Casino Chip of the Day

Konbu that chip might be very simple but I actually like chips like that. The white with blue inserts and blue writing on the inlay looks nice and very clean.

Wezvidz I am of little to no help to you unfortunately as my only NM chips are from Albuquerque. Sorry that I'm no help. You can check the complete chip list I posted in my thread though and check that. It's up to date as of a few months ago.

Konbu: I was curious whether that RHC Paulson chip might have anything that fluoresces under UV light, so I checked the MoGH page, since they sometimes show UV photos. Their page for Croc's just says "Scans needed", meaning that MoGH doesn't have any chips at all from Croc's. If you are interested, you might pursue getting your chip posted there, too, as their very first chip from that casino.

Wezvidz: It's been almost three years since I collected chips in New Mexico, so I'm a bit out of date. Isletta is the former Hard Rock; I collected a chip from Hard Rock, and Isletta is on my list in case I ever get back. The only other NM chip I have on my list is Wild Horse Casino much farther north and west in the state. I played BJ there and got a $1 token that says Apachee Nugget, which is the name of the ownership corporation and of another of their casinos. I added Wild Horse to my list in case I got back there and chips were available, even at a higher denomination. Unfortunately, the limited info I can find suggests that their table games are gone.

I think your best simple resource for chips currently available might be PokerGrinder's list, but I don't remember the link for that.

Doc/Wezvidz you can access my list by clicking on my username and then threads I have started. It is called Complete chip list of Canada and USA or something like that.

Doc I've actually thought about posting to MoGH a couple times. I've made two posts previously there and have probably 30-40 more I could make but haven't out of laziness. I probably should so other collectors can see them.

Quote: wezvidz

Love that this thread is alive and kicking!

Got a question for ya'll. Doing a trip in 2 weeks to collect chips around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

My current driving plan:

ABQ
Isleta Casino & Resort
Route 66 Casino Hotel
Sky City Casino Hotel
Sandia Resort & Casino (stay overnight)
------------------
Santa Ana Star
San Felipe Casino Hollywood?***
Camel Rock Casino
Buffalo Thunder
Big Rock Casino
Ohkay Resort***
hotel
------------------------------
fly out SAF

The two *** casinos have a chip posted in this thread as of 2013, but neither site lists table games at all anymore. Both just mention slots. I'm going to call this week to see if they're worth a stop or if table games were shut down.

Anyone know if I'm missing any easy stops around those cities that aren't on my list? New places or casinos I missed on Google?

Looks like Isleta Casino & Resort will be a new contribution for this thread when I collect that one. Thanks for any info ya'll.

You could check out The American Casino Guide.
They have a free online app that lists casinos by state.

Thanks ya'll. Most of the resources posted I've already used, as I've been burned on previous trips making a 40 minute drive out of the way to a place I should have read was shut down. LOL.

On a side note, I collected a Lucky Dragon chip in Vegas last month. I assume I'm not the only one, are we waiting for "new poster" time to post that one? I have to imagine others on here have grabbed it.

Quote: wezvidz

I collected a Lucky Dragon chip in Vegas last month. I assume I'm not the only one, are we waiting for "new poster" time to post that one?

For quite a while now, we have had recurring dead spots during which there is no one ready to post a "chip of the day", so I don't think we should be doubling up; i.e., posting two chips of the day on the same day. Right now, Konbu seems to be going strong, and I think he has almost two more weeks worth of chips to post.

After that, PokerGrinder has promised to post the chips he collected in Asia, in spite of the fact that I made a snide comment that we know he won't be ready for a month. ;-)

If you have just the one chip from the Lucky Dragon to post, perhaps PokerGrinder would let you go ahead of him (after Konbu is finished) and use that as an excuse for one day of the almost-inevitable delay in showing Asian chips from Asia, as opposed to chips from Asian-themed casinos in Nevada.

You are certainly welcome to be the one who posts the "official" Lucky Dragon chip in this thread. I just don't think you need to do that until there isn't someone else trying to post a new chip that same day.

I have no problem if Wezvidz wants to post his Lucky Dragon chip before I start posting my new chips.

