Casino Chip of the Day

In my most recent trip to Vegas this past March, I made a trip out to Ellis Island to use the ACG Coupons for 4 free drinks and the free play offer. I visited Ellis Island in my first trip to Vegas last year but was in and out in a matter of minutes as I saw it as a shady afterthought casino amidst the high-rise megaresorts a short walk away. I must say that my opinion changed after visiting again last month. My friends and I had a blast playing at Ellis Island and while we had rented a car for the day and had to leave a little earlier than we would have liked to get out and see the Hoover Dam, I would certainly like to return there on my next trip. My only regret from my most recent visit is that I didn't get a chance to eat there, but I guess that's just one more reason to return.

Ok, that does it. I'm declaring Ellis Island as the most overlooked nearly-on-Strip casino in all Vegas.

Last trip in May 2010 I walked back from the Atomic Testing Museum to the Strip. Along the way I stopped at Terrible's and signed up for a player card (but didn't play a cent there). I should have spotted Ellis Island a block from the Strip, but didn't. I was looking around, after all. The thing is maybe I did see it but thought nothing of it, and it wasn't even noteworthy enough to remember.

Nareed I'd say that's a valid assessment. From the outside, you wouldn't even know it contains a casino if it werent for the Ellis Island Casino sign. If approaching from the south, its a Super 8 motel, so you're certainly not alone in overlooking Ellis Island. I agree that it has a sort of "homey" feel and the bartender there was very attentive and personable despite working at a less glitzy joint. Talked to her for awhile about things in and around Las Vegas and what she felt was worth seeing from a local point of view. All in all a lot of fun if you can appreciate it for what it is, just don't expect it to have all the bells and whistles of the strip casinos.

Quote: duckmankilla

Nareed I'd say that's a valid assessment.

It's not even listed on the site's review list. I assume that is because there's no hotel attached to the property, though I thought all Vegas casinos had to have a hotel by law.

Oh well... Maybe we could hold a WoVCon there someday.

Nareed, I think it is fully understandable that you would miss seeing Ellis Island as you walk from Terrible's back to the strip. Ellis Island isn't right on Flamingo, and I'm not even sure that you can see it from there. Since my memory is so fallible, I checked Google Maps Street View, and if that info is up to date, there is an Arco gas station on the corner of Flamingo and Koval, then a closed building, then a 7-11, and then the Ellis Island complex. You really have to go down Koval to find it. From Street View, it seems that there are three free-standing Ellis Island signs: one for the restaurant, one for the casino and brew-pub, and one for the Super8 that mentions the restaurant.

Quote: Doc

Nareed, I think it is fully understandable that you would miss seeing Ellis Island as you walk from Terrible's back to the strip. Ellis Island isn't right on Flamingo, and I'm not even sure that you can see it from there.

I'm not sure, either. As I said, I don't even remember it.

I may try to get there next Sunday, depending on how things go. I've a busy schedule that day of collecting some player cards I'm missing. Ellis Island would be a nice addition, too.

If not, I do plan a return visit to the Atomic Testing Museum. On the way back, I'll keep an eye out for the Ellis Island sign from Flamingo Rd.

Quote: Nareed

I do plan a return visit to the Atomic Testing Museum. On the way back, I'll keep an eye out for the Ellis Island sign from Flamingo Rd.

If you want to visit Ellis Island, just turn left when you get to Koval. It's only a short half block to get there, but I don't know that you can see it from the corner.

State: Nevada
City: Mesquite
Casino: Eureka

Three or four weeks ago, I posted my chip from the CasaBlanca casino and told a little tale about driving to Mesquite on a day in 2010 when the winds and dust storms were too obtrusive to allow stopping at some outdoor tourist spots along the route. Of course, the winds didn't keep me from stopping at all of the Mesquite casinos with table games that day, including the Eureka.

