Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: Doc

I wish someone had posted to tell us more about their experiences at Green Valley Ranch.

OK. Here goes.....

I had been there once. I have no idea when this was (2005?), but I was there with my wife. A friend of hers who was then living in Henderson picked us up to take us to see her home, and then to one "locals" casinos, near her house. The casino she took us to was GVR. My thought was, "This is a 'local's place'?" Way too nice for that.

I was all excited because GVR was the focus of a reality TV show at the time, and walking around the place, I got a wierd not quite de ja vu type of feeling.

I got a player's card (two actually). The wife didn't want to bother, so I gave her one of mine. She went to play slots, I went to the poker room.

I was playing a while, and at around 11pm, someone got up, leaving 5 of us. There were 3 seats at the other table. One other guy said he was gonna leave anyway in a few minutes, which made the decision to breake the table an easy one. Unfortunately, I got the low card, so I was the one who had to wait for a seat at the other table. For about 20 minutes, I wandered around the poker room, looking at the stuff on the walls, reading the posted rules, etc. Finally a seat opened. When I sat down, the dealer wanted me to post blinds as if I was a new player. I don't recall if this dealer had seen me at the other table, but when I said I was from the broken table, there was no further challenge or asking the floor person if that was correct. I didn't have to post the blinds, and I was in the game.

I have no recolection of how I did, or if I had played any other games. I did NOT retain a souvenier chip (the wife gets pissed when I do that...).

A few months later, I started to get mail from them. It was for me, not my wife. It took a moment for me to remember that she was playing slots with my card. But it was fun to finally feel like a person and get casino mail addressed to me.

The mail stopped after about a year or so, but maybe a year after that, I got a phone call from my GVR host, asking if there was anything he could do to get me to return. Neither my wife nor I had ever gotten a call from a host before, so I suddenly started to wonder just how much she had played on the slots when we were there. After all, it was about 3 hours, tops.


When I was in Vegas this past October, I had rented a car. My first car rental in Vegas. Somewhere along the way, I passed GVR. I wasn't even tempted to stop. Ditto for my trip three weeks ago. I passed it and kept going. Both of thos trips, I stopped in some real local's casinos. Maybe next time I'll stop in at GVR.....

I passed by GVR on my trip to Henderson, but since I had been there once before (and felt no need to return), I drove on by. My understanding is it's a very nice casino to stay at, similar to Red Rock.

Quote: Tiltpoul

I passed by GVR ... My understanding is it's a very nice casino to stay at, similar to Red Rock.

I've heard each of them described as a Locals Casino designed to capture the top end of the locals market and also the tourist market. Yet it seems that the M Resort is the one who aims at the same niche and does it right!

I recently had my first experience with GVR after a trip out to the Hoover Dam and my friends and I decided to stop at GVR for their dinner buffet which several people told me was very good. We typed in Green Valley Ranch into our GPS and ended up driving through a rather nice neighborhood and ended up at the community center which consisted of a few restrooms and certainly nothing that looked like a casino. After about 10 minutes of backtracking, we finally found the GVR Casino and from the outside I thought it was tastefully decorated. Once inside, I found it to be similar to other casinos in terms of design, but it was certainly on the nicer end of the spectrum.

We waited in line for the buffet for about 15 minutes or so but upon reaching the front of the line we discovered that in order to save $5 each on the buffet, we needed to sign up for the players card. As this is also the first Station Casino that any of us had ever visited, we all obliged and picked up cards to save the measly $5 on the buffet and blew through the meager free play we were offered for signup.

My lasting impression of GVR is that the buffet honestly wasn't that great. I have only eaten at 4 of the buffets in Las Vegas to date, but I would say that GVR is nothing worth going out of the way for. For me, any of the midscale buffets on the strip could match the price and product that GVR offered us. Maybe it was just a bad day, but nothing that I ate was all that remarkable, and I wouldn't consider anything I ate to be inedible. All in all, a nice change of pace and nice decor after we found it, but nothing I would feel the need to rush back to in the near future.

Quote: Doc

Thanks for the chip images, rdw4potus.

I wish someone had posted to tell us more about their experiences at Green Valley Ranch. I have driven near there many times on I-215, but I think I have only visited Green Vally Ranch once. The thing that sticks in my mind from driving down that section of highway is that each time I notice consecutive exits of "Green Valley Parkway" and "Valle Verde Drive," which amuses me.

What is it about that section of town that merits such a nice locals casino? I don't really know anything about the suburbs of Las Vegas.

