Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: Doc

I think there has been transfer of a small particle of clay, probably during the manufacturing process...

Yeah, that makes sense.

A small clay crumb gets pressed into the chip at the same time that the inlay and edge molding is pressed in. With that kind of pressure, it's gonna stay put, although I'd be curious if you can 'flick' it off...

But I'll give up the paint argument.

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

I found an out-of-date web site that gives the following history of Herbst Gaming. I hope this quote (with source) is not too extreme.

Quote:

The company is owned and operated by the Herbst brothers, Ed, Tim and Troy.

Herbst Gaming had its beginnings in 1987 as an offshoot of the family business, Terrible Herbst Oil Company. The Terrible Herbst legacy began with Ed, Tim and Troy’s grandfather, Ed Herbst, in 1959 and for the past 40 years the Terrible Herbst Oil Company has prospered under the ownership and guidance of their father, Jerry Herbst. The Terrible Herbst brand and familiar "Bad Guy" cowboy logo, has been continuously utilized in Nevada since 1959 and is currently used at our five casinos, 80 gasoline stations and convenience stores as well as over 600 slot route locations located throughout the state of Nevada. Herbst Gaming is committed to the high level of quality, value and service associated with the Terrible Herbst brand name.

Herbst Gaming began by servicing the slot machines located in the Terrible Herbst locations and grew from that base to become the preeminent slot route operator in the State of Nevada. The company’s gaming presence grew with the addition of it’s five casinos, Terrible’s Town and Terrible’s Lakeside both located approximately 60 miles from Las Vegas in Pahrump, Nevada, Terrible’s Town Casino and Bowl in Henderson, Nevada Terrible’s Hotel and Casino located in Las Vegas and Terrible's Searchlight. In addition, on February 1, 2005, as a result of the Grace Acquisition, the company’s casino operations grew to include the St. Jo Frontier Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri, or St. Jo, the Mark Twain Casino in LaGrange, Missouri, or Mark Twain, and the Lakeside Casino Resort in Osceola, Iowa, or Lakeside Iowa.

I quoted that because I had never heard the family background and thought that write-up was better than anything I could surreptitiously plagiarize from other sources or borrow from Wikipedia.

Unfortunately, in spite of the positive tone of the quoted description, the company got into financial trouble with purchases of casinos in northern Nevada, including Sands Regent, early in 2007 plus the buyout of the three Primm properties from MGM Mirage later that year. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2009, emerging in 2011 with new owners and a new name – Affinity Gaming.

Ignoring the slot route facilities and a bowling alley/slot parlor, Terrible's Hotel and Casino at East Flamingo Road and Paradise Road is the only Terrible's casino in metro Las Vegas. It opened in 2000, and the MOGH catalog indicates that was when the chip shown below was issued. The chip is a blue RHC Paulson chip with two triangular edge inserts in pink and yellow. The mostly-white center inlay shows the guns-ablazin' logo guy. In the quoted description above, he is referred to as a "Bad Guy", and they have a slogan calling him "the Best Bad Guy in the West." I'm not sure how that all fits with the star worn on his vest.

UV light reveals the hidden Paulson hat and cane logo centered on the chip. Tomorrow, another "terrible" chip.

I have the same chip...have been to Terrible's 2-3 times to eat and play, never stayed there. I recall the first time I ate there my mother in law ordered their "Biscuit and Gravy"...yes, only one biscuit but it covered the entire plate. She ate maybe 1/3 of it, it was good but just too huge for her. The gambling doesn't stick in my mind at all, not sure if I won or lost. Not a "terribly" memorable joint hehe.

I was there, once, with the Wizard, Miplet and NicksGamingStuff, following dinner after G2E last year. Full details are at the end of day 3 in this trip log post.

I found the place totally unremarkable, so much so that I don't even have a souvenir chip.


I do remember reading somewhere that the Terrible name was a nickname for Ed Herbst. I believe that he got the name due to his pricing policies, and when he heard it, he liked it to the point of naming the business after it.


Looking closely at the regular light photo of your chip puts me back on my "the 'inserts' are painted on" argument.

I'm gonna have to check all my chips to see if there's one with similar characteristics, and then cut the damn thing.....

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Looking closely at the regular light photo of your chip puts me back on my "the 'inserts' are painted on" argument.

I'm gonna have to check all my chips to see if there's one with similar characteristics, and then cut the damn thing.....

So here's an idea: You pick out such a chip, don't cut it (yet), and post an image on line. Then we try to set up wagers between members as to what you will find when you do cut it. Next, we can schedule a group get-together to watch the cutting and resolve the wagers. While we wait for the appointed date, we can start arguments here on the forum and call each other a few names, and maybe even declare that one/some of the participants in the wager is/are not welcome to watch the cutting. Eventually, we will probably decide it's Much Ado About Nothing, regardless of what you find.

But let's not start that drama in this thread. ;-)

No. No need for that kind of drama.

I don't want to cut a chip to check so I can say "told ya". I want to do it because it's bugging the crap out of me.

When I find such a chip, I'll create a new thread for the debate / wagering.


For the record, even if I find a chip that supports my paint theory, and is cut and confirmed, I will concede ahead of time that it is inconclusive:
I.E. There may be chips that look like they fall into that category, that may actually be inserts.