Casinos in Mesquite seem to be a bit like casinos in Primm, Crystal Bay, Stateline, Laughlin or West Wendover – they are there mostly to serve people coming by road from neighboring states, or perhaps to intercept them before they can get to Reno, Las Vegas, or some other gaming destination. Of all of southern Nevada's casinos with table games, the Eureka is the one closest to casino-free Utah -- about 31 miles, though the folks from the Beehive state have to go through a corner of Arizona to get to the casino. There is a slot parlor that is a smidgen closer, but to get to it from Utah they either have to go off-roading or drive right past the Eureka. Of course, to get to either the slot parlor or Eureka by the roads, they have to drive past the Virgin River casino, so the issue of which casino is really closest to that lucrative Utah market could become a sticking point. Now if they would just fly in to the Mesquite airport and go ….

The Eureka is owned by the Lee family, including the president Gregory Lee, whose bio says he is a Harvard architect and USC lawyer residing in Las Vegas. The family also owns the slots-only Eureka casino on East Sahara in Las Vegas. The web site for the Mesquite location says the Lee family "opened the property in 1997 and incrementally transformed it from a small and simple operation to a modern, multi-faceted hotel and casino." The MOGH site claims that the casino opened in 2000, so I'm not sure what all was involved in the "transformation" between 1997 and 2000.

This Eureka chip is (yet again) an RHC Paulson top hat and cane design. This one is a plain white chip with no edge inserts and an intense purple center inlay. MOGH says this chip was the original chip from 2000 and that another $1 chip had already been issued two years prior to my visit. I don't recall whether I saw multiple designs in use or not. Perhaps someone else has one of those newer $1 chips to post. It appears that the inlay is the only difference.




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

Quote: Doc

If you want to visit Ellis Island, just turn left when you get to Koval. It's only a short half block to get there, but I don't know that you can see it from the corner.

You know, right now I'm more interested in whether the sign is visible from Flamingo.

I expect I'll go, anyway. So, is there anything there besides the steak dinner special and the brewery? I mean, any games worth playing.

Quote: Nareed

So, is there anything there besides the steak dinner special and the brewery? I mean, any games worth playing.

According to this site's blackjack survey, Ellis Island has a double deck BJ game with 0.45% house edge. Limits are listed as "?", but when I played there, I am fairly sure I played at the $5 level. (Things may have changed.) That matches the edge and limits at Circus Circus, and is half the price of the game at Luxor. I think anywhere else on the strip will cost you $25 or more for that edge, and Ellis Island is quite close to the strip.

Quote: Doc

I think anywhere else on the strip will cost you $25 or more for that edge, and Ellis Island is quite close to the strip.

Thanks.

If only I played balckjack... But it's still worth stopping by. I'll check VPFree, too, just in the unlikely case they have a game worth playing.

What? No one at all has another Eureka chip to post? No one wants to challenge my insinuation that a the population of a heavily-Mormon state is a lucrative market for Nevada casinos?

Caught me by surprise.

Maybe folks have grown tired of this thread's theme. Or of my juvenile narrative style.

Quote: Doc

What? No one at all has another Eureka chip to post? No one wants to challenge my insinuation that a the population of a heavily-Mormon state is a lucrative market for Nevada casinos?

Caught me by surprise.

Maybe folks have grown tired of this thread's theme. Or of my juvenile narrative style.

Well:

1) I don't have any chips. I picked up two $1 Excalibur chips last trip. I gave one to a friend as a souvenir (he'd given me a gaming token from a cruise ship), and I lost the other one.

2) Naturally a heavily religious state is a natural, lucrative market for any place, like Nevada, that is more liberal. Having it nearby is just gravy.

3) Surprise!

4) I like your narrative. It's very clear.

Quote: Doc

What? No one at all has another Eureka chip to post? No one wants to challenge my insinuation that a the population of a heavily-Mormon state is a lucrative market for Nevada casinos?

Funny you should mention that, because I was actually going to comment about it earlier, but got pulled away and never got back to this thread.

