Casino Chip of the Day
May 11th, 2018 at 10:53:39 PM
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So whats the strangest/most nontraditional casino youve been to?
May 12th, 2018 at 8:47:27 AM
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Quote: GlenGSo whats the strangest/most nontraditional casino youve been to?
That’s a really interesting question, I’ll have to think about that one.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
May 12th, 2018 at 10:51:27 AM
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As to "Funner" and other changes. When money is involved changes get made. You want to sell real estate to the Chinese? You paint the door red and you change the house number if at all possible to include lots of "7"s. After the JonBenet Ramsey murder, the application to change the street number sailed thru the city's paperwork machinery very promptly.
Selling "momento" chips to the general public is ofcourse pure profit to the casino. The buyer is happy and the reminder may induce them to return some day and of course that chip will never be redeemed at the cashier's window. Even at the Venetian which enforces rules rather strictly a dealer is always allowed to sell a momento chip and to hand it directly to the tourist without forcing them to pick it up. Even a white chip handed to a player can result in a write up but selling one lousy white chip to a passing tourist is fine with the Venetian.
Selling "momento" chips to the general public is ofcourse pure profit to the casino. The buyer is happy and the reminder may induce them to return some day and of course that chip will never be redeemed at the cashier's window. Even at the Venetian which enforces rules rather strictly a dealer is always allowed to sell a momento chip and to hand it directly to the tourist without forcing them to pick it up. Even a white chip handed to a player can result in a write up but selling one lousy white chip to a passing tourist is fine with the Venetian.
May 13th, 2018 at 4:35:55 PM
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Category: Europe
City: Vista do Rei, Ilha de São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Casino: Monte Palace
O.K., I’ll admit that this is (mostly) a bogus CCotD post. It will not show up in the thread index. I do not have a chip from this casino. In fact, the casino never existed, although it was planned, and the building was constructed. (Ever hear of such a thing before?)
A few days ago, my wife and I returned home from an 18-night cruise aboard the ms Zuiderdam, departing Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and eventually arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since I am far too lazy to write a travel blog like the one that PokerGrinder prepared for us during his trip to Asia, I thought I would just relate an interesting story I came across and that I would use the format of a bogus CCotD post.
After nine nights at sea (and stops in Bermuda and Horta, Azores), we arrived in Ponta Delgada, on the Island of São Miguel in the Azores, that collection of Portuguese islands hidden way, way out in the Atlantic. I am basing this post on some info presented by a tour guide, some supplemental info provided by a hotel/casino employee, and some stuff I found on the web. These sources provided info with plenty of contradiction, so I do not really know the true story.
The tale revolves around tourist development on São Miguel. The specific location derives its name from an incident very early in the 20th century, when the king of Portugal visited the Azores and travelled to the rim of the (dormant/extinct) volcano’s caldera. The view of the lakes below was so magnificent that he dubbed the location as his own, calling it “the King’s View”, or (in his own language) Vista do Rei.
A simple search for Vista do Rei will likely lead you to a number of good photos of the scene, but I will just provide one of my snapshots here to give you the idea, with less effort required.
The two lakes are called the Blue Lake and the Green Lake, because of the perceived color difference, but in reality there is just one lake with a multi-arch bridge that was constructed to replace the earlier ferry crossing. Anyway, the King of Portugal really liked the view of this caldera.
The government of Portugal, wishing to take greater advantage of this view, wanted someone to construct a fine restaurant where people could dine while overlooking the scene. They (temporarily) obtained more than that when in the late 1980s some investors built a genuine five-star hotel on the site, including the restaurant-with-a-view and even a disco, way out in the boonies of this island. The establishment was known as Monte Palace. My sources seem to disagree as to whether the investors were French, a combination of French and Italian, or a combination of French and Belgian. Nevertheless, they did get the place constructed and in operation for all too short a period. (One source said three years, while another said just over 1 year. Who ya gonna believe?)
The investors’ business plan relied on substantial income from the casino to be located in the facility, and a substantial floor space was allocated for this operation. Unfortunately, they were never able to obtain a license for the casino, and their financial position could not be maintained in the absence of casino revenues. The management of this facility received an award from the government of Portugal, declaring the establishment to be the finest resort hotel complex in the entire country. That very same day, the hotel, restaurant, disco, etc. was closed down, never to open again.
For some years, the failed facility was protected by armed guards and vicious guard dogs. Eventually, when the company could no longer pay for those services, the guards walked off the job. Almost immediately, the facility was overrun by thieves who emptied it of all its furnishings, and the building eventually fell victim to vandals. The place became known as the Ghost Hotel. Through a search on that nickname and a reference to Vista do Rei, you can find a variety of web sites with photos of the remaining structure and some tales of its history. Read those if you are interested, because I am not going to try to write up a lot of details based on what I have been told, when I have little confidence in the accuracy.
Here are links to a couple of the sites I found:
http://travellingclaus.com/ghost-hotel/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hotel-monte-palace
https://sometimes-interesting.com/2017/01/02/azorean-palace-in-the-clouds/
I have been told (believe what you will) that some Chinese investors have recently purchased the property and apparently have plans to restore and re-open it, since tourism to the Azores has increased substantially in recent years. It is unclear whether they have any plans for trying to include a casino in their operations.
Sorry. No related chip images to post. However, today there is one single casino operating in the Azores, and I did get to visit it very briefly. I will tell that story later, perhaps tomorrow and perhaps not until after my trip to the Spring Fling 2018.
City: Vista do Rei, Ilha de São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Casino: Monte Palace
O.K., I’ll admit that this is (mostly) a bogus CCotD post. It will not show up in the thread index. I do not have a chip from this casino. In fact, the casino never existed, although it was planned, and the building was constructed. (Ever hear of such a thing before?)
A few days ago, my wife and I returned home from an 18-night cruise aboard the ms Zuiderdam, departing Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and eventually arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since I am far too lazy to write a travel blog like the one that PokerGrinder prepared for us during his trip to Asia, I thought I would just relate an interesting story I came across and that I would use the format of a bogus CCotD post.
After nine nights at sea (and stops in Bermuda and Horta, Azores), we arrived in Ponta Delgada, on the Island of São Miguel in the Azores, that collection of Portuguese islands hidden way, way out in the Atlantic. I am basing this post on some info presented by a tour guide, some supplemental info provided by a hotel/casino employee, and some stuff I found on the web. These sources provided info with plenty of contradiction, so I do not really know the true story.
The tale revolves around tourist development on São Miguel. The specific location derives its name from an incident very early in the 20th century, when the king of Portugal visited the Azores and travelled to the rim of the (dormant/extinct) volcano’s caldera. The view of the lakes below was so magnificent that he dubbed the location as his own, calling it “the King’s View”, or (in his own language) Vista do Rei.
A simple search for Vista do Rei will likely lead you to a number of good photos of the scene, but I will just provide one of my snapshots here to give you the idea, with less effort required.
The two lakes are called the Blue Lake and the Green Lake, because of the perceived color difference, but in reality there is just one lake with a multi-arch bridge that was constructed to replace the earlier ferry crossing. Anyway, the King of Portugal really liked the view of this caldera.
The government of Portugal, wishing to take greater advantage of this view, wanted someone to construct a fine restaurant where people could dine while overlooking the scene. They (temporarily) obtained more than that when in the late 1980s some investors built a genuine five-star hotel on the site, including the restaurant-with-a-view and even a disco, way out in the boonies of this island. The establishment was known as Monte Palace. My sources seem to disagree as to whether the investors were French, a combination of French and Italian, or a combination of French and Belgian. Nevertheless, they did get the place constructed and in operation for all too short a period. (One source said three years, while another said just over 1 year. Who ya gonna believe?)
The investors’ business plan relied on substantial income from the casino to be located in the facility, and a substantial floor space was allocated for this operation. Unfortunately, they were never able to obtain a license for the casino, and their financial position could not be maintained in the absence of casino revenues. The management of this facility received an award from the government of Portugal, declaring the establishment to be the finest resort hotel complex in the entire country. That very same day, the hotel, restaurant, disco, etc. was closed down, never to open again.
For some years, the failed facility was protected by armed guards and vicious guard dogs. Eventually, when the company could no longer pay for those services, the guards walked off the job. Almost immediately, the facility was overrun by thieves who emptied it of all its furnishings, and the building eventually fell victim to vandals. The place became known as the Ghost Hotel. Through a search on that nickname and a reference to Vista do Rei, you can find a variety of web sites with photos of the remaining structure and some tales of its history. Read those if you are interested, because I am not going to try to write up a lot of details based on what I have been told, when I have little confidence in the accuracy.
Here are links to a couple of the sites I found:
http://travellingclaus.com/ghost-hotel/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hotel-monte-palace
https://sometimes-interesting.com/2017/01/02/azorean-palace-in-the-clouds/
I have been told (believe what you will) that some Chinese investors have recently purchased the property and apparently have plans to restore and re-open it, since tourism to the Azores has increased substantially in recent years. It is unclear whether they have any plans for trying to include a casino in their operations.
Sorry. No related chip images to post. However, today there is one single casino operating in the Azores, and I did get to visit it very briefly. I will tell that story later, perhaps tomorrow and perhaps not until after my trip to the Spring Fling 2018.
Last edited by: Doc on May 13, 2018
May 23rd, 2018 at 10:10:53 PM
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Category: Europe
City: Cherbourg, France
Casino: Casino de Cherbourg
Seems about time to get this thread active again, without the bogus posts….
In the 2002 film “The Bourne Identity,” there is an extended period during which Jason has amnesia and is just picking up pieces of information about himself – aliases, residences, the fact that someone is trying to kill him, etc. He hasn’t figured out what his role in the world has been until a scene in Paris, just after the former dictator Wombosi has been assassinated in his residence. The press has covered the incident, and Jason and the German female lead, Marie, are reading the reports. Marie comments, “My French sucks.” (OK, mods, I’m just quoting a mainstream film.)
I mention that scene because my French is even worse than Marie’s. Much worse. I think that fact became relevant to this CCotD post, but I’m not completely certain.
On our recent cruise on the ms Zuiderdam, we made a port call in Cherbourg, France. Most of the local tours offered by the ship were designed to visit various beaches associated with the Normandy invasion. While those might have been quite interesting, any of them would have involved about 8 hours, mostly on a cramped bus, and since a similar 4-hour excursion earlier in the cruise had not gone well, we chose just to wander a portion of Cherbourg on our own. Because we were there on a Sunday most of the shops were closed.
