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AitchTheLetter
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December 26th, 2022 at 5:30:32 AM permalink
There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
PokerGrinder
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December 26th, 2022 at 5:39:29 AM permalink
Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post


That is interesting because I find it so plain. I like simple chips but this one feels like they didn't try very hard.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
RideTheEdge
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December 26th, 2022 at 7:11:10 AM permalink
Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post



I had a similar reaction, I thought the chip "popped." Not sure why. I've seen other chips with large numbers that didn't appeal.

I was intimated by PG's disdain and kept my admiration to myself. Thank you ATL for giving me the courage to speak out.
PokerGrinder
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December 26th, 2022 at 9:12:43 AM permalink
Quote: RideTheEdge

Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post



I had a similar reaction, I thought the chip "popped." Not sure why. I've seen other chips with large numbers that didn't appeal.

I was intimated by PG's disdain and kept my admiration to myself. Thank you ATL for giving me the courage to speak out.
link to original post


Lol this is a safe place, you can voice your pleasures and displeasures as you wish.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
smoothgrh
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December 26th, 2022 at 9:29:52 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post


That is interesting because I find it so plain. I like simple chips but this one feels like they didn't try very hard.
link to original post



The chips have no stripes on the side? I find that interesting because I always assumed the "side stripe" design was to help dealers and others see how many chips are in a stack.
PokerGrinder
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December 27th, 2022 at 3:12:57 AM permalink
Quote: smoothgrh

Quote: PokerGrinder

Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post


That is interesting because I find it so plain. I like simple chips but this one feels like they didn't try very hard.
link to original post



The chips have no stripes on the side? I find that interesting because I always assumed the "side stripe" design was to help dealers and others see how many chips are in a stack.
link to original post


The chip sides are blank, no added design. Usually in the lower quality/more simple chips I find that there isn’t anything on the sides. Take a look at the €1 chips from Helsinki, Portomaso, Regency Mont Parnes, D1 and Eglinton that I’ve posted recently. You’ll notice they all have plain sides.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 27th, 2022 at 4:46:53 AM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Prague, Czechia
Casino: Merkur


Today’s chip of the day is from Merkur Casino in Prague, Czechia. I visited 3-4 casinos outside of the main city centre on my collecting mission with very little luck. The night that I collected this chip I found a few casinos with table games not open and one that used Admiral chips. This was my last stop of the night and I guess you could call it a success because I got a chip but that’s only half the story. The way I got the chip was definitely not a success as I got cheated. The first floor is all slots and the basement floor is mostly slots but had 5 wheels on a table with betting spots. Each wheel had 3 betting spots.



If you bet on the winning colour it pays 1-1 which means right off the top the house has a 33% edge. I asked the security guard about the game and they agreed to open it. Apparently they have to have table games to be a casino in Prague (his words) but since some casinos didn’t I assume it’s not highly regulated. Here is where the cheating came in, the spinner can land over top of pegs because it’s a poorly made wheel. One of the first spins it landed over the top and to me it clearly looked like it was more in my winning colour but the dealer called no spin and spun again. About 3 spins later the exact same thing happened but the colour was a losing one for me so she said it was a good spin. I argued it was exactly the same as when she wouldn’t pay me earlier and the security guard said that the dealer has final decision. I laughed and cashed out my remaining chips other than the one I kept. So basically to sum it up, 33.3% HE and all close decisions go against you… I’d say it’s impossible to win 😂.

The chip is pink with 6 blue/yellow/blue edge inserts and 6 blue triangle edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with 24 blue squares around it which I assume are to make the inlay look like a sun. The casino name appears twice, with the denom and the happy sun logo of Merkur all in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
DogHand
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December 27th, 2022 at 5:40:40 AM permalink
With a 33+% house edge, I can understand why the sun is smiling!