Quote: Doc

So here's an idea: You pick out such a chip, don't cut it (yet), and post an image on line. Then we try to set up wagers between members as to what you will find when you do cut it. Next, we can schedule a group get-together to watch the cutting and resolve the wagers. While we wait for the appointed date, we can start arguments here on the forum and call each other a few names, and maybe even declare that one/some of the participants in the wager is/are not welcome to watch the cutting. Eventually, we will probably decide it's Much Ado About Nothing, regardless of what you find.

But let's not start that drama in this thread. ;-)

Hehe, but what will it weigh?

State: Nevada
City: Pahrump
Casino: Terrible's Town

Terrible's Town Casino opened in Pahrump in 1996 as the first full casino belonging to Herbst Gaming and bearing the Terrible's name. I suspect that the emphasis in the wording of "Terribles Town Casino" should be of a "Town Casino" belonging to Terrible's, not a casino associated with a "Terrible's Town", in spite of the way it may look both in the header of this post and on the chip. At least I have read places where it is called the Town Casino. On the other hand, maybe they do mean a town belonging to or run by the "Bad Guy."

The Wikipedia page on Affinity Gaming says that Terrible's Town Casino is located in Henderson, but that's just a slot parlor and bowling alley that, perhaps amusingly, has "terrible" on-line reviews.

In any case, both the Henderson slot parlor/bowling alley and the "real" Terrible's Town Casino in downtown Pahrump were acquired by Affinity Gaming in the Herbst Gaming bankruptcy resolution last year. They subsequently sold the Pahrump establishment to Golden Gaming a few months ago.

In that transaction, Golden Gaming also acquired Terrible's Lakeside Casino and R.V. Park, a slots-only facility about six miles down the road. Blake Sartini's Golding Gaming has already been discussed in this thread in connection with their ownership of the Pahrump Nugget, which is just across the side street from Terrible's Town Casino.

In all of this shuffle of ownerships following the bankruptcy of Herbst Gaming, some of the operations have moved back into the hands of the Herbst family, at least their little slot casino in Spotlight and maybe some/all of the slot route they serviced previously.

The chip shown below is another blue RHC Paulson chip, this time with four edge inserts, two black and two white. Yes, DJTB, the edge inserts look as if they were painted on, but I don't believe that is the case.

The center inlay has a graded tone from white to dark gray, and the Bad Guy's blazing guns are more evident than in yesterday's chip. The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 1998. I'm not really sure about that date, since the catalog shows no earlier $1 chips, and the design of this chip is essentially identical to the $5 and $25 chips that are listed as having been issued in 1996 when the casino opened. I suppose they could have used $1 slot tokens on the tables for the first two years, and the catalog does show 1996 tokens.

Once again, UV light reveals the hidden Paulson hat and cane logo in the center.

Doc, have you been to Terrible's Rail City, or did you post that under the "R's" and I am just to lazy to go back and look?

Quote: teddys

Doc, have you been to Terrible's Rail City...?

No, I have never been there. I have only made one visit (October 2011) to the Reno/Sparks/Tahoe area, and there are a fair number of casinos in the area that I didn't make it to on that trip. I hope to get back there some day to visit them, but that is not likely to happen before I finish posting all of the chips I have in my collection now.

I will leave that casino and its chips to be covered as this thread works its way through someone else's collection. There are lots of places I still don't have chips from, and I think it is better to let someone else take the lead on those.

Terrible's Rail City is now just known as Rail City Casino. I took a look at their web site and really liked the FAQ page:

Quote: Rail City Casino web site

Question: Can I apply for casino credit prior to my arrival?
Answer: We do not offer casino credit.

Question: Does Rail City provide transportation to and from the airport?
Answer: Taxis are available 24 hours a day.

Question: Do you have a hotel?
Answer: Our sister property the Sands Regency has over 800 rooms and is located just 10 minutes away.

That all sounded just a bit like, "Go away and quit whining."

Lol, Rail City literally is the bottom of the barrell as far as Reno casinos..haha, I ate at the "buffet" for $5.55 once...hell, id think a soup kitchen would give better food!

State: Nevada
City: North Las Vegas
Casino: Texas Gambling Hall

There are several scenarios under which casinos of different names may have occupied the same site. Let's consider a few of them, with examples represented by chips posted in this thread.

#1. A casino where I never played is demolished, and a new casino is built in its place, giving me a chance to collect a souvenir chip from the new establishment to post here. There are likely a large number of examples of this, but two of them are the Dunes being torn down and replaced by the Bellagio and the Desert Inn being torn down and replaced by the Wynn and Encore. (I just started going to Vegas too late to see some of those classics.)

#2. A casino where I did play and collected a souvenir chip is torn down and replaced by a new casino, and I go back and get a chip from the new place, too. In that case, I would post both chips in the thread. An example is Nevada Palace being torn down and replaced by Eastside Cannery.

#3. A casino where I did not play is sold, and the new owner changes its name. An example would be the Regent Casino at the JW Marriot, which was purchased by Hotspur Resorts and renamed the Rampart. In such cases, of course, I can only post the newer chip.