Prior to the cruise, I had done a little checking on line and learned that there were two places in the town that were described in terms that involved the word “casino,” so I thought I should check them out. In one case, there was no gambling at all, and the word “casino” was used in the context of a social gathering place. The other was indeed a gambling spot: Casino de Cherbourg.
From what I could see, it was a tiny spot. Adjacent to the front entrance, there was a construction barrier with some signage that seemed to indicate that the place would open last fall. It was indeed open, but I couldn’t tell whether the barrier suggested that there was further renovation underway.
The Museum of Gaming History web site, from which we often cite their chip guide, has some comments on the history of this casino. I quote those comments here, complete with translation difficulties and typos.
While many casinos are not open for business at all during hours when cruise ships are in port, the front door of this casino was unlocked. There was a tiny foyer from which a small portion of a casino was visible, and a greeter was there at the gate. He immediately recognized that I was just a stupid American and that he shouldn’t bother with French. His English was good enough that we could talk, but I don’t know that we even came close to fully communicating.
He asked for my passport to allow entry, and I provided it, which he scanned. I then went further inside to discover that the only things I could find operating were machines. To the side, in a crowded space, I found a roulette table (didn’t check for the number of 0s) with some type of card table crammed on the other side. There was a sign on the table indicating that table games opened at 20:00 hrs, i.e., after the ship would sail from port.
I went back to the greeter to enquire as to whether it was possible for me to purchase a chip for my collection. That is where his limited English and my almost-non-existent French created the communication barrier. As I had done previously in such situations, I pulled out my phone and showed a photo of my chip collection as displayed on my home office desktop, and it appeared that he immediately understood that I wanted a chip from Casino de Cherbourg to add to that set.
The greeter had an associate who seemed to know about as much of English as I knew of French, but the two of them made a few exchanges. As best I could understand the reply, they no longer use chips. If that is an accurate description of the situation, then I have no idea how they operate the roulette table and card table after 20:00 hrs. ‘Twas a puzzlement.
After the two employees had a few more exchanges, one walked to the back while the greeter admitted another guest to the establishment. The greeter just asked me to wait to the side for a moment. His associate returned in just a few minutes and presented a gift to me, a key ring made from an old Casino de Cherbourg jeton! It was clear that this was as close as they could come to satisfying my desires and that it was being offered completely as a good-will gift. I responded with my best, “Merci!” and headed back out toward my ship.
Obviously, in making the keychain, a hole was drilled through the jeton in a manner very similar to the way that casinos decommission their dice and decks of cards for use as souvenirs, so I am not too disappointed in having such a jeton in my collection. When I got home, I just disassembled the keyring and went from there as usual.
I checked the MoGH chip guide again and found this exact jeton type in a section labeled “Jetons – Older Currency.” Its denomination is listed as F5, or 5 French francs. That site also shows a number of newer chips in denominations from €0,5 to €10, so I have no idea how to interpret the in-person conversation in which they seemed to indicate that they no longer use chips. When did they stop? Will they be starting again after “renovations” are complete? Unfortunately, my French suxx$, and I couldn’t get the answer.
Of course, as usual, larger versions of these three images are available by clicking on them. Nothing here fluoresces under UV light. Note the serial number near the bottom edge of the jeton, on the first side posted above.
City: Cherbourg, France
Casino: Casino de Cherbourg
Seems about time to get this thread active again, without the bogus posts….
In the 2002 film “The Bourne Identity,” there is an extended period during which Jason has amnesia and is just picking up pieces of information about himself – aliases, residences, the fact that someone is trying to kill him, etc. He hasn’t figured out what his role in the world has been until a scene in Paris, just after the former dictator Wombosi has been assassinated in his residence. The press has covered the incident, and Jason and the German female lead, Marie, are reading the reports. Marie comments, “My French sucks.” (OK, mods, I’m just quoting a mainstream film.)
I mention that scene because my French is even worse than Marie’s. Much worse. I think that fact became relevant to this CCotD post, but I’m not completely certain.
On our recent cruise on the ms Zuiderdam, we made a port call in Cherbourg, France. Most of the local tours offered by the ship were designed to visit various beaches associated with the Normandy invasion. While those might have been quite interesting, any of them would have involved about 8 hours, mostly on a cramped bus, and since a similar 4-hour excursion earlier in the cruise had not gone well, we chose just to wander a portion of Cherbourg on our own. Because we were there on a Sunday most of the shops were closed.
Prior to the cruise, I had done a little checking on line and learned that there were two places in the town that were described in terms that involved the word “casino,” so I thought I should check them out. In one case, there was no gambling at all, and the word “casino” was used in the context of a social gathering place. The other was indeed a gambling spot: Casino de Cherbourg.
From what I could see, it was a tiny spot. Adjacent to the front entrance, there was a construction barrier with some signage that seemed to indicate that the place would open last fall. It was indeed open, but I couldn’t tell whether the barrier suggested that there was further renovation underway.
The Museum of Gaming History web site, from which we often cite their chip guide, has some comments on the history of this casino. I quote those comments here, complete with translation difficulties and typos.
Quote: MoGH Chip Guide re: Casino de CherbourgGroupe COGIT. Created in the mid- nineteenth century at seaside Casino Cherbourg came back downtown, after its destruction during WWII. Several institutions have been called Casino de Cherbourg- The Casino de l´Amirauté opened in June 1949, at the corner of Rue des Tribunaux and the Alexander III dock, instead of the Café-Restaurant Amirauté . The facility was primarily a dance hall. Then obtained permission to organize gambling – la Boule ( three tables) and Baccarat (one table). In 1953, the acquisition of the Hotel des Voyageurs adjacent to the casino, allows the enlargement of the establishment .In 1958 a general reorganization of the space was made. In the pos WWII period gambling was worked 1952-2012 without interruption.
While many casinos are not open for business at all during hours when cruise ships are in port, the front door of this casino was unlocked. There was a tiny foyer from which a small portion of a casino was visible, and a greeter was there at the gate. He immediately recognized that I was just a stupid American and that he shouldn’t bother with French. His English was good enough that we could talk, but I don’t know that we even came close to fully communicating.
He asked for my passport to allow entry, and I provided it, which he scanned. I then went further inside to discover that the only things I could find operating were machines. To the side, in a crowded space, I found a roulette table (didn’t check for the number of 0s) with some type of card table crammed on the other side. There was a sign on the table indicating that table games opened at 20:00 hrs, i.e., after the ship would sail from port.
I went back to the greeter to enquire as to whether it was possible for me to purchase a chip for my collection. That is where his limited English and my almost-non-existent French created the communication barrier. As I had done previously in such situations, I pulled out my phone and showed a photo of my chip collection as displayed on my home office desktop, and it appeared that he immediately understood that I wanted a chip from Casino de Cherbourg to add to that set.
The greeter had an associate who seemed to know about as much of English as I knew of French, but the two of them made a few exchanges. As best I could understand the reply, they no longer use chips. If that is an accurate description of the situation, then I have no idea how they operate the roulette table and card table after 20:00 hrs. ‘Twas a puzzlement.
After the two employees had a few more exchanges, one walked to the back while the greeter admitted another guest to the establishment. The greeter just asked me to wait to the side for a moment. His associate returned in just a few minutes and presented a gift to me, a key ring made from an old Casino de Cherbourg jeton! It was clear that this was as close as they could come to satisfying my desires and that it was being offered completely as a good-will gift. I responded with my best, “Merci!” and headed back out toward my ship.
Obviously, in making the keychain, a hole was drilled through the jeton in a manner very similar to the way that casinos decommission their dice and decks of cards for use as souvenirs, so I am not too disappointed in having such a jeton in my collection. When I got home, I just disassembled the keyring and went from there as usual.
I checked the MoGH chip guide again and found this exact jeton type in a section labeled “Jetons – Older Currency.” Its denomination is listed as F5, or 5 French francs. That site also shows a number of newer chips in denominations from €0,5 to €10, so I have no idea how to interpret the in-person conversation in which they seemed to indicate that they no longer use chips. When did they stop? Will they be starting again after “renovations” are complete? Unfortunately, my French suxx$, and I couldn’t get the answer.
Of course, as usual, larger versions of these three images are available by clicking on them. Nothing here fluoresces under UV light. Note the serial number near the bottom edge of the jeton, on the first side posted above.
May 24th, 2018 at 5:54:56 AM
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Perhaps some of my confusion regarding the Casino de Cherbourg may be explained by adding a photo of the entrance and front façade of the establishment as it appeared on the day that I visited. Clearly, the exterior of the building was not in "finished" condition above the street level. (Clarification: in France/French, I think the "first floor" is the one located one floor up, i.e., the one a level higher than the casino entrance.) The little box sticking out from the building is the entrance, with the foyer and greeter just inside there. On the far side of the entrance, you can see the construction barrier that I mentioned.
I certainly thought the facility looked like a "work-in-progress" that was, in reality, stalled. But they did give me a key ring with a souvenir jeton, so interpret this as an expression of confusion and not a complaint.
I certainly thought the facility looked like a "work-in-progress" that was, in reality, stalled. But they did give me a key ring with a souvenir jeton, so interpret this as an expression of confusion and not a complaint.
May 24th, 2018 at 5:12:24 PM
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Hollywood Casino Jamul has been renamed Jamul Casino, chips are apparently coming. I have no plans to get back to San Diego any time soon.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
May 24th, 2018 at 5:38:07 PM
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I have no such plans either, but I will add it to my list.
May 24th, 2018 at 5:45:57 PM
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Have you been to Hollywood Jamul?
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
May 24th, 2018 at 5:57:37 PM
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Category: Europe
City: Ponta Delgada, Ilha de São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Casino: Casino Azores
I suppose one’s perception as to whether I posted the previous chip very late yesterday or very early today depends upon what time zone you have the forum set to appear on your computer. Nevertheless, I am going to press forward with another Casino Chip of the Day post.
In my bogus CCotD post about the never-opened Monte Palace casino (a few posts above this one), I concluded with a comment that today there is one single casino operating in the Azores and that I did get to visit it very briefly. Today’s post relates to that casino, but it seems that there is about as much uncertainty in this instance as there is with the Monte Palace or the issue of whether they really still use chips for the table games at the Casino de Cherbourg. For example, even though I have been in the casino and have a souvenir chip to post here, I am not absolutely, totally sure of the name of the casino!