Utah is a very challenging state. On the one hand, it is a very wealthy state, both in resources and in the financial well-being of its inhabitants. On the other hand, it is a state largely populated by members of one religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Their position on gambling is very clear, though that doesn't stop members from gambling. Further, Salt Lake City is a booming metropolitan area that can no longer be centered around one religion (though it still tries).

I think casinos near the border have the opportunity to be boons for casinos, but the risk is huge, and if it doesn't pay out, you have a casino sitting in the middle of nowhere that nobody will want to go to.

Quote: Tiltpoul

I was actually going to comment about it earlier, but got pulled away and never got back to this thread.

I understand not being able to get back to the thread -- I think there have been some problems with the site today. I have gotten several messages that say, "Sorry, an internal error has occurred. The error has been logged and will be reviewed." Right now, I can't view page 2 of the Recent Threads list. I had to take a roundabout route to find this thread and make my post above.

Quote: Doc

What? No one at all has another Eureka chip to post? No one wants to challenge my insinuation that a the population of a heavily-Mormon state is a lucrative market for Nevada casinos?

Caught me by surprise.

Maybe folks have grown tired of this thread's theme. Or of my juvenile narrative style.

I don't think the right word for the Utah border market is, "lucrative". Given the size and description of the offerings, it doesn't seem like anyone is pouring cement for a 3,000 room resort in Mesquite right now.

Perhaps this tells the story best...


Compare these two images from the Eureka's website:







What is the difference?




The first is the "Resort Room". The second is the "Opulence Room". When "opulence" means some pillows and a plant, there's more sizzle than steak in Mesquite.

Quote: Ayecarumba

When "opulence" means some pillows and a plant, there's more sizzle than steak in Mesquite.

There also seems to be a tray on the foot of the bed, with some unidentified beverages. Perhaps "opulence" means some included things that are forbidden by some religions.

I had lunch in Mesquite, but I didn't look for a steak.

Here's my Eureka chip. I really don't have much commentary to add. I went, I played, I lost a bit. I do like Mesquite, though. It's slightly nicer than Primm or Pahrump. The people were nice, and the casinos were all mostly lacking any smoke smell.

Doc - We skipped over Encore. Do you consider that to be the same as the Wynn? I never know what to do with shared licenses. Venetian/Palazzo have different chips, so do Flamingo/Margaritaville. But Wynn/Encore have the same chip. I do have two, but I feel kind of foolish for having collected identical chips from each casino.

Today I went to Majestic Pines (a/k/a Ho Chunk Black River Falls) on my way home from Green Bay - yes, I know that's not "on the way" from Green Bay to Minneapolis. They changed names a couple years ago, and now have new(ish) chips bearing the Ho Chunk Black River Falls name.

I should be home and better able to keep up until WOVcon ][ . I'm really looking forward to that trip. I need a vacation.

Quote: Doc

There also seems to be a tray on the foot of the bed, with some unidentified beverages. Perhaps "opulence" means some included things that are forbidden by some religions.

I had lunch in Mesquite, but I didn't look for a steak.

I enjoy the view out of the window the most. I am not sure what the lights under the nightstand in the "O" room indicate.

Quote: rdw4potus

Doc - We skipped over Encore. Do you consider that to be the same as the Wynn?

Thanks for posting your $5 Eureka chip. I was hoping someone had one of the newer $1 chips, too.

With regard to missing the Encore, that's a good catch, rdw. No, Encore isn't the same as Wynn, but since they use the same chips, I don't have them both in my list. I treat it as a "Wynn" chip because it has a big "W" on it instead of a big "E". The only similar case I have in my collection is that my Bally's and Paris chips are identical. The two sides are different, so earlier I posted the side that emphasizes Bally's as a Bally's chip. When we get to "P", I'll post the other side of that chip. (I have two identical chips in my collection with opposite faces displayed.) More recently, Bally's and Paris have used completely different chips.