#4. A casino where I did play and collect a chip is sold, and the new owner changes its name. If I can get back to collect the new chip, I post them both in this thread. Examples include Barbary Coast and Bill's Gamblin' Hall, South Coast and South Point, and Fitzgerald's and the D (the last of which I will post once I have obtained that chip).

#5. A casino where I have played changes its name without being sold, so it is possible for me to post two chips with different names on them but from really the same establishment and same ownership. I posted an Arizona Charlie's East chip I got several years ago and noted that references to the place on the web called it Arizona Charlie's Boulder. The Wizard posted that he believed the name was changed at some point, and teddys posted a chip that had the new name. I got one of those chips as my own souvenir when I visited for WoVCon][, and I will post it when I do my catch-up at the end of the Nevada alphabetical sequence. There is a little story to go along with that chip, and I will tell it when I make that post.

I suppose that a casino owner could have changed the name of his place (without there being a sale) before I got there, but I can't immediately come up with an example.

Today, however, I have an even more odd-ball case:

#6. A casino where I have never played has its name changed, with or without being sold, but they keep using the same old chips! I collect one of the chips with the old name, never having played in a casino with that name. Then, perhaps, the casino gets some new chips with the new name, and I have a chance to go back to the casino (where I have already played) and get a chip with a new name on it.

Now that could have happened with Arizona Charlie's East/Boulder, since I don't know when the name really changed, and that is definitely the case with today's Casino Chip of the Day. To further complicate the issue, I seem to have conflicting information from different sources.

The MOGH catalog says that the Texas Gambling Hall opened in 1995 and closed in 1996, becoming the Texas Station (Gambling Hall). The Wikipedia page for Texas Station has a history section that says (typo and all), "The casino was built designed and built (sic) by Marnell Corrao Associates for Station Casinos and opened on July 12, 1995…", with no mention of it ever having operated under a different name (i.e., without the "Station").

Well, I wasn't in North Las Vegas until well after 1995-96, but the $1 chips they were using when I visited Texas Station in 2006 just say "Texas Gambling Hall and Hotel." I discussed this situation earlier in this thread and subsequently decided that I will treat "Texas Gambling Hall" and "Texas Station Gambling Hall" as separate casinos, just as the MOGH catalog does. Yes, that does present one more blemish on my intended strategy of collecting chips only from casinos where I have played.

I am posting my Texas Gambling Hall chip below, and I invite others who have such chips that do not say "Station" in the name to post them at this time. The MOGH catalog shows $5, $25, and $100 chips of that type, plus some commemorative chips and tokens.

Complicating things a bit further, a $5 token shown in the MOGH catalog as being issued in 1995 just says Texas Gambling Hall and Hotel. Another $5 token shown as being issued in 1996 says on both sides that the establishment's name is Texas Gambling Hall and Hotel, but on one side it has the Station Casinos Inc. logo.

You are, of course, welcome to post comments on whether you think I handled this topic in the best way. And if you have any info about what really happened with the name change, please let us all know.

The chip shown below is a white Bud Jones chip with lots of purple: four edge inserts, eight dashes on each of the faces, and eight diamonds on the chip edge, roughly but not precisely aligned with the dashes on the face. As I discussed with DJTeddyBear recently, I have no idea which of these purple marks go all the way through this chip, but it seems clear that the diamonds that are only visible on the edges do not. I cannot tell whether there is a continuous trail of pigment connecting the edge diamonds to the face dashes. I'll let folks with a greater degree of curiosity cut their own chips open.

The appropriate follow-up to this would be to post a Texas Station Gambling Hall chip tomorrow and invite others to do likewise. Unfortunately, I do not (yet) have such a chip, though I plan to get one when I visit Las Vegas next week. I will post it when I get to the end of the alphabet and do my Nevada catch-ups in the first half of September. Let's all hold off on Texas Station chips until then.

Quote: Doc

Today, however, I have an even more odd-ball case:

I was wondering where you were going with that review.

As I was reading #6, I was thinking about casinos that change names, but continue to use the old chips while all the regulatory red tape is handled, and the new chip are manufactured. Clearly, that's not the case here.

You'd think that the regulations would require the casino to switch to their own branded chips in a timely manner.

Quote: Doc

The chip shown below is a white Bud Jones chip with lots of purple: four edge inserts, eight dashes on each of the faces, and eight diamonds on the chip edge, roughly but not precisely aligned with the dashes on the face. As I discussed with DJTeddyBear recently, I have no idea which of these purple marks go all the way through this chip, but it seems clear that the diamonds that are only visible on the edges do not. I cannot tell whether there is a continuous trail of pigment connecting the edge diamonds to the face dashes. I'll let folks with a greater degree of curiosity cut their own chips open.

I don't recall having that discussion, but whatever.

These style of chips, I.E. Two color chip with inserts / paterns that do not extend to the edge, clearly do not use inserts in the traditional manner.

I.E. Although I think some of the clay cut-outs and insert looking chips are actually painted on, these are different. For one thing, the chips feel different. For another, the "cuts" are too exact. A similar example was the chip we saw last week from the Stardust, with the suits and dice patterns.

Here's the deal: These are plastic (actually Bakelite) chips, made in two individual colors using injection mold processes. This first color has all the spots and little details that seem like inserts, plus a central core holding it all together. These are then inserted into a different / plain mold to get the second color added and filled in.