Our Ponta Delgada excursion from the ms Zuiderdam – the excursion that took us up to see the King’s view of the caldera and the exterior of the Ghost Hotel – ended with a wine and cheese tasting at a hotel not far from the port where our ship was docked. After that, we elected just to walk back to the ship on our own.
As our tour bus was approaching the hotel for that wine and cheese tasting, it had to drive a little farther down the harbor-front street, make a U-turn, and go back to the target destination. As the bus made that U-turn, I was shocked to see a building with a sizable sign saying “Casino.” My earlier investigations had suggested that there were no casinos available in the Azores at all.
How could I have missed such a thing? After returning home, I did another search. The website casinosavenue.com offered its “Casinos in Portugal – 2018 up-to-date List” and allowed me to search on a location. My suggestion of Ponta Delgada led to an article that stated:
Through further searching, I found a Portuguese language news site that Google was willing to translate for me. A page with a publication date of March 23, 2017 stated:
Now, I have no idea what all of that “balance” stuff is about, but it appears that the place did open 5/22/17 and that I missed this in my earlier search (as did casinosavenue.com). And this gives some validation of the casino name.
Since I am not a wine aficionado and since I had been overeating for more than a week already on the ship, I slipped away from the excursion’s final event to walk down to the casino to see what it was all about. It seemed the casino is an amenity to the Azor Hotel, as verified in that news article, and I took a photo of the hotel building as I approached.
The entrance doors right below the “Casino” sign were locked, and through the window I could only see a foyer area and a flight of stairs, nothing of the casino itself. On the inside of the glass door was a sign posting the operating hours.
There are two important issues about this sign. First, it provides another rather official verification of the casino name. Second, it raises the issue of one of the challenges of collecting land-based chips while on a cruise.
From this sign, the casino opens at 16h00 or 4pm. Our ship was scheduled to sail at 5pm, with all passengers and crew required to be back on board by 4:30pm. If I was going to collect a souvenir chip, I would need to be there when the doors opened, collect the chip quickly, then get back to the port, through customs and security, and board the ship within half an hour.
To show that such a plan was at least barely plausible in this case, I took a photo of the Ponta Delgada waterfront from the veranda of our stateroom on the ship.
Toward the right side of the view, you can see the Azor Hotel. Closer to the left edge, you can see another hotel on the same street, and that was the location of the wine and cheese tasting. Perhaps this view gives some idea of the walking time that would be required within that half hour, disregarding the casino entry and whatever activity was required in order to get the souvenir chip.
Well, I was waiting at the casino doors when they were unlocked and hustled my way up the stairs to the casino floor. I could see gaming machines in operation to my right and unstaffed table games to my left. Ooops! I checked with the receptionist and learned that the 4pm opening time was only for machines – table games didn’t open for several more hours.
Given that challenge, I quickly negotiated the purchase of a €1 chip as a souvenir and hied my way back to my vessel and up the gangway without being abandoned in the Azores after all.
The chip is a red, plastic injection molded unit with three sets of three white edge “inserts” separated by three sets of three white dots on the edge of the chip. I think we have seen this design before, but I haven’t gotten my head focused enough on the issue to determine the manufacturer.
The center inlay is a slightly-deeper red and is surrounded by a white circle. The inlay includes the denomination, the name “Romanti Casino Azores,” and a logo with a central “R.”
So what’s with the “Romanti”? My first guess was that this was Portuguese for “Romantic,” but Google translate does not support the idea that it is even a word in Portuguese. My second guess, based in large part on the initial in the center of the logo, was that Romanti is the name of the casino owner or operator, like Caesars or MGM. I cannot find any supporting information on line. Incidentally, the website for the hotel, www.azorhotel.com, does not even mention the casino. Such things as these are why I say I am not absolutely, totally sure of the name of the casino.
I also took a photo of the chip under UV light. I am not sure it shows us much, but the plastic parts may be fluorescing a little. I think it is not just reflection of visible light from my lamp because the center inlay seems completely blank in this image.
A little more information on this casino and its hotel is available in a September 2017 article available here, which opens with a nice image of the King's View.
City: Ponta Delgada, Ilha de São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
Casino: Casino Azores
I suppose one’s perception as to whether I posted the previous chip very late yesterday or very early today depends upon what time zone you have the forum set to appear on your computer. Nevertheless, I am going to press forward with another Casino Chip of the Day post.
In my bogus CCotD post about the never-opened Monte Palace casino (a few posts above this one), I concluded with a comment that today there is one single casino operating in the Azores and that I did get to visit it very briefly. Today’s post relates to that casino, but it seems that there is about as much uncertainty in this instance as there is with the Monte Palace or the issue of whether they really still use chips for the table games at the Casino de Cherbourg. For example, even though I have been in the casino and have a souvenir chip to post here, I am not absolutely, totally sure of the name of the casino!
Our Ponta Delgada excursion from the ms Zuiderdam – the excursion that took us up to see the King’s view of the caldera and the exterior of the Ghost Hotel – ended with a wine and cheese tasting at a hotel not far from the port where our ship was docked. After that, we elected just to walk back to the ship on our own.
As our tour bus was approaching the hotel for that wine and cheese tasting, it had to drive a little farther down the harbor-front street, make a U-turn, and go back to the target destination. As the bus made that U-turn, I was shocked to see a building with a sizable sign saying “Casino.” My earlier investigations had suggested that there were no casinos available in the Azores at all.
How could I have missed such a thing? After returning home, I did another search. The website casinosavenue.com offered its “Casinos in Portugal – 2018 up-to-date List” and allowed me to search on a location. My suggestion of Ponta Delgada led to an article that stated:
and there began a listing of casinos in places other than the Azores. A lot of help that was. And they didn’t even capitalize “Delgada.”Quote:The striking haven of Ponta delgada is nestled in the Azores Islands (Portugal). With 68800 inhabitants, it is thought of as a big town. There is no casino in Ponta delgada and that’s unfortunate! But don’t fret, there are some extraordinary gambling venues close by…”
Through further searching, I found a Portuguese language news site that Google was willing to translate for me. A page with a publication date of March 23, 2017 stated:
Quote:A new Casino, based in São Miguel, opened yesterday. It has 51 machines, more than 200 games, six of them traditional game tables. The concessionaire company believes that the Casino will contribute to the local economy.
After years of waiting, Casino Azores opened its doors to the public yesterday. The manager of the concessionaire company, Vânia Paim, says that the strategy is based on "balance". The administrator makes a positive balance of the Games Room opened in September last year at the Golf Club of Terceira Island.
In addition to the games, the Casino located in Ponta Delgada is a partnership with Hotel Azor and has a bar, leisure space, culture and live music.
Now, I have no idea what all of that “balance” stuff is about, but it appears that the place did open 5/22/17 and that I missed this in my earlier search (as did casinosavenue.com). And this gives some validation of the casino name.
Since I am not a wine aficionado and since I had been overeating for more than a week already on the ship, I slipped away from the excursion’s final event to walk down to the casino to see what it was all about. It seemed the casino is an amenity to the Azor Hotel, as verified in that news article, and I took a photo of the hotel building as I approached.
The entrance doors right below the “Casino” sign were locked, and through the window I could only see a foyer area and a flight of stairs, nothing of the casino itself. On the inside of the glass door was a sign posting the operating hours.
There are two important issues about this sign. First, it provides another rather official verification of the casino name. Second, it raises the issue of one of the challenges of collecting land-based chips while on a cruise.
From this sign, the casino opens at 16h00 or 4pm. Our ship was scheduled to sail at 5pm, with all passengers and crew required to be back on board by 4:30pm. If I was going to collect a souvenir chip, I would need to be there when the doors opened, collect the chip quickly, then get back to the port, through customs and security, and board the ship within half an hour.
To show that such a plan was at least barely plausible in this case, I took a photo of the Ponta Delgada waterfront from the veranda of our stateroom on the ship.
Toward the right side of the view, you can see the Azor Hotel. Closer to the left edge, you can see another hotel on the same street, and that was the location of the wine and cheese tasting. Perhaps this view gives some idea of the walking time that would be required within that half hour, disregarding the casino entry and whatever activity was required in order to get the souvenir chip.
Well, I was waiting at the casino doors when they were unlocked and hustled my way up the stairs to the casino floor. I could see gaming machines in operation to my right and unstaffed table games to my left. Ooops! I checked with the receptionist and learned that the 4pm opening time was only for machines – table games didn’t open for several more hours.
Given that challenge, I quickly negotiated the purchase of a €1 chip as a souvenir and hied my way back to my vessel and up the gangway without being abandoned in the Azores after all.
The chip is a red, plastic injection molded unit with three sets of three white edge “inserts” separated by three sets of three white dots on the edge of the chip. I think we have seen this design before, but I haven’t gotten my head focused enough on the issue to determine the manufacturer.
The center inlay is a slightly-deeper red and is surrounded by a white circle. The inlay includes the denomination, the name “Romanti Casino Azores,” and a logo with a central “R.”
So what’s with the “Romanti”? My first guess was that this was Portuguese for “Romantic,” but Google translate does not support the idea that it is even a word in Portuguese. My second guess, based in large part on the initial in the center of the logo, was that Romanti is the name of the casino owner or operator, like Caesars or MGM. I cannot find any supporting information on line. Incidentally, the website for the hotel, www.azorhotel.com, does not even mention the casino. Such things as these are why I say I am not absolutely, totally sure of the name of the casino.
I also took a photo of the chip under UV light. I am not sure it shows us much, but the plastic parts may be fluorescing a little. I think it is not just reflection of visible light from my lamp because the center inlay seems completely blank in this image.
A little more information on this casino and its hotel is available in a September 2017 article available here, which opens with a nice image of the King's View.
May 24th, 2018 at 6:02:23 PM
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Yes, I picked up my souvenir chip on Black Friday of last November. On that visit, I won $75 playing card craps.Quote: PokerGrinderHave you been to Hollywood Jamul?
May 25th, 2018 at 5:33:21 PM
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Category: Europe
City: Southampton, England
Casino: Grosvenor
In southern England, the River Test joins with the River Itchen to form Southampton Water, which is a tidal body that flows into a strait known as The Solent, past the Isle of Wight, and into the English Channel, with the coast of France only about 60 miles away. Where the River Test and the River Itchen meet, lies the city of Southampton.
