the same, and this is the only hat and cane chip I got on this trip. Also, the casino is in Carolina but the chip also doesn't really have the city listed since San Juan in this case is part of the hotel's name I think. I just put Carolina in the label. If Doc has suggestion I will change it to San Juan.







Edit: Fixed formatting.

Quote: Ayecarumba

That's a nice looking chip Konbu. It appears that there is actually a "moat" that the gold ring sits in. I don't recall seeing that feature anywhere else.

I noticed on the craps table felt an "Over 7" and "Under 7" space where the "Big 6/Big 8" usually are found. Did it pay even money? I also note the 2/12 in the field are both of the stingy double variety, and the center bets seem to be poor payers too, as if the 10%+house edge on regular Vegas odds wasn't good enough already.

If you win a big slot jackpot in Puerto Rico, do they withhold taxes and give you a W-2?

No one played the over/under and I'm not a math wiz, but I assume it is a one roll bet that pays even. As for center bets, I don't think they're any different than stateside casinos. It still pays 9 to 1 or 7 to 1 on hardways and 15 to 1 on yo and 30 to 1 aces.

As for slots, a quick google did not reveal the answer right away, but since PR is a US territory I would think federal taxes are due on gambling winnings, but then again PR residents are not required to file federal income tax if their income is from PR only *(I'm not a tax expert and this is not tax advice).

Quote: Konbu

No one played the over/under and I'm not a math wiz, but I assume it is a one roll bet that pays even. As for center bets, I don't think they're any different than stateside casinos. It still pays 9 to 1 or 7 to 1 on hardways and 15 to 1 on yo and 30 to 1 aces.

As for slots, a quick google did not reveal the answer right away, but since PR is a US territory I would think federal taxes are due on gambling winnings, but then again PR residents are not required to file federal income tax if their income is from PR only *(I'm not a tax expert and this is not tax advice).

Thanks for the reply Konbu.

Ritz-Carlton is, well... a "ritzy" chain of hotels that advertises themselves as a luxury brand. Are there casinos in a lot of their hotel/resorts?

I now recognize the chip maker by the impressed top hats. But I don't know the name. I think it starts with a P maybe. And now that I know what that is, I recall seeing that hat image in a UV of docs back in the thread.
that manufacturer sure gets around.

Quote: sammydv

I now recognize the chip maker by the impressed top hats. But I don't know the name. I think it starts with a P maybe. And now that I know what that is, I recall seeing that hat image in a UV of docs back in the thread.
that manufacturer sure gets around.

Paulson Top hat and cane

Yep, and for some years now, Paulson has been a part of Gaming Partners International. Here is a link to their page on the three divisions' currency products, aka chips.

Quote: PokerGrinder

There is a current Shooting Star in Mahnomen and they are currently building the Shooting Star in Bagley. The other Shooting Star is scheduled to be built in Dent but not open until about this time next summer.

Yup, that one is on the list!

I've also planned out my visits to hit Legendary Waters (in Bayfield, WI) on Thursday because "Blackjack Pays Double" on Thursdays. Woo!

I wanted to add saying "Great job!" to Konbu for his CCotD posts from Puerto Rico so far. It definitely makes me want to visit!

Quote: Brewfangrb

I wanted to add saying "Great job!" to Konbu for his CCotD posts from Puerto Rico so far. It definitely makes me want to visit!

Thank you sir! I consider the possibility of adding to my collection when I look for places to visit, but I don't like to go too much out of the way for it.

Category: Caribbean
City: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Casino: Casino del Sol

Casino del Sol is located at the Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort in Carolina, PR. This property has direct beach access like the Ritz-Carlton. The game offerings are: Craps $5-500 full odds, 2 roulette at $2-100 (possibly -$200, I forgot), 1 3CP $5-100, 5 BJ, 2 poker tables, and 2 UTH, which I did not see at any other properties. I blitzed most of the casinos on this trip because I don't like to hang around too long if craps is not open. For that reason, unless something was memorable about the place, I don't have much else to add. For those who are Marriott members, this is a Cat. 7 property which means a night costs 35,000 points. I find redemption rates are generally lower when I travel abroad so that's only when I use points. This is also the closest Marriott property to SJU airport, just minutes away by taxi.

Both sides of the chip are the same. As for the city, the chip says Isla Verde PR, which is a district of the Calolina municipality/city, where the property is located.