Whether the inlay is added and fused during the second molding process, or glued on afterwards, is unknown to me. Probably fused. (Did you know that the paper label on a vinyl phonograph record is placed into the mold before the hot vinyl is added? It simply fuses to the material during the pressing process and uses no glue.)

There is an example of this style of chip, along with a mid-production central core, shown on page 31 of the Chipology document that is linked under the chip index of the original post.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

There is an example of this style of chip, along with a mid-production central core, shown on page 31 of the Chipology document that is linked under the chip index of the original post.

Thanks a bunch, Teddy. Somehow I had missed that illustration. That make it a lot clearer.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

You'd think that the regulations would require the casino to switch to their own branded chips in a timely manner.

While I have no idea what happened in 1995-96 with regard to names, licenses, etc., I think the regulations might not have been the big factor. The current NGCB license list only shows what the situation has been at Texas Station since a re-organization in 2011. That document refers to the license holder as NP Texas LLC dba Texas Station Gambling Hall and Hotel. It seems plausible to me that back in 1996, the license could have stayed with the same corporation but with the dba changing from Texas Gambling Hall to Texas Station Gambling Hall. Then, the regulators might not care a bit whether the chips say "Station" or not. But I don't really know how the NGCB makes decisions.

Quote: Doc

#6. A casino where I have never played has its name changed, with or without being sold, but they keep using the same old chips!

"Union Plaza" -- "The Plaza" -- "Jackie Gauhgan's Plaza" -- "Plaza", as well as the "Las Vegas Club" -- "Vegas Club" -- "LVC" switches could be examples. I think it may have to do with the lag time required to expire old designs since casinos are required to advertise an "expiration" date for old designs to allow folks holding them a chance to redeem them. However, could it be the case that the "Gaming License Holder" and the "Building Owner/Namer" are not the same? If the holder of the gaming license doesn't change their operation, but the name of the building changes, do they have to get new cheques?

Quote: Ayecarumba

If the holder of the gaming license doesn't change their operation, but the name of the building changes, do they have to get new cheques?

Using one of your examples: I kept checking back to see whether "Vegas Club" ever got $1 chips with that name on them, but I never found any. Then, I think, they changed the name back to Las Vegas Club. I wasn't aware of the name officially being LVC; are there chips that say that? Their web site has "LVC" in big letters with "Las Vegas Club" right below, so I don't know for sure what the name really is. The "Table Games" section of their web site shows a photo of a stack of $5 chips from the Plaza, for what that's worth.

Quote: Doc

The "Table Games" section of their web site shows a photo of a stack of $5 chips from the Plaza, for what that's worth.

Yeah, the LVC Table Games page photo includes Plaza chips.
But what's even weirder is the Plaza Table Games page photo uses prop / home game chips!

On a side note, both list the same restaurants on their restaurant page. There's probably other duplication as well....

Quote: Doc

Using one of your examples: I kept checking back to see whether "Vegas Club" ever got $1 chips with that name on them, but I never found any. Then, I think, they changed the name back to Las Vegas Club. I wasn't aware of the name officially being LVC; are there chips that say that? Their web site has "LVC" in big letters with "Las Vegas Club" right below, so I don't know for sure what the name really is. The "Table Games" section of their web site shows a photo of a stack of $5 chips from the Plaza, for what that's worth.

I don't think "LVC" was an official name, but so much of their signage had the logo on it, you'd think it would be an easy transition. On the other hand, I think a lot of patrons there have no idea of the name, and don't really care much.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Treasure Island

Well, something has very suddenly gone wrong with my computer this morning. It cannot find my home wifi network, even though my cell phone works just fine on that network. I have tried all of the usual restart/reset "solutions" without success.

This problem arose while I was doing my "research" for today's Casino Chip of the Day post and presents a substantial stumbling block for me – my phone is a terrible device with which to try to generate such a post. I have tried moving my draft post to another computer, and I'm working from there now in order to get this out. I will try to get the issues resolved soon. Here goes….

Steve Wynn is credited with making a milestone advancement in Las Vegas casino design when he opened the Mirage in 1989. A tower addition that was planned for the Mirage turned into a casino hotel in its own right and was named Treasure Island. The new place opened in 1993 during the family-friendly era of Las Vegas, and the pirate theme was definitely aimed at the kids. Later, the theme was adjusted more for the adults, and the name "TI" or "ti" became as common as the full Treasure Island.

Of course, Mirage and Treasure Island became part of MGM Mirage, then a few years ago (2009, I think) Treasure Island was sold to Phil Rufkin (Edit: "Ruffin"), former owner of the New Frontier.

In my opinion, the worst part of the adultification was the revision to the show out front: the Buccaneer Bay pirate show was much, much better than its replacement "Sirens of TI", even for adults.

Treasure Island also offers one of the Cirque du Soleil shows, Mystere. Until I just read it on the web (shortly before my computer/network failure), I did not realize that this was the initial fixed-venue Cirque show in Las Vegas. My misunderstanding may have been due to the fact that I saw other shows before seeing Mystere.