I got a chip from the Wynn first. Then, when Encore opened, I went to get a chip there. I bought in at the crap table before I realized they had the same chips I already had. I lost money that night and didn't even add to my collection. :-(

Every time I'm in Vegas, I wander through Encore, looking at how the other half lives and checking whether they yet have their own chips.

Quote: rdw4potus

Here's my Eureka chip.

My Eureka chip

I just took another look at this $5 chip, which is the 2000 issue in the same series as my $1 chip. I don't think I have ever seen a chip with 12 edge inserts. I suppose it could be viewed as six multicolored inserts, since they only cut six slots, but with my limited knowledge of the manufacturing process, I would count it as 12 inserts in 6 slots. That seems as if it might be quite a step up in manufacturing complexity (and cost) compared to the zero inserts of the $1 chip. Why not 4 multicolored inserts in the $5 chip and 2 single-color inserts in the $1 chip, to make the white one look better if nothing else? Surely there can't be that many chips taken home that a casino worries about the manufacturing costs. I suspect that each chip is used in ways that pay for it many times over, regardless of the denomination. The $1 chips may pay for themselves faster than the $5,000 ones that sit idle.

Well Doc I don't have much to add to the thread and my current collection is small but I do look forward to the daily posts of chips and background info. Please keep up the good work~~

Quote: Doc

If you want to visit Ellis Island, just turn left when you get to Koval. It's only a short half block to get there, but I don't know that you can see it from the corner.

Or take the Jersey Turnpike to exit 14B for liberty state park. The ferry is only $10 and they throw in the statue of liberty. Such a deal!

Quote: s2dbaker

Or take the Jersey Turnpike to exit 14B for liberty state park. The ferry is only $10 and they throw in the statue of liberty. Such a deal!

Perhaps, but the last time I checked, that Ellis Island had neither a casino or a brew pub.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Excalibur

The Excalibur opened in June 1990 as a venture of Circus Circus Enterprises, which became Mandalay Resort Group in 1999 and was purchased by MGM-Mirage in 2005. It now is one of the lower-tier properties of MGM Resorts International. Excalibur is named for the legendary sword pulled from the stone by young king-to-be Arthur. The castle motif and numerous other features of the casino and hotel make reference to Arthurian legends.

The knight in armor on horseback on the chip shown below alludes to the Tournament of Kings dinner show at Excalibur. I have never attended, but I have been told that the show is better than the food that is served. Is there anyone here who has attended and can give us a report? JB wrote the Excalibur review in 2009 but did not mention any non-gaming entertainment.

MOGH indicates that this knight-on-horseback chip is the original $1 chip design issued in 1990. The mold imprint has the casino name in a stylized font that I don't recognize, something presumably appropriate for the days of King Arthur. It also has two swords and two very large purple edge inserts. There are later $1 chips that forgo the swords, have smaller edge inserts, and use a different center inlay with a castle image. Perhaps someone has one of those to post.

This is the first chip for which my new UV flashlight has helped me identify the chip manufacturer. Although the MOGH catalog shows the hidden UV images for a number of chips, it shows nothing for this chip. In the very center of the inlay, the UV light reveals a faint top hat and cane, with the hook of the cane snagged around the top of the "$". I don't think I know how to take a photo that will properly show this, though I might give it a try the next time I set up to photograph chips. In any case, I interpret this to mean that the chip was manufactured by Paulson, though back in the days before in became part of Gaming Partners International.

I don't think I have mentioned this before, so I'll offer it as a side note on the top hat and cane design. Prior to the formation of Paulson (or Paul-Son), there was another chip supplier, Christy & Jones, that used the top hat and cane logo. Their chips were actually manufactured for them by the Burt Company. After Christy & Jones shut down, Paulson was formed and continued to offer top hat and cane chips manufactured by the Burt Company. I have not researched the history connecting Christy & Jones with Paulson, if there is any. Later, Paulson began manufacturing the chips themselves, keeping the same logo. There are discussions in some resources that contrast the edge inserts in the Burt-manufactured chips and the Paulson-manufactured chips, implying that Burt did a better job of it.