As I alluded to in my previous post, the section I drove through had some very nice looking houses and looked like a very affluent community. If surrounding areas are anything like the one drove through, GVR seems to be a fitting choice as a "locals" casino for the clientele which surrounds the property.

Quote: FleaStiff

I've heard each of them described as a Locals Casino designed to capture the top end of the locals market and also the tourist market. Yet it seems that the M Resort is the one who aims at the same niche and does it right!

If GVR was off the 15 instead of the 215, they would capture a lot more of the tourist traffic from Los Angeles. I also think M was targeting the Wynn/Aria crowd, not necessarily upscale locals, but benefits from its location. In a sense, M is the first Las Vegas Casino folks from L.A. run into. Unfortunately, lots of folks just keep on driving...

Do locals actually stay in Las Vegas hotels for non-business related reasons? For example, would a local get a room at the Mandalay Bay just to use the pool, or to "get away"?

Quote: FleaStiff

I've heard each of them described as a Locals Casino designed to capture the top end of the locals market and also the tourist market. Yet it seems that the M Resort is the one who aims at the same niche and does it right!

Not to derail the thread, but don't plan on M capturing that market for too much longer... Penn National has a way of screwing up good properties so the service is mediocre. The games will start to be more "strip-like" and its conversion to Hollywood is eminent.

I wasn't impressed with the service when I was out there, but I have such a negative impression of Penn lately that it probably clouded my judgment. I did like the natural light in the casino.

Went to GVR once to see a steel panther concert. I think they used to play there for free every Saturday, not sure if they still do. They have the looks and sound of an 80's hair band but have very dirty/comical rated R lyrics. They aren't for everybody, but I had a good time. Anyway I thought GVR was nice but I didnt really see any special reason to go out of the way of the strip or downtown in order to play at GVR. Also their $1 chip is one of my favorites in my collection for some reason.

Quote: Beardgoat

Also their $1 chip is one of my favorites in my collection for some reason.

Is yours the same as the one that I posted? If not, please post an image for us to see. The MOGH catalog does not show any other $1 chips, but I don't know that their collection is complete.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Do locals actually stay in Las Vegas hotels for non-business related reasons? For example, would a local get a room at the Mandalay Bay just to use the pool, or to "get away"?

Yes, locals do indeed do more than trek to a casino, play, and trek home. Many locals take advantage of room offers for "staycations" or other sort of "mini adventures". Some locals couples have a monthly "date night" where despite being married to each other they get a monthly night out on the town as if they were still dating. Many locals value the freeplay and food allowances and will even take a room in Laughlin.

As to Mandalay Bay... formerly the locals might have been thrilled but recently I doubt locals have flocked to it since the comp policies changed there. However, even Mandalay Bay is cheaper than a DUI and the spas are much better at Mandalay Bay than the spa down at the Detention Center for DUIs.

Remember, many locals are spa-going females and just love having a nearby room and a husband after spending a day at the spa.

Sure mostly locals sleep in their own digs and only go to the casinos for "entertainment" or to avoid cooking dinner at home but don't ignore the fact that locals do get mailers and do have hosts that offer them rooms and food allowances from time to time. It is always to the casino's advantage to have a "mix" of customers.

State: Nevada
City: Boulder City
Casino: Hacienda

Well, it's not really in Boulder City, since gambling is illegal there. The Hacienda is actually between Boulder City and the Arizona border, very close to Hoover Dam. The place has a large matrix billboard out front advertising everything from Prime Rib dinners to Clean Restrooms. From that, it's hard to tell just how high/low class the place is.

The Gold Strike Hotel and Casino opened on the site in 1958 and operated there for 40 years until it was destroyed by fire in 1998. Wikipedia has a glaring conflict between two of their pages, and I don't know which is correct. Their page for the Gold Strike says:

Quote: Wiki

The hotel tower and casino were destroyed by fire on June 16, 1998. After the fire, the buildings were razed and replaced by the Hacienda Hotel and Casino.

In contrast, the page for the Hacienda Hotel and Casino says:

Quote: Wiki

On June 16, 1998, an accidental fire destroyed the Gold Strike casino, while leaving the 17-story hotel tower mostly undamaged.

Whichever may be the true story, the place was rebuilt and reopened the following year. In case you are interested, that second Wiki page also talks about the ownership of the Gold Strike and Hacienda names, since other casinos operate or did operate under those names. I'll let you read the story there rather than trying to relate it here.