On our recent cruise on the ms Zuiderdam, between our stops in Ponta Delgada, Azores and Cherbourg, France, we made our only visit to the UK at the port of Southampton. The bulk of the guests on board seemed to choose excursions that took them into London. The 8-10 hour tours involved 2 hours plus or so of bus ride in each direction, before and after getting to see anything of the destination. As noted in a previous post, we had already had a bad experience with a crowded and extended bus ride, so we sought different entertainment. Besides, my wife and I had just visited London in late 1982, so why would we want to drop by again so soon? ;-)
Instead, for the highlight of our single day in the UK, we took an excursion to see a pile of old rocks. Yes, my wife was a history major, and she seems to delight in old things, which may explain why she still puts up with me.
I took quite a few photos of those old stones, and I am confident that a print of one of those shots will eventually wind up in the extensive set of framed travel photos covering the walls of our condo.
Not having spent the day on an excursion to London, we had a fair amount of time available after our tour returned to Southampton. My pre-cruise scouting of potential CCotD targets along our route had identified two likely candidates within moderate walking distance of the pier at which we docked in Southampton, one of which was within view of our stateroom verandah. As the Mrs. rested up (no, I will NOT say “got unhinged”) from the excursion, I set out to explore the possibilities.
At many cruise ports, leaving the pier on foot is not advisable. The settings are not necessarily the safest spots in town, and caution is advised. In this case, everything seemed just fine, and I was only a fifteen minute or so walk from the front door of the Grosvenor Casino.
I have already shown that the facility in which the Casino de Cherbourg operates is not particularly esthetically pleasing on the outside. The building that houses this Grosvenor Casino is much more nicely finished, but it leaves the impression of being 110% functional with no attention to esthetics at all. It looks like a very plain warehouse that could be used for most any industrial purpose but which happens to have a casino sign or three hanging on it. In this case, I had access to two sides of the building, and they had very similar appearances. A photo of one should be sufficient to describe both.
At the corner where these two sides meet, there is a double-door entry surrounded by mirrored glass, with only a third customized sign to identify the establishment. This is not exactly the way we are accustomed to seeing casinos designed for the Las Vegas strip.
I did not really explore the interior of the casino extensively. I was only there to play and collect a souvenir chip, and I didn’t arrive with a single pound of local currency in my pocket. (Don't you like the concept of having to weigh your money?) I had long ago learned that exchanging funds to local currency – and changing any residual funds back to the original currency – can be an expensive part of such travels. The exchange rates that are offered can be painful. On the visit to Southampton, I just converted US$50 to Sterling at the Grosvenor cashier and played blackjack at the two casinos until there was nothing left to change back. (In truth, I think I made it home with 30 pence in un-spendable funds.)
I don’t recall details of the game. I think the minimum wager in mid-afternoon was £2 at the Grosvenor and £3 at the casino I will address tomorrow. Blackjack paid 3:2, but that had no impact whatsoever on my results.
The £1 chip is a plastic injection molded model in pale purple with orange markings, including three sets of two edge inserts separated by three sets of two dashes midway on the outer ring. The center inlays are slightly recessed with different designs on the two sides. One has the name of the casino and its logo, in white on a purple background field in a white ring. The other has the denomination in both text and figure in gold on a circular white field. Both of the white ring and the white circle appear slightly off-center on an orange background, which I initially thought was the same orange plastic as the edge inserts. However, UV light reveals that the orange plastic fluoresces, while the orange in the center area does not. Apparently that orange is part of the paper center inlay.
City: Southampton, England
Casino: Grosvenor
In southern England, the River Test joins with the River Itchen to form Southampton Water, which is a tidal body that flows into a strait known as The Solent, past the Isle of Wight, and into the English Channel, with the coast of France only about 60 miles away. Where the River Test and the River Itchen meet, lies the city of Southampton.
On our recent cruise on the ms Zuiderdam, between our stops in Ponta Delgada, Azores and Cherbourg, France, we made our only visit to the UK at the port of Southampton. The bulk of the guests on board seemed to choose excursions that took them into London. The 8-10 hour tours involved 2 hours plus or so of bus ride in each direction, before and after getting to see anything of the destination. As noted in a previous post, we had already had a bad experience with a crowded and extended bus ride, so we sought different entertainment. Besides, my wife and I had just visited London in late 1982, so why would we want to drop by again so soon? ;-)
Instead, for the highlight of our single day in the UK, we took an excursion to see a pile of old rocks. Yes, my wife was a history major, and she seems to delight in old things, which may explain why she still puts up with me.
I took quite a few photos of those old stones, and I am confident that a print of one of those shots will eventually wind up in the extensive set of framed travel photos covering the walls of our condo.
Not having spent the day on an excursion to London, we had a fair amount of time available after our tour returned to Southampton. My pre-cruise scouting of potential CCotD targets along our route had identified two likely candidates within moderate walking distance of the pier at which we docked in Southampton, one of which was within view of our stateroom verandah. As the Mrs. rested up (no, I will NOT say “got unhinged”) from the excursion, I set out to explore the possibilities.
At many cruise ports, leaving the pier on foot is not advisable. The settings are not necessarily the safest spots in town, and caution is advised. In this case, everything seemed just fine, and I was only a fifteen minute or so walk from the front door of the Grosvenor Casino.
I have already shown that the facility in which the Casino de Cherbourg operates is not particularly esthetically pleasing on the outside. The building that houses this Grosvenor Casino is much more nicely finished, but it leaves the impression of being 110% functional with no attention to esthetics at all. It looks like a very plain warehouse that could be used for most any industrial purpose but which happens to have a casino sign or three hanging on it. In this case, I had access to two sides of the building, and they had very similar appearances. A photo of one should be sufficient to describe both.
At the corner where these two sides meet, there is a double-door entry surrounded by mirrored glass, with only a third customized sign to identify the establishment. This is not exactly the way we are accustomed to seeing casinos designed for the Las Vegas strip.
I did not really explore the interior of the casino extensively. I was only there to play and collect a souvenir chip, and I didn’t arrive with a single pound of local currency in my pocket. (Don't you like the concept of having to weigh your money?) I had long ago learned that exchanging funds to local currency – and changing any residual funds back to the original currency – can be an expensive part of such travels. The exchange rates that are offered can be painful. On the visit to Southampton, I just converted US$50 to Sterling at the Grosvenor cashier and played blackjack at the two casinos until there was nothing left to change back. (In truth, I think I made it home with 30 pence in un-spendable funds.)
I don’t recall details of the game. I think the minimum wager in mid-afternoon was £2 at the Grosvenor and £3 at the casino I will address tomorrow. Blackjack paid 3:2, but that had no impact whatsoever on my results.
The £1 chip is a plastic injection molded model in pale purple with orange markings, including three sets of two edge inserts separated by three sets of two dashes midway on the outer ring. The center inlays are slightly recessed with different designs on the two sides. One has the name of the casino and its logo, in white on a purple background field in a white ring. The other has the denomination in both text and figure in gold on a circular white field. Both of the white ring and the white circle appear slightly off-center on an orange background, which I initially thought was the same orange plastic as the edge inserts. However, UV light reveals that the orange plastic fluoresces, while the orange in the center area does not. Apparently that orange is part of the paper center inlay.
May 26th, 2018 at 9:26:31 AM
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Great posts Doc! Is the 1£ the lowest denomination? It seems like such an odd color for the “base” chip. What denominations are blue or white... if they even have them?
Being located so close to the terminal, I assume their primary clientele are cruise ship tourists, so I am surprised they didn’t run shuttles from the dock to their front door. Did you have to pay a “membership” fee to get in?
Being located so close to the terminal, I assume their primary clientele are cruise ship tourists, so I am surprised they didn’t run shuttles from the dock to their front door. Did you have to pay a “membership” fee to get in?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
May 26th, 2018 at 12:32:53 PM
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I agree that this seems like an odd color, but I also confess that I do not recall the color of any other chips. I was devoted to my role as a low-roller and was making strictly £2 wagers at the blackjack table. I don't recall that I had any chips of any other denomination in my hands at all.
I don't think I paid any sort of admission fee, but they did require that I present a passport. I do not think that cruise ship passengers represent a significant source of their business. The building is outside of the port area in a commercial district. It is right across the street from a huge IKEA. I think the casino is just one of several businesses occupying the building, including an Odeon IMAX Cinema and something called Leisure World. When I checked the chip guide to see whether I could give more info on other chips, the only two they have from this casino were a Leisure World commemorative and one that looks like a chip but is categorized as a slot token, with a commemorative designation of "Casino of the Year 2002."
In further follow-up to my post with the chip from the Grosvenor Casino, I thought I would note that I really have no idea what the name “Grosvenor” means to people in England. It does have some significance to me, because the very first time that I spent a night in England, I stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
In July 1981, an associate and I were on our way back home to the U.S. from a three-week assignment working on a team in Egypt in support of the Agency for International Development. We did not wish to re-enter the country through customs at Kennedy airport, having heard horror stories, so we flew from Cairo to London, spent one night in town, then flew from London to Atlanta, our home base, with an airport that had a typically southern, laid-back attitude toward customs and immigration services.
My associate had spent one summer working in London during his undergraduate years, and he served as an excellent tour guide for my first exposure to the city. Our travel agent had booked us into the Grosvenor Hotel and it turned out to be extremely convenient. The hotel is located almost on top of Victoria Station, so we had convenient access to trains from and to Gatwick airport and the underground for wherever we wanted to visit in the inner city via tube.
The hotel had an elegant, old-school charm, and it seemed like something right out of an Agatha Christie novel. The rooms were quite small, but they met our needs, and I was delighted to stay there. I later learned that in London there is a different hotel with a similar name – the Grosvenor House, which I have never seen but understand is much more upscale and pricey.
A year and a half later, I had another international work experience that I may have mentioned somewhere around here before. I had the opportunity to serve as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program field office in Nicosia, Cyprus, where they were assisting with a variety of issues related to the fact that half of the island had been invaded and occupied by the Turkish military.
My consultancy lasted for a month, and in order to get permission from my family to be away that long, I scheduled a round-about trip to get there. While grandparents looked after our little one, I took my wife and older son to visit London and Cairo, which I had learned just a little bit about on my previous trip, plus one night in Athens, Greece before putting them on a plane bound for home while I headed off for that month in Cyprus.