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

Quote: Doc

Perhaps, but the last time I checked, that Ellis Island had neither a casino or a brew pub.

So the one in New York isn't authentic! I wonder which two are closer to each other; the statue of liberty and Ellis island in New York or the ones in Vegas...

Quote: s2dbaker

I wonder which two are closer to each other; the statue of liberty and Ellis island in New York or the ones in Vegas...

Very clever question! My quick check of the satellite images on GoogleMaps indicates that the ones in New York harbor are closer together. A bit harder to walk between, though.

Here's my Excalibur chip. It's pretty different from Doc's, even featuring a different script on the "Las Vegas" part of the imprint.

I don't see what Excalibur has going for it. It isn't very nice, the games aren't very good, and it's surrounded in close proximity by some much-nicer-but-only-slightly-more-expensive properties. I could see it winning business for being "family friendly" except that it really isn't. The theme is derived from a children's story, but there really isn't much family entertainment to be had at Excalibur.

Quote: Doc

Very clever question! My quick check of the satellite images on GoogleMaps indicates that the ones in New York harbor are closer together. A bit harder to walk between, though.

I'm going to tentatively agree with you but the difference is less than a stone's throw.

I have the same chip as Doc so won't post a pic but I do have a story of a nice win there. In 1994 my wife and I went to Vegas for the weekend in October as I recall. Monday morning arrives and we head out of town for the drive back to So. California but I tell her we have to stop at the Excalibur because I had entered their football card contest at the beginning of the season and needed to complete the weely cards for the remaining several weeks of the season.

While I am completing the cards at the sports book she puts $20 into one of a bank of quarter slot machines called Fastest Cash. I turn in the cards and am getting impatient as she plays off her credits, as I really want to hit the road. She finally loses, then asks me if she can put in one more $20. I say no but she begs so I say ok go for it...and I watch for a few minutes as she is hovering right around 80 credits...and I keep checking my watch. I am getting a little ticked so I go looking for some quarter video poker...insert $20...and it sucks it up in maybe 3 minutes. Dang it, now I am really ticked! I head back over to tell the wife to cash out NOW so we can leave and she is flagging me down and jumping. My first thought is "she must have hit something good" and my second thought is "Wait...she was playing a progressive bank, and I think I had noticed earlier that the jackpot was over 12 grand"

Sure enough she had hit the progressive for $12,440! I was no longer ticked off hehe! They took about 30 minutes to pay us off, in cash, and I was never so nervous leaving that casino that day.

Quote: Johnzimbo

I have the same chip as Doc so won't post a pic but I do have a story of a nice win there. In 1994 my wife and I went to Vegas for the weekend in October as I recall. Monday morning arrives and we head out of town for the drive back to So. California but I tell her we have to stop at the Excalibur because I had entered their football card contest at the beginning of the season and needed to complete the weely cards for the remaining several weeks of the season.

While I am completing the cards at the sports book she puts $20 into one of a bank of quarter slot machines called Fastest Cash. I turn in the cards and am getting impatient as she plays off her credits, as I really want to hit the road. She finally loses, then asks me if she can put in one more $20. I say no but she begs so I say ok go for it...and I watch for a few minutes as she is hovering right around 80 credits...and I keep checking my watch. I am getting a little ticked so I go looking for some quarter video poker...insert $20...and it sucks it up in maybe 3 minutes. Dang it, now I am really ticked! I head back over to tell the wife to cash out NOW so we can leave and she is flagging me down and jumping. My first thought is "she must have hit something good" and my second thought is "Wait...she was playing a progressive bank, and I think I had noticed earlier that the jackpot was over 12 grand"

Sure enough she had hit the progressive for $12,440! I was no longer ticked off hehe! They took about 30 minutes to pay us off, in cash, and I was never so nervous leaving that casino that day.

