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PokerGrinder
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September 17th, 2023 at 4:09:40 PM permalink
Tonight I collected my last chip of the trip. I got two chips in Germany and 18 in Poland.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
alpha1243
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September 18th, 2023 at 8:17:08 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Port Aransas
Casino: Texas Treasure Casino Cruises

There were a few casino day cruises that sailed out of Texas. Texas Treasure was one of the early boats that operated in the late 1990’s. They initially used these Island Holiday chips, but shortly after introduced the Texas Treasure version.



Both are nicely designed ceramic casino chips. The Island Holiday version looks quite tropical, but aside from the picture, only has the denomination. There’s no mention of the day cruise’s name or location. Oftentimes these day cruises moved seasonally and operated out of different ports and even different states, so designing a chip set with a name and denomination yielded a versatile and cost effective chip.

Later these chips gave way to the Texas Treasure Casino Cruises version. Again, no location and only the denomination was shown, but now patrons who carried one of these chips home with them as a souvenir were easily able to identify where they got the chip – Texas! With the success of the Texas Treasure, the company would eventually add a second boat which sailed out of Freeport, Texas, called the Texas Treasure II. I’ll post this day cruise tomorrow.
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PokerGrinder
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September 19th, 2023 at 6:38:54 AM permalink
Well literally days after I finished my Nevada collection (for I think the 5th time) there is a new casino in Nevada again! Golden Nugget bought Hard Rock Lake Tahoe and has changed the name to… any guesses? 😂

My collection wasn’t going to be complete for long as FountainBleu and Durango are both close to opening in Las Vegas. Oh well I guess I’ll have to go back, again!
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
alpha1243
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September 19th, 2023 at 7:59:22 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Freeport
Casino: Texas Treasure II

On the heels of the success of the original Texas Treasure Casino Cruise out of Port Aransas, Texas, they launched the Texas Treasure II out of Freeport in 2001. The day cruise business would not be a long term venture as both Texas Treasure boats closed operations shortly thereafter.



Little creative energy or expense was spared on this chip. It’s identical to its sister ship with the only modification being the addition of the ”II” next to the name.
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alpha1243
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September 20th, 2023 at 6:13:26 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Livingston
Casino: Alabama-Coushatta Casino

This chip is from one of the Indian casinos that no longer exist. Mostly slot machines, it did operate 6 blackjack tables, hence the need for chips. This casino was only in operation from November 2001 until July of the following year – a scant 8 months.

This did not prevent them from creating one of the most unusual chips ever. This 2-sided ceramic chip gets its fair share of double-takes. The tribe name, Alabama-Coushatta, and their tag line Entertainment Center of Texas adorns both sides of the chip. The All Seeing hand image is perhaps most startling. It has a feather background. The reverse features tribal decoration and more feathers. The denomination is shown on both sides of this unique chip.

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PokerGrinder
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September 20th, 2023 at 9:23:54 AM permalink
Were you at these Texas casinos? Or did you pick up the chips from a collector? I ask cause I’d love to know if they looked like real casinos or makeshift.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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September 20th, 2023 at 2:32:44 PM permalink
So I was supposed to fly Berlin to Frankfurt to Toronto to Winnipeg for a wedding. Plane delayed out of Berlin for a hour and although I ran I missed the connection by about 5 minutes. The airline gave me a hotel, food and train ticket to and from the hotel. Sooooo what’s the first thing I did when I thought I was most likely going to be in Frankfurt for the night? Yes I found the casinos, (while still in Berlin) two of them to be exact. Sadly they are both outside of the city and obviously in opposite directions. I’m crazy so I did it anyways. I’m almost at the second and one and beyond tired and slightly regretting my life choices lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
alpha1243
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September 21st, 2023 at 4:48:06 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Amarillo
Casino: Amarillo Social Club

This 5-table room opened in late 2021 as the first poker room in Amarillo. They charge a $10 daily membership fee, and offer discounted 30-day memberships for $30 or yearly memberships for $300. Their hourly seat rental fee is $12, but you can opt to buy 10 hours for the discounted price of $100. They’ve continued to thrive, especially their popular poker tournaments. They built the club right, by focusing on professional, well-trained staff, a comfortable room with plenty of TVs, and free drinks (with BYOB) and snacks.