Of course, I chose the Grosvenor Hotel, overlooking Victoria Station, as our base of operations in London, and that hotel is what I think of each time I hear the name “Grosvenor.”
I don't think I paid any sort of admission fee, but they did require that I present a passport. I do not think that cruise ship passengers represent a significant source of their business. The building is outside of the port area in a commercial district. It is right across the street from a huge IKEA. I think the casino is just one of several businesses occupying the building, including an Odeon IMAX Cinema and something called Leisure World. When I checked the chip guide to see whether I could give more info on other chips, the only two they have from this casino were a Leisure World commemorative and one that looks like a chip but is categorized as a slot token, with a commemorative designation of "Casino of the Year 2002."
In further follow-up to my post with the chip from the Grosvenor Casino, I thought I would note that I really have no idea what the name “Grosvenor” means to people in England. It does have some significance to me, because the very first time that I spent a night in England, I stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
In July 1981, an associate and I were on our way back home to the U.S. from a three-week assignment working on a team in Egypt in support of the Agency for International Development. We did not wish to re-enter the country through customs at Kennedy airport, having heard horror stories, so we flew from Cairo to London, spent one night in town, then flew from London to Atlanta, our home base, with an airport that had a typically southern, laid-back attitude toward customs and immigration services.
My associate had spent one summer working in London during his undergraduate years, and he served as an excellent tour guide for my first exposure to the city. Our travel agent had booked us into the Grosvenor Hotel and it turned out to be extremely convenient. The hotel is located almost on top of Victoria Station, so we had convenient access to trains from and to Gatwick airport and the underground for wherever we wanted to visit in the inner city via tube.
The hotel had an elegant, old-school charm, and it seemed like something right out of an Agatha Christie novel. The rooms were quite small, but they met our needs, and I was delighted to stay there. I later learned that in London there is a different hotel with a similar name – the Grosvenor House, which I have never seen but understand is much more upscale and pricey.
A year and a half later, I had another international work experience that I may have mentioned somewhere around here before. I had the opportunity to serve as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program field office in Nicosia, Cyprus, where they were assisting with a variety of issues related to the fact that half of the island had been invaded and occupied by the Turkish military.
My consultancy lasted for a month, and in order to get permission from my family to be away that long, I scheduled a round-about trip to get there. While grandparents looked after our little one, I took my wife and older son to visit London and Cairo, which I had learned just a little bit about on my previous trip, plus one night in Athens, Greece before putting them on a plane bound for home while I headed off for that month in Cyprus.
Of course, I chose the Grosvenor Hotel, overlooking Victoria Station, as our base of operations in London, and that hotel is what I think of each time I hear the name “Grosvenor.”
May 26th, 2018 at 12:47:18 PM
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Category: Europe
City: Southampton, England
Casino: Genting - Terminus Terrace
For the final unit of the chips collected at shore-side casinos along the way on my ms Zuiderdam cruise, we have one from the second casino that I visited in Southampton. (This is the place where I frittered away the remnants of the US$50 that I had converted to Sterling, so that I didn’t need to pay the reverse conversion fee; i.e., throw it all away at the blackjack table rather than pay some money changer his due.)
Perhaps I should mention that both Grosvenor and Genting are casino chains in the UK (and perhaps elsewhere) and that maybe some day this thread will need to designate which of the many casinos in the chain the souvenir was representing. Until then, I’ll just leave things as they stand now. (Edit - That plan is amended as of 12/16/18, as PokerGrinder has started posting chips from Europe, including another from a Genting casino.)
The Genting casino was a bit more distant walk from our pier than was the Grosvenor, but it was a pleasant stroll of about a mile in each direction. Shortly after departing the port area, I encountered a bit of an extravaganza going on in a park. The signs said something about Las Vegas Live, and I saw parents bringing their kids along. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but I could see a bigtop tent structure.
I checked into it a little more after I got home and found that it was a circus performance with clowns and acrobats and such, perhaps much like one of the Cirque de Soleil shows that are all over the strip. I have no idea whether the performance was affiliated with Cirque, but it is promoted as “Circus Vegas,” as if only in Las Vegas would something so outlandish be performed.
The facility for this Genting casino is located on a street called Terminus Terrace, and that is what the chip is labeled, instead of Southampton. I think it is the only Genting in Southampton, but perhaps this distinguishes it from others.
This facility has an exterior appearance far more like I would expect of a fine British casino than what was exhibited by the warehouse-like Grosvenor. Here is a snapshot that I took as I was departing the place.
The chip itself is another plastic injection molded model in sort of a pumpkin color, with six sets of three maroon edge inserts. The black center inlay is labeled in red with the denomination and in white with “Genting” and “Terminus Terrace.” Both sides of the chip are identical. UV light reveals that the edge inserts and the denomination label both fluoresce but nothing else.
I have but one more new chip to present in this thread, after which we can start our hassling of PokerGrinder, to compel him to post that bagful of Asian chips he has been hoarding since 2017. ;-)
City: Southampton, England
Casino: Genting - Terminus Terrace
For the final unit of the chips collected at shore-side casinos along the way on my ms Zuiderdam cruise, we have one from the second casino that I visited in Southampton. (This is the place where I frittered away the remnants of the US$50 that I had converted to Sterling, so that I didn’t need to pay the reverse conversion fee; i.e., throw it all away at the blackjack table rather than pay some money changer his due.)
Perhaps I should mention that both Grosvenor and Genting are casino chains in the UK (and perhaps elsewhere) and that maybe some day this thread will need to designate which of the many casinos in the chain the souvenir was representing. Until then, I’ll just leave things as they stand now. (Edit - That plan is amended as of 12/16/18, as PokerGrinder has started posting chips from Europe, including another from a Genting casino.)
The Genting casino was a bit more distant walk from our pier than was the Grosvenor, but it was a pleasant stroll of about a mile in each direction. Shortly after departing the port area, I encountered a bit of an extravaganza going on in a park. The signs said something about Las Vegas Live, and I saw parents bringing their kids along. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but I could see a bigtop tent structure.
I checked into it a little more after I got home and found that it was a circus performance with clowns and acrobats and such, perhaps much like one of the Cirque de Soleil shows that are all over the strip. I have no idea whether the performance was affiliated with Cirque, but it is promoted as “Circus Vegas,” as if only in Las Vegas would something so outlandish be performed.
The facility for this Genting casino is located on a street called Terminus Terrace, and that is what the chip is labeled, instead of Southampton. I think it is the only Genting in Southampton, but perhaps this distinguishes it from others.
This facility has an exterior appearance far more like I would expect of a fine British casino than what was exhibited by the warehouse-like Grosvenor. Here is a snapshot that I took as I was departing the place.
The chip itself is another plastic injection molded model in sort of a pumpkin color, with six sets of three maroon edge inserts. The black center inlay is labeled in red with the denomination and in white with “Genting” and “Terminus Terrace.” Both sides of the chip are identical. UV light reveals that the edge inserts and the denomination label both fluoresce but nothing else.
I have but one more new chip to present in this thread, after which we can start our hassling of PokerGrinder, to compel him to post that bagful of Asian chips he has been hoarding since 2017. ;-)
Last edited by: Doc on Dec 15, 2018
May 26th, 2018 at 1:47:30 PM
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Ok first off I’ve only been hoarding them since January 6 of THIS year. 🤣
Second I will be going to England in September and I plan on collecting a bunch of Genting and Grosvenor chips so you will eventually have to designate which one is which.
Lastly thanks for the posts and I look forward to being harassed.
Second I will be going to England in September and I plan on collecting a bunch of Genting and Grosvenor chips so you will eventually have to designate which one is which.
Lastly thanks for the posts and I look forward to being harassed.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
May 27th, 2018 at 1:54:36 PM
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State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Park MGM
It seems as if it has been a decade that the Monte Carlo hotel and casino on the Las Vegas (Paradise, NV) Strip has been undergoing renovations, but I’ll admit that the impression may exceed the reality. I’ve never stayed at the Monte Carlo, attended only one extremely-disappointing show there, and can’t recall ever dining in any of the restaurants other than at the food court. In fact, I can’t even find any record of having gambled in the casino since I started maintaining a log in 2009. No, I have never been a regular at that establishment. I did, however, play there earlier, and I posted my souvenir chip from the casino back in 2012, documenting my thoughts about the place at that time.
According to info I found at this site (dated 1/1/18), MGM was investing $450 million in renovating the Monte Carlo as the Park MGM. In slight contrast, this site (dated 3/5/18) puts the figure at $500 million and says that completion of the changes “are not expected until the very end of the year.” If someone were setting this as a wagering line, I think I would take the over, at least so far as the completion date. The work was still continuing both inside and out when I visited the site just ten days ago, and the areas I saw did not look as if they were even approaching completion.
The second of those linked articles claims that the hotel was starting to book rooms under the new name as of April 1. The MoGH chip guide claims that they started using new casino chips on 5/1/18, and the very next day PokerGrinder informed us that this was a reality. I didn’t get the word right away, because I was out of the country and was too cheap to pay the cruise ship’s rate for internet access.
Having arrived home from that cruise in the wee hours of Friday May 11, I spent the weekend trying to recover from the 27-hour day of travel toward home. Then I began an unpleasant adventure that was chronicled in the Spring Fling 2018 thread. On Monday, I was in pain and was diagnosed with kidney stones for the first time in my life. On Tuesday, I was visiting a urologist to address this issue, while my wife was assuming that his advice would be to cancel our planned trip to Las Vegas. To her chagrin, his advice was, “If you feel like it, go ahead.” Of course I didn’t really feel like it, but I was exceptionally annoyed with the idea of missing two spring flings in a row. Thus, on Wednesday afternoon we flew to Las Vegas, and by 11a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, I was standing at a crap table in the newly-named Park MGM.
Perhaps a descriptive way to explain how short the gaming session was is this: we parked at the no-longer-free-parking deck behind the hotel, walked the labyrinth through the facility, past the lobby to the craps pit in the casino, played a session (in which I won a net $55 and collected a souvenir chip), walked the rest of the way through the construction site to an alleyway to the strip, shopped in the CVS next door to pick up some odds and ends, retraced our path through the Park MGM to the parking garage and wound up not having to pay for parking after all because the entire experience lasted less than an hour. Ah, yes. They paid me money and didn’t get to charge me for parking. Don’cha just love Las Vegas!