Dog Hand
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December 27th, 2022 at 6:22:26 AM permalink
I just want to know why with a 33% house edge they feel the need to cheat lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
smoothgrh
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December 27th, 2022 at 11:44:00 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Quote: smoothgrh

Quote: PokerGrinder

Quote: AitchTheLetter

There is something about the simplicity of the Casino Henry chip that speaks to me.
link to original post


That is interesting because I find it so plain. I like simple chips but this one feels like they didn't try very hard.
link to original post



The chips have no stripes on the side? I find that interesting because I always assumed the "side stripe" design was to help dealers and others see how many chips are in a stack.
link to original post


The chip sides are blank, no added design. Usually in the lower quality/more simple chips I find that there isn’t anything on the sides. Take a look at the €1 chips from Helsinki, Portomaso, Regency Mont Parnes, D1 and Eglinton that I’ve posted recently. You’ll notice they all have plain sides.
link to original post



I must admit, I take in your stories more than I really examine the chips — and your Lucky Wheel story takes the cake!
PokerGrinder
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December 27th, 2022 at 5:54:53 PM permalink
You mean the not so lucky wheel lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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December 27th, 2022 at 8:03:02 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Imperial Club


Today’s chip of the day is from the Imperial Club in Paris, France. The clubs in Paris don’t allow slots, only table games and poker. The poker is pretty bad though with 4% take that is uncapped. There are 7 of these clubs in Paris and 1 casino about 45 minutes north of the city. I didn’t visit the casino as it would have taken over 2 hours by public transit from where I was staying in the south of the city. The first club that I visited was the Imperial Club which was easy to get to using the above ground metro, it was only about 10 minutes away. I had to pay €15 to get in which I thought every club would charge but only 3 did. I’m not sure why anyone who go to the ones that charge when there are free options to lose your money at.

This club didn’t have poker so I played bj or what they call bj. It’s actually called 21 (same game) as bj isn’t legal for some reason in Paris. They also have a mandatory poker side bet that you have to bet €1 on to make it legal. The Wizard covered this side bet a few months ago but I can’t seem to find his thread on it. I think he said the side bet had about a 20% HE. After the dealer finished the bj portion of the game they would keep drawing cards to their hand until they had 5 to complete the poker side bet. If they had more than 5 cards in their bj hand the first 5 were used. I broke even with the entry fee and walked back to my hostel which took about 35 minutes.

The chip is grey with the 4 suits engraved twice around the chip. The centre inlay is black with the casino name, location and denom in gold. I assume the Chinese writing is the casino name as well but I obviously can’t be sure.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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December 29th, 2022 at 5:28:38 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Paris Élysées Club


Today’s chip of the day is from Paris Élysées Club in Paris, France. This venue was the first casino/card room to open after all the previous not so legal casinos were shut down before 2018. The club has 23 table games on the main floor and the second floor has 6-10 poker tables. I played bj or 21+poker to get my chip as the poker game was full and I didn’t want to wait for the new table to open up. I spent some time chatting with the dealer and pit boss who were both from the same country in Eastern Europe, I want to say Bulgaria but it’s not coming to me currently. I actually would have loved to chat longer but I was losing and didn’t want to keep donating money to the dealer’s tray. Oh, one thing to note about the Paris casinos is that you can’t buy in at the table, all buy ins are handled at the cage.

The chip is red with 3 white edge inserts. The centre inlay is white and the border has 3 notches in it. The inlay is simple with an outline of the Eiffel Tower in gold, the denom over top of it in gold with a red border and the casino name above and below the denom.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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December 30th, 2022 at 6:53:51 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Club Pierre Charron


Today’s chip of the day is from Club Pierre Charron in Paris, France. Club Pierre Charron is on rue Pierre Charron which is named after a French theologian. The club has no entrance fee and offers 25+ table and poker games. I played 1/2 NL for about 30 minutes to collect my chip. I didn’t play long due to the horrendous rake. The table had this cool feature. There was a large square on the felt to the right of the dealer where they put the current pot. The chips have RFID and the table keeps track of the pot size and then displays it on a screen in the dealers tray, it also displays the rake they need to remove at the end of the hand.



The chip is beige with 6 blue edge inserts. The casino name and location are in blue around the chip. The centre inlay is white with a triple notched blue border. The logo looks a chimney?!? with CPC overtop in gold. The denom is gold with a black border.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Dieter
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December 31st, 2022 at 3:54:26 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

The logo looks a chimney?!? with CPC overtop in gold.


link to original post



If I squint, I get Arc de Triomphe, with the letters C from the monogram roughly where the arches in the brickwork should be.
The Arc de Triomphe does look a bit like a chimney.
May the cards fall in your favor.
PokerGrinder
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December 31st, 2022 at 4:57:29 AM permalink
I had to Google what that was, but I guess I can see it. I assume what it actually is, is a picture of the building that the casino is in.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 31st, 2022 at 7:22:20 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Punto Club


Today’s chip of the day is from the Punto Club in Paris, France. This was the smallest club in Paris but also one of the nicest. They had a beautiful red themed design. Their website says they only have 5 tables but I thought it was about double of that but I guess they would know better than my bad memory. I played bj to collect my chip and lost my buy in. Not too much to tell about this place as they only had two tables open and 4 customers including myself.