The chip shown below is dark blue with two white edge inserts. The full "Treasure Island" name and the city are molded into the perimeter ring, while the center inlay uses the "ti" abbreviation. The MOGH catalog says this chip was issued in 2003 and that a very similar chip with a tiny hat and cane logo on the center inlay was issued in 2010. For my chip, the Paulson logo is hidden and is revealed by UV light.

Quote: Doc

In my opinion, the worst part of the adultification was the revision to the show out front: the Buccaneer Bay pirate show was much, much better than its replacement "Sirens of TI", even for adults.

Treasure Island also offers one of the Cirque du Soleil shows, Mystere. Until I just read it on the web (shortly before my computer/network failure), I did not realize that this was the initial fixed-venue Cirque show in Las Vegas. My misunderstanding may have been due to the fact that I saw other shows before seeing Mystere.

I agree that the "swashbucklers" were much better than the "sirens". The captain going down with ship... then coming back up to reset, was my favorite part.

I did not know that Mystere was the first Cirque show with a permanent home. I always thought "O" was the first. Thanks Doc, for taking care of my, "learn at least one new thing each day" requirement.

My Treasure Island chip is different, version one according to my price guide. I only have a pic of one side, the other has a parrot with a pirate hat.



I snagged my chip not too long after the place opened. My group went to Vegas for another Super Bowl weekend and I ordered tickets the day they went on sale (which used to be 90 days prior to show date, not sure if that rule remains), so we had first and second row seats. If you have seen the show, I volunteered to toss the ball back to the "baby", then proceeded to get squirted. Fun to be part of the show!

Not sure if this was a typing mistake or not- it's Phil Ruffin, not Rufkin. Love your thread Doc, keep it up!

I have the same chip Doc has. I only have one of them, but this seems like a good candidate for the edge paint test we discussed the other day...

Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/ti.JPG

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I've never seen either show. I WAS there one time, waiting for it to start, when there was an announcement that it was cancelled due to high winds.

As my wife and I walking into the casino, I remarked, "I wonder if it's really too windy, or they just want us to hit the tables sooner...."

I have no idea which show they were doing at the time, but I have a feeling it was the original. It was around 2005.

Quote: Elrohir44

Not sure if this was a typing mistake or not- it's Phil Ruffin, not Rufkin. Love your thread Doc, keep it up!

Thanks for both the correction and the vote of support. "Rufkin" was definitely a typing mistake, but I probably can't blame in on a typical typo -- just a "braino" while typing. I just misremembered the name, and my wifi problems kept me from looking it up.

I'm still having those problems and have run an ethernet wire from the router to the computer as a temporary fix. I just get intermittent success with a wireless connection, and it's a real pain to diagnose an intermittent issue.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I always thought "O" was the first.

I also saw "O" first and had the false impression until today that it was an earlier Cirque show. Mystere opened in 1993 and "O" in 1995, according to Wikipedia.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I have no idea which show they were doing at the time, but I have a feeling it was the original. It was around 2005.

I assume that this comment is about the pirate/siren show and not Cirque. Wikipedia (why do I keep looking there?) says that the revision to that show was made in 2003. I thought it was later, but my first three trips to Las Vegas were all in 2003, so I may have seen the earlier version several times and just have another false impression that I saw it over a longer period of time.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Tropicana

Yes, today we have a Casino Chip of the Day from another of the dwindling number of Las Vegas Strip casinos that have a major avenue named for them. The Tropicana opened in 1957 after two years of planning and construction. As with many of the early casinos in Las Vegas, the Tropicana had a history of involvement with organized crime – perhaps it is appropriate that they long had an exhibit of Vegas history that focused on mob ties, even before other larger such exhibits were developed.

The Tropicana was the hotel I used on my first visit to Las Vegas in 2003. I was working on a project with several other engineers, and we were scheduled to spend a week working at the Marine Corps logistics center outside Barstow followed by a week at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma. At the end of the first week, my associates declared that there was no way we were going to spend our intervening weekend in either Barstow or Yuma, and Las Vegas seemed to be an attractive alternative. They said we needed to spend that Friday and Saturday night on the Strip, even though we were restricted to the lodging per diem for government contracts, which limited our choices. One of the old rooms at the Tropicana fit the bill.

I found that I liked Las Vegas, and over the next couple of years I took my wife on several visits there, staying at the familiar Tropicana each time, usually in the Island Tower. We began to notice a deterioration in both the facility and the service level, so we changed to a different preferred hotel and have never stayed at the Tropicana again. We have been back to visit and play a little several times in the last two or three years and have noticed a remarkable improvement in the areas we have seen.

Ownership of the Tropicana changed several times over the decades, and Wikipedia gives a rundown that I can neither guarantee nor contest. The most recent changes came out of the mis-management and bankruptcy of Columbia Sussex in 2008.

The NGCB license list describes the current ownership of the Tropicana Las Vegas in a manner that seems overly complex and confusing to me, perhaps because the ownership really is that complex. As best I read it, the place is owned by some combination of Onex Corporation (or a bunch of companies that Onex owns) and a variety of companies that are substantially owned and run by Alejandro (Alex) Yemenidjian, former president of the MGM Grand. I think that he has been primarily responsible for leading the improvements over the past several years. A large-scale plan for development of the place was announced in 2009, and there has been some progress, but I don't know that the whole job will ever be done.