Btw Doc I laugh quite hard at all the snide remarks. Keep them coming as they amuse me :)

Country: Costa Rica
City: Jacó
Casino: Casino Cocal

Cocal is right next to the beach just a short walk away from the main drag where all the bars, restaurant, and shopping are. There are about 6 or 8 tables total with Rummy and Tute (CSP) at $5-100/200, Rummy at $25-300/500, and Roulette at $5 min, even money bets $10 min.

I lost my $19 at roulette as usual, but this time I didn't even bother asking. I plopped the stack of $19 roulette chips on my usual bet, the 3rd column. The dealer asked me if I was gonna bet the one in my hand while the wheel was spinning. Then I just threw it in and blurted "cambio" after I lost.

As for the ladies, the place is just as the Wizard described, with ladies hanging out at the eRoulette machine (the same one like everywhere else from Abaco D.O.O. Slovenia), seated at slots,, walking around the table games area and also a few standing outside near the main entrance (one was 5'9" with wide shoulders, looked like a transsexual) where the parking lot is. There was also one with some chips in her hand that was pacing back and forth the 2-3 rummy tables with players and she would rub the older man's shoulder at the $25 table (who had 2 full stacks of green and was betting 1-4 units) and say she brought him luck when he won, fishing for tips and/or business. I also saw her put a $10-20 bet down a few times at the other table. Maybe she gets bored waiting for business. Wizard said there were a lot more towards the swimming pool, but I was in no mood to hang around and look anymore since I haven't won a single column bet this trip so far (and turned out I wouldn't) and none were particularly attractive anyway. Walking out I saw a middle age man with his arms on 2 ladies shoulders getting ready to take a taxi. Good for him, I thought, because a thick mediocre looking lady would not soothe my mind from the losses, much less two.

There aren't a lot of chips with actual pictures of animals, so I like this chip with the yellow/black bird, with the insert almost lined up with the outside marks.

That's hilarious. Not your loss, but a story well told.

The chip looks brand new. Was it hard to find one in such good shape?

Doc did you see my reply about the non Las Vegas casinos in the WoV Con thread? I listed hours if you didn't see it.

Yes, I did see that post. Now we need to get something definite settled about the date(s) for the next Spring Fling so that I can plan some details for my travel. I don't know whether I can schedule a second weekend -- my draft plan was to come to Vegas maybe Wednesday before the group gathering, head up to Reno/Tahoe on Monday afterward, and get back to Vegas Thursday night for a flight home on Friday. I could fly home directly from Reno, with some adjustment on the plane tickets, but I expect the rental car charges would be unreasonable when dropping it off in Reno instead of where I picked it up.

Ya the casinos that I want to visit only being available on weekends is making it much tougher. I'm thinking I'm going to drive to Vegas from Winnipeg instead of flying and renting a car. It ends up being a bit cheaper and then I can hit the casino in Wyoming on my way and I also plan to do a chip collecting tour of either California or Arizona before spring fling.

A note here about Morgan Cove and Hotel Amapola in Jacó, Costa Rica. Morgan Cove casino has been closed since around Dec 2016 per the parking lot guard. Amapola (mentioned in Wizard's report) has closed their 3 table games but has 2 Texas Holdem tables at night (Thu-Sun I believe) starting around 8PM. The board said 1-2, 3 button max. I don't know what that means. The sign up board had 4 people around 750PM on Thursday night when I went. So Morgan Cove chips are no more, and Amapola can still be obtained if you play poker, which I don't.