The chip is red with 8 white edge inserts. The club name and location are around the chip in white. The centre inlay is white with the casino logo of a “P” in gold and the denom in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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December 31st, 2022 at 7:23:20 PM permalink
Happy new year everyone. I’m currently on the road and collecting a few new chips. I have 4 more chips to post and then Doc can take over again.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 31st, 2022 at 8:16:41 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

... and then Doc can take over again.


Guess I should get around to taking the photos of the two new chips I have on hand. Nah, I think I'll put that off until next year.

(Which begins in 44 minutes from now, at least in my time zone.)
PokerGrinder
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January 1st, 2023 at 4:52:15 AM permalink
Such a dad joke lol
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
smoothgrh
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January 1st, 2023 at 11:02:43 AM permalink
Happy new year!

Cool tech, PG — I wonder how many poker rooms will implement the pot amount electronics. Seems like poker rooms are too cheap to have those and people want to do the math themselves to make the poker seem more old-fashioned.
PokerGrinder
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January 1st, 2023 at 12:43:55 PM permalink
Quote: smoothgrh

Happy new year!

Cool tech, PG — I wonder how many poker rooms will implement the pot amount electronics. Seems like poker rooms are too cheap to have those and people want to do the math themselves to make the poker seem more old-fashioned.
link to original post


I think almost none, the slippage from lost rake from dealers with bad math skills won’t cover the cost of the system.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 2nd, 2023 at 9:23:55 AM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Club Barrière Paris


Today’s chip of the day is from Club Barrière Paris in Paris, France. This was a very fancy club with a James Bond feel to it. They had 13 table games and 14 poker tables although I didn’t see the poker tables. There was a bar/restaurant beside the games room that had a very expensive menu. I played bj/21+poker to collect my chip and I think I won like €10. An interesting thing about this club is the pit bosses sat on these tall chairs like lifeguards have and were looking down over the table games. The action in this club was much bigger than I saw in the other clubs with the hite a few players betting €1000+ per hand. I didn’t partake in that particular bet size this time around. One other note about this club is it is in the same building as the former Aviation Club De France that closed in 2017 I think when the lawmakers cracked down.

The chip is brown with no edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with the Barriere logo in the middle. The club name, the physical address and the manufacturer’s logo are black while the denom is gold with a black border.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
DogHand
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January 2nd, 2023 at 12:34:51 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Club Barrière Paris


<snip>An interesting thing about this club is the pit bosses sat on these tall chairs like lifeguards have and were looking down over the table games.<snip>



PokerGrinder,

I have seen this in the Caribbean. Each boss was watching two tables.

Perhaps these casinos have no surveillance?

Dog Hand
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January 2nd, 2023 at 1:44:21 PM permalink
Possibly, I didn’t check the ceiling for cameras.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
AitchTheLetter
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January 2nd, 2023 at 1:54:17 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder



link to original post



Another simple chip and clean looking chip. But lets be real, Paris has had many bangers.
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PokerGrinder
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January 4th, 2023 at 3:00:01 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Club Montmartre


Today’s chip of the day is from Club Montmartre in Paris, France. This club was sneaky big. I walked in and paid my €10 entry fee and all I see are two poker tables and a bar. I asked for the list and they directed me to a room of the side which had 20 more poker tables and 11 table games that I somehow missed when I walked in. There were about 10 cash games running but despite waiting on the list I never did get on a table. Instead I played UTH to collect my chip. I was wanting to play poker but the list just wouldn’t move and after 30+ mins I gave up. Side note they had a candy dish with yummy candy at reception lol, not quite worth the admission fee but yummy none the less.