The property itself has been owned by the Ensign family since before construction of the original casino. Michael Ensign, step-father of the now-resigned senator, was CEO of Mandalay Resort Group and sold shares of the family casino to two other Mandalay executives in 1977. There were tentative plans to sell the property to the National Park Service, which considered using it as a visitors' center for Hoover Dam. That fell through due to some bad timing related to how slowly the Park Service would be able to take possession and how quickly the Mandalay Resort Group was to be absorbed by MGM-Mirage.

The last time I visited the Hacienda was almost a year ago when I was in Las Vegas for WoVCon I. Croupier and his wife joined my wife and me for a ride out to tour Hoover Dam, and we stopped at the Hacienda for a mid-day brunch on our way out there. Then Croupier and I played some very-low-limit craps on a half table with a single dealer, while his wife played blackjack for similar stakes and my wife played penny slots. Yeah, we were high rollers.

This is a blue and white Bud Jones chip (no BJ logo) that MOGH says was issued in 1999, the year the rebuilt casino opened. It is almost identical to the Club Fortune chip, except for a slight difference in the shade of blue and the design of the center inlay. The inlay includes a background rose (I think -- I'm no botanist) and an attractive gold foil border ring.

If you have any chips from the Gold Strike in/near Boulder City, please post photos of them, since I have nothing in my collection from that casino.



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

Quote: Doc

Is yours the same as the one that I posted? If not, please post an image for us to see. The MOGH catalog does not show any other $1 chips, but I don't know that their collection is complete.

yeah my GVR chip is the same. I'm pretty young, only 28, so most of my collection is newer... Except for some older ones on ebay

Quote: Doc

Well, it's not really in Boulder City, since gambling is illegal there. The Hacienda is actually between Boulder City and the Arizona border, very close to Hoover Dam. The place has a large matrix billboard out front advertising everything from Prime Rib dinners to Clean Restrooms. From that, it's hard to tell just how high/low class the place is.

If the Hacienda is not in Boulder City, where exactly is it? It seems to be on National Park Service land since it is so near the lake.

Quote: Ayecarumba

If the Hacienda is not in Boulder City, where exactly is it? It seems to be on National Park Service land since it is so near the lake.

You are very nearly correct. That second Wiki article I linked to before says, "The hotel is located on a parcel of private land within the boundaries of Lake Mead National Recreation Area." Other articles I read indicate that the Park Service personnel don't like having the place there at all and consider the hotel tower an eyesore. Here is some background from a newspaper article that discussed the tentative sale to the Park Service that failed to go through in 2004:

Quote: Las Vegas Sun

The Park Service attempted to buy the property prior to the creation of Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964. Eventually, the Park Service bought 87 undeveloped acres around the property in 1973 as part of a federal court eminent domain settlement, but was unable to reach an agreement on buying the rest of the acreage.

The court settlement specifically prohibited the Park Service from discussing a sale unless approached by the casino owners first.

I guess you would have to say that the Hacienda Hotel and Casino are located in unincorporated Clark County, in spite of what the chip says.

Like so many other addresses in unincorporated areas, the "city" is just the local post office that delivers the mail.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Hard Rock

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened a few blocks off the strip in 1995 under the ownership of Peter Morton, co-founder of the Hard Rock Café. There was an expansion in 1999, and the hotel was acquired by Morgans Hotel Group in 2006. A major expansion of the facility was finally completed in 2010, even though there were continuing financial problems.

The establishment was promoted as an ultimate party place, so much so that in 2010 they were fined $650,000 in one swoop. Apparently hosts could fix guests up with anything they might want and regularly did.

Quote: Gaming Control Board, according to the Las Vegas Sun 12/30/10

Even after Nevada casinos were warned that drug use and other illegal activity wouldn't be tolerated in nightclubs and other venues, Las Vegas Hard Rock hotel-casino employees and supervisors broke the law by selling drugs and providing private restrooms so patrons could have sex and take drugs.

Even with those kinds of "benefits" being offered, the casino-hotel could not generate enough revenue to cover debt payments.

William Warner, former Chief Operating Officer with Station Casinos, formed Warner Gaming in 2008 and secured contracts to operate multiple tribal casinos. In 2011, in the aftermath of foreclosure attempts on the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and continuing uncertainty as to whether the property could remain open, the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Gaming Control Board took some unusual actions. Primary lender Brookfield Asset Management became the registered licensee of the Hard Rock, and Warner Gaming took over casino operations. While there were concerns as to whether either company had all the needed capabilities, the governing agencies took these unusual steps supposedly because all of the people involved were in agreement and because it was the only means known to allow the casino and hotel to continue in operation.