Country: Costa Rica
City: San José
Casino: Club Colonial

Today we move to the Costa Rica's capital, San José, with two different denominations and make of chips to present! Club Colonial is right next door to another famous/infamous Hotel Del Rey, to be covered next. The casino has a total of 12 tables and 2 eRoulette tables. It has the best assortment of games in a classy setting, to include a craps table at C 2,000-? or $5-? (There was no min max placard) with 2x odds, 2x field, all calls made in Spanish, and setting dice is no problem but all the locals except one I saw shoot just grabbed and tossed semi-hard to hard. Stick gave me hard time about my 6" off the table lob from 1 left stick that landed right on the edge of the wall and died. The box said the throw should stand since it technically hit the backwall but that I need to not lob them and they need to actually hit the back. Pfft... Anyway there is one Roulette and 2 Canasta with chips at C 200 (~$0.36) or higher value, so if you buy in with C 20,000 (~$36.36) they'll give you 5 stacks of roulette chips. Inside min is C 2,000-15,000 or $25, and C 2,000 to 100,000/$50 for 2 to 1 odds or C 200,000/$100 for even money bets. There is one CSP at C 1,000 to 100,000 or $5-200 with some progressive bet, two PGP at C 3,000 to 150,000 or $10-300 (Fri,Sat after 6PM is C 5,000 min) with a bonus bet from C 200 (~$0.36, good for cheapskate like me) and paytable that's not posted at the table, but which I guess might be hidden in the supervisor podium. It did pay 1 to 1 for three pairs, 2 straight, 3 three of a kind, 4 flush, 5 full house. Don't know how paying 1 to 1 for three pairs would affect the other payouts. Most other places the bonus bet is at least C 1,000, and nowhere was I allowed to bet odd amounts in the bonus. Why??? Again, no use trying to make sense of it. Also there is no envy bonus but that did not stop players from betting C 5,000 or more. Me, I just bet the min as an insurance against a no joker 7SF. *grin* The other tables are Rummy, with the last one being Paigow TILES! I don't play it but man was it surprising to see tiles. It's probably the only tiles table in all of Costa Rica. The tica (Costa Rican) dealer appeared to deal pretty well, with occasional call to supervisor to check her tile setting. As expected, all 5 players at the table were Chinese. There are Chinese everywhere now in San Jose CR. Chinese restaurants, Chinese owned supermarkets, Chinese run pachinko / pinball parlors, Chinese wholesale stores, gift stores, Chinese backhoes, tour buses, motorcycles.

Anyway, even with the low minimums I managed to drop about -$200 at dice and had ups and downs at PGP but stayed even at the end, in 2 sessions.

I kept a C 100 and 200 chip. I don't know the make of the 100 chip, but the 200 is a tophat chip. Have we seen higher denomination chips (solely in number, not value) than 200? Well, I shall post even higher number tomorrow!

$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

Quote: Konbu

I don't know the make of the 100 chip, but the 200 is a tophat chip. Have we seen higher denomination chips (solely in number, not value) than 200? Well, I shall post even higher number tomorrow!

The chip I posted from Chile was higher in denomination; will you post higher than that one? Will yours be marked with the "$" symbol or perhaps just a higher number when expressed in "¢"?

Doc you will be both proud and amazed! I cleaned all my new chips this morning and I am ready to start posting as soon as Konbu finishes. I surprise even myself sometimes.

Also I love these Asian chips, they are much more colourful than my North America chips.

I see a very thin grey colored wafer in the middle of your stack. Is it thin on the edge and thicker in the middle?

It's a $10 HKD jeton from SJM in Macau.

I'm still debating whether to do a Arizona chip trip or Southern California chip trip along with Spring Fling. I was looking into the Southern California option and found out that one of the casinos I wanted to visit went up in flames... Literally! Oceana Casino in Oceana burnt down late last year. I guess I won't be able to collect that one.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Is it thin on the edge and thicker in the middle?

The only jetton (or "jeton" in French) that I have in my entire collection is one from Casino da Madiera that I posted here, including an edge view.

Quote: Doc

The chip I posted from Chile was higher in denomination; will you post higher than that one? Will yours be marked with the "$" symbol or perhaps just a higher number when expressed in "¢"?

OK I admit defeat... My highest denom chip is "¢" 1,000, as follow:

Country: Costa Rica
City: San José
Casino: Del Rey

Del Rey means "of the king" in Spanish. It is a well-known hotel for meeting ladies of the night. Most hang out at or near the bar with no drinks but I'm sure that is welcome, since they're the main attraction in this otherwise old and dumpy casino. If you've come to ogle or talk business you're in the right place. If you've come to gamble then you're in the wrong place and you need to move your bum next door to Club Colonial!

Its table game offerings betray their main clientele. They have 5 BJ (or Rummy I'm not sure), 1 Roulette (and maybe 1 Canasta too, I made poor notes) at C 1,000-100,000/$5-200 for even money bets, C 1,000-50,000/$5-100 for 2 to 1 bets, and C 1,000-10,000/$5-25 for inside bets. I bought in for C 20,000 and they gave me all 10 stacks of roulette chips (value= C 100 each). On the 3rd spin I made a nice pyramid on/around the number 8 and hit it, for a win of about $65. I kept the lowest denom chip that I ended up with after exchanging my roulette chips, which was the C 1,000 below.