They’re on Poker Atlas where most of their reviews are all 5-stars. Here’s what one customer had to say in October 2022:

”The setup is awesome. Brand new tables and flat screens everywhere showing a plethora of sporting events. Venue is very new and very clean. Dealers are awesome and super fun to be around. They keep things really entertaining outside of the poker hands. BYOB. Snacks are provided. Any meal option is usually a staff member making a nightly run to a local restaurant with everyone's order. Admin is friendly and the competition isn't too strong. Lots of money flying around. $1k+ aren't uncommon at all. In a town of 180k, with the nearest gambling alternative being 2 hours away, this place is sure to blow up. Very pleased overall.”

As for their chips, they might have skimped a bit in this department. These generic mold/color chips should look familiar to most Texas rounders. Aside from the simplistic center inlay sticker, this inexpensive chip set was used at TCH Austin until very recently when it was replaced by a ceramic set.



APC, for Amarillo Poker Club, along with the date that they were established, adorns one side of the chip while the denomination adorns the other. Not a lot of design work went into this chip, but it is one of the very few Texas chips that are 2-sided.

So, are they the Amarillo Poker Club, or the Amarillo Social Club? Well, the chips and the name of their Facebook site lean toward the former, but their Poker Atlas listing, logo, and website address lean toward the latter. I’m more inclined to rely on the Poker Atlas listing and their website, so this social poker club should be referred to at the Amarillo Social Club.

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alpha1243
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September 22nd, 2023 at 3:46:15 PM permalink
State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Bourbon Street

This small casino sat just off The Strip on East Flamingo. The 15,000 sqft casino had a tiny 166 room hotel (according to Wikipedia). I remember venturing into this casino to pick up these $1 casino chips to add to my collection. If you’ve been to some of these smaller off-Strip properties, I put this in the same category as Maxim or San Remo, meaning that it has a small hotel, small casino floor, and desperate to hang on against the dominating Strip properties by offering heavily discounted rooms, meals, and attraction. Eventually they all go bust and are eaten up by the larger corporate behemoths.

Bourbon Street replaced the Shenandoah Hotel which stood at 120 E. Flamingo from 1980-1985; all the time fighting unsuccessfully to get a gaming license. In 1985 it was renamed Bourbon Street as new ownership was able to open the casino. It operated for the next 20 years, changing hands and names a time or two, until it was closed, later demolished, and is now a parking lot for The Cromwell employees.


1st, 2nd, and 3rd releases



The 3 variations of their $1 chips are all shown here. I picked them up during various trips to Las Vegas. The first is a simple hot stamp Paulson chip. This was later replaced by less expensive plastic hot stamped chips.
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alpha1243
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September 24th, 2023 at 1:56:41 PM permalink
State: Texas
City: Aransas Pass
Casino: Aransas Queen Casino

I have a few other $1 Texas chips, mostly from casino day cruises, which I’ve picked up over the years via the casino chip collecting hobby and online community where trades are common among collectors. This one is from the Aransas Queen which operated from 2015 to 2018.



This is a beautiful Paulson clay chip with a pair of rounded light blue inserts on the classic hat and cane white mold. The inlay has the Aransas Queen logo, denomination, and location.
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alpha1243
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September 25th, 2023 at 5:58:44 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Port Isabel
Casino: TexCas Casino Limited

I have a few other $1 Texas chips, mostly from casino day cruises, which I’ve picked up over the years via the casino chip collecting hobby and online community where trades are common among collectors. This one is from the TexCas Casino Limited which operated from 1988 to 1992.



This Coin-In-Center chip, or CIC for short, is white with 3 blue inserts. The coin is stamped with the casino name, denomination, and logo. These CIC chips were not very popular outside of Las Vegas, and few if any casino use them today. In fact, this is the only CIC chip among the 136 $1 chips in my Texas collection.
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PokerGrinder
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September 25th, 2023 at 8:34:38 PM permalink
Coin in chips are my favourite type of chips.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
alpha1243
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September 26th, 2023 at 6:25:11 AM permalink
State: Texas
City: Freeport
Casino: Surfside Casino

I have a few other $1 Texas chips, mostly from casino day cruises, which I’ve picked up over the years via the casino chip collecting hobby and online community where trades are common among collectors. This one is from the Surfside Casino which operated aboard the TexasStar vessel.