The chip shown below is a solid blue (no edge inserts) Paulson hat and cane, with a very plain center inlay. It has the Long Cane Version of the logo molded on one side and the Short Cane Version molded on the other, much like the Gold Spike chip posted earlier. I only recognized this a couple of days ago, which is why the photos of the two sides have such different lighting. According to the MOGH catalog, this chip was issued in 2008 along with two other versions, one with LCV logos on both sides and one with SCV logos on both sides.

Although there are a very large number of $5 Hard Rock chips shown in the MOGH catalog, mostly collector commemoratives, these three very similar blue chips are the only $1 chips shown. Unless, someone can provide an image of another $1 chip, I will assume that the Hard Rock casino strictly used the $1 tokens prior to 2008. I know that was all I could find when I first tried to get one for my collection, but (as I did for Caesars Palace) I later was able to get a clay chip. I don't know whether they use the tokens at all now.

On the token face that shows the Hard Rock guitar, toward the right side can be seen an overlapping "OC" logo. That is the mint mark of Osborne Coinage of Cincinnati, OH, which claims to be "America's Oldest Private Mint." The MOGH catalog does not have this token on display – I wonder whether they would like one. ☺




Edit 5/28/12: Ayecarumba provided me the link to a photo of his token from Hard Rock. It's a little different from mine.

I hate going to the hard rock because they used to use the coins on the craps table. It was so loud and annoying. I haven't been back to hard rock in about 5 years so I'm not sure if they still use the coins

Even at casinos that use tokens for their card games, I don't see how they can use them for craps. With people throwing chips out in front of the stick man, it just has to tear up the felt over time, but some places do that. There's even a possibility for injuries, I suppose. I have seen some casinos that use tokens for card games and chips for craps.

As I said before, I think that Hard Rock previously used the tokens everywhere for $1 bets. I wasn't keeping records half a dozen years back, and I don't remember when I got my souvenir token. From some photos of my office, I can see it under the glass and tell I had it by late 2007, before this clay chip was issued in 2008. My records say I played some game at Hard Rock (don't remember what and neglected to record it) in September 2009 and definitely played craps there in March 2010. One of those times I got the souvenir chip. I just don't know whether they still were using tokens for any of the card games.

Quote: Doc

The Gold Strike Hotel and Casino opened on the site in 1958 and operated there for 40 years until it was destroyed by fire in 1998.

Following up on yesterday...my chip price guide states that from 1964-1967 the Gold Strike was named the Fort Lucinda, then in 67 was renamed the Gold Strike.

Doesn't Caesars use coins too? Or at least they did. I haven't played there in a while either. Can't anyone answer if hard rock and caesars still use coins instead of chips at the craps table?

Caesars does not use coins at the craps table.

Never been to the Hard Rock, although I've always wanted to go.

On the flip side, earlier this month, I finally made it to Hooters! Woo hoo!

Yes, both Caesars Palace and Hard Rock used tokens for their table games when I started collecting, which is why I have those souvenir tokens to post here. Both later started using clay chips, and I got those to replace the tokens in my display.

Thanks for the answer. I might have to go to Caesars again to play craps now.

So, the $1.79 + S&H I paid for that little UV flashlight back in April has once again provided me a little entertainment relevant to this thread.

I should introduce these comments with a side note to Nareed, who tried to show me some UV images hidden on currency, except we couldn't find any. While looking at some chips tonight, I realized that the light was quite dim, and I found that one of the three AAA batteries had gone bad much more quickly than it should have – maybe bad from the beginning. The other two batteries tested out just fine, so I replaced the bad one and tried again. The light was much stronger, and it clearly revealed stripes on a $5 bill, but I still could see nothing on a $1 bill or a $100.

With the brighter light, I took a fresh look at my chips and found quite a few UV images I had not noticed before. Here is a summary for those chips that I have already covered in this thread, and I will try to look more carefully in the future (and with better UV light). I will also go back in this thread and make notes for those chips where these images were not noted with the original posts.

Casino/Chip	Images(s)
Aria	Top Hat and Cane
Barbary Coast	Top Hat and Cane and "05"
Bellagio	Top Hat and Cane
Boulder Station	Top Hat and Cane plus repeated "Boulder"
Buffalo Bill's	Top Hat and Cane
Caesars Palace	Top Hat and Cane
CasaBlanca	Sun *
Club Cal Neva	BJ
Club Fortune	BJ
Eldorado (Reno)	BJ and lower case epsilon "ε" **
Ellis Island	Top Hat and Cane
Eureka	Top Hat and Cane
Excalibur	Top Hat and Cane
Fiesta Rancho	Top Hat and Cane plus repeated "Fiesta"
Four Queens	Top Hat and Cane
Gold Coast	Top Hat and Cane
Gold Nugget (Las Vegas)	Top Hat and Cane
Hacienda	BJ

* Now I understand why that Blue Chip Co. design is called the "Sun" mold.

