Casino Chip of the Day
Basically the functional minimum for putting some unchanging text and images up for the world to look at.
Of course I am still speculating at this point. Get SSL enabled (generally super easy, cheap, and quick) and manually edit a few posts to see if that does in fact resolve the issue.
Same here as the other poster: I cannot see the images in the post, but clicking on the "missing image" icon does show the large picture for each.
Dog Hand
Quote: PokerGrinder<snip>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 ...<snip>
link to original post
PokerGrinder,
Do you really think it wise to let the Aruba casinos know that you have changed your name since your last visit? ;-)
Dog Hand
Quote: DogHandQuote: PokerGrinder<snip>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 ...<snip>
link to original post
PokerGrinder,
Do you really think it wise to let the Aruba casinos know that you have changed your name since your last visit? ;-)
Dog Hand
link to original post
Hahaha nice catch Doghand
Quote: PokerGrinderBtw I just collected a chip from a new state, bet you can’t figure out which one.
link to original post
Virginia
Hmm I’m stumped
Quote: PokerGrinderBtw I just collected a chip from a new state, bet you can’t figure out which one.
link to original post
I can't even get a general concept of your travel routing. Did you get a chip from South Carolina? I recently considered taking a day trip (2-day?) for that purpose, but my wife nixed the idea.
Quote: HunterhillI figured you were in West Virginia and Virginia only recently got a casino.
Hmm I’m stumped
link to original post
I've been scratching my head and thinking I missed some news about DC.
Quote: PokerGrinderDC has national harbour but you guys are forgetting about poker rooms. Kentucky opened a few poker rooms just under a year ago. There are 3 currently operating with 2 more coming. I visited one last night and I will be going to one today.
link to original post
Ya I totally forgot about poker . The newest Virginia casino opened just a few days ago so I thought you were heading there
Quote: Hunterhill,,, The newest Virginia casino opened just a few days ago so I thought you were heading there
link to original post
Which casino openned in VA? I have been to the one in Bristol and knew the others were supposed to be "on the way", but I haven't heard the projected schedules.
Quote: DocQuote: Hunterhill,,, The newest Virginia casino opened just a few days ago so I thought you were heading there
link to original post
Which casino openned in VA? I have been to the one in Bristol and knew the others were supposed to be "on the way", but I haven't heard the projected schedules.
link to original post
Rivers casino Portsmouth
Quote: DocThanks, Hunterhill. I checked their web site and was amused that the place is described as "Portsmouth's hottest casino." There is also a page that says they are "home to the hottest Craps tables in Portsmouth." True statements, I suppose, but wildly amusing. (BTW, I am correct, am I not, that there is to be only one casino in each city where they have been approved?)
link to original post
I believe that is true but I think there will be two casinos in close proximity to each other near the Portsmouth one.
Norfolk being the other one. There is also one that will be in Danville.
Quote: PokerGrinderI just went to a poker room or what I thought was one in Houston that turned out to be a very illegal casino/card room lol. They were dealing Texas blackjack and baccarat. They did have poker tables but said they never get a game. Very odd that they haven’t been shut down.
link to original post
Did you collect a chip there?
I have one illegal in my collection, but it doesn't have a name on it and the chips have been used in several rooms.
I then went to a poker club I’ve been to multiple times before that keeps changing names. Well lo and behold they announced yesterday they are changing the name again. This will be the fourth name of this club since I first visited in April 2020. I was able to collect the current chip as the name won’t be changed for some time I assume.
Quote: PokerGrinderI just went to a poker room or what I thought was one in Houston that turned out to be a very illegal casino/card room lol. They were dealing Texas blackjack and baccarat. They did have poker tables but said they never get a game. Very odd that they haven’t been shut down.
link to original post
PokerGrinder,
How does Texas blackjack differ from traditional BJ?
Dog Hand
I thought about making 'visit all casinos in VA' a bucket list thing, but I really don't have any enthusiasm for that anymore. Danville, definitely, though, being closer. However, waiting for completion, I understand it's only a big tent at the moment.Quote: HunterhillQuote: DocThanks, Hunterhill. I checked their web site and was amused that the place is described as "Portsmouth's hottest casino." There is also a page that says they are "home to the hottest Craps tables in Portsmouth." True statements, I suppose, but wildly amusing. (BTW, I am correct, am I not, that there is to be only one casino in each city where they have been approved?)
link to original post
I believe that is true but I think there will be two casinos in close proximity to each other near the Portsmouth one.
Norfolk being the other one. There is also one that will be in Danville.
link to original post
Quote: PokerGrinderIsn’t all casinos in VA only two casinos?
link to original post
I think that depends on your definition of the word "casino".
edit: I also wouldn't be the least bit surprised by semi-private clubs with collectible artifacts.
