Casino Chip of the Day
September 13th, 2012 at 11:00:58 AM
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When I did my review of the Revel, I commented that I couldn't find a property map online. But I figured that it was new, things take time, etc. I got responses that no casino has online property maps. I then double checked. I checked a variety of properties in AC, PA & CT. I could not find one casino that didn't have the property map. Then I went to Vegas. All Caesars properties did have them, but very few of the other properties had a map. Very strange.Quote: DocI don't know why it has taken so long for me to think of this, but perhaps when I have been describing casinos associated with all of these chips, it would have been useful to include links where people could download a map of the property layout. It might make it easier to describe some things, such as the fact that the Wynn Theater is located in between the Encore Theater and the Encore casino. Seems an odd configuration to me. Such a map might have also been useful in discussing the Wizard's recent suggestion that the Wynn has the best parking garage in Las Vegas. I guess that linking to a property map is probably more appropriate for a full review article and not just my random critiques, plus I don't know how many casino layout maps I could find on line.
I tend to think of it as floral in nature, although I can see the ship, now that you mention it.Quote: Doc...the white center inlay has a matching blue logo that I think might be a highly-stylized "W." Or not. It also looks a bit like a ship's hull or a wine goblet. Whatever.
Yeah, kinda. I think your sample leans more towards the insert theory. However, my own chip is a prime candidate for the chip cut test we mentioned a while back.Quote: DocThe chip shown below is dark blue with four white edge inserts that have that appearance DJTB says makes them look as if they are painted on.
Admin note: removed link to www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_large/wynn.JPGAdmin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/chips_thumb/wynn.JPG
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 13th, 2012 at 11:13:54 AM
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I just wanted to add that I have an iphone app that I love called Vegas Casino Maps. I think it was $1, and it has all strip casinos (other than casino royale), with pretty accurate interior maps...
September 13th, 2012 at 11:49:19 AM
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One other comment about the WynnCore... Do other's think the WynnCore Craps tables are set higher off the floor than other joints, or is it just me?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 13th, 2012 at 11:57:52 AM
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Quote: dlevinelawI have an iphone app that I love called Vegas Casino Maps. I think it was $1, and it has all strip casinos (other than casino royale), with pretty accurate interior maps...
Just spent my $0.99 for the Android version. Thanks for the tip. Even if the maps aren't perfect, it won't be the first $1 I have thrown away on Las Vegas!
September 13th, 2012 at 7:20:23 PM
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I think the logo is a stylized sailing ship from ancient Greek times. You can see the oars coming out of each side and the single lines on each side appear to be representing a wavy water surface.
Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
September 14th, 2012 at 6:30:38 AM
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State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Avi
If you think that Don Laughlin created his casino town "near the southern tip of Nevada", as described in the Wizard's article, then "near" is just a subjective term. If you really get close to that southern tip, you find the Pipa Aha Macav Resort Casino, more commonly known as Avi, just a mile from that point in the middle of the Colorado River where Nevada, Arizona, and California all come together.
I'm not sure, but all of that extreme south Nevada territory may be part of the Fort Mohave reservation. Tribal lands extend into both Arizona and California. In any case, I begin the fill-in of gaps in my Nevada chip list with the Avi casino. I omitted this one back in the beginning of this thread because at that time I was grouping all tribal casinos together rather than with the states surrounding the reservations.
Courtesy of the tribal casino web site, I am able to provide a little language lesson: "Pipa Aha Macav" means "The People by the River," and the Mohave tribe is part of these people. It seems that they were able to maintain total focus when giving the simpler name to their resort and casino: "Avi" means "money."
The Avi Resort and Casino opened in February 1995 and is the only tribal casino in Nevada. Because of the games allowed in Nevada's non-tribal casinos, Avi is allowed to offer craps and roulette – games not always seen in the tribal establishments. I have only visited Avi one time, in January 2010, though I drove very close to it again a week or so ago. I did indeed play craps there, breaking even according to my records.
The Mohave tribe also operates the Sprit Mountain casino eight miles away in Arizona (slots only) and has a proposed, off-reservation casino planned near Needles, California.
In comparison to the tribal casinos I have visited in California, I found Avi much nicer than some, such as the Red Earth casino where they even removed the table games some time after my visit or the Cahuilla casino where they removed theirs shortly before I arrived. (Snagglefritz!) On the other hand, I don't think Avi reaches the level of San Manuel or a few others that I liked in California.