Another nice post, Konbu, and another nice chip. I am almost certain this one is from Bud Jones -- compare it to the chip I posted from the Harrah's in Metropolis, IL. That one has a lighter hue of blue for the markings, but I think the pattern is just the same, and the Harrah's chip shows the BJ logo.

BTW, I just noticed that Konbu's latest chip post was the 6,000th post in this thread. Another milestone!

Quote: Doc

BTW, I just noticed that Konbu's latest chip post was the 6,000th post in this thread. Another milestone!

Another good post Konbu, I'm really enjoying your chip of the day's. I like that chip a lot. You are making me want to go back to PR. Last time I was there was before I started collecting as I was only 13 or 14 years old.

Doc amazing what this thread has done over the years. Did you ever think that it would generate this much interest and survive as long as it has?

Quote: PokerGrinder

Did you ever think that it would generate this much interest and survive as long as it has?

Check the first paragraph of post #1 of the thread.

;-)

Quote: Doc

Check the first paragraph of post #1 of the thread.

;-)

Ah I see. I well I don't think even you saw it taking off like this, or maybe I'm wrong. Either way congrats on what you created here, I personally love it as you can tell.

Quote: Doc

Yep, and for some years now, Paulson has been a part of Gaming Partners International. Here is a link to their page on the three divisions' currency products, aka chips.

Well, I got the first letter right. BTW, do I need a certain number of posts to be able to upload a pic? I can't find any link to uploading digitals so far. I did a shot of my Detroit chip, which was a labor day special.
Also, I use an older version of photoshop and wondered if there was a post explaining how to use photoshop to make a quality repro. I have to go back to the books as I forgot how to do it.

Thanks again.

Quote: Doc

Yep, and for some years now, Paulson has been a part of Gaming Partners International. Here is a link to their page on the three divisions' currency products, aka chips.

Very, very interesting pages on security and rfid. Unfortunately, rfid is in EVERYTHING. And maybe soon your arm.
http://www.gpigaming.com/rfid-technology/chip-detection-solution

Quote: sammydv

BTW, do I need a certain number of posts to be able to upload a pic? I can't find any link to uploading digitals so far.

The WoV site does not provide any image-storage space for members to use. To include a photo in a post, you must upload and store it in a publily-accessible location on another site and provide a link to that URL in your post.

I store my images on my own personal domain. Many folks use photobucket.com, and Konbu is using imgur.com for his recent posts of chips from Puerto Rico. Once you have learned how to store an image, you need to learn how to use the special formatting codes (particularly "url=" and "img=") that you need to post the image. You can get instructions on those codes by clicking the link that appears when you start to create a post.

Okay, this is not a chip of the day, or even month. It is a Paulson. I have no story on the Detroit casinos, as it was a pass through and fun night. And it was only 5 years ago, so that chips been around. Or maybe it was in my friends possession all that time. I just don't remember. He did give it to me at the casino that night, and I just didn't get over to any tables after that. I'm lucky we didn't end up in some weird place later as neither one of us were paying attention to how much we were drinking. That isn't such a smart idea in that town, or any big city.

Just thought it was an interesting souvenir considering the horrible violation we suffered just days later.
Apparently, most casinos put out souvenir chips commemorating holidays and events. Detroit Greektown had 4 years in a row of a special Labor day chip issue I believe. There are many chip collector forums on the internet that I wasn't even aware of, and I would put Wov's chip forum board in the top 3 due to volume of information and personable people.

I also have to go back to the photoshop books to refresh myself on how to produce good copy photographs for media publications. My pic has lost a little in the translation. I shot it very high def but my reproduction skills kind off killed it. My original digital you could see the dirt in the top hats and the dots in the printing. But a neat looking chip.
Sorry.

EDIT - see next post for better pics.

Trying this post of digitals...




Much better. But probably huge.

Quote: sammydv

Trying this post of digitals...




Much better. But probably huge.

Thank you for sharing, Sammy. This is definitely an interesting chip!

ETA: I had NO IDEA that any casinos in Detroit were open then. I honestly thought all of them were relatively new.

Another little weird factoid with Paulson chips. I've checked back about 30 pages and all the Paulson's have 8 hats embossed but six with the hook on the right and 2 with the hook on the left.

Yea, that was an amazing observation, I know. I have to get myself a UV light somewhere too.

And probably a life.