** Edit 5/31/12: It has been pointed out to me by DJTeddyBear that this "epsilon" is really the stylized "e" logo from the Eldorado name.


Edit 5/30/12: I finally was able to get photos of these "hidden" images. For the chips/casinos that I have already passed in the thread, I started posting the new photos in batches here.

Now that you've got a better UV light, have you tried to take photos? Reminder: Turn the flash off.

Excellent suggestion, DJ. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in my attempt to implement it. :-(

First, perhaps I should note that I have not used flash on any of the chip photos that I have posted in this thread. I only have the built-in pop-up flash on the top of my digital SLR. For these closeup images of chips, the front of the lens is just a few inches from the chip, and the barrel of the lens would present a major shadow on the chip if I tried to use flash.

Based on DJ's suggestion, I did set up my tripod, camera, backdrop, and chip in a very dim room (dark, but calling it a "dark room" could cause confusion in a post about photography), and used the UV flashlight to illuminate the chip from different distances and a variety of angles. Unfortunately, even the "hidden" images that I could then see clearly with my eyes did not appear very well in the photos captured by the camera. In addition, there were some substantial, distracting highlights that appeared in the photos that I could not see with my eyes. I can only attribute this to some combination of the wavelengths/intensities of the blue-indigo-violet-UV light from the flashlight, the distribution of the images' reflected/emitted wavelengths/intensities that were stimulated by the UV light, the wavelength sensitivities of the CCD detector in my camera, and the performance of my own eyes.

I see these revealed images quite differently from the way the camera seems to. Sorry. I'm disappointed, too.

State: Nevada
City: Lake Tahoe
Casino: Harrah's

There are LOTS of casinos named "Harrah's", including four that I have been to in Nevada. Thus far in this thread, I have been sequencing such chips by the alphabetical order of the cities in which they are located. But what if the chip says "Lake Tahoe, Nevada" and the city is really named "Stateline, Nevada"? Should that be sequenced before or after Las Vegas, Laughlin, and Reno? Guess I'll just go with what the chip says – no worse than saying that the Hacienda is in Boulder City when it really isn't.

There have actually been two casinos named Harrah's located in Stateline/Lake Tahoe. According to Wikipedia, William Harrah purchased the Gateway Club for $500,000 in January 1955, opened it that June as Harrah's Lake Club, and the following year sold it to Harvey Gross for $5,250,000. There just has to be a lot more to the story about how the market price for a casino went up 950% in just a year, but I don't know how it goes, and Wikipedia isn't telling. That original Harrah's casino on the Lake is now known as Harvey's Resort Hotel-Casino Lake Tahoe, soon to be discussed in this thread.

Two years after selling out, Harrah purchased properties across the street and opened Harrah's Stateline Club. Harrah's and Harvey are directly across US50 from each other at the cross street of Stateline Avenue. Yes, both establishments are genuinely just a few feet from being in California, and both now belong to Caesars Entertainment. There is a pedestrian tunnel under US50 that connects their gaming areas – walk from one to the other without ever going out into the weather.

This Harrah's Lake Tahoe chip is a white, Reversed Hat and Cane design from Paulson, with two black edge inserts and two gray ones. Different center inlays are used for the two sides. The MOGH catalog says this chip was issued in 2006, replacing a Bud Jones chip that had been issued a decade earlier. At least through the 1980s, Harrah's issued chips that were simultaneously used at both the Reno and Lake Tahoe casinos and had both cities' names on them. I suspect that design does not conform to current NGCB regulations, necessitating its end. If anyone has any of those dual Reno/Lake Tahoe chips, please post images any time as we try to cover all of the Harrah's-named casinos in Nevada in sequence.




Edit 5/28/12: Ayecarumba provided me a link to a photo of his Harrah's Lake Tahoe chip. This is the Bud Jones chip that I mentioned above that MOGH said was issued in 1996, a decade earlier than the one I posted.

Great color match on the picture on the right. The edge inserts match the inlay perfectly, and the red contrasts nicely.

I have two older Harrah's Lake Tahoe chips. Neither say the city on them, but my price guide says they are from Tahoe. I would have picked these up in late 80's or early 90's. Seems strange to have a $2.50 chip...must have picked that up via hitting a blackjack.

Once again, thanks for the images Johnzimbo. It's interesting to see a green chip that is for $2.50 instead of $25.00.