This ceramic chip is an early ChipCo as can be seen by the omission of their CI logo on the face of the chip. The design is that of a generic boat with the sun on the horizon, apparently being dive-bombed by two enormous seagulls.
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PokerGrinder
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September 26th, 2023 at 7:06:24 AM permalink
The colours on the chip are beautiful.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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September 30th, 2023 at 12:57:52 PM permalink
Alpha1243 messaged me and said he’s ready to turn the posting back over to me for a few months so I have photographed and uploaded all my chips (didn’t clean them yet) and will start posting shortly.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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September 30th, 2023 at 1:45:32 PM permalink
Category: Europe
City: London, England
Casino: Les Ambassadeurs Club


Today’s chip of the day is from Les Ambassadeurs Club in London, England. I had to do quite a bit of research for this club to piece together a proper history. The first casino opened at this location in May, 1961 as Le Cercle Club. From my research it seems that the building was called Les Ambassadeurs when it housed Le Cercle Club. In 1981 London Clubs International which is part of Caesars entertainment bought it. I believe this is when the casino became Les Ambassadeurs Club as well but I’m not sure. Les A as locals call it was sold to Bluestream Holdings in 2006 and then finally sold a third time in 2017 to Mr Cho Hung Suen who owns the Birmingham Football Club.

Given this info there are two possible reasons why I didn’t collect a chip there on my first visit to London in 2017. The first option is that it was still one of the clubs that was basically impossible to get a membership without being suggested by a current member which I have found with Crockfords and a few others in London. After the sale in 2017 they might have relaxed the membership a little to let normal folks like you and I sign up for a membership. The other option is I just flat out missed it in my research of casinos and clubs in London, either is very possible.

Now to my actual visit. I had two days in London before I made my way down to Dover for a cruise to Norway. I got to the club and signed up for a membership. The club is old and gorgeous and I felt very underdressed in jeans and a normal T-shirt. The main gaming room has 16 table games with well dressed croupiers. The official website says “16 tables on our main floor” but doesn’t list how many tables are in their private HL rooms or even how many private rooms they have. At the end of the gaming room is an area with about 30 slot machines. The main gaming area is beautiful which is not surprising as it’s the location that was used for Dr. No in 1962 where Sean Connery was the first Bond to utter the phrase “Bond, James Bond” on screen. The table limits were very high with the minimum bets starting at £50 ($61 USD). I played bj for about ten minutes and broke even on my £500 buy in. Not surprisingly on a table where the minimum bet is £50 there were no £1 chips in site so I kept a £5.

The chip is red with 4 white/black/white edge inserts. The centre inlay has a white border with 4 notches in it. The inlay is white with the club name in black in a horseshoe shape from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock. The centre of the chip has Les A in gold fancy lettering. Underneath that is the denom in gold with a black border, the BG logo for the maker of the chip and the location in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
alpha1243
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October 1st, 2023 at 7:13:31 AM permalink
Focus and crop. Great job digging up the history!
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PokerGrinder
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October 1st, 2023 at 1:31:42 PM permalink
I was having trouble getting my iPhone to focus sadly. I tried a bunch of times but it was not cooperating.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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October 1st, 2023 at 5:10:33 PM permalink
Have you considered trying to sober it up? ;-)
PokerGrinder
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October 1st, 2023 at 10:28:45 PM permalink
I was in a rush. I had like 90 chips to photograph and I left it to the last second. I leave my collection at my parents house so I can’t even redo it right now cause that is many many hours of driving away lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 2nd, 2023 at 2:59:02 AM permalink
Category: Europe
City: London, England
Casino: Metropolitan Casino Mayfair


Today’s chip of the day is from Metropolitan Casino Mayfair in London, England. Last August I collected a chip from Park Lane Club and posted the chip here. I mentioned that the club had been sold to Metropolitan Gaming and would be rebranding as Metropolitan Lane Casino. I was correct about the sale but the rest of the info seems off. Metropolitan Casino Mayfair is just down the street from Park Lane and I found info that Park Lane is still open and I also found info that it is shut down, so basically I’m not sure.