The chip is red with 4 extra large white edge inserts. The centre inlay is black with a white border that is notched 4 times. The club name and the logo are both gold and white with the denom being gold.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 5th, 2023 at 12:01:30 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: Paris, France
Casino: Club Circus


Today’s chip of the day is from Club Circus in Paris, France. This club was the last one that I visited and also was one of the ones charging a cover to get in (€11). The club has 11 poker tables and 15-20 gaming tables. Their website lists the number of poker tables but the gaming tables are by memory which with me is never good 😂. I played 2/4 NL for about a hour to collect my chip. The table was very friendly when they found out I was Canadian. The game was fine but like the other Paris poker the rake was 4% uncapped which is nasty. I didn’t win much in my hour of play but had a good time. This club also had the device under the felt that calculates how much the pot is. This info was displayed on a tv screen for everyone to see not just the dealer like at Pierre Charron.

The chip is brown with 6 beige edge inserts. The centre inlay is black with the casino name a mixture of red with lights, red and white. I’m not sure why the “ci” in circus is red. The denom and location are white.



This is the last chip I have to post from my Europe trip, I do have one more from a new casino in Alberta though. After that I’m done for awhile though as I haven’t taken pictures of any of the chips I’m currently collecting.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 7th, 2023 at 2:43:07 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Calgary, Alberta
Casino: ACE Airport


Today’s chip of the day is from Ace Casino Airport in Calgary, Alberta. On December 1, 2021 I wrote this while posting my chip from the recently rebranded ACE Casino Blackfoot “I will share what I know about this name change, the casino was sold by Century to the owners of Cash Casino down the street, Cash Casino rebranded their poker room to Ace Poker Room this summer and then changed the name of their new acquisition to the same Ace name. I have been told they are currently building a new casino in northern Calgary where they will move Cash Casino and then Ace will move into the old Cash Casino and I assume keep the poker room with the matching name. I don't think that Cash will change their name when they move but I hope they do so I can add a new chip to my collection.”

They built the new casino and the Cash Casino was rebranded once they moved into the new facilities with ACE Blackfoot moving into their old casino and the old Ace casino building being currently empty. The new casino has 650 slots, 28 tables and a 12 table poker room. The casino is beautiful but in an area that might create problems for them. They are closer to the wealthier residential area of the city and of course the airport but I think they misjudged not being close to downtown anymore and how that would affect their visitor numbers. Only time will tell but I believe this casino will fail. I didn’t check out much of their food options but they did bring their low cost menu from the old casino and as of Christmas the prices were still low although a sign on in the restaurant has be believing that those prices won’t remain low for long. I played bj to collect my chip and lost $100 but that’s only like $4.87 USD so no biggie 😝

The chip is dark blue with 12 white edge inserts. The centre inlay is black with the casino logo in silver and the casino name and the denom in white.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 7th, 2023 at 2:45:14 PM permalink
Doc I have changed the name of my first ACE casino post to ACE Blackfoot so that will need an edit in the index if you don’t mind.

Also this is the end of my current stash of chips so please jump in and post your new chips Doc. I collected 20 new chips this week but I haven’t checked how many will be new chip of the days. I’m headed on a 2 week cruise tomorrow so I won’t be able to access this site at all.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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January 7th, 2023 at 7:07:17 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Doc I have changed the name of my first ACE casino post to ACE Blackfoot so that will need an edit in the index if you don’t mind.

Also this is the end of my current stash of chips so please jump in and post your new chips Doc. ....


OK, I have edited the index to show the revised naming of the old Ace chip and to add the new chip. In the process, I realized that for a substantial portion of the Canadian CCotD posts, I have not listed in the index the province and/or city where the casino is located, as I have tended to show for other international chips. Maybe someday I will get around to correcting that oversight.

The to-do task list shown on my calendar still includes the need for me to take photos of my newest chips, so I haven't made any progress on that duty. Maybe someday soon. (So don't hold your breath for my getting the provinces and cities included in the Canadian index.)
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January 13th, 2023 at 8:35:12 AM permalink
Tsk tsk tsk Doc where are the chip posts?

I’m currently in St Maarten failing to collect chips. First two stops no longer have table games.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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January 13th, 2023 at 8:53:17 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Tsk tsk tsk Doc where are the chip posts?