The MOGH catalog just says that both of your chips were issued in the 1980s. For both chips, they refer to the edge inserts as "brass." I don't know and cannot tell from either your images or the ones in the MOGH catalog -- are the edge inserts and the center inlay really metal, or are they clay and just in that color?

Quote: Doc

Once again, thanks for the images Johnzimbo. It's interesting to see a green chip that is for $2.50 instead of $25.00.

The MOGH catalog just says that both of your chips were issued in the 1980s. For both chips, they refer to the edge inserts as "brass." I don't know and cannot tell from either your images or the ones in the MOGH catalog -- are the edge inserts and the center inlay really metal, or are they clay and just in that color?

They seem to be real brass, at least based on my examination. When I tap the edges of the chips together, they make a metallic sound when I hit the inserts. Also, these chips are heavier than all my other chips (except for my Harvey's Tahoe which you will see soon, and will see why that one is the heaviest)

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Harrah's

In case it isn't completely obvious, let me confirm that I don't personally know the detailed histories of any of the casinos I have discussed in this thread. I just report things I find interesting in the debris that I can dig up in on-line resources. For the "flagship" Harrah's Las Vegas, I went to Wikipedia, as I often do, and found a story that seems to have holes in it.

According to Wiki, the hotel-casino started life in 1973 as the Holiday Casino, positioned mid-strip in front of a Holiday Inn hotel. Holiday Inn, the corporation (today part of InterContenental Hotel Group), bought into the casino in 1979, and by 1983 after it had expanded into the largest hotel in the chain, they owned 100% of it.

Then Wiki reports, "In 1992, the property was renamed Harrah's." No mention of an ownership change, no mention of how Bill Harrah's name came into play, just "renamed Harrah's." Sort of like a paragraph or three may have been left out of the write-up.

The Wizard's review of the place provides the missing info that Harrah's Corporation acquired the property in 1983. Now I don't know whether that contradicts Wiki's claim that Holiday Inn bought total ownership that year or maybe they immediately sold it to Harrah's. Hey, if Bill Harrah could get a one-year, 950% markup in selling his first Lake Tahoe place, as reported yesterday, maybe Holiday Inn made a bundle too.

The chip shown below is blue with three edge inserts in yellow, dark blue, and pink. It has the name "Harrah's" molded into the perimeter in three positions. According to the MOGH catalog, Harrah's chips with those characteristics were issued seven times from 1992 through 2011, with the differences limited to the center inlays. This chip was from the version issued in 2002; its center insert looks almost exactly like the one issued in 2009, except the later chip includes a tiny top hat and cane to the left of the "$1". Yes, we are dealing once again with chips from Paulson

Not to be outdone, my own chip has a Paulson top hat and cane logo that is revealed by that handy-dandy UV flashlight I bought in April (now with good batteries). I assume that the other chips with the same basic pattern also were from Paulson.





Edit 6/11/12. DJTeddyBear posted his chips:

And to update my post count (LOL), as well as play catch up, here's my chips from Harrah's.

I have no idea if the series was limited to three chips. It's not listed in the MOGH.

Admin note: removed link to www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_large/harrahs_fb_1.JPGAdmin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/harrahs_fb_1.JPG Admin note: removed link to www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_large/harrahs_fb_2.JPGAdmin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/harrahs_fb_2.JPG Admin note: removed link to www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_large/harrahs_fb_3.JPGAdmin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/harrahs_fb_3.JPG

All three chips have this same back:

Admin note: removed link to www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_large/harrahs_fb_b.JPGAdmin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/harrahs_fb_b.JPG

Note that they were all photographed on the same greenish background. I definately have issues with color....

Quote: Doc

Even at casinos that use tokens for their card games, I don't see how they can use them for craps. With people throwing chips out in front of the stick man, it just has to tear up the felt over time, but some places do that. There's even a possibility for injuries, I suppose. I have seen some casinos that use tokens for card games and chips for craps.

As I said before, I think that Hard Rock previously used the tokens everywhere for $1 bets. I wasn't keeping records half a dozen years back, and I don't remember when I got my souvenir token. From some photos of my office, I can see it under the glass and tell I had it by late 2007, before this clay chip was issued in 2008. My records say I played some game at Hard Rock (don't remember what and neglected to record it) in September 2009 and definitely played craps there in March 2010. One of those times I got the souvenir chip. I just don't know whether they still were using tokens for any of the card games.