This casino looks brand new and beautiful. There was a section for slots and the main area had the tables games. They also have an outdoor gaming area but I seemed to have missed that when I was there. As well they have private gaming areas for high rollers. I played £10 minimum bj and won £200. More importantly as I was chatting with the pit boss he suggested a restaurant that served authentic Neapolitan Italian food. Both he and the dealer were from Italy and said they love it there. I didn’t make it to the restaurant on that trip but I did go 6 weeks later when I was back in London. The food was amazing and I’d highly suggest people check out 50 Kalo in London if you’re in the area. I didn’t make a reservation and ended up waiting for 40 minutes so maybe make a reservation in advance.

The chip is red with 4 yellow/black/yellow edge inserts. There are 4 yellow rectangles alternating with the denom in yellow around the outside of the chip. The centre inlay is white with a gold “M”. The other side of the chip has a white inlay with the denom in gold.



You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Dieter
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October 2nd, 2023 at 5:21:47 AM permalink
I do like it when the obverse and reverse differ.
Those "5"s around the rim... are they printed on? It seems impractical to insert those into the composite.
May the cards fall in your favor.
alpha1243
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October 2nd, 2023 at 6:37:35 AM permalink
The 5's are part of the mold and are not printed on. This is pretty common. If you break the chip the different colored parts of the mold will separate into individual pieces. This style is very popular in Canada.

Here are several examples from around the U.S. and elsewhere:

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alpha1243
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October 2nd, 2023 at 7:01:54 AM permalink
I should also probably point out that this mold, like the classic hat and cane mold by Paulson, also comes in two variations. The Paulson hat and cane mold has a short and long cane version. The manufacturer does not recognize the difference and uses both molds interchangeably. This results in 3 variations: a chip with the short cane variation (SCV) on both sides, a chip with the long cane variation (LCV) on both sides, and a chip with SVC on one side and the LCV on the other.

The denomination in the mold of these plastic chips also comes in 2 varieties: a small “$” and a large “$”. When the chips are ordered the manufacturer once again does not recognize the difference and uses both molds interchangeably. This creates chips with either the small “$” or the large “$” mold. One such example is shown below from the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, MS.


Small $ mold

Large $ mold


If you look closely at the “$” you’ll see that the “S” on the small variation is less pronounced and the “|” is barely visible on the outer parts of the “S”.

Not all chips made by this manufacturer can be found with both small and large “$” variations. This may be due to the size of the order, as fewer chips might have been produced on a small number of dies all happening to have the same mold, or that the manufacturer eventually retired the older dies as they were no longer useable. It could also be that the improved their manufacturing process and this variation was eliminated through quality control. In either case, I know of about 9 such examples where the $1 casino chip was produced in both small and large “$” molds.
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Dieter
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October 2nd, 2023 at 12:41:17 PM permalink
For some reason, I was thinking that the molded-in denominations around the rim appeared mirror-reversed on the reverse of the chip.

(I thought I had seen this on some B&G chips.)
May the cards fall in your favor.
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October 3rd, 2023 at 2:39:00 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Airway Heights
Casino: Spokane Tribe


Today’s chip of the day is from Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, Washington. This chip is the start of the end for the this thread when it comes to Washington. I finished collecting the last 27 chips currently available that haven’t been posted yet and a few that I didn’t have yet but had been posted by another member. After my cruise from England to Norway I flew back to Calagry to pick up my car and two days later I hit the road to collect chips on my way to Seattle for a cruise with a WoV member to Alaska.

My first stop was Spokane Tribe which originally was supposed to be a Hard Rock casino but he tribe decided to sever that partnership before the casino ever opened. The opening date was January 8th, 2018. The casino has 450 slot machines and 12 table games according to Casinocity but I think that is probably out of date. The smoking section had about that and I’d say there were another 150-200 slots and 7 tables in the non smoking session. I went to the non smoking section and played a new version of pai gow since the only bj tables were in the smoking area. I played supreme pai gow which is different in that the player antes, then gets 4 cards and can bet 1-4x based on those cards (or fold) before getting their last 3 cards. The catch is that the dealer gets 8 cards to make a 7 card pai gow hand. There is no commission. I played for a bit and lost $100 pretty quickly. I wasn’t a fan of the game at all and I don’t think I would have been even if I was winning. I like normal pai gow better than all these weird variations that keep coming out.