I’m currently in St Maarten failing to collect chips. First two stops no longer have table games.
link to original post



The Mrs. was there this past November, and we were both there vacationing in 2014 — would be a great retirement area, aside from no more table games!
PokerGrinder
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January 13th, 2023 at 9:28:54 AM permalink
Well I found two casinos with tables at this point but both aren’t open until 7 and I have to be back on the boat at 430 so I’m giving up lol. Oh well 🤷‍♂️
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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January 13th, 2023 at 9:30:42 AM permalink
Update: the cage at one casino had no problem selling me a chip so I guess this was a success?!? 😂
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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January 13th, 2023 at 11:16:44 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Tsk tsk tsk Doc where are the chip posts? link to original post


I have encountered some serious computer problems over the past week. I won't go into details, mostly because I don't understand the details. One aspect, though, is that I was unable to transfer photos from my Nikon to my computer -- something that was working just fine a month ago when we returned home from our cruise. Anyway, I think I have the hardware working properly once again, and I did get images of the two new chips moved to the computer this morning. Now, I need to try to prepare a couple of write-ups on the casinos. Coming soon ....
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January 15th, 2023 at 7:49:25 AM permalink
Category: Caribbean Islands
City: St. John’s, Antigua
Casino: Boardwalk


In November-December 2022, my wife and I took a 14-night cruise on the Celebrity Infinity. It was our third cruise on this ship, having previously sailed aboard it in 2016 and 2020. After our first cruise on the ship, I posted my souvenir chip from the on-board casino here.

This time, we sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale with three port stops on Caribbean Islands – Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados – followed by three ports in Brazil – Salvador De Bahia, Buzios, and Rio De Janeiro. After spending the day in Rio, we took an overnight flight back to the USA.

I was able to collect souvenir chips at two casinos during visits to port, with both of the casinos I was able to visit being within a short walk from each other and from the ship’s docking location in St. John’s, Antigua. We had visited both St. Lucia and Barbados on previous cruises, but I can find no record of our having been to Antigua before, which might explain why chips from these two casinos had been missing from my collection.

Antigua is the largest and most populated island in the country of Antigua and Barbuda, which is an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations, i.e., former territories of the British Empire. The capital of the country is St. John’s, which is the largest city and is located on Antigua.

I understand that the Boardwalk Casino opened in 2020, and it was the second shore-side casino I visited on this trip. I am presenting it first because that’s the alphabetical sequence. ;-) I did not take any photos of the casino, either inside or out, because I did not know whether they would object to my carrying a camera around during my visit. I did not play long – just a few minutes of $5 minimum blackjack during which I lost $10 but collected a souvenir chip. I cannot remember how I got my hands on a $1 chip, but that might have been negotiated as part of cashing in my small stack of chips at the cage before departing.

This chip is a smooth (ceramic, I think) chip with a white rim having two light-blue imitation edge inserts. Around the center illustration, there is a four-part ring that consists of two black bars containing the denomination mark in white, and two yellow/tan (?) bars containing the name of the casino and the city/island location.

That center illustration is a bit cute. It is a sailing ship, apparently viewed directly toward the bow from just above the water level. The sail is white with three small marks – the diamond, club, and heart pips, with the two that are usually red appearing in that yellow/tan shade. It might require a second glance, but it should be evident that the hull itself is the much-larger spade pip!

The MOGH Chip guide does not offer any info as to the manufacturer of this chip, so I won't even bother with a guess. Both sides of the chip are identical, and nothing on this chip fluoresces under UV light. As with most (perhaps all?) of my chip posts, you can click on the image below to display a larger version of it.

Doc
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January 16th, 2023 at 7:02:03 AM permalink
Category: Caribbean Islands
City: St. John’s, Antigua
Casino: King’s


Continuing my tale of our 2022 cruise on the Celebrity Infinity, the ship arrived in Antigua about 10 a.m. on the third full day after departing Ft. Lauderdale. My wife and I were booked for a group scenic tour of the area, departing in the early afternoon. We discovered that the conditions of the roads made travel quite uncomfortable for the passengers – we were bumped and banged around extensively. We later found that same situation on shore tours at several of our other port calls on this cruise – quite different from our shore excursions on previous cruises. By the time we were dropped off back near the St. John’s cruise port, I was in a bit of a foul mood.