When I first visited the Hard Rock in the mid-90's, they were using tokens on the craps table. There were two things that stuck out to me:

1) The dice were purple with white pips. I thought it was fun, but the predominant color on the layout was also purple, which made is it difficult to follow the dice on the far side of the table.

2) The odds on their prop bets stunk. I think they were only paying 9 to 1 on the hard six or eight.

Quote: Ayecarumba

2) The odds on their prop bets stunk. I think they were only paying 9 to 1 on the hard six or eight.

That's the normal payout on a hard 6 or hard 8. Often 9 to 1 is quoted as 10 for 1, which is the same thing. If your hard way wager wins, then you wind up with 10 units for each unit wagered, usually with 9 paid to you and 1 left in play on the table, unless you ask them to bring it down. If they were to pay 10 to 1, the house edge would be 0.0%, and there aren't many casinos that will offer that.

Ayecarumba provided me the links to photos of his Hard Rock token and Harrah's Lake Tahoe chip. They are different from the ones that I originally posted, so I have added those to my posts. Have a look at them.

Thanks, Ayecarumba!

I think it was some sort of cabal of Young Turks at Holiday Inn that decided to move the company into gambling. Soon the aging, old-school types were out of the picture.

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Harrah's

Harrah's is the farthest south of the nine casinos in Laughlin proper, prior to the ten-mile jump down to Avi. It is the casino-hotel in Laughlin in which my wife and I have stayed for our three visits to the town, once in 2008 and twice in 2010.

The MOGH catalog says that Harrah's Laughlin opened in 1992 and then posts chips with issue dates of 1990. Clearly there's an error in one date or the other. Wikipedia says that the casino opened in 1988, which makes more sense, except that MOGH is missing all of the chips that were used for the first two years.

Harrah's Laughlin in covered in the Wizard's article on Laughlin, and he reported that he stayed there for his review visit of the city. He did not mention when the casino really opened.

Harrah's has a pretty nice showroom, but it isn't busy every night and doesn't necessarily have the latest pop performers. In 2010, my wife and I saw a delightful performance by Tony Orlando, even though we arrived at the hotel with no idea he was performing there. He had a very impressive backup band traveling with him, and some of them had been with him for something like 25 or 30 years. Harrah's also has an outdoor amphitheater that I have never checked out. This Saturday night, Sheryl Crow is performing there.

The chip shown below is white with two triangular edge inserts in lime green. It is a RHC Paulson chip that the MOGH catalog says was issued in 2007. This chip has different center inlays on the two faces.

A few days ago, when discussing the Harrah's chips that formerly were used at both the Reno and Lake Tahoe casinos, I mentioned that this practice probably ended because it does not conform to current regulations. Perhaps this is an appropriate time to post (repost?) some of those regs:

Quote: NGCB regulation 12.030 Specifications for chips and tokens

1. Chips and tokens must be designed, manufactured, and constructed in compliance with all applicable statutes, regulations, and policies of the United States, Nevada, and other states, and so as to prevent counterfeiting of the chips and tokens to the extent reasonably possible. Chips and tokens must not deceptively resemble any current or past coinage of the United States or any other nation.
2. In addition to such other specifications as the chairman may approve:
(a) The name of the issuing gaming establishment must be inscribed on each side of each chip and token, and the city or other locality and the state where the establishment is located must be inscribed on at least one side of each chip and token;
(b) The value of the chip or token must be inscribed on each side of each chip and token, other than chips used exclusively at roulette;
(c) The manufacturer’s name or a distinctive logo or other mark identifying the manufacturer must be inscribed on at least one side of each chip and token; and
(d) Each chip must be designed so that when stacked with chips and tokens of other denominations and viewed on closed-circuit, black-and-white television, the denomination of the chip can be distinguished from that of the other chips and tokens in the stack.

Thus, the requirement 12.030.1(a) to have the name of the casino's city on the chip worked against using the same chips in Reno and Lake Tahoe. For a while, Harrah's used chips with both cities names on the chip, but I suspect that the board eventually expressed their displeasure with that. In contrast, today's Harrah's Laughlin chip is quite within the regulation even though the city is not shown on one of the sides – only the name of the establishment and the chip's value are required on both sides.

There are no hidden UV images on either side of this chip, but there are a couple of small streaks that glow red/pink under the UV light. I can only speculate that these are some transfer of fluorescent clay composite material from $5 chips while this chip was in play at the casino. If I haven't mentioned it before, there are many of the chips that fluoresce brightly under the UV light, not just an image on the center inlay but the clay itself, either the entire chip or some of the inserts.

rdw,

I think we're going to have to implement and enforce a rule that requires you to log on daily and post chip images for us. You've been hoarding once again.