The chip shown below is a white Bourgogne et Grasset (B&G) chip with 24 black edge "inserts". I use the quotation marks there because the B&G chips are plastic injection molded. The yellow, red, and black center inlays are similar on the two sides, with one including the BG logo and a coup stick. The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 2006.
City: Laughlin
Casino: Avi
If you think that Don Laughlin created his casino town "near the southern tip of Nevada", as described in the Wizard's article, then "near" is just a subjective term. If you really get close to that southern tip, you find the Pipa Aha Macav Resort Casino, more commonly known as Avi, just a mile from that point in the middle of the Colorado River where Nevada, Arizona, and California all come together.
I'm not sure, but all of that extreme south Nevada territory may be part of the Fort Mohave reservation. Tribal lands extend into both Arizona and California. In any case, I begin the fill-in of gaps in my Nevada chip list with the Avi casino. I omitted this one back in the beginning of this thread because at that time I was grouping all tribal casinos together rather than with the states surrounding the reservations.
Courtesy of the tribal casino web site, I am able to provide a little language lesson: "Pipa Aha Macav" means "The People by the River," and the Mohave tribe is part of these people. It seems that they were able to maintain total focus when giving the simpler name to their resort and casino: "Avi" means "money."
The Avi Resort and Casino opened in February 1995 and is the only tribal casino in Nevada. Because of the games allowed in Nevada's non-tribal casinos, Avi is allowed to offer craps and roulette – games not always seen in the tribal establishments. I have only visited Avi one time, in January 2010, though I drove very close to it again a week or so ago. I did indeed play craps there, breaking even according to my records.
The Mohave tribe also operates the Sprit Mountain casino eight miles away in Arizona (slots only) and has a proposed, off-reservation casino planned near Needles, California.
In comparison to the tribal casinos I have visited in California, I found Avi much nicer than some, such as the Red Earth casino where they even removed the table games some time after my visit or the Cahuilla casino where they removed theirs shortly before I arrived. (Snagglefritz!) On the other hand, I don't think Avi reaches the level of San Manuel or a few others that I liked in California.
The chip shown below is a white Bourgogne et Grasset (B&G) chip with 24 black edge "inserts". I use the quotation marks there because the B&G chips are plastic injection molded. The yellow, red, and black center inlays are similar on the two sides, with one including the BG logo and a coup stick. The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 2006.
September 14th, 2012 at 7:04:52 AM
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I've been to a couple conferences at the Wynn. It's a fantastic venue for that. The food is top notch, the conference facility is surprisingly and refreshingly smoke free, it's even almost noise-free. The only problem, of course, is that either way you walk from the conference center leads into a world-class casino and there are oh-so-many breaks at the conference...
Avi is an interesting place. It's in the utter middle of nowhere, relying on highway traffic and spillover from Laughlin to attract guests. It's a big place for that strategy to work, but they seem to do OK at it. One big plus in my book are the self-serve Coke machines in the casino.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 14th, 2012 at 7:56:40 AM
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I think that $1.00 Avi chip is very attractive. I especially like the positioning/size of the Avi logo itself, it looks like a baseball team logo!
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 14th, 2012 at 11:59:31 AM
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Quote: DocCourtesy of the tribal casino web site, I am able to provide a little language lesson: "Pipa Aha Macav" means "The People by the River," and the Mohave tribe is part of these people. It seems that they were able to maintain total focus when giving the simpler name to their resort and casino: "Avi" means "money."
I was amused by the colorful "Coup Stick" image (if that is what is pictured, I am not certain) on the Avi $1 chip.
It is pronounced "Koo", with a French origin, meaning, "to strike" or "to fight".
As I understand it, in many Native American cultures, it was considered a very brave act to be able to touch your enemy on the chest (a "coup") and run away. The warrior could add a feather to his "Coup Stick" each time he was successful (a.k.a., "Counting Coup"). For the tribe to flaunt their "victories" over the gamblers who challenge them seems appropriate.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 14th, 2012 at 12:34:03 PM
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Despite it's simplicity, I think it's a very cool looking chip. Very vibrant colors.