That is a nice hit!! I never know what to do when I win big like that (well, ok, not THAT big...). It's one thing to have a good table games session where the "money" is chips and it's at least somewhat ambiguous how much you have. It's different if everybody on the floor just watched the slot jockeys put 124 $100 bills in your hand...

Nice story, Johnzimbo. I have nothing equivalent to tell about any casino. Back on the very first post of this thread, when I was explaining some of my reasons for starting it, I said, "My hope is that this will provide the stimulus for other members to post their comments, anecdotes, whatever about that particular casino – comments that perhaps have never warranted starting a thread on their own."

I hope you and others will continue to do so.

One thing I forgot to include in my story...after they paid us I was holding an envelope 2" thick and my wife was playing off her remaining credits. The progressive was reset to $10,000 and a woman sat down two machines away, started playing, looked at the reset jackpot, then saw me holding that envelope. She asked if we had hit it and we said yes, and she got a disgusted look on her face. I asked her if she had been playing my wife's machine earlier and she said "yeah, for over an hour". Although I knew that didn't mean she would have hit it had she kept playing, I almost told the woman "Don't quit so easily next time" but I figured that would have been throwing salt in her (imaginary) wounds.

Quote: s2dbaker

Quote: Doc

My quick check of the satellite images on GoogleMaps indicates that the ones in New York harbor are closer together

I'm going to tentatively agree with you but the difference is less than a stone's throw.

Just to be really nerdy, I went back to GoogleMaps and used the measurement tool.

Measurements as the crow flies:
NYC harbor, Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island to front door of Ellis Island Immigration Museum = 3,831 ft.
Las Vegas, Statue of Liberty at NYNY to front door of Ellis Island Casino = 5,233 ft.
Difference = 1,402 ft.

Even if the Eiffel Tower and the NYNY skyline seem diminutive, everything in Las Vegas is a little bigger than real life. As for the difference being less than a stone's throw, either you have a much better arm than I do, or you use a trebuchet to do your throwing.

Clever question anyway.

Make it a really awesome frisbee throw and call it even :)

Quote: Doc

Difference = 1,402 ft.

That's like 430 meter more or less. Or about 4 football fields end to end (including the end zones). I doubt more than one NFL QB in ten could throw a ball, much less a stone, that far ;)

Quote:

Even if the Eiffel Tower and the NYNY skyline seem diminutive, everything in Las Vegas is a little bigger than real life.

I covered that in my Vegas Laws. Everything looks a lot closer than it is. A simple demosntration is to look at the Strat tower from McCarran. The distance is the whole length of the Strip and then some, but you'd swear the tower is just a couple of blocks away.

Quote: Nareed

Quote: Doc

... everything in Las Vegas is a little bigger than real life.

... A simple demosntration is to look at the Strat tower from McCarran. ...

A fair number of show girls have proof, too.

Quote: rdw4potus

Here's my Excalibur chip. It's pretty different from Doc's, even featuring a different script on the "Las Vegas" part of the imprint.

I don't see what Excalibur has going for it. It isn't very nice, the games aren't very good, and it's surrounded in close proximity by some much-nicer-but-only-slightly-more-expensive properties. I could see it winning business for being "family friendly" except that it really isn't. The theme is derived from a children's story, but there really isn't much family entertainment to be had at Excalibur.

My Excalibur chip

You're right; the font/script is different. I hadn't noticed that when I looked at the MOGH catalog. Apparently they adopted the Arthurian (?) font for "Las Vegas, Nevada" when they dropped the swords from the mold pattern. Do you have access to a UV light to see whether your chip has a hidden top hat and cane?

I played craps a little at Excalibur for a little while last June, a few days before WoVCon I, but I haven't really spent enough time there to give it a fair assessment. When my wife and I first started going to Las Vegas, we stayed at Tropicana and often went over to Luxor to see the decor and to grab a bite at the Pyramid Café, which may have changed names. We would walk via Excalibur and the bridge. I seem to recall an area where a few times a day they put on a free magic show aimed at kids and maybe named for Merlin. Seems like they had a few more family oriented things we walked by, but I didn't check them out very thoroughly.