The chip is a very dark blue Paulson clay chip with three edge inserts in peach/pink, as opposed to the light yellow that they appear in my photo. The new name of the casino is molded three times into the perimeter band, which is a feature I have always liked – it adds a bit of class, in my opinion. The center inlay is greatly undersized for the space allowed for it and is also a very dark blue. The name of the casino, a logo, the city and state, and a tiny Paulson logo are shown in white with the denomination presented in a tone very similar to the edge inserts. Both sides of the chip are the same, and nothing on it fluoresces under UV light.
This completes my set of newly-acquired chips. In spite of PokerGrinder’s claim that he has only been hoarding his Asian chips since early January, in truth he collected the vast majority of them last year, and I think it is high time that he get on the ball and get those chips documented in this thread. ;-)
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Park MGM
It seems as if it has been a decade that the Monte Carlo hotel and casino on the Las Vegas (Paradise, NV) Strip has been undergoing renovations, but I’ll admit that the impression may exceed the reality. I’ve never stayed at the Monte Carlo, attended only one extremely-disappointing show there, and can’t recall ever dining in any of the restaurants other than at the food court. In fact, I can’t even find any record of having gambled in the casino since I started maintaining a log in 2009. No, I have never been a regular at that establishment. I did, however, play there earlier, and I posted my souvenir chip from the casino back in 2012, documenting my thoughts about the place at that time.
According to info I found at this site (dated 1/1/18), MGM was investing $450 million in renovating the Monte Carlo as the Park MGM. In slight contrast, this site (dated 3/5/18) puts the figure at $500 million and says that completion of the changes “are not expected until the very end of the year.” If someone were setting this as a wagering line, I think I would take the over, at least so far as the completion date. The work was still continuing both inside and out when I visited the site just ten days ago, and the areas I saw did not look as if they were even approaching completion.
The second of those linked articles claims that the hotel was starting to book rooms under the new name as of April 1. The MoGH chip guide claims that they started using new casino chips on 5/1/18, and the very next day PokerGrinder informed us that this was a reality. I didn’t get the word right away, because I was out of the country and was too cheap to pay the cruise ship’s rate for internet access.
Having arrived home from that cruise in the wee hours of Friday May 11, I spent the weekend trying to recover from the 27-hour day of travel toward home. Then I began an unpleasant adventure that was chronicled in the Spring Fling 2018 thread. On Monday, I was in pain and was diagnosed with kidney stones for the first time in my life. On Tuesday, I was visiting a urologist to address this issue, while my wife was assuming that his advice would be to cancel our planned trip to Las Vegas. To her chagrin, his advice was, “If you feel like it, go ahead.” Of course I didn’t really feel like it, but I was exceptionally annoyed with the idea of missing two spring flings in a row. Thus, on Wednesday afternoon we flew to Las Vegas, and by 11a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, I was standing at a crap table in the newly-named Park MGM.
Perhaps a descriptive way to explain how short the gaming session was is this: we parked at the no-longer-free-parking deck behind the hotel, walked the labyrinth through the facility, past the lobby to the craps pit in the casino, played a session (in which I won a net $55 and collected a souvenir chip), walked the rest of the way through the construction site to an alleyway to the strip, shopped in the CVS next door to pick up some odds and ends, retraced our path through the Park MGM to the parking garage and wound up not having to pay for parking after all because the entire experience lasted less than an hour. Ah, yes. They paid me money and didn’t get to charge me for parking. Don’cha just love Las Vegas!
The chip is a very dark blue Paulson clay chip with three edge inserts in peach/pink, as opposed to the light yellow that they appear in my photo. The new name of the casino is molded three times into the perimeter band, which is a feature I have always liked – it adds a bit of class, in my opinion. The center inlay is greatly undersized for the space allowed for it and is also a very dark blue. The name of the casino, a logo, the city and state, and a tiny Paulson logo are shown in white with the denomination presented in a tone very similar to the edge inserts. Both sides of the chip are the same, and nothing on it fluoresces under UV light.
This completes my set of newly-acquired chips. In spite of PokerGrinder’s claim that he has only been hoarding his Asian chips since early January, in truth he collected the vast majority of them last year, and I think it is high time that he get on the ball and get those chips documented in this thread. ;-)
Last edited by: Doc on May 30, 2018
May 31st, 2018 at 10:44:20 PM
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Your facts are incorrect Doc. I collected the first chip that I have yet to post on January 7 of 2018, I’m not sure why you think I’ve had them for a whole year 🤷♂️
Second I just finished cleaning all those chips and since there were about 100 of them my thumbs are quite raw. My plan for tomorrow is to finish my TR thread from Asia that I have fallen WAY behind on and then post a chip of the day tomorrow night.
I believe that I have more chips to post than I will have time to before I leave for Europe on September 5. I will be in Europe for 28 days and yes I will be collecting a fair number of chips from 5 different countries and I believe only one chip is currently presented here.
That’s my shpeal, you can choose to believe it or not 😊
Second I just finished cleaning all those chips and since there were about 100 of them my thumbs are quite raw. My plan for tomorrow is to finish my TR thread from Asia that I have fallen WAY behind on and then post a chip of the day tomorrow night.
I believe that I have more chips to post than I will have time to before I leave for Europe on September 5. I will be in Europe for 28 days and yes I will be collecting a fair number of chips from 5 different countries and I believe only one chip is currently presented here.
That’s my shpeal, you can choose to believe it or not 😊
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 1st, 2018 at 11:50:58 AM
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Then I apologize, and my only excuse for the error is senility.Quote: PokerGrinderYour facts are incorrect Doc. I collected the first chip that I have yet to post on January 7 of 2018, I’m not sure why you think I’ve had them for a whole year 🤷♂️
I really had it in my mind that your Asia excursion ran through the last couple of months of 2017 with your return home in January 2018. I did a Las Vegas & Tahoe trip in September/October 2017, a cruise on the Westerdam in October/November 2017, a San Diego trip in November 2017, a cruise on the Zuiderdam in April/May 2018, and a Las Vegas trip in May 2018. It seems I just got your travel schedule all jumbled up with my own travel schedule and didn't look back at the record.
Sorry about that.
So why do we have to wait until tomorrow night?
;-)
June 1st, 2018 at 3:18:45 PM
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I wrote that on Thursday meaning for Friday.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 1st, 2018 at 3:26:56 PM
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I was in Asia from January 4- April 12.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 1st, 2018 at 3:32:30 PM
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Quote: PokerGrinderI was in Asia from January 4- April 12.
Shows just how muddled my senile brain can become!
Quote: PokerGrinderI wrote that on Thursday meaning for Friday.
Oh. I have my settings to display dates/times as EDT (meaning ~6:32pm for this post.) I read your post as having been made early this morning.
So where's the new CCotD post?
;-)
June 1st, 2018 at 4:21:38 PM
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You’re really impatient lol. I have 6 more hours to post it... and I might use all of that.
(In reality I just haven’t been home all day)
(In reality I just haven’t been home all day)
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 1st, 2018 at 4:57:23 PM
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I understand. It's just that I promised to hassle you, and you said you were looking forward to it.
June 1st, 2018 at 6:22:22 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Bangkok, Thailand
Casino: Gutshot Poker
I'm back!
Today's chip of the day is from a country that doesn't have any legal casinos. I collected this chip from an underground poker club in Bangkok. A local grinder friend of mine told me about the game and vouched for it's safety. The chip is from Gutshot Poker in Bangkok, Thailand. The poker club has a Facebook page and the guy who runs the club is very nice.
I spent 3 days in Bangkok before I headed off to India for 5 weeks. One of those days I visited Gutshot. I didn't have a SIM card so I was given the address (hard to figure out foreign addresses) and the guy sent me his location on messenger. I took a taxi but I couldn't find exactly where this place was supposed to be. I walked up and down the alley and the one next to it trying to get where I needed to be on the map. Just as I was about to give up a guy from the club found me wandering the street and took me to the house that the games are run in. The whole ordeal was amusing after the fact. The two games running were 50/100 and 100/200 Baht. (100 Baht is $3.13 USD) I waited about 45 minutes for a seat and then joined the 50/100 game. The club provides a buffet which was solid and anything that you might want to drink. The rake was high but nothing crazy compared to the rest of Asia. I played for about 4 hours before calling it a night with a massive win of 1600 Baht (50 USD). The game was fine, nothing special but I would definitely play there if I lived in the city. The poker club also pays for your Uber home which is a nice touch.
The chip is not quite casino quality but better than your average home game chip. The chip is a lighter green with yellow edge inserts, 4 small and 4 bigger ones. The centre inlay has a black what I assume to be a high quality sticker attached to it. The sticker is black with the "GS" logo on the top. The "G" is light blue and the "S" is darker blue. Gutshot is in the middle in blue and the denomination is in white on the bottom.
Doc this should keep you off my back for at least 18 hours or so. This is the first of 74 chips that I have to post from Asia. I won't be posting my Naga chip as it has been posted and I won't post my Park MGM chip either. I do however have a chip from the new casino in Vancouver as I had a 7 hour layover on my way back from Asia.
City: Bangkok, Thailand
Casino: Gutshot Poker
I'm back!
Today's chip of the day is from a country that doesn't have any legal casinos. I collected this chip from an underground poker club in Bangkok. A local grinder friend of mine told me about the game and vouched for it's safety. The chip is from Gutshot Poker in Bangkok, Thailand. The poker club has a Facebook page and the guy who runs the club is very nice.
I spent 3 days in Bangkok before I headed off to India for 5 weeks. One of those days I visited Gutshot. I didn't have a SIM card so I was given the address (hard to figure out foreign addresses) and the guy sent me his location on messenger. I took a taxi but I couldn't find exactly where this place was supposed to be. I walked up and down the alley and the one next to it trying to get where I needed to be on the map. Just as I was about to give up a guy from the club found me wandering the street and took me to the house that the games are run in. The whole ordeal was amusing after the fact. The two games running were 50/100 and 100/200 Baht. (100 Baht is $3.13 USD) I waited about 45 minutes for a seat and then joined the 50/100 game. The club provides a buffet which was solid and anything that you might want to drink. The rake was high but nothing crazy compared to the rest of Asia. I played for about 4 hours before calling it a night with a massive win of 1600 Baht (50 USD). The game was fine, nothing special but I would definitely play there if I lived in the city. The poker club also pays for your Uber home which is a nice touch.