But thanks for the (late) contributions.


:-)

Quote: rdw4potus

My Harrah's Lake Tahoe chip

What is a fat Aladdin doing on a magic carpet in Lake Tahoe???

Quote: Doc

rdw,

I think we're going to have to implement and enforce a rule that requires you to log on daily and post chip images for us. You've been hoarding once again.

But thanks for the (late) contributions.


:-)

I know, I know...and I didn't even have the chance to write anything about the chips.

The Hacienda chip is very pretty, I'd say it's one of the more attractive chips in my collection. And I was surprised at the apparent quality given that it's, you know, the Hacienda...

As for Tiltpoul's observation about the fat Aladdin on the Harrah's Tahoe chip, I have no idea what the design is supposed to be. Maybe he rides the carpet down the ski slopes?

Quote: rdw4potus

... The Hacienda chip is very pretty, I'd say it's one of the more attractive chips in my collection. And I was surprised at the apparent quality given that it's, you know, the Hacienda...

That chip is from the Bud Jones Company and was issued in 1999. It appears to be from the same series as the $1 chip I posted -- it has the same center inlay except for the denomination, and the markings are similar but different enough to be distinguished by the cameras.

The Bud Jones chips are injection molded and have a very smooth surface. They seem to hold up very well in use, not accumulating nearly so much crud as the composite molded chips tend to and apparently not being quite so subject to surface chipping.

There was a commemorative $5 chip also issued in 1999 that is identical to yours except for the center inlay. That inlay celebrates the Grand Opening of the casino and says that it had a limited issue quantity of 1,500.

Quote: Tiltpoul

What is a fat Aladdin doing on a magic carpet in Lake Tahoe???

Quote: rdw4potus

... As for Tiltpoul's observation about the fat Aladdin on the Harrah's Tahoe chip, I have no idea what the design is supposed to be. Maybe he rides the carpet down the ski slopes?

I'm not sure what that's all about either. It has apparently been one of Harrah's logos for a while now.

There was an IGT slot machine called Harrah's Magic Carpet Ride, and here is a display panel from that machine being offered on ebay.

I never paid attention to it, but apparently in Harrah's Carnival Court in Las Vegas, they offered one of those blue screen You're-in-the-Video kiosks with a magic carpet ride down the strip. Here is some family's Youtube video of that.

Quote: Doc

I'm not sure what that's all about either. It has apparently been one of Harrah's logos for a while now.

There was an IGT slot machine called Harrah's Magic Carpet Ride, and here is a display panel from that machine being offered on ebay.

I never paid attention to it, but apparently in Harrah's Carnival Court in Las Vegas, they offered one of those blue screen You're-in-the-Video kiosks with a magic carpet ride down the strip. Here is some family's Youtube video of that.

The Genie was one of the "Harrah's Club" in Reno and Lake Tahoe's original mascots from back in the 60's. It is supposed to be a genie in a lamp, granting you three wishes. If you're Terrance Watanabe, one of those wishes would definitely be, "I'd like my $127 million back, please".

I picked these up at the crap table in Tahoe in '95.



and I'm sorry Doc, but I'm too lazy to get all these out of the frame for the slew of Harrahs posts coming up:


...but I am saving a couple special ones for when the time is right.

I have a different $1 chip than you Doc... It's fifth from the bottom right in zippys picture. I wish I could figure out how to post pictures ha

I believe it was Harrah's Del Rio from 1988-1992, then just Harrah's after 1992. Here is my Del Rio chip...it looks like zippyboy has one in his collection bottom row center maybe???

Quote: zippyboy

... for the slew of Harrahs posts coming up ....

Well, we are getting pretty close to the end of my collection of Harrah's chips from Nevada. We'll have to let the others wait until we get to the other states. I plan to cover the remaining states in alphabetical order, so it'll be Thanksgiving or later, I think, before we get to the one in Chester, PA. I think that's the last one in my set for now, pending further acquisitions. Then we can see what others, including you, have to offer.

But thanks for the chips you have shared with us today, and we look forward to the "special ones."

We have some serious collectors contributing to this great thread! Does anyone know the total amount of chips they possess? How about the total face value of your collections?

Quote: iBB

Does anyone know the total amount of chips they possess? How about the total face value of your collections?

For me personally, that's easy enough. I currently have 289 units of $1 face value each on display from 289 casinos for a $289 total face value. Eleven of those are tokens. I also have two $1 tokens not on display that are from two of those same casinos, and I have one chip that is a duplicate of one on display -- no real recollection of why I kept that one.