Quote: Doc

I played craps a little at Excalibur for a little while last June, a few days before WoVCon I, but I haven't really spent enough time there to give it a fair assessment.

I played a fair bit there last trip (fair bit for me at any rate). It's a nice place to low-roll on the Strip, compared to CR, IP or the late O'Sheas. It's more spacious and feels less crowded than Bally's and Harrah's.

You mentioned the Tournament of Kings. I've never seen it, but in 1990 or 91 I went with a friend to a similar show called Medieval Times in Orlando, Fl, which is a dinner and show. It was ok, but I wouldn't see another one. They did all the knight/renaissance faire type of things you'd expect. I suppose the show at the Excalibur is similar.

If I may resurrect Ellis Island for a post, according to VPFree they have:

99.73 NSUD at $0.25
9/6 JoB 3/5/10 play with Quick Quads at $0.05 $0.10 and $0.25
and 99.17 DB 3/5 play with Quick Quads at $0.05 $0.10 and $0.25

That's not bad for an almost hole-in-the-wall casino no one's ever seen! :P

I'll share my story of my Excalibur visit real quick. My wife & I were planning our second visit to Las Vegas in approx late 1990s or early 2000s on a tight budget. We had gotten a pretty cheap room from an advertised promo & cheap flights online and were excited about doing some shows with the money we had saved. We took in the shows (Blue Man Group & the Excalibur jousting/dinner thing & some magic show) & felt like high rollers playing PaiGow Poker for $20/hand (EACH!). I had learned about comps since our previous visit and learned to charge meals to our room so they could be reviewed at the end of our visit. I had never gotten a comp back home (Indiana) since we played such low stakes like $5, or $10 if we feeling risky.

After 3 or 4 days of gambling & shows (and collecting souvenier chips), we found out that we had almost exactly broken even for the trip. I was not charged in advance for the room so I was skeptical of getting my extremely low promo rate. I had even brought the ad with me to Vegas to ensure I got charged correctly. All that remained to pay for was a couple of buffets & a steakhouse dinner.

On the day of our departure, I nervously informed a host that we were heading back home & wondered if he could take a look at our room charges before we checked out. He directed me to a VIP area for check in/out & waited while he pulled up my info. He told me that I was "all set". I asked him "So can I check out here or should I go back over there (non-VIP area)?" He told me "No, you are all checked out and ready to go". I was stunned. Now I was actually ahead for the trip since my budgeted room expense was actually back in my pocket! I threw away my receipts, room ad & other junk and headed to the airport on cloud 9!

We get to the airport & go to check in & inform the agent that we had booked online; we have electronic tickets. She states "The agent back home gave you your return ticket when you got your original boarding pass. You will need to pay a ticket replacement fee of $100 each." Wow. Apparently I had thrown them away during my post-comp celebration. All these years later it still pisses me off that the only $ we lost on that trip was to the airline.

Quote: Lucyjr

Apparently I had thrown them away during my post-comp celebration.

Great story of gambling, comps, and getting screwed by an airline policy.

Saying that you had thrown away your own tickets reminded my of a story told years ago by a state trooper with a devious nature. He said that when he was giving a ticket to a motorist who seemed to have a bad attitude, he would finish up, just prior to saying, "Drive safely", by folding the ticket around the motorist's drivers license and returning them together. He delighted in watching the surly motorist tear up the ticket in front of him, license included. Guess that wouldn't work that way with modern licenses.

State: Nevada
City: Carson City
Casino: Fandango

The Casino Fandango (posted under "F" instead of "C", per my preferences) opened in 2003 and is located on the south side of Carson City, on US50, the highway out to South Lake Tahoe. I visited there on a day I mostly spent being a tourist in Virginia City. I found the Fandango to be a pleasant spot, unfriendly variance notwithstanding, with some pretty good live music in a lounge open to the gaming area.