The chip is a white RHC with 3 turquoise edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with a red and a blue horse running towards each other. The casino name is in black/red while the denom and location are black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 4th, 2023 at 1:54:19 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Pullman
Casino: Mr. Z’s


Today’s chip of the day is from Mr. Z’s Casino in Pullman, Washington. Mr. Z’s Casino is a card room attached to Zeppoz Bowl. I’m not sure the connection but a lot of Washington card rooms are in or attached to bowling alleys. As with most of these small card rooms there isn’t much to say, they had a few tables open and I played a few hands of bj to collect a chip. Nothing exciting sadly.

The chip is white or used to be as it looks stained from use. The chip has 6 blue edge inserts and 6 blue rectangles around the outside of the chip. The centre inlay is white and yellow with a logo that looks like the Zeppoz building on it. The casino name and location are dark blue and the Bud Jones logo is faded on the left side.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 4th, 2023 at 11:09:41 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Clarkston
Casino: Lancer


Today’s chip of the day is from Lancer Lanes and Casino in Clarkston, Washington. Lancer Casino has a medieval theme with exposed brick and different decorations on the walls like horses and knights. Attached is a restaurant and the bowling alley is next door. When I visited there were a few poker games running but nobody playing the table games. I played a few hands of bj and left with a small profit. The dealers here were very friendly which isn’t always the case so it’s worth noting.

The chip is a white RHC with 4 edge inserts, 2 green and 2 tan/peach. The centre inlay is black with white smoke looking designs. There are two swords crossed behind a shield with the casino name on the shield. The denom appears twice on either side of the shield in white.

Last edited by: PokerGrinder on Oct 5, 2023
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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October 5th, 2023 at 6:35:30 AM permalink
Well, PG, your post header refers to the establishment as "Lancer Lanes", the post itself refers to it as both "Lancer Lanes and Casino" and "Lancer Casino", while the chip itself says "Lancer Casino". For now, I have just indexed it as "Lancer", since I have left the word "Casino" out of many/most of the index entries, and we're not really documenting bowling alleys. Let me know if I should change something.
PokerGrinder
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October 5th, 2023 at 10:22:10 AM permalink
Works for me, I wrote this 3 minutes before bed so I’m going to blame it on that lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 6th, 2023 at 1:51:52 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Moses Lake
Casino: Papa’s


Today’s chip of the day is from Papa’s Casino in Moses Lake, Washington. I had a bit of trouble finding Papa’s Casino as the signage wasn’t the greatest. I drove around the parking lot for a bit and found the bowling alley, the restaurant and then I realized that the casino was at the end of the parking lot inside the tap house. Inside were a bunch of people drinking and a very full table games pit. I played bj to collect my chip as I did in most spots before moving onto my next stop.

The chip is is a blue RHC with 4 edge inserts, 2 pink and 2 gold. The centre inlay is blue with the casino name in white and black while the denom is yellow and fades to blue. Above the casino name is a dad (papa) bowling.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 6th, 2023 at 12:49:02 PM permalink
Trying to write something about Washington card rooms has made me realize how boring the rooms are. They are all the same, a small usually dingy room with 6-12 tables attached to a bowling alley or bar or both lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 9th, 2023 at 5:08:41 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Pasco
Casino: Crazy Moose


Today’s chip of the day is from Crazy Moose Casino in Pasco, Washington. This is the sister property of Crazy Moose Casino in Mountlake Terrace that I posted about years ago. This casino along with quite a few others over the last few years was purchased by Maverick Gaming which is owned by Eric Persson. Maverick Gaming now owns 31 casinos with the majority of them being card rooms in Washington. The card room looks more like a bar that has table games set up inside. I sat down at the Bj table and had a really friendly dealer to talk to. He was very fast and had the table talk down pat which made the game more enjoyable. I tend to not stay long when playing at these casinos while collecting but I stuck around for about 20 minutes because I was enjoying the banter. The dealer told me that working there hasn’t been as good since Maverick took over operations. They out a freeze on raises stating that money was tight. Now this looks terrible because Eric Persson the owner plays all the televised high stakes poker games and can be seen losing millions on a weekly basis. Hard to cry poor when you’re giving away millions to poker pros.