I did have in mind a different cruise shore experience that I hoped would improve my disposition: gambling in local casinos and collecting souvenir chips. By this point of our trip, I was several hundred dollars ahead in my gambling entertainment in the on-board casino, and I was quite confident that I would not throw away a significant portion of that while collecting my souvenirs.

King’s Casino in St. John’s opened in 1988. My understanding is that they have a subsidiary casino (different name) that also operates in the same city, but I did not take the time to search for it. I got the impression from a pre-cruise search that it may be closed or that it would not be open during hours while I was ashore – the ship was scheduled to sail at 6 p.m., with everyone required back on board a bit earlier.

My wife was not interested in going into the King’s Casino, so I left her seated on a bench in the outdoor courtyard of a modest-sized shopping complex adjacent to the casino, leaving my camera and miscellaneous junk with her to look after as she people watched and waited impatiently for me to return. Rather than risk increasing her level of annoyance, I made it a short visit during which I played $5 minimum blackjack and lost just $5. I kept a $1 souvenir chip and (just like in my post yesterday) I can’t remember how I got it and just speculate again that it was part of the cash-out process.

I then escorted my wife to the entrance of the cruise port pier and sent her back aboard while I went off in search of the Boardwalk Casino, a short block or two down the waterfront via a genuine boardwalk.

This souvenir from King’s Casino is a light-blue, plastic (I think) chip with eight unicorns molded into the perimeter area. The casino name, the denomination, and the island name are hot-stamped in red in the center. I did a little search attempting to establish certainty as to the manufacturer, but I am not confident that I succeeded. I found discussion sites where posters speculated that the chip design is from Chipco and said that boxes of these unicorn-mold chips are available for purchase in a variety of solid colors for home use, without denomination markings or casino designations.

Both sides of the chip are identical, except some of the hot-stamped printing has worn away on the other side of my souvenir. Nothing on this chip fluoresces under UV light.

Doc
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January 16th, 2023 at 11:41:31 AM permalink
Well, folks, it looks a bit as if I might need some help. I have heard from one forum member that my King's Casino chip is not appearing properly in my previous post. He sees a "broken link" icon, and when he clicks on that, it does display the larger (medium-sized) image in a new window as it is supposed to. He says that he can also go into the details of my post, copy the urls from my link, and post them to his browser address bar. If he does that, the images appear correctly for him.

On my computer, everything is working just fine. Both images appear as intended, with the smaller one visible at the bottom of the post and the larger one appearing when I click on the small one. I have not been able to figure out what might be wrong.

Can someone else tell me whether that chip image is working for you in the post above this one? Thanks.
PokerGrinder
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January 16th, 2023 at 12:23:49 PM permalink
Thanks for the chip post Doc. I really like the boardwalk chip and that it uses the boat as the spade. For your second chip normally I wouldn’t like the chip at all as I don’t like hot stamps but I really like the unicorns around the chip as I haven’t seen that before. I’m currently in Aruba waiting for the table games to open at a couple of the casinos that I’ve changed names since I was here in 2019 and I figured since they had Wi-Fi I would use it to get on Wizard of Vegas since I can’t get on on the ship.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
LoquaciousMoFW
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January 16th, 2023 at 1:08:58 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Well, folks, it looks a bit as if I might need some help. I have heard from one forum member that my King's Casino chip is not appearing properly in my previous post. He sees a "broken link" icon, and when he clicks on that, it does display the larger (medium-sized) image in a new window as it is supposed to. He says that he can also go into the details of my post, copy the urls from my link, and post them to his browser address bar. If he does that, the images appear correctly for him.

On my computer, everything is working just fine. Both images appear as intended, with the smaller one visible at the bottom of the post and the larger one appearing when I click on the small one. I have not been able to figure out what might be wrong.

Can someone else tell me whether that chip image is working for you in the post above this one? Thanks.
link to original post


I too get the broken image icon instead of the chip image, but it works if clicked. I wonder if it is because the image is from a non-SSL source, while the rest of the forum is SSL'd. Some browsers don't like mixed content like that.