While I was playing a local man bought in for $100 and got all red and spread it around and hit a number. The next 2 spins he lost it all and bought in for another $100, hitting one number then losing it all on the next 2 spins again. Normal folks tell me that the economy is tough but with the money I've seen being thrown around at different casinos it sure doesn't seem like it.

Their chips are not in the best condition. This is the best specimen I found, out of the 4 I received.

$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

I wonder what the "Black Widow" hour glass shape at 6:00 signifies?

Country: Costa Rica
City: San José
Casino: Casino Tropical (Hotel Morazan)

Casino Tropical is located inside the Hotel Morazan, on the same seedy street about 2 blocks away from Del Rey. Online photos shows a Canasta game but I can confirm that is no more. There are 3 PGP at C 5,000-?, 1 3CP at C 2,000-25,000/$5-50 with the pair plus bet at C 1,000-3,000/$2-5, and a BJ table that had no tray and not in use. The 3 PGP tables all had a shuffler and a bonus bet that was made by placing the bonus bet right above the regular bet. The dealer would place something on it like a clear lammer or a buy/lay lammer before dealing the cards. I guess make good use of whatever is available, right? The starting position is determined by 3 dice, with dealer being one and going counterclockwise. Also, in order to save time, if a spot has no bet, the dealer will move the cards towards the spot and immediately put it in the discard tray. Some other dealer will touch the cards to the betting circle then put in discard tray. (This was done at most other places) No problem with picking up cards and setting hand immediately after it's dealt, though I'm sure they would nullify the round if there's a malfunction and they don't have 4 cards remaining which they'll spread on the felt for the camera.

The C 100 and C 500 chips below have the star on the chip. I know it must have been described before but I can't remember the maker. The C 1,000 chip is a tophat chip, but I did not keep one. I try to keep only the lowest or two lowest denom chips.

This felt like a real local's joint, with the old, dirty, faded table felt and friendly/chatty dealers and players, making min bets of C 5,000, and attendants passing snack bites of sandwiches.

$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

Omg those chips are so gross lol. When I find ones that nasty I like cleaning half the chip to show how dirty it is before cleaning the whole chip. Yes I'm weird lol.

Quote: Konbu

The C 100 and C 500 chips below have the star on the chip. I know it must have been described before but I can't remember the maker.

That "star" is the Sun mold from the Blue Chip Co. We have seen it before on the CasaBlanca, the D, and the Virgin River chips that I posted, the Wyandotte chip posted by rdw4potus, and probably several others. When I posted that CasaBlanca chip back in 2012, I included some comments on the shape of the logo, as well as some of the Blue Chip company history. Then I repeated myself on that history when we saw some later chips.

Quote: PokerGrinder

Omg those chips are so gross lol. When I find ones that nasty I like cleaning half the chip to show how dirty it is before cleaning the whole chip. Yes I'm weird lol.

There are those who call it "patina". Hehe..

The chips match Konbu's description perfectly. Reminds me of Binion's Horseshoe just before they closed the doors.

Yes it may be worth more in the future if I don't take off the "patina" hahaha!

Country: Costa Rica
City: San José
Casino: Fiesta Casino (Holiday Inn)

Fiesta Casino is located inside the Holiday Inn, in front of Morazan park, a short walk away from the Del Rey and Club Colonial. There is a PGP at C 5,000-? and a bonus bet at C 1,000/$2-100, 1 BJ, 1 UTH, and a Canasta at C 1,000-25,000/$1-50, with a minimum roulette chip value of C100/$1. Cheap 20 cents roulette here too! I played PGP for about 10 rounds then no more because I could not stand the very loud live music. I had to lean in and talk loud to be heard, same for the dealer. There was one player at UTH, and 4 others at PGP. There was a cute player at PGP still in her supermarket uniform t-shirt that was playing 5K and lost it when I was buying in with 40K. She pulled a 20K bill and bet 5K a hand but pushed and lost in the next few hands. She was setting them so fast probably because they were all crappy hands. I was thinking wow that's a lot of money she's throwing around because they only make around $6-800 a month. There was another older lady that also lost it all and she stayed to watch me play, and when I was ready to leave with about 6K up she grabbed my hand and would not let me pull my bet back, saying I should play a few more and that I will win (in a friendly way). I did win the next 2 rounds and after each round I would try to leave and she would grab my hand and prevent me. She would stack half the win and pull back for me the other half. Finally I did leave with another 5K because the 3rd round I lost. She didn't seem to expect a tip or anything, looks like she just wanted to gamble vicariously hahaha! She definitely seemed to me like an addicted gambler!