Of course, I'd bet at least a dollar that the person who decided to put that on the chip merely thought that it looked good enough for the chip. It would not surprise me to learn that the person wasn't even indian. Or if he was either didn't know the meaning or failed to connect the dots the way you did.
Nice.Quote: AyecarumbaFor the tribe to flaunt their their "victories" over the gamblers who challenge them seems appropriate.
Of course, I'd bet at least a dollar that the person who decided to put that on the chip merely thought that it looked good enough for the chip. It would not surprise me to learn that the person wasn't even indian. Or if he was either didn't know the meaning or failed to connect the dots the way you did.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 15th, 2012 at 7:48:52 AM
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State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Arizona Charlie's Boulder
Well, it seems that once I broke with the alphabetical sequence in this thread, I forgot how to alphabetize. I suppose I could claim that I planned all along to fill in the blanks in the Nevada set in the order that I obtained the chips, not alphabetically … yeah, that's the ticket. I got the Avi chip in 2010, the Arizona Charlie's Boulder chip in May 2012, and tomorrow's Casino Chip of the Day in August 2012. Yeah, that works; that's what I intended all along…. Understand?
Of course, Arizona Charlie's Boulder is the exact same establishment as Arizona Charlie's East, the casino whose chip I posted way back the first week of this thread, with it now just operating under a different name. At the time I posted that "East" chip, I noted that references on the web and the signs visible on Google Maps Street View said "Boulder," and I asked whether there were chips that said "Boulder."
Sure enough, teddys, following up on his review of the casino, posted an image of a "Boulder" chip from another web site, and I naturally had to pick one up on my next visit to Las Vegas. That opportunity occurred last May, when Nareed, my wife, and I stopped at the East/Boulder casino on our way out to Fiesta Henderson for WoVCon][.1. I think it is interesting to note that all of the chips in play even then said "East", and I had to ask the cage cashier to search for a "Boulder" one. I don't think that rdw4potus has yet found a $5 one that says "Boulder."
The chip shown below is identical to the one teddys found on the web; it is a white RHC Paulson chip with two triangular edge inserts in purple and teal. The center inlay is almost identical to the inlay for the Arizona Charlie's Decatur chip, with the exceptions of very slight differences in color tones, the different street name, the additional note of an RV Park at the Boulder location, and the change from black to white text for the city.
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Arizona Charlie's Boulder
Well, it seems that once I broke with the alphabetical sequence in this thread, I forgot how to alphabetize. I suppose I could claim that I planned all along to fill in the blanks in the Nevada set in the order that I obtained the chips, not alphabetically … yeah, that's the ticket. I got the Avi chip in 2010, the Arizona Charlie's Boulder chip in May 2012, and tomorrow's Casino Chip of the Day in August 2012. Yeah, that works; that's what I intended all along…. Understand?
Of course, Arizona Charlie's Boulder is the exact same establishment as Arizona Charlie's East, the casino whose chip I posted way back the first week of this thread, with it now just operating under a different name. At the time I posted that "East" chip, I noted that references on the web and the signs visible on Google Maps Street View said "Boulder," and I asked whether there were chips that said "Boulder."
Sure enough, teddys, following up on his review of the casino, posted an image of a "Boulder" chip from another web site, and I naturally had to pick one up on my next visit to Las Vegas. That opportunity occurred last May, when Nareed, my wife, and I stopped at the East/Boulder casino on our way out to Fiesta Henderson for WoVCon][.1. I think it is interesting to note that all of the chips in play even then said "East", and I had to ask the cage cashier to search for a "Boulder" one. I don't think that rdw4potus has yet found a $5 one that says "Boulder."
The chip shown below is identical to the one teddys found on the web; it is a white RHC Paulson chip with two triangular edge inserts in purple and teal. The center inlay is almost identical to the inlay for the Arizona Charlie's Decatur chip, with the exceptions of very slight differences in color tones, the different street name, the additional note of an RV Park at the Boulder location, and the change from black to white text for the city.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:16:38 AM
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State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: D
As has become typical, once again it seems there is very limited interest in this thread on the weekend. Nevertheless, I will post the final (for now) Nevada chip in my collection. This makes 146 Nevada casinos presented thus far, with 136 represented by chips, 8 by tokens, and two by both a chip and a token presented together. Plus, of course, all those same casinos' numerous chips and tokens presented by other members who have so kindly contributed to this thread.