EDIT: Doc, some, if not all of the pictures in your posts going back to the start of this thread are appear broken like that. The ones from SSL sources appear to be fine.
RideTheEdge
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January 16th, 2023 at 1:33:06 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Well, folks, it looks a bit as if I might need some help. I have heard from one forum member that my King's Casino chip is not appearing properly in my previous post. He sees a "broken link" icon, and when he clicks on that, it does display the larger (medium-sized) image in a new window as it is supposed to. He says that he can also go into the details of my post, copy the urls from my link, and post them to his browser address bar. If he does that, the images appear correctly for him.

On my computer, everything is working just fine. Both images appear as intended, with the smaller one visible at the bottom of the post and the larger one appearing when I click on the small one. I have not been able to figure out what might be wrong.

Can someone else tell me whether that chip image is working for you in the post above this one? Thanks.
link to original post



I have the same difficulty with your recent posts Doc. I can see PG's images just fine.
Doc
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January 16th, 2023 at 2:45:31 PM permalink
Quote: LoquaciousMoFW


I too get the broken image icon instead of the chip image, but it works if clicked. I wonder if it is because the image is from a non-SSL source, while the rest of the forum is SSL'd. Some browsers don't like mixed content like that.

EDIT: Doc, some, if not all of the pictures in your posts going back to the start of this thread are appear broken like that. The ones from SSL sources appear to be fine.


OK, thanks for the feedback. Looks as if I'm going to need even more help. For starters, I don't even know what "SSL sources" means. I need to figure out where to go for help.

All of my personal images posted on this forum are stored at a domain, 4-sqr.com, which is registered to me personally and hosted by GoDaddy.com. I moved my domain from Apollohosting to GoDaddy in July 2016 and had not heard any reports before or since then of images not working for folks on this forum. I don't know the source of the problem nor whether the fix will involve revising something at the domain host or something in how I am posting those images to this forum.

Do I likely need tech support from GoDaddy.com or from wizardofvegas.com?
Dieter
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January 16th, 2023 at 2:57:28 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Quote: LoquaciousMoFW


I too get the broken image icon instead of the chip image, but it works if clicked. I wonder if it is because the image is from a non-SSL source, while the rest of the forum is SSL'd. Some browsers don't like mixed content like that.

EDIT: Doc, some, if not all of the pictures in your posts going back to the start of this thread are appear broken like that. The ones from SSL sources appear to be fine.


OK, thanks for the feedback. Looks as if I'm going to need even more help. For starters, I don't even know what "SSL sources" means. I need to figure out where to go for help.

All of my personal images posted on this forum are stored at a domain, 4-sqr.com, which is registered to me personally and hosted by GoDaddy.com. I moved my domain from Apollohosting to GoDaddy in July 2016 and had not heard any reports before or since then of images not working for folks on this forum. I don't know the source of the problem nor whether the fix will involve revising something at the domain host or something in how I am posting those images to this forum.

Do I likely need tech support from GoDaddy.com or from wizardofvegas.com?
link to original post



Whoever the webmaster is for your image host should be able to install an SSL certificate that matches the hostname you wish to use. You might have to buy the SSL cert, but no need for an expensive one - you probably don't need a retina scan, DNA sample on file, or PCI compliance.
If memory serves, many VPS platforms have an integrated SSL certificate sales portal... click here, give us $20, and it works.

PM if you want me to talk you through an alternate workflow for the thumbnail images.
May the cards fall in your favor.
PokerGrinder
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January 17th, 2023 at 6:48:17 AM permalink
Maybe because I’m on my iPhone but yesterday in Aruba and today I can see your chip pics perfectly fine.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 17th, 2023 at 8:51:10 AM permalink
Ok so Aruba is very easy to collect chips in, Curacao is not apparently. The casinos are more spread out and information on them is very hard to come by online. First casino was right outside the cruise port and had tables open at 10 am, easy peasy. Well sadly that’s the only chip I’ve collected today. The next casino didn’t exist anymore, the one after that had tables that don’t open until 6 (boat leaves at 3:30) and the cage and manager refused to sell me a chip. The next casino was under major construction and closed. Next one the tables are open at 2 so I’ll go back since they also wouldn’t sell me a chip. The next casino is a 50 minute walk or $20 cab and I can’t confirm that they even have tables or that they are open so I’m not willing to do that. I also can’t confirm the airport hotel casino is open for tables so I’m not paying for an expensive cab. I might go to one other casino if the cab isn’t too much cause I think they most likely have open tables but again I can’t be sure.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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January 17th, 2023 at 9:08:48 AM permalink
Ok I negotiated the cab down from $25 to $15 and found the casino and their tables are open!!! I’m glad I was able to find enough online to make me believe that the tables were open.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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January 17th, 2023 at 11:52:02 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Maybe because I’m on my iPhone but yesterday in Aruba and today I can see your chip pics perfectly fine.
link to original post