$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

The bird on this chip is an American Goldfinch. It is the official bird of the state of Washington. Hmmm.

I'm guessing that GeoducknCrab is referring to the chip from Casino Cocal, which Konbu posted about three pages back in the thread.

I was wondering about that comment cause I kept looking for the bird on his last post but I couldn't find one.

Country: Costa Rica
City: San José
Casino: Taormina Hotel & Casino

Taormina is located several blocks north of Morazan park in a quieter area than the center of town where the downtown trio are (Del Rey, Club Colonial, Morazan). There is a variety of games, a PGP, 3CP, BJ, Rummy, Craps from 6PM-2AM, Canasta at C 2,000-15,000/$5-30, 2 to 1 bets at $5-100 and even money at $10-200. I forgot about this table when I wrote that Croc's might have the only Baccarat table in Costa Rica! There is one here in their VIP room which has 2 tables, 1 a Rummy table. The Baccarat is C 25,000-500,000/$50-1,000, tie $5-00 and Dragon at $2-20. No squeeze/touch cards. Pretty expensive game I'd say. It's not a bad casino but I wouldn't go out of my way to gamble at this casino unless I was staying there since it's in a quieter neighborhood. I don't even remember what I played here, my notes only say I lost 20k here ~$36.

I kept the lowest denom, but if my memory serves right only the C 100 and 500 are of this type. C 1,000 and above are more proper chips like tophat or chipco.


$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

Taormina is a small city in Sicily. Does the name mean something significant in Costa Rica?

Is the logo a stylized "T"? Or is it supposed to be something else?

I see a "BJ" in the gold leaf which means "Bud Jones" manufactured this "Suits" mold chip. It appears to be in very good shape, with very little wear.

For those of you who missed the discussion over in this thread, I encountered some surprises and later a minor crisis in managing the index of this thread. It all seems to be working OK now as a three-part index.

Well it sounds like we have room for about 500 more chips before the index becomes an issue again. Or to put into other words this thread will be ok for a very very long time :)

I can't see where those chips would come from to create a problem again. From my estimation if as a group we visited every available casino in North America I think that would still be only 200-300 more chips to add to the thread. I'll be grabbing probably 30-40 more from Southeast Asia next January when I plan to go back to Asia for 8 weeks. Unless Konbu plans to backpack all of South America and Europe we shouldn't have many issues :)

As I said over in that other thread:

Quote: Doc

Maybe this 3-part index will last longer than the geezer who started the whole shebang.

Well I hope you live to have to figure out this problem Doc.

Thank you Doc for all the work of keeping the index organized. I'm starting to feel a little tired of having to write daily. I feel a little more energy now after your comments. And maybe I should have booked the $500 flight to Budapest this weekend (I chickened out because it's colder there han home)...

Country: Costa Rica
City: Escazú
Casino: Grand Casino (Sheraton)

Grand casino is located west of the upscale Multiplaza mall in the affluent town of Escazú, part of the San José metro. It's a very spacious and comfortable casino, with 3 Canasta tables at C 2,500-50,000/$5-100, 1 table with a chip sorter. There are also 5 Rummy tables at C 2,000-25,000/$5-50, and a game called "Super Peek Tute" which appeared to me like UTH, except the dealer's 2 hole cards are dealt face up. I didn't note the paytables as I don't play UTH. There are 4 poker tables in a separate area as well.

I looked at the hotel website http://www.ghlhoteles.com/hoteles/costa-rica/san-jose/sheraton-san-jose-hotel-costa-rica/ and the photos don't look like the place I visited. There was definitely no craps table. So I don't know if it's a mismatch of photos or they remodeled or what...

The chip itself has a shiny gold ring which I like.

$1 approx 550 Colones as of writing.