Unfortunately, the long-running Folies Bergere and the very good afternoon magic shows in the Tiffany Theater are gone with budget cuts, and Brad Garrett moved his comedy club over to MGM. I haven't checked out the Tropicana's entertainment offerings in quite a while.

The chip shown below is white with no edge inserts. It has the Tropicana name molded twice into the perimeter ring. The center inlay is a textured white with the denomination and the Tropicana Logo. A hidden Paulson hat and cane (rotated 90°) are revealed by UV light. According to the MOGH catalog, this chip was issued in 1992, and a very similar chip with a smooth (non-textured) center inlay was also used in the 1990s.

The diamond-shaped logo is widely used at the property and appears to be a derivative of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, but the Tropicana in Atlantic City uses a similar logo.

Despite the recent remodel, the Tropicana doesn't have alot going for it. I suspect the Mandalay Bay tram that runs on the other side of the Strip keeps alot of the traffic at Excalibur (if people stop there at all). You have to want to go there since it is on the end of the east side of the Strip. I think once folks get to MGM, they have had enough walking, and don't bother.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Despite the recent remodel, the Tropicana doesn't have alot going for it. I suspect the Mandalay Bay tram that runs on the other side of the Strip keeps alot of the traffic at Excalibur (if people stop there at all). You have to want to go there since it is on the end of the east side of the Strip. I think once folks get to MGM, they have had enough walking, and don't bother.

I respectfully disagree with that comment about Tropicana. The remodel has done A LOT to bring players back. They are also partnering up with some casino properties who don't have a Las Vegas presence (e.g. Isle of Capri casinos) to offer room discounts or free rooms. While the South Strip is not in nearly as bad of shape as the North Strip, its properties have aged quickly and seem a bit dated in the era of new Vegas. Tropicana has changed to reflect the new Vegas as a sleeker more elegant property and its location is still prime (near the airport, good intersection).

Columbia Sussex was only interested in the property for the perceived value of the land at the time of sale. I remember having a conversation with a friend who works at MGM who said that it was likely they would bulldoze the place and sell it to MGM for a huge amount... of course, that was before City Center.

If Tropicana continues to make improvements to get players to come out that way, I have no doubt they will be able to weather the storm and come out on top. There's a market for a casino like Tropicana; a nice casino with low(er) minimums, good comps and free hotel rooms, but not too big or garish. Riviera and Flamingo aren't nice, and all the other "nice" properties don't offer low rollers squat.

I agree that the remodel hasn't hurt, but the location.. in the shadow of the Green Giant, doesn't help.

I'm curious about the Trop's signs. They seem very understated. Are they restricted in what they can build and display since they are right next to a runway?

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Tropicana Express

The Ramada Express hotel and casino opened in Laughlin in 1988, exhibiting a train depot theme and offering an actual ¾-mile train ride around the property. The steam locomotive was modeled after an engine on the Virginia and Truckee railroad, and it pulled three open passenger cars along the narrow-gage track. Keeping with the theme, the swimming pool was even shaped like a locomotive.

In 2007, the hotel and casino changed its name to the Tropicana Express, when Columbia Sussex acquired Aztar Corporation. The establishment is included in the Wizard's article on Laughlin. There he laments the loss of both the train ride (which closed in 2010) and a patriotic show and exhibit honoring military veterans. Wikipedia states that earlier this year the train equipment was donated to the Las Vegas Railroad Society and is in storage awaiting construction of a new track in their park.

The Ramada/Tropicana is the only casino hotel in Laughlin that is not directly on the river, instead being situated on the opposite side of South Casino Drive, directly across from the Colorado Belle.

The MOGH catalog includes this image of a Tropicana room key with a "photo" of the hotel. I have no idea how they could get such a photo that makes it appear that the hotel is right on the water without completely generating it in Photoshop or something. The view of the building is about right if a photo were taken from the Edgewater parking lot, but if it were taken from across the river (as it appears), the Edgewater and the Colorado Belle should dominate the scene.

The Tropicana Express was caught in the same ownership mess as the other Tropicana properties, related to William Yung and the Columbia Sussex bankruptcy. In the resolution, the Tropicana Express was separated from the property in Las Vegas and in 2010 became part of Tropicana Entertainment Inc., under leadership of Carl Icahn.

The hotel and casino are now operating under the name Tropicana Laughlin, and Wikipedia claims that change took place in 2010, presumably when Tropicana Entertainment Inc. came into existence. I hadn't even noticed the change myself, and the Wizard's 2012 article refers to it as Tropicana Express. I checked, and their web site does use the name Tropicana Laughlin, and you can see that name on the room key image that I linked to above. The Google StreetView image still shows the building as being labeled Tropicana Express, so I'll try to remember to check that out when I visit Laughlin a week from now.

I have never stayed at the Tropicana Express, and I may have only played there on one occasion. I think my wife and I had lunch there and played a little bit, but that's about all. Like most visitors to Laughlin, I tend to keep close to the river for lodging, gaming, dining, and entertainment. I recall the Tropicana as being a reasonably nice place but not something sufficient to draw me all the way across the street. I guess that says something about either the place, the town, or me.