I return to my chair in the corner with books.
well, I look to the future to be able to make a bucket list!Quote: PokerGrinderIsn’t all casinos in VA only two casinos?
link to original post
5 casinos are approved , two are operating. Went with Doc to the one in Bristol VA, made a blogpost
P.S Doc I’m sure you know but the anniversary is coming up mid March.
Can't remember whether I reported on the medical problems I had last September (7 nights in the hospital after being hit by diverticulitis), but I recovered from that adequately to go on that cruise in November and December. Well, the problem struck again in early February. I had colon resectioning surgery and spent another 7 nights in the hospital. I am at home and trying to recover, with the biggest symptom right now being an abundance of fatigue.
I mention this, because it is a good thing for this thread that you haven't been posting new CCotD images all along. I think I am recovered enough that I will again be able to manage the index when you start your string of 34. Looking forward to them.
Quote: DocCategory: Cruise Ships
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Legend
Today, we have the last of four souvenir chips that I kept from the casino aboard the Carnival Victory, and no, I have never been aboard the Carnival Legend. Early on the cruise, I saw a chip from the Carnival Glory, but I didn’t grab it that evening, and I never saw another one. Some other forum member will have to present the Glory in this thread. Along the line of that thought: wezvidz, have at it tomorrow with your Chip of the Day.
Once again relying on info from the internet, the Legend is from the Spirit class of ships and was built by Kvaerner Masa Yards in Helsinki at a cost of $375 million. It was launched in December 2001 and began service the following August. It is rated at 88,500 Gross Tons, is 963 feet long, with 12 decks, and has a rated capacity of 2,124 passengers with 930 crew. That’s the same number of rated passengers as reported for the Spirit but staffed with 31 (3.22%) fewer crew members, so maybe in late 2001 or early 2002, Carnival found more ways to cut guest services and save money.
The Wikipedia page for this ship says that the ship underwent refurbishment in February 2014 and then moved to Australia. Apparently the Aussies sent this ship back, because the Carnival web site now lists it as cruising to Alaska and Hawaii, with base ports in Honolulu, Seattle, and Vancouver.
That Wiki page also reports a series of incidents. The most amusing of those is this one:Quote: WikipediaOn August 21, 2002, during the christening ceremony, Judi Dench took three attempts to smash the bottle against the ship's hull, aided by ship's captain Claudio Cupisci. The third attempt successfully smashed the bottle but the force sent the flowing champagne all over her. She took the soaking in good spirits and announced, "I am godmother to 13 godchildren and a god-dog - now I'm godmother to a great ship."
The other six incidents reported on that page are much more disconcerting, including severe listing during a turn, an unexplained engine room “overheating”, a passenger jumping overboard and being presumed dead, a collision with another ship, and a couple of mechanical problems that prevented the ship from maintaining its itinerary. Check them out for yourself, if you like.
The $5 Legend chip shown below is a red, plastic injection molded chip with four triple edge “inserts”, each with a blue insert surrounded by two yellow ones. The face side of the chip shows the ship, its name, and the denomination. The center inlay shows significant wear, with the image of the ship quite deteriorated. The reverse side of the chip is worn almost as badly and shows the casino name “Club Merlin”, King Arthur’s sword in the stone, and the denomination presented twice, as perhaps there was some uncertainty as to the value of a red chip.
This is one of three Legend chip designs shown in the MoGH catalog. Their chip is in much better condition than mine. The other two designs that MoGH presents have the same front side as this one, with the two reverse sides having images of King Arthur and Merlin himself. Those only show the denomination once on each face, so maybe the uncertainty eventually got cleared up.
Perhaps surprisingly, MoGH does not declare this plastic injection molded chip to be from Bud Jones, as they usually do. They list no manufacturer at all. It looks a lot like an Ikon chip design to me, but I cannot see any logo anywhere. Nothing on this chip is clearly fluorescing under UV light. There are a couple of specks that appear to maybe fluoresce right in the middle of that very worn spot where the sword is gleaming. The gleaming spot is there on the undamaged MoGH image too, but I really cannot tell whether my chip has spurious fluorescing spots or has worn off almost the entirety of a fluorescing logo. There is not enough there for me to even bother trying to photograph it under UV light.
link to original post
I sailed on the Carnival Legend in January for 14 days out of Baltimore. The boat is an exact copy of the Carnival Pride which I sailed on last August so I already knew my way around the boat. The table games had chips from a few different ships but sadly not a Legend chip. They also had the Fun Sail chips and these brand new generic chips. I decided that since I couldn’t have a Legend chip the brand new generic one would have to do.
I’m not sure which boat is featured on the chip.