The chip is white (stained) with 6 yellow edge inserts and 6 yellow rectangles around the edge of the chip. The centre inlay is brown and red with a cartoon moose holding 5 cards that make a straight. The casino name and denom are white while the casino location is black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 9th, 2023 at 10:16:42 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Trying to write something about Washington card rooms has made me realize how boring the rooms are. They are all the same, a small usually dingy room with 6-12 tables attached to a bowling alley or bar or both lol.
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I can shed a little light on that.

Washington State law requires that cardrooms be food and beverage establishments first, and they can get gaming licenses as a stimulant for that business. That was a point of contention the last few months when WSGC approved an increase to $400 table limits. Critics say the original model has been flipped, and now food and beverage is a stimulant for the gaming establishment rather than the other way around.

As far as I know, most if not all of the bowling alley casinos were first opened by the same group of people, and most have changed ownership once or twice. Almost all of the bowling alley casinos are east of the Cascades. I can only think of two or three that are west, though there may be more.
Casinos are not your friends, they want your money. But so does Disneyland. And there is no chance in hell that you will go to Disneyland and come back with more money than you went with. - AxelWolf and Mickeycrimm
PokerGrinder
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October 9th, 2023 at 12:23:46 PM permalink
Thank you very much for the info that is really interesting. There are a few western Washington bowling alley card rooms like you said but I visited those years ago so I’d have to go back in this thread to figure out which ones. I would agree that most of the card rooms the gambling takes precedent over the rest of the establishment.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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October 10th, 2023 at 12:38:25 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Richland
Casino: Jokers


Today’s chip of the day is from Jokers Casino in Richland, Washington. This casino originally opened as Fiesta Bowl in 1998 before being renamed Jokers Casino. They continued to use the old chips for a few years before finally changing over at some point. I have no first hand memories of being here and nothing online is jogging my memory. I kept a $5 chip because the $1 chips were so worn out that you couldn’t read them.

The chip is a red RHC with 3 gold edge inserts. The centre inlay is red with a jester holding a wad of cash. The casino name, location and the denom are all white.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 11th, 2023 at 3:35:40 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Kennewick
Casino: Coyote Bob’s Roadhouse


Today’s chip of the day is from Coyote Bob’s Roadhouse Casino in Kennewick, Washington. This casino was my last stop at the end of a long day so it ended up being a quick visit. This western themed card room was very busy the night I was there with most tables completely full. I was able to grab a seat at a bj table and played the 2nd half of a shoe before walking away even plus a souvenir.

The chip is white with 4 orange edge inserts and 4 orange diamonds around the outside of the chip. The centre inlay is red and black with a cactus wearing sunglasses on it. The casino name, location and chip denom are all yellow.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 11th, 2023 at 2:42:48 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Today’s chip of the day is from Crazy Moose Casino in Pasco, Washington. This is the sister property of Crazy Moose Casino in Mountlake Terrace that I posted about years ago. ....


I have been out of town for a couple of days and got behind on the CCotD thread index. I think I have it up to date now, but I was a little confused by this comment from PokerGrinder. The Chip of the Day that I have in the index for the Crazy Moose Casino in Mountlake Terrace, WA was posted by miplet, and PG I didn't see any replies you offered to that post. Maybe I missed things. Did you post about that casino somewhere else in this thread or elsewhere in the forum? Can you point me to that? We didn't wind up with two Chip-of-the-Day posts for the same casino, did we?
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October 11th, 2023 at 4:13:12 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Quote: PokerGrinder

Today’s chip of the day is from Crazy Moose Casino in Pasco, Washington. This is the sister property of Crazy Moose Casino in Mountlake Terrace that I posted about years ago. ....