The chip shown below is a cream-colored RHC Paulson chip with either 12 edge inserts or 4 triple or tri-colored edge inserts, depending on your perspective. I would describe the edge insert colors as maroon and salmon/pink. The center inlay has the Tropicana logo, with that diamond shape that I have always thought was derivative of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, but I don't really know. My thinking is probably biased by the fact that the Las Vegas Tropicana was the first one I saw, and I saw its logo roughly the same time I started seeing images of the welcome sign.

UV light does not reveal any hidden images on this chip, but the salmon/pink edge inserts do fluoresce. The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued 7/28/07, the day the casino changed to the new name under Columbia Sussex ownership.

Please post your Tropicana Express chips, and also post any you may have from the Ramada Express casino in the same location. That edition closed before I got there. If you have one that says Tropicana Laughlin, or if you have seen one, or if you have even heard from a reliable source that they exist, please let me know ASAP, and I will try to pick one up as I pass through Laughlin in about a week. Then all of us that have them can post that variety of Tropicana chip.

The Tropicana will always have a special place in my heart. It is where my family used to stay (when it was the Ramada Express) for our weekend trips to go boating on Lake Mojave. It was the first Nevada casino I ever gambled in a few months after I turned 21 in 2006. Unfortunately the concept of collecting casino chips wasn't even on my radar at the time. I was less than one-year married and we were pretty poor. My wife agreed to let me buy in for $10 on a $5 BJ table, but I could only lose $5 LOL. I ended up losing both my bets anyway, resulting in "the look". It was the first place where I won over $200. In 2007 I had hit the Lucky Ladies side bet for $200. It was one of the most exciting things that had ever happened at that time. I hit it again a few months later for $400. It was also the first place to ever offer me free rooms. That is surprising because I didn't play slots and rarely bet more than $5. It is also the place where I learned to play craps.

I have a lot of memories in that place. Up until recently my wife and I would stay there every other month or so. The place started going downhill in 2010 when they shut down their poker room, which was my favorite thing to do there. Their 2007 room renovation is showing its age already. In the summer of 2011 I arrived to discover that nearly all of their BJ tables have been converted to either carnival games or 6-5 crapjack. They removed their 100%+ VP and lowered the pay tables on the rest of the quarter VP. Several of their shops have been closed due to the economy as well. The removal of the train and a few other things have also removed a lot of the character that I loved about the place. It is really sad to see what has become of my once favorite casino. It's a shame because they have always had fun dealers and other staff and played pretty good music. Nowadays we stay at the Aquarius and I usually walk all the way to Colorado Belle to play poker. I rarely set foot in the Tropicana anymore.

The chip in my collection is identical to Doc's.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Tuscany

Let's see ... Sunday of last week I got no replies at all to my chip posting and this Sunday (yesterday) I got a grand total of 1. Does that indicate improvement or suggest that I should take the weekends off? Well, I can take it further than that:

This is the last Casino Chip of the Day that I will post before I head out of town again tomorrow morning. I anticipate getting home on September 7th and will post the next chip in the sequence on Saturday September 8th -- yes, another weekend posting. I anticipate adding two metro Las Vegas chips, two California chips, and one Arizona chip to my collection on this trip. If it turns out that there are "Tropicana Laughlin" chips, as I asked about yesterday, I'll get one of those, too.

Tuscany is a combination of all-suite hotel and casino located on the south side of East Flaming Road, between Koval Lane and Paradise Road. The hotel opened in December 2002, with the casino opening the following month. As was discussed in connection with the posting of the Ellis Island chip in this thread months ago, there were tentative plans (tentative to the point of a signed agreement) for the Ellis Island casino to acquire the struggling Tuscany property in 2004. The subsequent lawsuit ended with Ellis Island holding the license and managing the Tuscany casino.

The Tuscany chip shown below is a white Bud Jones chip with a clear "BJ" logo on the center inlay. It has either six blue edge inserts or three "split" inserts," which is the way they are described in the MOGH catalog, plus six blue dashes on each face and six on the edge of the chip. Since we have now learned that these injection molded chips don't really have notches cut into the edges and contrasting clay "inserted," I'm not really sure about the appropriateness of the term "edge insert." I think I'll stick with it, since they look a bunch like the other edge inserts, and I don't have a better term.

The center inlay is attractive, with a graded tone that goes between the white and blue hues of the base chip. The name of the casino, the city, and the script T of the logo are in burgundy, with a gold image in the logo that I interpret as a road with evergreen border trees. Is that supposed to represent something about the Tuscany region of Italy? I've never been there (though I'll get to spend one day there this fall), so I don't know what it's like.

The MOGH catalog indicates that this chip was issued in 2003 when the casino opened and doesn't show any chips issued by the Tuscany subsequently.

So close, but have never beed there (despite having walked to Ellis Island). Never been to Westin either.



Yeah, weekends get less activity. Feel free to take them off. You wont get fired...

I don't have a better term to describe the inserts even though the other second color "elements" make it obvious that this - now that we know about it - is a double injection mold job.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Yeah, weekends get less activity. Feel free to take them off. You wont get fired...

I'm still trying to stick to the agenda that I stated in post #1 of this thread:

Quote: Doc

The concept is that on roughly a daily basis when I am not in travel status, I will post a photo of one of the $1 casino chips in my collection, along with some comment about the chip and/or the casino and/or some extraneous issue that the chip brings to my mind.