Tomorrow, I will begin presenting the few chips that I have from Arizona, but there are no states from which I have anywhere near so many chips as I do from Nevada. I think the second-place state has provided 33 chips so far. There are several states from which I currently have only a single chip, and quite a few that are completely unrepresented in my collection, even though they have active casinos. There is almost always time for more, I suppose.
Back last March, the new (as of last year) owners of Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel on Fremont Street in Las Vegas announced they were changing the casino's name to "the D." The new name was to allude simultaneously to (1) the majority owner, Derek Stevens, (2) the Downtown location, and (3) the Stevens brothers' hometown of Detroit. In connection with the name change, several renovations/modifications were planned and are underway.
New chips were not yet available for us to check out or collect during WoVCon][ in May, but I was able to pick one up on my following visit to Las Vegas in late August and early September. I played a little craps during the daytime, while the music volume was subdued, and actually came out a little ahead.
The D chip shown below is white and is made with the Sun mold from Blue Chip Company of North Las Vegas. The company was organized by some members of the Endy family after they sold Paul-son Co., or Paulson, and I first discussed it when I presented the CasaBlanca chip back in April. The D chip has four blue edge "inserts" that match portions of the center inlay. However, they don't really seem to be inserts – a view from the edge shows that they don't go all the way through the chip, though they do penetrate significantly from each surface. The Blue Chip product certainly appears to be a clay chip like the Paulson ones, but I don't know their manufacturing process, and the company doesn't seem to have a web site.
The inlay itself is substantially oversized and completely covers the eight sun (a bit like an asterisk) icons on the perimeter. Unlike the CasaBlanca chip, here there is no hidden sun image revealed by UV light -- no hidden image at all, in fact, although the edge inserts do fluoresce.
While I was in Las Vegas, they were doing renovations on the entrance to the D. I think the area above the door may wind up looking a bit like the background shadow Ds on the inlay of this chip. Perhaps someone local can let us know whether it really ends up looking like that.
City: Las Vegas
Casino: D
As has become typical, once again it seems there is very limited interest in this thread on the weekend. Nevertheless, I will post the final (for now) Nevada chip in my collection. This makes 146 Nevada casinos presented thus far, with 136 represented by chips, 8 by tokens, and two by both a chip and a token presented together. Plus, of course, all those same casinos' numerous chips and tokens presented by other members who have so kindly contributed to this thread.
Tomorrow, I will begin presenting the few chips that I have from Arizona, but there are no states from which I have anywhere near so many chips as I do from Nevada. I think the second-place state has provided 33 chips so far. There are several states from which I currently have only a single chip, and quite a few that are completely unrepresented in my collection, even though they have active casinos. There is almost always time for more, I suppose.
Back last March, the new (as of last year) owners of Fitzgeralds Casino and Hotel on Fremont Street in Las Vegas announced they were changing the casino's name to "the D." The new name was to allude simultaneously to (1) the majority owner, Derek Stevens, (2) the Downtown location, and (3) the Stevens brothers' hometown of Detroit. In connection with the name change, several renovations/modifications were planned and are underway.
New chips were not yet available for us to check out or collect during WoVCon][ in May, but I was able to pick one up on my following visit to Las Vegas in late August and early September. I played a little craps during the daytime, while the music volume was subdued, and actually came out a little ahead.
The D chip shown below is white and is made with the Sun mold from Blue Chip Company of North Las Vegas. The company was organized by some members of the Endy family after they sold Paul-son Co., or Paulson, and I first discussed it when I presented the CasaBlanca chip back in April. The D chip has four blue edge "inserts" that match portions of the center inlay. However, they don't really seem to be inserts – a view from the edge shows that they don't go all the way through the chip, though they do penetrate significantly from each surface. The Blue Chip product certainly appears to be a clay chip like the Paulson ones, but I don't know their manufacturing process, and the company doesn't seem to have a web site.
The inlay itself is substantially oversized and completely covers the eight sun (a bit like an asterisk) icons on the perimeter. Unlike the CasaBlanca chip, here there is no hidden sun image revealed by UV light -- no hidden image at all, in fact, although the edge inserts do fluoresce.
While I was in Las Vegas, they were doing renovations on the entrance to the D. I think the area above the door may wind up looking a bit like the background shadow Ds on the inlay of this chip. Perhaps someone local can let us know whether it really ends up looking like that.