A side conversation that relates just a bit to the problems that some are having with the chip images I have posted:

In August 2004, I retired from the university position that I had held for a bit over a quarter century. Prior to retirement, I had also engaged in some private consulting for organizations that did not wish to purchase my services through my employer. When I retired, I was looking forward to having fun through travels and whatever might come my way. I was also considering the possibility of continuing to engage in private consulting to a limited extent.

In thinking about that possibility, I felt I should develop my own web site that could be used in conjunction with the work. I had no experience whatsoever with web site development, but I found a hosting service, registered a domain name (4-sqr.com, my shorthand for “foursquare”), and prepared a few pages of a web site just to see what the process would be like. Those pages were designed to express my uncertainties and have some fun in the process.

Later, I decided to give up on the idea. Doing some occasional consulting might be interesting, but I just didn’t want to expend the effort to generate a new business. I stopped pretending that the web site represented a consulting business under construction and modified the home page to just be a humorous (?) glance at the original draft of the site and an anchor for whatever I might want to use it for in the future. The hosting service I had contracted for became just a dead site (Take a look at it if you like, it may or may not work for you: www.4-sqr.com) and a vehicle for email accounts for my wife and myself.

When I became active in the WoV forums and wanted to post images of things like casino chips, the structure of that dead web site allowed me to store images in the file directory there and provide links to them in the WoV posts. For years, that has been the primary use of my domain. I encountered some difficulties with the original hosting service (and have managed to forget the details) and moved the domain, the remains of the site, and all of the image files over to GoDaddy.com in 2016.

Well, it seems that there may be a limit as to how long you can keep a registered and hosted domain sitting almost idle, not providing any maintenance for it, and expecting it to keep functioning right. The result is that now some of the images aren’t showing up properly for some of the members at WoV.

I called GoDaddy.com this morning, told them about the glitches, and said that it had been suggested that I might need an SSL certificate, whatever that might be. Their representative told me that I definitely needed that, but it wouldn’t be enough. She said that after a decade of neglect, the web site was “broken” and my providing links to it would just not work properly until it was “fixed.” She said I could repair it myself, bringing it up to current internet standards, or I could pay them to do it. Through our conversation, she understood I wasn’t qualified to do the work myself. She quoted a price of $2,639.70 for the repairs and said I could then pay them to maintain the site for me, without mentioning what recurring charges there might be. That repair quote – when considered as the cost of allowing me to resume posting usable chip images at WoV – frightened my wallet so much that it seems to have gone into hiding somewhere.

I suppose there are image-hosting sites that I could use, but (1) this thread has a lot of missing images where something may have arisen between the poster and the hosting site (something I don’t want to repeat), and (2) even if I had something set up with such a hosting site, I would have to edit several hundred image posts that link to the domain I would be abandoning.

I really don’t know what to do….
Dieter
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January 17th, 2023 at 1:42:40 PM permalink
Egads. $2700 feels like a lot for updating a website kept as a hobby. I'd get a second opinion. (I'm making some assumptions, like mostly static site. They may be trying to convert everything to WordPress, which seems like an absurd jump.)

I think the last low-volume server I had ran about $7/month, but a less deluxe offering would have run about $3/month.
May the cards fall in your favor.
Doc
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January 17th, 2023 at 2:37:48 PM permalink
Last summer I paid $323.64 for a 3-year renewal of hosting services for the domain. Apparently, hosting the domain does not include keeping the web site functional. A year ago, I paid $282.63 for 3 years of email hosting for 2 addresses shown as being in this domain.

I'm not sure what "mostly static" implies. I suspect that the pages linked through the domain's home page receive almost no traffic at all, and I haven't made any changes in several years beyond uploading .jpg files (i.e., chip images) using their File Manager utility. It's difficult to imagine another web site being hosted that would require less involvement from GoDaddy personnel.
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