The chip is not quite casino quality but better than your average home game chip. The chip is a lighter green with yellow edge inserts, 4 small and 4 bigger ones. The centre inlay has a black what I assume to be a high quality sticker attached to it. The sticker is black with the "GS" logo on the top. The "G" is light blue and the "S" is darker blue. Gutshot is in the middle in blue and the denomination is in white on the bottom.
Doc this should keep you off my back for at least 18 hours or so. This is the first of 74 chips that I have to post from Asia. I won't be posting my Naga chip as it has been posted and I won't post my Park MGM chip either. I do however have a chip from the new casino in Vancouver as I had a 7 hour layover on my way back from Asia.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 1st, 2018 at 7:19:37 PM
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Outstanding, PG! It is great that this thread is getting back on a roll for a while.Quote: PokerGrinderDoc this should keep you off my back for at least 18 hours or so.
I have a couple of brief, chip-chasing tours plotted out on a map, but it doesn't seem that I can get the Mrs. interested in that kind of trip. Don't know when I will be able to collect any more souvenirs from my list of chips to get.
June 1st, 2018 at 7:25:18 PM
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Well I will be collecting between 40-60 new chips when I head to Europe on September 5. I got a really good deal so I decided, why not? $400 USD round trip is hard to turn down.
After Europe I don't have any plans for North American collecting but I am thinking of spending a month in South Korea next year which would be the next time that I would be collecting any new chips.
After Europe I don't have any plans for North American collecting but I am thinking of spending a month in South Korea next year which would be the next time that I would be collecting any new chips.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 2nd, 2018 at 10:31:53 PM
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Well whoever had the under on me forgetting to post, you win. I just finished a session and I already missed the day so I’m going to bed lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 3rd, 2018 at 2:04:07 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Casino Marina
Today's chip of the day is from Casino Marina (not sure how you want to index this one Doc) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I spent a whopping 24 hours in Sri Lanka on my way to India. I used that time to go to casinos as I am not sure what else could be done with so little time. I had planned on visiting 6 casinos, I found 3 of them and I don't believe the others exist anymore... or they were hiding. I walked 15 minutes in the dark using google maps that I had loaded when I had wifi. I was able to find Casino Marina quite easily. The casino was on the smaller side with about 30 tables, 75 slots and a small poker room. If I remember correctly I played 1000 Rupee ($6.29 USD) minimum BJ and I won 6000 rupees before moving on to my next destination.
The chip is a red diamond mold made by Sun-Fly, I took this information from MoGH. The chip has 8 diamonds around the edge of the chip. The centre inlay is interesting in that it isn't a sticker but it also doesn't look like a hot stamp to me. The writing looks like it is in the chip if that makes sense. All the writing is in black and it lists the casino name and the denomination including "Rs" to signify rupees.
Well I am 2/3 now so we are back to a passing grade :P
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Casino Marina
Today's chip of the day is from Casino Marina (not sure how you want to index this one Doc) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I spent a whopping 24 hours in Sri Lanka on my way to India. I used that time to go to casinos as I am not sure what else could be done with so little time. I had planned on visiting 6 casinos, I found 3 of them and I don't believe the others exist anymore... or they were hiding. I walked 15 minutes in the dark using google maps that I had loaded when I had wifi. I was able to find Casino Marina quite easily. The casino was on the smaller side with about 30 tables, 75 slots and a small poker room. If I remember correctly I played 1000 Rupee ($6.29 USD) minimum BJ and I won 6000 rupees before moving on to my next destination.
The chip is a red diamond mold made by Sun-Fly, I took this information from MoGH. The chip has 8 diamonds around the edge of the chip. The centre inlay is interesting in that it isn't a sticker but it also doesn't look like a hot stamp to me. The writing looks like it is in the chip if that makes sense. All the writing is in black and it lists the casino name and the denomination including "Rs" to signify rupees.
Well I am 2/3 now so we are back to a passing grade :P
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 3rd, 2018 at 2:40:53 PM
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Quote: PokerGrinderWell I am 2/3 now so we are back to a passing grade :P
Much better than we've come to expect from you, so all is well. :P
;-)
June 4th, 2018 at 8:30:46 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Bellagio
Today's chip of the day is from Bellagio Casino in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was the second of the three casinos that I visited in Sri Lanka. Bellagio was a nicer casino than Casino Marina. The casino had about 50 tables and 30 slot machines. I lost about 300 USD playing BJ, oops. They exchange USD right at the tables at the true rate with no commission and they will exchange it back to USD after you are done playing if you'd like.
They have a free buffet for players, actually two of them. One is Chinese food of some sort and the other one which I ate was an Indian buffet. The food was amazing, I had two plates. One of the things that I had was curried crab, sweet crab and spicy sauce taste really good together.
The chip is a red Bud Jones (my best guess) with 4 green/white/green edge inserts. Around the chip it has 100 and 3 dots alternating 4 times. The centre inlay is white with the casino name in black and the denomination (rupees) in red.
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Bellagio
Today's chip of the day is from Bellagio Casino in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was the second of the three casinos that I visited in Sri Lanka. Bellagio was a nicer casino than Casino Marina. The casino had about 50 tables and 30 slot machines. I lost about 300 USD playing BJ, oops. They exchange USD right at the tables at the true rate with no commission and they will exchange it back to USD after you are done playing if you'd like.
They have a free buffet for players, actually two of them. One is Chinese food of some sort and the other one which I ate was an Indian buffet. The food was amazing, I had two plates. One of the things that I had was curried crab, sweet crab and spicy sauce taste really good together.
The chip is a red Bud Jones (my best guess) with 4 green/white/green edge inserts. Around the chip it has 100 and 3 dots alternating 4 times. The centre inlay is white with the casino name in black and the denomination (rupees) in red.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 5th, 2018 at 9:41:11 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Bally's Casino
Today's chip of the day is from Bally's Casino, the last one I have to post from Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was easily the nicest and the biggest of the three casinos that I visited in Colombo. I was forced to sign up for a free membership to enter the casino. I played Baccarat and won just over 300 USD which put me down about 13,500 (85 USD) rupees for the night. Bally's also had a free buffet for the players which I sampled but I was still full from dinner at the Bellagio.
The Casino had a live band playing some great music including Lennon's Imagine. There were two stripper poles where underwear clad girls danced, this seemed weird but hey I wasn't going to complain. There were 5-10 prostitutes looking for a "date" and none of the staff seemed to care that they were there. Bally's and Bellgio are owned by the same company.
The chip is a red BJ chip with four yellow edge inserts. Around the chip are alternating yellow rectangles and "100" also in yellow. The centre inlay is white with the casino name and location in black and the denomination is in red.
City: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Casino: Bally's Casino
Today's chip of the day is from Bally's Casino, the last one I have to post from Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was easily the nicest and the biggest of the three casinos that I visited in Colombo. I was forced to sign up for a free membership to enter the casino. I played Baccarat and won just over 300 USD which put me down about 13,500 (85 USD) rupees for the night. Bally's also had a free buffet for the players which I sampled but I was still full from dinner at the Bellagio.
The Casino had a live band playing some great music including Lennon's Imagine. There were two stripper poles where underwear clad girls danced, this seemed weird but hey I wasn't going to complain. There were 5-10 prostitutes looking for a "date" and none of the staff seemed to care that they were there. Bally's and Bellgio are owned by the same company.
The chip is a red BJ chip with four yellow edge inserts. Around the chip are alternating yellow rectangles and "100" also in yellow. The centre inlay is white with the casino name and location in black and the denomination is in red.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 6th, 2018 at 12:54:25 AM
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Quote: PokerGrinder...The Casino had a live band playing some great music including Lennon's Imagine. There were two stripper poles where underwear clad girls danced, this seemed weird but hey I wasn't going to complain. There were 5-10 prostitutes looking for a "date" and none of the staff seemed to care that they were there...
Wow... it's just like downtown L.V. hehe
Could these chips have been manufactured by Matsui? It looks like their offerings.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
June 6th, 2018 at 7:07:27 AM
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Bellagio? Bally's? Sure, I've been to those casinos a lot of times! Then again, maybe not. Did somebody say "Sri Lanka"? Never been to Asia at all. Ooops!
As for chip manufacturers, I've almost given up on identifying them if I can't find a logo. There are so many designs that look similar that I can't convince myself that I am sure any more.
Here's one thing I am sure about: I finally got my new chips arranged on my home desktop. And this includes three chips that I gathered on a trip last November and never got worked into the array. As I have done numerous times before, I am posting a photo of the view I get to look at while sitting at my desk (until the papers start to pile up on top of the glass).
The total count is now 492, not including some duplicates and gift chips not shown in the photo. Of course, click on this image if you want to see the larger version, and click on that one to see it full-sized so you can scroll around it and examine the details.
As for chip manufacturers, I've almost given up on identifying them if I can't find a logo. There are so many designs that look similar that I can't convince myself that I am sure any more.
Here's one thing I am sure about: I finally got my new chips arranged on my home desktop. And this includes three chips that I gathered on a trip last November and never got worked into the array. As I have done numerous times before, I am posting a photo of the view I get to look at while sitting at my desk (until the papers start to pile up on top of the glass).
The total count is now 492, not including some duplicates and gift chips not shown in the photo. Of course, click on this image if you want to see the larger version, and click on that one to see it full-sized so you can scroll around it and examine the details.
Last edited by: Doc on Jun 18, 2018
June 6th, 2018 at 12:16:10 PM
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Quote: DocBellagio? Bally's? Sure, I've been to those casinos a lot of times! Then again, maybe not. Did somebody say "Sri Lanka"? Never been to Asia at all. Ooops.
As for chip manufacturer's, I've almost given up on identifying them if I can't find a logo. There are so many designs that look similar that I can't convince myself that I am sure any more.
Here's one thing I am sure about: I finally got my new chips arranged on my home desktop. And this includes three chips that I gathered on a trip last November and never got worked into the array. As I have done numerous times before, I am posting a photo of the view I get to look at while sitting at my desk (until the papers start to pile up on top of the glass).