September 16th, 2012 at 3:17:36 PM
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Back when you posted your chip from Fitzgeralds (page 72) I mentioned that I had spent many nights at the Fitz and, before that, the Sundance but I didn't post my Sundance chips for some reason then. Here they are, slightly blurry sorry.
September 16th, 2012 at 5:17:20 PM
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Thanks, Joyhnzimbo. Sundance chips work just fine as representing a predecessor establishment of either Fitzgeralds or the D.
September 17th, 2012 at 7:45:18 AM
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State: Arizona
City: Parker
Casino: BlueWater
Yep, we get to start Arizona off with a BJ – that is, a souvenir chip manufactured by the Bud Jones company, with the BJ logo clearly displayed on the center graphic. CasinoCity.com claims that there are 37 casinos in Arizona, but I haven't checked into how many of them have table games and chips. My collection is currently limited to just three of these casinos, and all three are located within just a very few miles of the Colorado River. Some day I will try to visit some of the others, but that interest hasn't yet worked its way high onto my priority list.
I am beginning to suspect that as I move this thread to different states, and particularly to tribal casinos, I may have difficulty finding good information. As an example, the references I can find on line for today's casino spell BlueWater as one word, with the W in upper case. In contrast, the chip itself shows Blue and Water on separate lines, so I am not completely certain which is correct. I will try to stick with the one-word version.
The BlueWater Resort and Casino is owned and operated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, an association of four separate tribes – Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo – which collaborate while maintaining unique identities. They share the Colorado River Indian Reservation, which spans the river into both Arizona and California, from just north of Parker, AZ to around Blythe, CA. (I'm not completely sure of the boundaries.) In spite of the general desert characteristic of that region, much of the reservation land is heavily developed agriculturally, making extensive use of the Colorado River waters. Principal crops are cotton, alfalfa and sorghum.
The resort opened in 1995 on the eastern shore of the river, or more properly on the southern shore of Moovalya Lake, which is formed by the Parker Dam. It is north of Parker and well north of the agricultural development. The resort has a lovely marina serving the lake, and I remember the entire facility as being pretty nice. It is just off Arizona 95, but I don't think you can quite see the building from that highway, just the entrance sign promoting the casino. There is a traffic signal there on AZ95, probably to make sure that drivers slow enough to risk being lured onto the dual-lane driveway over to the resort.
I visited BlueWater just once, in January 2010. Our small group of three had lunch there, and my notes say that I broke even at blackjack. My wife and I drove past the resort again just over two weeks ago, but we were hurrying to our destination and didn't take time to stop in again.
My readings on Wikipedia indicate that in the past half a decade or so the Colorado River Indian Tribes have also proposed a casino near Blythe, California and obtained at least some of the needed approvals, but the facility has not yet been implemented. I don't know whether the deferral is related to regulatory or economic issues.
The Bud Jones plastic injection molded chip shown below is white with purple dashes on two concentric rings, plus the denomination listed in four places. On the edge of the chip there are purple diamonds aligned with the denomination marks on the faces. The center graphic is quite colorful, with a sun backlighting the resort name and city. The MOGH catalog has no information on the issue date of this chip.
City: Parker
Casino: BlueWater
Yep, we get to start Arizona off with a BJ – that is, a souvenir chip manufactured by the Bud Jones company, with the BJ logo clearly displayed on the center graphic. CasinoCity.com claims that there are 37 casinos in Arizona, but I haven't checked into how many of them have table games and chips. My collection is currently limited to just three of these casinos, and all three are located within just a very few miles of the Colorado River. Some day I will try to visit some of the others, but that interest hasn't yet worked its way high onto my priority list.
I am beginning to suspect that as I move this thread to different states, and particularly to tribal casinos, I may have difficulty finding good information. As an example, the references I can find on line for today's casino spell BlueWater as one word, with the W in upper case. In contrast, the chip itself shows Blue and Water on separate lines, so I am not completely certain which is correct. I will try to stick with the one-word version.
The BlueWater Resort and Casino is owned and operated by the Colorado River Indian Tribes, an association of four separate tribes – Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo – which collaborate while maintaining unique identities. They share the Colorado River Indian Reservation, which spans the river into both Arizona and California, from just north of Parker, AZ to around Blythe, CA. (I'm not completely sure of the boundaries.) In spite of the general desert characteristic of that region, much of the reservation land is heavily developed agriculturally, making extensive use of the Colorado River waters. Principal crops are cotton, alfalfa and sorghum.