Quote: Konbu

I'm starting to feel a little tired of having to write daily.

Try to imagine what it was like when rdw4potus and I posted essentially all of the chips that were covered in the thread from 3/16/12 through 3/11/14. The Wizard did post his 36 Chinese New Year commemorative chips during that period, and there were a very few others, but rdw and I were basically generating a chip/casino write-up every day for months on end. And now we post each time we come up with a new one. Ya jus' have to view it as a fun "opportunity."

I'm sorry everyone but I have a last minute trip. I have 4 more chips I won't be able to post until a week later. If PG or anyone else would like to start posting please do so. I will post the remainder when everyone else in line is done.

PokerGrinder: In the thread discussing the 2017 Spring Fling, both you and I mentioned that as part of that trip we would like to pick up souvenir chips from the El Capitan in Hawthorne. That casino is on your list of places to get chips, but all I can find on line is that they have 200 gaming machines, with no mention on either CasinoCity.com or on the El Capitan web site about table games. The MoGH guide shows $5, $25, and $100 chips supposedly issued in 2016, so something must have changed.

Do you have info about table games in operation there now? Why would a casino go to the trouble and expense of installing and operating table games but not be willing to update their web page to mention this?

El Capitan has BJ from 6 PM-close Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The closing time depends on how busy it is. This is the information that I was given when I called earlier in the week. I agree about the website, not sure why they wouldn't update it.

Quote: Konbu

I'm sorry everyone but I have a last minute trip. I have 4 more chips I won't be able to post until a week later. If PG or anyone else would like to start posting please do so. I will post the remainder when everyone else in line is done.

Well Wezvidz wanted to post his Lucky Dragon chip and I am busy for the next couple days so that would work well for me if he posts first. I will take pictures and upload them today or tomorrow.

Quote: PokerGrinder

El Capitan has BJ from 6 PM-close Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

That's pretty close to what you told me about the Mizpah Club in Tonopah. Are they operating tables on about the same schedule? If so, I have to figure out how to get to both of those places in the evenings while staying in Las Vegas and Stateline. Could be a challenge.

Yes they seem to operate on the same schedule. My plan is to be at Jackpot Crossing for poker on Saturday night. From there I will drive 2 hours to El Capitan for BJ before it closes around midnight. I am helped out by the fact that I can collect by playing poker cause the Mizpah Club has a poker game on Sunday starting at 1. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get there on this trip.

I think I have a draft plan for a way to hit all of the chip-collection spots I have in mind for a Spring Fling trip. My challenge now seams to be that airline fares keep jumping around every time I look at them. I'm hoping I can catch them at a nadir tonight or this weekend then book my rooms to match.

While searching through this stuff, I came across a place that might interest you. According to CasinoCity.com, there is one poker table at Cactus Jack's in Carson City, and the MoGH chip guide does show a bunch of chips for the place. World Casino Guide seems to indicate that the table operates Thursday and Friday nights, so you would need to hit there earlier in the week than the three places you mentioned in that last post. This one is not included in your "Complete" Chip Guide, so you might have conflicting info, but if not, perhaps it should be on your itinerary or should at least be checked out. This thread needs that chip!

Oooo... A "Hit list"

Quote: Doc

I think I have a draft plan for a way to hit all of the chip-collection spots I have in mind for a Spring Fling trip. My challenge now seams to be that airline fares keep jumping around every time I look at them. I'm hoping I can catch them at a nadir tonight or this weekend then book my rooms to match.

While searching through this stuff, I came across a place that might interest you. According to CasinoCity.com, there is one poker table at Cactus Jack's in Carson City, and the MoGH chip guide does show a bunch of chips for the place. World Casino Guide seems to indicate that the table operates Thursday and Friday nights, so you would need to hit there earlier in the week than the three places you mentioned in that last post. This one is not included in your "Complete" Chip Guide, so you might have conflicting info, but if not, perhaps it should be on your itinerary or should at least be checked out. This thread needs that chip!

Lol it's already on my itinerary. Appreciate the help though. I'm hitting that on Friday after Grand Lodge. They have a poker tournament at 6 with cash games afterwards. I didn't mention it because I know you won't collect from only poker places. Thanks for the info though. I saw it on the NGC report about six months ago so I called them.