I just try to be in travel status as much as possible, since all of my travel is done for fun. Perhaps as the "work" week resumes, there will be responses to the weekend posts as well as to the Monday morning chip.

Quote: Doc

Perhaps as the "work" week resumes, there will be responses to the weekend posts as well as to the Monday morning chip.

Oops. Yeah, I guess I should say something.

Never been to either Tropicana.

The only "input" i can provide is that the Laughlin map that I made for the Wizard's article uses the current Tropicana Laughlin logo.

I do not recall where I got the logo, but whatever source it was, was fairly current.

Quote: Doc

I'm still trying to stick to the agenda that I stated in post #1 of this thread:


I just try to be in travel status as much as possible, since all of my travel is done for fun. Perhaps as the "work" week resumes, there will be responses to the weekend posts as well as to the Monday morning chip.

Hi Doc I just thought I would post to let you know I am still actively following and enjoying the work you put into this thread. JB probably has the means to track the stats but it seems to me the whole forum has been a little quieter in August. I have just put it down to summer activities.

Quote: kenarman

...it seems to me the whole forum has been a little quieter in August. I have just put it down to summer activities.

Or suspensions due to the weigh in thread.... hehe

I also enjoy this thread very much Doc, and appreciate how much work you put in for our benefit. Have a great trip!

Quote: Doc

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Tropicana

I have fond memories of the Trop, it's where I learned to play craps. I try to stop in at least for a few rolls now on every trip to Vegas.

Quote: AcesAndEights

I have fond memories of the Trop, it's where I learned to play craps.

It is also where I learned to play craps. My only previous experience was on a cruise ship, where I played a few dollars on hardway bets because I saw the "10 for 1" label and had such little experience that I interpreted it as "10 to 1" -- hey, they pay that bet full!

When I first visited Las Vegas with my work colleagues in 2003 and we stayed at the Trop, one of them introduced me to the game at a $5 table. I played a while then went to bed. I got a call from him about 6:00 a.m., and he said he had been playing all night. He was up $600 or $700 and had earned some free tickets for our group to go to the Rick Thomas magic show that afternoon and Folies Bergere that night. But he needed to get some sleep and didn't want to be disturbed until noon. We played some more that night, and by then craps was well on its way to being my favorite casino game.

While Doc's away, how about an informal poll: Which chip design presented so far is your favorite?

You're kidding, right?

There were 137 casinos presented so far. Many of those had multiple chips shown. Some $1, Some $5. A couple other denominations mixed in. And both standard and commemorative / souvenir varieties.

And you expect us to remember them all enough to pick one?

I mean, you're kidding, right?

Yes, I'm "away", but sometimes I might peek in. Right now, my wife and I are at Le Burger Brasserie in Bally's/Paris having dinner.

As for the informal poll, I don't think I have a favorite myself, but as of today I do have chip from the D.

deleted

Sorry, but I don't know. They are doing a big remodel on the entrance, but I didn't really look around inside enough to see anything but the crap table. If Nick ever reads this thread, perhaps he can give a progress report.

My favorite chip is the $100 chip my wife found in the ladies room.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

You're kidding, right?

There were 137 casinos presented so far. Many of those had multiple chips shown. Some $1, Some $5. A couple other denominations mixed in. And both standard and commemorative / souvenir varieties.

And you expect us to remember them all enough to pick one?

I mean, you're kidding, right?

Hehe, no joking. Check the first page for the rundown and quick links. Chances are, if you don't recall the joint it wasn't your favorite. Of course this was also a quote from Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

Quote: Doc

As for the informal poll, I don't think I have a favorite myself, but as of today I do have chip from the D.

When did they get in their D-branded chips? When I went there on 8/15, I was told they still only had Fitz-branded chips.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

When did they get in their D-branded chips? When I went there on 8/15, I was told they still only had Fitz-branded chips.

Hmmm... I'm not really sure how to answer that. Not only does my info conflict with yours, but if I tell all I know and how I found out, I might be accused of breaking a sacrosanct rule of the forum. I suppuse that if I am suspended, I could serve my time while traveling and away from my computer. Posting from this phone is a pain anyway.

Let's leave it at this: a well-informed little birdie told me that they made the changeover during the swing shift that spanned August 14 -15. So just how early on the 15th were you there?

Quote: Doc

Let's leave it at this: a well-informed little birdie told me that they made the changeover during the swing shift that spanned August 14 -15. So just how early on the 15th were you there?

My mistake - I was there on Tuesday the 14th, at around 9 AM.

Quote: Doc

Hmmm... I'm not really sure how to answer that. Not only does my info conflict with yours, but if I tell all I know and how I found out, I might be accused of breaking a sacrosanct rule of the forum. I suppuse that if I am suspended, I could serve my time while traveling and away from my computer. Posting from this phone is a pain anyway.

Let's leave it at this: a well-informed little birdie told me that they made the changeover during the swing shift that spanned August 14 -15. So just how early on the 15th were you there?

I would have liked to see the switch-out. I wonder if it happens simultaneously at multiple tables, or is there a crew working their way around the pit? Also, what about the cheques the players have in their stacks? Do they swap them like a color out, right then and there?