A couple of years ago, I made this post, which discussed the various hat and cane chip designs. You might find it interesting.

Quote: Brewfangrb

ETA: I had NO IDEA that any casinos in Detroit were open then. I honestly thought all of them were relatively new.

They opened in 1999. GT in 2000.

Category: Caribbean
City: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Casino: El San Juan Resort & Casino


This property is the 3rd out of 4 casinos in Carolina, PR. This property has direct beach access like the Ritz-Carlton and Courtyard. The game offerings are: Craps $5-200 (double or full odds), 2 roulette at $2-50, 6 BJ, and 1 CSP, which I don't remember seeing at any other properties. Craps was not yet open when I went, so I did my usual of betting $19 on column and promptly lost. Also, there was construction going on so I had to walk into what seemed like a maze to get to the casino.

Both sides of the chip are the same. The image is a bar with a big chandelier. This has to be one of the most unimaginative image I've encountered on a chip. I should have asked the dealers/supervisor if this bar area actually exists on property, or if it has any special meaning.

Actually after reviewing my notes, the Marriott Stellaris was the other casino with CSP $5-200.

Aaaack!

Another alphabetization challenge! And people wonder why I have said (numerous times) that the entries in the thread index are "roughly" in alphabetical order. The problem: at least in English alphabetizing of titles, we generally ignore a leading "The" and maybe even place it at the end of the title, after a comma. So what do I do about the "El" in El San Juan Resort and Casino? Do I place this one with the "S" casinos and omit the The/El or place it in with the "E" establishments?

In the past, I would probably have deferred to Nareed on this point, but I don't think she reads this thread anymore. So ... completely without justification, I have (at least temporarily) indexed this chip with the full name and placed it between "E.E. Casinos" and "Excelsior". Perhaps I could be convinced to revise that. Dunno.

Note: both the MoGH Chip Guide and CasinoCity.com list this place based on the "E" instead of the "S".

You should assume that the majority of the index readers don't know that 'El' roughly translates to 'the' which makes your position and alphabetical ordering of such almost perfect, as usual.

I would, personally, list it under "San Juan, El" just for the inclusion by grouping, but I don't think you're wrong either way.

2F & BBB:

Thanks for the unanimous consensus. ;-)

I didn't really mean to distract the discussion so far away from Konbu's chip and casino report. He's making a great contribution to the thread. While I am diverting the train, I guess I could point out one more milestone achieved: in addition to recently reaching 1 million views and more recently reaching 6 thousand posts, we are now on page 600 of an ongoing discussion. Next milestone I can see (and I can't predict when we'll get there) is 1,000 casinos covered. Only 64 more to go!

sorry all, I won't be able to write until next week as I'm going on a short trip. I will continue next week.

Made a trip through biloxi and Nola area. Added 12 new chips to collection. They are all posted already but wanted to post anyways.

I know some of you have a rule that you had to play thr chip. I don't have said rule, my rule is I have to get it myself. What method do you all use to get a chip? Most casinos won't sell it out of the cage. My new method is walk up to craps and get 2 $1 chips. Keep one and tip the dealers the other.

Quote: GWAE

Most casinos won't sell it out of the cage.

I certainly try to follow the rule you quoted. However, when the casino's table games are closed and I don't expect to get back there when they are open, I do buy the chip at the cage.

I have never had a cashier refuse to sell me a chip that he/she had at the cage window. The only case I can remember when I was not allowed to purchase a chip was at a casino in Carson City -- can't remember which one right now, but it's probably discussed in this thread. The entire table games area had been closed down, not just for the shift but "permanently." The cashier acknowledged that there was talk of re-opening the table games and that chips were in storage in the back, but she was not authorized to get one out of the vault and sell it to me. On a subsequent trip, I did get a chip from that casino after the tables were again in operation.

Where has a cashier refused to sell you a chip?

Many many times. This last trip boomtown Nola did.

Quote: Doc

Where has a cashier refused to sell you a chip?

I have been refused a couple of times. Most recently at Max Casino in Carson City. I got there too late for the table games so I was just going to buy a chip but they wouldn't let me. I made a return trip the next day. I can't remember which ones but a couple of the casinos wouldn't sell me a chip at the cage when I was doing my rounds of the Las Vegas casinos, (Henderson, Boulder Hwy, N. LV etc...) as well I believe I had a casino in Laughlin say no as well. I think it depends more on the employee than the casino.