If I read the NGCB document correctly, Casino Fandango, other than its sports book, belongs to Carson Gaming, which owns only this one casino and is 98.9% Garry Vincent Goett, a real estate developer. Goett planned big on the Southern Highlands Casino Resort on 100 acres across the street from the M Resort on the far-south Las Vegas Blvd. It was supposed to open in 2008, but plans were abandoned in 2011 without breaking ground. That strikes me as better than the way that Echelon and Fontainebleau were handled.

The chip shown below is one more RHC Paulson top hat and cane chip, with two edge inserts of different colors and a large center inlay that extends well beyond the usual center area, covering half of each top hat. MOGH sorts Casino Fandango under "C" – to each his own – and they say that this chip was issued in 2004, a year after the casino opened. I like the smiling fish logo, but I have no idea whether it has any meaning or significance. In fact, the whole inlay has a fun look to it.

Here's my Casino Fandango chip. I am also a fan of the fish on the inlay. I don't know what it is with northern NV and the flamboyant casino design, but some are pretty striking - kind of like walking into 1978.

Quote: Doc

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Excalibur

The knight in armor on horseback on the chip shown below alludes to the Tournament of Kings dinner show at Excalibur. I have never attended, but I have been told that the show is better than the food that is served. Is there anyone here who has attended and can give us a report? JB wrote the Excalibur review in 2009 but did not mention any non-gaming entertainment.

I've been twice. I liked it enough with my wife in the mid-late 90's, I went again with a girlfriend (after I got divorced) in the early 2000's. It was the best deal in town at the time, about $35 for a dinner-show. Dinner was the same both times; cornish game hen eaten without utensils, watery (but tasty) potato soup in a cup and corn or broccoli stalk I think. Show was about 2 hours of jousting and rodeo-type barrel racing and horse jumping by knights in costumes. The audience sat in a circle around a rodeo arena that was divided up in colored sections that corresponded to the colors worn by the jousters, so we were encouraged to root and bang on the tables for our section's rider (Sir Galahad, the Dark Knight, etc...). I remember the constant cries of "Huzzah!" from the announcer. Very family-oriented and fun. It was a bit long though; kinda gets old watching the same horse stunts for 2 solid hours, and the ending took forever as the announcer introduced each rider and he did his special stunt yet again, then all the supporting cast came out for their applause and recognition, one small group at a time.

I looked up "fandango" in the dictionary. I think these two definitions apply:

"a lively Spanish or Spanish-American dance in triple time, performed by a man and woman playing castanets."

"(especially in the southwest U.S.) a ball or dance."

Just FYI. It's not a commonly used term, but it comes up every now and then.

Thanks, zippyboy, for the info on the Tournament of Kings show. That's the first description I have heard that went beyond two sentences, so I appreciate it.

Nareed, my dictionary also gives this definition for "fandango": a foolish or useless act or thing.

I suppose that relates well to a casino. Maybe it explains that grin on the fish's face too. My dictionary says that this word is mid-18th century Spanish of unknown origin. So here is the setup for pacomartin. :-)

Come to think of it, didn't the Wizard say way back near the beginning of this thread that he was going to be posting about the source/meaning of the casino names?

Quote: Doc

Nareed, my dictionary also gives this definition for "fandango": a foolish or useless act or thing.

Damnit! I knew that! I've even written a paper about it. That online movie ticket broker, www.fandango.com, picked the name because it's a fun word. But their company's name means "a useless thing." In a marketing class, I used that example, plus the Chevy Nova and Mondo juice boxes (it's "Mondo Mental!") as examples of thoughtless or improper branding/messaging.

Ok, what song by Queen contains the word "fandango"?

This ought to be the easiest trivia ever, becasue 99% of all people know three songs by Queen.

scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango. . .