I have been out of town for a couple of days and got behind on the CCotD thread index. I think I have it up to date now, but I was a little confused by this comment from PokerGrinder. The Chip of the Day that I have in the index for the Crazy Moose Casino in Mountlake Terrace, WA was posted by miplet, and PG I didn't see any replies you offered to that post. Maybe I missed things. Did you post about that casino somewhere else in this thread or elsewhere in the forum? Can you point me to that? We didn't wind up with two Chip-of-the-Day posts for the same casino, did we?
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No that’s my bad. I just figured since I’ve posted 90%+ of the Washington chips in the thread that I was the one who posted it. My mistake.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 12th, 2023 at 3:23:02 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Toppenish
Casino: Legends


Today’s chip of the day is from Legends Casino in Toppenish, Washington. Legends Casino opened on 5/14/1998. Legends has 1300 slot machines and 25 table games and poker tables. I visited early in the morning since this was my first stop of 9 scheduled for the day. I got there and quickly realized they had class 2 slots so nothing beatable. I then made my way to one of the 3 table games that were open and sat down to play some bj. I played with one other guy for about 5 minutes, I picked through my stack of white chips to find the best one and then cashed out and moved on with my long day of driving and gambling.

The chip is a white LCV with two hat and canes along with the tribe name and casino name engraved into the chip. I have said this before and I’ll say it again, this feature is the single nicest feature a casino can use for their chips, just screams class to me. The chip has 4 edge inserts, 2 orange and 2 purple. The centre inlay is white and blue and sort of looks like a water design. The casino name, location and chip denom are all black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 14th, 2023 at 10:30:34 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Yakima
Casino: Caribbean Casino


Today’s chip of the day is from Caribbean Casino in Yakima, Washington. I checked and I was the one who posted the chip from its sister property in Kirkland. This club was very similar to its sister property with an obvious Caribbean theme. When I was there they only had a few tables open as it was around noon. I played pai gow and won 10 straight hands (not including pushes). I play $10 a hand and add $10 with each win so after losing the final hand with a bet of $110 I left with a profit of $450. This was my best streak ever in Pai gow which I would match a few weeks later but I’ll include that in the chip of the day post for that card room.

The chip is white with 12 blue edge inserts in pairs. There is a blue dot between each set of inserts. The chip is absolutely filthy so I’m sure it will look better once I get time to clean it. The centre inlay is blue with a sunset in the background and a parrot perched on an end rod that contains the casino name in red. The location and chip denom are listed in black.

Last edited by: PokerGrinder on Oct 15, 2023
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 15th, 2023 at 6:55:47 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder



Today’s chip of the day is from Caribbean Casino in Yakima, Washington. ...

The chip is white with 10 blue edge inserts in pairs. There is a blue dot between each set of inserts.



PG, do you ever count cards? If so, do you do it with greater accuracy than you count edge inserts on casino chips?

;-)
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October 15th, 2023 at 7:44:15 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

Quote: PokerGrinder



Today’s chip of the day is from Caribbean Casino in Yakima, Washington. ...

The chip is white with 10 blue edge inserts in pairs. There is a blue dot between each set of inserts.



PG, do you ever count cards? If so, do you do it with greater accuracy than you count edge inserts on casino chips?

;-)
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I do and I do lol. I’m not sure how I messed that up other than the time of day I posted. I’ll fix it
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 15th, 2023 at 9:15:39 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Yakima
Casino: Nob Hill


Today’s chip of the day is from Nob Hill Casino in Yakima, Washington. First thing I noticed when I walked into Nob Hill was how dark they kept the place. Not only the lights but the door was blacked out to not let any sunlight in. It took me a few seconds for my eyes to get used to the sun when I left. On the wall is a very large mural of an old time gambling hall and bar. As I usually do I played Bj to collect my chip. I didn’t stay long as I had another spot to go to down the street but I could have stayed as the next spot didn’t open until two so I ended up having time to kill.

The chip is a light blue RHC with 8 (yes I counted them) white edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with a gold border. The casino name and the chip denom are in black. The logo is of two bowling pins and an apple with the same 3 holes that a bowling ball has. I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 16th, 2023 at 2:14:06 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

The logo is of two bowling pins and an apple with the same 3 holes that a bowling ball has. I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.