The total count is now 492, not including some duplicates and gift chips not shown in the photo. Of course, click on this image if you want to see the larger version, and click on that one to see it full-sized so you can scroll around it and examine the details.
Looks great Doc! Although I recall you mentioning that you could actually put quite a few more into the array, it really looks like there might only be room for three more. Maybe it's time to shop for a frigate class sized desk?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
June 6th, 2018 at 1:42:15 PM
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The current array has room for two more chips at the lower right -- 19 staggered rows of 26 chip-spaces each gives room for 494 chips, and I only have 492 chips in the set. After that, it's a matter of revising the array to have less unused (wasted) space between the chips.Quote: Ayecarumba... it really looks like there might only be room for three more.
I've been setting up these 45° arrays so long that I'm having trouble focusing my head on the need to transition to 30°/60° arrays and how/when to do that. It will have to be fairly soon.
June 6th, 2018 at 6:15:12 PM
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My ocd would drive me crazy that they are not all turned the same way.
Expect the worst and you will never be disappointed.
I AM NOT PART OF GWAE RADIO SHOW
June 6th, 2018 at 6:27:19 PM
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Which direction should they face? Toward me? Toward my visitor? Somewhere else?
June 6th, 2018 at 7:28:43 PM
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Just a warning if a chip of the day is posted “today” it will be around 2-3 am Central time.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 6th, 2018 at 7:56:31 PM
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Quote: PokerGrinderJust a warning if a chip of the day is posted “today” it will be around 2-3 am Central time.
Hehe... is that how they say “tomorrow” up north?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
June 6th, 2018 at 8:17:20 PM
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That’s how I say that I’m most likely not posting one today cause this poker game is going to go late lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 6th, 2018 at 10:57:14 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Ho Tram Beach, Vietnam
Casino: The Grand Ho Tram Strip
We have a chip of the day!
Today's chip of the day is from The Grand Ho Tram Strip Casino in Ho Tram Beach, Vietnam. This 5 star casino resort is located about two hours from Ho Chi Minh City. We stayed at the resort for one night and the room rates were very reasonable at just under $100 USD per night. The room was comparable to any of the high end places on the Vegas strip. The resort offers a free bus to and from Ho Chi Minh City which I am guessing they have to do to bring people somewhere that far from a major city.
Our day at the resort was very relaxing after I had been staying in hostels for the previous 2+ months. There is nothing wrong with a hostel but a 5 star hotel room sure kicks the crap out of it. I didn't spend too long in the casino as they didn't have poker and the BJ table minimum was $25, I won about $180. The casino was on the smaller side with 20 or so tables and 100-150 slots.
The chip is an orange Bourgagne et Grasset chip with no edge inserts. The centre inlay is a shiny white with the denomination in gold with a black outline. The casino name is in copper and the BG logo is in black. The chip is very simple but clean which I like. I don't mean clean as in not dirty but as in it is not cluttered.
City: Ho Tram Beach, Vietnam
Casino: The Grand Ho Tram Strip
We have a chip of the day!
Today's chip of the day is from The Grand Ho Tram Strip Casino in Ho Tram Beach, Vietnam. This 5 star casino resort is located about two hours from Ho Chi Minh City. We stayed at the resort for one night and the room rates were very reasonable at just under $100 USD per night. The room was comparable to any of the high end places on the Vegas strip. The resort offers a free bus to and from Ho Chi Minh City which I am guessing they have to do to bring people somewhere that far from a major city.
Our day at the resort was very relaxing after I had been staying in hostels for the previous 2+ months. There is nothing wrong with a hostel but a 5 star hotel room sure kicks the crap out of it. I didn't spend too long in the casino as they didn't have poker and the BJ table minimum was $25, I won about $180. The casino was on the smaller side with 20 or so tables and 100-150 slots.
The chip is an orange Bourgagne et Grasset chip with no edge inserts. The centre inlay is a shiny white with the denomination in gold with a black outline. The casino name is in copper and the BG logo is in black. The chip is very simple but clean which I like. I don't mean clean as in not dirty but as in it is not cluttered.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 7th, 2018 at 10:21:19 PM
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Category: Canada
City: Vancouver, British Columbia
Casino: parq
Today's chip of the day is from the new parq (yes lower case) Casino in Vancouver, British Columbia. I visited this casino during my 6.5 hour layover on my way home from Asia. parq Casino replaces Edgewater Casino in downtown Vancouver. It opened on September 29, a few weeks after I was in Vancouver last September. I rented a car for $27 USD instead of sitting in the airport while I waited for my next flight. I went to the casino and I played $15 minimum BJ which was the lowest I could find and I won $45. I also won about $60 on some AP machine play. The gambling totals are in Canadian dollars. After the casino I went and found a Chipotle for dinner/breakfast/lunch, who really knows what meal it is at that point after being awake for so long and crossing so many time zones. I love Chipotle so I grab it whenever possible.
The chip is white and most likely made by BJ as the rest of the BC chips are. The chip has three sets of 2 navy inserts with a curved rectangle below it that makes it look like a sad face to me. The centre inlay has the casino name, location and the chip denomination all in navy blue. The casino name is purposefully spelled with a lower case "p" at the beginning of parq.
City: Vancouver, British Columbia
Casino: parq
Today's chip of the day is from the new parq (yes lower case) Casino in Vancouver, British Columbia. I visited this casino during my 6.5 hour layover on my way home from Asia. parq Casino replaces Edgewater Casino in downtown Vancouver. It opened on September 29, a few weeks after I was in Vancouver last September. I rented a car for $27 USD instead of sitting in the airport while I waited for my next flight. I went to the casino and I played $15 minimum BJ which was the lowest I could find and I won $45. I also won about $60 on some AP machine play. The gambling totals are in Canadian dollars. After the casino I went and found a Chipotle for dinner/breakfast/lunch, who really knows what meal it is at that point after being awake for so long and crossing so many time zones. I love Chipotle so I grab it whenever possible.
The chip is white and most likely made by BJ as the rest of the BC chips are. The chip has three sets of 2 navy inserts with a curved rectangle below it that makes it look like a sad face to me. The centre inlay has the casino name, location and the chip denomination all in navy blue. The casino name is purposefully spelled with a lower case "p" at the beginning of parq.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 8th, 2018 at 8:45:21 AM
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Well, I've never been to Sri Lanka or Vietnam, but I have been to Vancouver and to the predecessor of the parq casino. As for spelling the casino name with a lower case "p", I notice they also use the lower case letter for the name of the city. Should we spell that as "vancouver"? No problem, since I don't have the city name included in the index. ;-)
I cannot even guess when, if ever, I will make it back to Vancouver, but I have added the Parq/parq to my list of chips to get, should that return visit happen.
I cannot even guess when, if ever, I will make it back to Vancouver, but I have added the Parq/parq to my list of chips to get, should that return visit happen.
June 8th, 2018 at 10:01:47 AM
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Quote: DocWell, I've never been to Sri Lanka or Vietnam, but I have been to Vancouver and to the predecessor of the parq casino. As for spelling the casino name with a lower case "p", I notice they also use the lower case letter for the name of the city. Should we spell that as "vancouver"? No problem, since I don't have the city name included in the index. ;-)
I cannot even guess when, if ever, I will make it back to Vancouver, but I have added the Parq/parq to my list of chips to get, should that return visit happen.
I think it's a design choice. I was admiring the graphic effect of the bilateral symmetry of the p and q, and the general art deco feel to the chip. It's not nearly as pretty or stylin' if you capitalize the p.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
June 8th, 2018 at 10:05:16 AM
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I like it. It’s simple but looks nice.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 9th, 2018 at 2:38:40 PM
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I’m out at the beach this weekend, I won’t be posting.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 10th, 2018 at 9:44:58 AM
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Quote: PokerGrinderCategory: Asia
City: Ho Tram Beach, Vietnam
Casino: The Grand Ho Tram Strip.
What currency does the $1 on this chip from Vietnam represent? Are there Dong chips for locals to avoid the hassle of conversion?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
June 10th, 2018 at 11:47:18 AM
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Most of the Vietnam casinos used USD. There were no chips in Dong.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
June 16th, 2018 at 8:17:52 PM
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Category: Asia
City: Panaji, Goa, India
Casino: Crown
I've been posting chip of the day's every day, don't believe anything that Doc says!
Today's chip of the day brings us to India! Casinos only exist in the states of Goa and Sikkim. Today's chip of the day is from the Crown Casino in Panaji, Goa, India. This was the first casino that I visited when I arrived in Goa. I will mention that 1 USD equals 68.5 Indian Rupees. I paid a 2000 Rupee fee to enter the casino which I knew existed in Goa casinos but I was willing to pay the insanely high fees. I was given 1000 OTP (one time play) chips with my entry fee which are worth roughly half their value. Food is also free with the casino entries, the food varies in quality depending on the casino. Crown was one of the smallest casinos with only 10 slot machines and 10 or so table games. All buy ins were done at the cage. I won 4800 rupees playing 200 minimum BJ and also got 500 rupees out of my 1000 in OTP chips. I had chicken nuggets, fries and beer while at the Crown.
The chip is a 100 rupee black chip with 4 pairs of yellow edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with a gold border. The casino name is in gold with the logo above it. The denomination is in red with the symbol for rupees in front of the "100"
City: Panaji, Goa, India
Casino: Crown
I've been posting chip of the day's every day, don't believe anything that Doc says!
Today's chip of the day brings us to India! Casinos only exist in the states of Goa and Sikkim. Today's chip of the day is from the Crown Casino in Panaji, Goa, India. This was the first casino that I visited when I arrived in Goa. I will mention that 1 USD equals 68.5 Indian Rupees. I paid a 2000 Rupee fee to enter the casino which I knew existed in Goa casinos but I was willing to pay the insanely high fees. I was given 1000 OTP (one time play) chips with my entry fee which are worth roughly half their value. Food is also free with the casino entries, the food varies in quality depending on the casino. Crown was one of the smallest casinos with only 10 slot machines and 10 or so table games. All buy ins were done at the cage. I won 4800 rupees playing 200 minimum BJ and also got 500 rupees out of my 1000 in OTP chips. I had chicken nuggets, fries and beer while at the Crown.
The chip is a 100 rupee black chip with 4 pairs of yellow edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with a gold border. The casino name is in gold with the logo above it. The denomination is in red with the symbol for rupees in front of the "100"
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