Quote: PokerGrinderState: Texas
City: Houston
Casino: 101 Poker Richmond
Today’s chip of the day is from 101 Poker Richmond (sort of) in Houston, Texas. I visited this club last year when it was 52 Social before it was sold to a group with Johnny Chan as the face of the group. They renamed it Johnny Chan’s 88 Social and the club went downhill very quickly. Turns out the money behind the purchase didn’t actually have any money and very quickly they had trouble cashing out players. In early December they started limiting cash outs to $2000 a day which for obvious reasons made people stop wanting to play in a place with cash flow issues. Later that month after only 5 months as Johnny Chan’s they closed. A couple months later a man who was a regular at the 101 Poker in Katy (20 minutes away) bought Johnny’s and reopened it February 25 as 101 Poker Richmond. They are not connected but I assume he got the ok from 101 Katy’s owner to use the name. The club is on Richmond Ave thus the name.
When I went to 101 Richmond they had one game running and 40 or so empty tables, it was so sad. Apparently they have been struggling to get any traction in the “new” club. They hadn’t gotten their new chips yet (I wonder if they will bother) so I kept one from Johnny’s that they are still currently using. My plan is to use this as my 101 chip until I go back and grab a new chip but I honestly doubt I ever do. It will probably be a year before I’m back and I highly doubt that they will last that long.
The chip is one of the nicest and best quality, they really went all out. The chip is blue with 12 white edge inserts and 4 white lines between each set of 3 inserts. The centre inlay is shiny gold and black with “88” all over the background. The club name is in gold over the black and the rest is red and black over the gold in the centre. The denom is in the black section on the bottom in white.
link to original post
Well amazingly this club did survive long enough for me to get back there but just barely! They struggled for 6+ months to get any real business until the shooting at the nearby Legends Poker Room which resulted in a boom over at 101. All of a sudden in December they started getting multiple games going again and then more and more until they had double digit tables running most nights. The night I stopped in to play they had 11 tables going and the place had life again. From table talk it seems like there was another partial ownership change but I couldn’t get an exact answer as to who was in and who was out. Another change that occurred is that 101 is now one of the clubs illegally raking the games and calling “taking time” or whatever when it’s clear as day rake. I don’t personally care but they are just asking to be shut down. The last change and the reason I said that I barely made it back in time to collect a chip is because the day I got there is the day they announced they will be changing the name for the 3rd time in just over 2 years. The new name is Elite and it is already listed on Poker Atlas under the new name.
I will add this chip to the original chip of the day after I hit send on this post.
Quote: PokerGrinderState: Texas
City: Spring
Casino: Texas Card House
Today’s chip of the day is from Texas Card House in Spring, Texas. This was the first poker room that I stopped in in the Houston area as it is just north of the city. I was surprised to find an almost dead poker room after the TCH in Dallas had 15+ tables running when I was there. I had to wait for about 30 minutes to get a seat in the one game that was running. The game was mediocre so I just stayed long enough to collect a chip and use up the time that I bought. This chip is very similar to the one I will eventually post from Austin.
The chip is white with 4 sets of black/yellow/red edge inserts and a maze like pattern around the edge of the chip. The centre inlay is white with 4 circle/imprints around the poker room name and logo that are in black and the denom in red.
link to original post
Texas Card House Houston (Spring) came out with new chips that don’t look exactly like the ones from Austin. The new ones had a location on them so I deemed it worth my time to replace my original chip with this new model.
Quote: PokerGrinderCategory: Caribbean Islands
City: Eagle Beach, Aruba
Casino: Glitz
Today's chip of the day is from Glitz Casino in Eagle Beach, Aruba. Glitz Casino was not on my list of chips to collect when I arrived in Aruba but I noticed it on google maps so I checked it out. This casino was around the same size as Trop Club but Casino City says they have 320 slots and 33 table games which they definitely didn't. My memory sucks but I think they had 6-8 tables and I didn't count them but I would put the slots count closer to 120 or so. I played $5 BJ with a group of Bostonians and I lost $50, the chips were pretty worn out so I kept the only $5 chip ($1 chips were terrible) that was still decent.
The chip is red with 6 yellow/blue/yellow edge inserts. The red of the chip has bled into the edge inserts. The centre inlay is yellow with a green border. The casino name is purple and the denomination is white with a red border that is also bleeding.
link to original post
When I visited Aruba for the first time in 2019 the Glitz casino was using these old blurry chips. The $1 chips weren’t legible so I kept the $5 which is in rough shape. When I booked the cruise with a stop in Aruba I decided to see if any new casinos had popped up, which one had (more on that in a later post). I also found that the Glitz got brand new chips in so I stopped in and got a replacement chip for my original.