Washington, and especially Wenatchee which is not far away from Yakima, is known for their apples.
Casinos are not your friends, they want your money. But so does Disneyland. And there is no chance in hell that you will go to Disneyland and come back with more money than you went with. - AxelWolf and Mickeycrimm
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October 16th, 2023 at 3:11:32 PM permalink
Ah ok thanks I didn’t know that. Makes perfect sense then!
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 17th, 2023 at 6:21:11 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Yakima
Casino: Club 48


Today’s chip of the day is from Club 48 in Yakima, Washington. The history I found for this 2 table poker room is interesting. Jerry Howe was operating poker under the umbrella of Nob Hill Casino. Due to lack of room in the club though he was operating outside the club in the tents they had set up during Covid. Now obviously this wasn’t a great situation as weather is always an issue in Washington. Howe applied and received a license to operate a poker room inside of Club 48 which is a nightclub. They have two tables in a small room that wouldn’t fit a third even if they wanted to. I got to this room around 1230 pm and sadly found out that the poker room doesn’t open until 2. I went and grabbed a pretty solid lunch across the street at a Mexican restaurant to kill time. I came back at a two and was able to jump in the game. The clientele was old, slow and clearly just there to enjoy a small poker game. I played 1-2 with them for 30 minutes before leaving down $90 both because the game was horrible but also I had 5 more stops for the day.

The chip, well the chip just annoys me. The chip is not for Club 48, they are using an old chip set because it’s cheaper. That being said it’s unfortunate cause the chip is beautiful! The chip is blue with 6 darker blue edge inserts and 6 lines around the edge of the chip. The centre inlay is white with a sparkly gold border. The casino name Magic Lanes Casino is in red as is the chip denom. The inlay has a hand holding a bunny by its ears holding a bowling ball over top of a magician’s hat that has the A and J of hearts inside of it. Like I said it’s a beautifully designed chip but it’s annoying cause it’s for the wrong club.

Magic Lanes Casino operated in Seattle until August 1, 2011 when they along with the bowling alley shut down due to lack of business.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 18th, 2023 at 2:34:53 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Ellensburg
Casino: Wild Goose


Today’s chip of the day is from Wild Goose Casino in Ellensburg, Washington. This casino has a tough history to map and even now I don’t have all the answers. The casino opened in 2001 as Cleopatra’s Wild Goose Casino. Sometime before December 5, 2003 it had closed and there was a company Ellensburg Gaming Inc. that was attempting to reopen it as Roadhouse Casino. I have found no mention of this outside of that one article and the Roadhouse Casino doesn’t seem to have ever opened. To make things weirder the chip guide says that this version of Wild Goose Casino sans Cleopatra opened in 2002 that I know can’t be true due to the fact that the casino was closed at that time. Make of this what you will.

I stopped in to this casino where a few players were playing random games. They had 7 table games and poker tables in the attached room. I played bj for 10 minutes before leaving quickly with a $100 profit. Nothing exciting to report about this casino.

The chip is a white RHC that has seen better days which is not surprising for a 22 year old chip. The chip has two edge inserts in purple and blue. The centre inlay is purple around a picture of a goose in front of shrubs. Cleopatra’s is above the goose in black and wild goose casino is white under the goose. The chip denom is white to the left of the goose.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 21st, 2023 at 12:15:12 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Olympia
Casino: Nisqually Red Wind


Today’s chip of the day is from Nisqually Red Wind Casino in Olympia, Washington. Red Wind Casino opened on May 2, 1997 and has 1678 slot machines (Class 2) and 20 table games. I still wasn’t 100% sure that Washington casinos didn’t have beatable slot machines (which they have almost none of) so I did a walk around the whole casino which given its size took a bit of time. Sadly my suspicions were confirmed and the casino had no slot machines worth my time. I played a few hands of bj and took my souvenir on to the next casino.

The chip is a white RHC with no edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with a gold hot stamp on it. The hot stamp lists the casino name and the chip denom.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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October 22nd, 2023 at 4:57:59 AM permalink
State: Washington
City: Lacey
Casino: Fortune


Today’s chip of the day is from Fortune Casino in Lacey, Washington. Fortune Casino Lacey was formerly Hawk’s Prairie Casino in until 2022 when the name was changed. They advertise themselves as “an old west casino with 15 table games…” I can’t really say I have much more to add to the description. I played pai gow to collect my chip, I spent about 10 minutes total in the casino.

The chip is a blue RHC with two peach edge inserts. The centre inlay is black with the casino name in gold with the crown logo above it. The denom and location are both in white.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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