The resort opened in 1995 on the eastern shore of the river, or more properly on the southern shore of Moovalya Lake, which is formed by the Parker Dam. It is north of Parker and well north of the agricultural development. The resort has a lovely marina serving the lake, and I remember the entire facility as being pretty nice. It is just off Arizona 95, but I don't think you can quite see the building from that highway, just the entrance sign promoting the casino. There is a traffic signal there on AZ95, probably to make sure that drivers slow enough to risk being lured onto the dual-lane driveway over to the resort.
I visited BlueWater just once, in January 2010. Our small group of three had lunch there, and my notes say that I broke even at blackjack. My wife and I drove past the resort again just over two weeks ago, but we were hurrying to our destination and didn't take time to stop in again.
My readings on Wikipedia indicate that in the past half a decade or so the Colorado River Indian Tribes have also proposed a casino near Blythe, California and obtained at least some of the needed approvals, but the facility has not yet been implemented. I don't know whether the deferral is related to regulatory or economic issues.
The Bud Jones plastic injection molded chip shown below is white with purple dashes on two concentric rings, plus the denomination listed in four places. On the edge of the chip there are purple diamonds aligned with the denomination marks on the faces. The center graphic is quite colorful, with a sun backlighting the resort name and city. The MOGH catalog has no information on the issue date of this chip.
September 17th, 2012 at 8:18:48 AM
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Here's my BlueWater chip. I visited BlueWater just once. I was impressed by the quality of the resort. I expected it to be more along the lines of Havasu Landing (which I'd visited earlier that day), so I was very pleasantly surprised.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 17th, 2012 at 9:58:20 AM
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Did the Blue Water require a collection for each wager on table games? Do you recall the mix of slots vs. tables? If I recall correctly, there were no "real" craps tables in AZ, but did they have "bubble" or "electronic" versions?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 17th, 2012 at 10:37:38 AM
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I'm afraid I don't have a useful memory on some of those details. I'm fairly sure that I would have remembered if they collected a fee for each hand, because that is the kind of thing that irks me.
CasinoCity.com claims that BlueWater has 493 machines and 13 table games, including 6 poker tables, plus keno and bingo. If there had been a real crap table, I'm sure I would have played that instead of blackjack. I have never played the bubble or electronic versions of craps, so I might not have even noticed them if they were there. Some day I might try the bubble version; I tried Rapid Craps at Bill's for the first time less than two weeks ago, and I thought it was a reasonable version of the game.
CasinoCity.com claims that BlueWater has 493 machines and 13 table games, including 6 poker tables, plus keno and bingo. If there had been a real crap table, I'm sure I would have played that instead of blackjack. I have never played the bubble or electronic versions of craps, so I might not have even noticed them if they were there. Some day I might try the bubble version; I tried Rapid Craps at Bill's for the first time less than two weeks ago, and I thought it was a reasonable version of the game.
September 18th, 2012 at 6:36:33 AM
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State: Arizona
City: Somerton
Casino: Cocopah
Somerton, Arizona is on the southwest side of Yuma, and the Cocopah Casino lies about eight and a half miles south of the point where Arizona, California, and Mexico meet. The casino opened in 1992 and belongs to the Cocopah Indian tribe, known as "the River People." To me, that sounds quite a bit like the Avi casino's Pipa Aha Macav tribe known as "the People by the River." I suppose that if for centuries life itself was heavily dependent on the Colorado, similar names could develop for quite a collection of peoples along the path of the river.
The Cocopah tribe now has reservation lands split into three tracts generally toward the west side of Yuma, all within Arizona, I believe. The three tracts are identified as North, West, and East Reservations, with the West Reservation bordering Mexico. In addition to the casino, which is on the East Reservation, they have a resort and conference center, a museum, a 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt race track, an RV and golf resort, and a bowling alley complex offering both laser tag and an arcade room.
The casino web site claims they have over 500 slot machines and 10 blackjack tables, in addition to their bingo hall. When I was there on a Friday evening a couple of weeks ago, there were only four tables staffed, and I think one of them was something other than blackjack, perhaps three-card poker. At the three staffed blackjack tables, there were a total of four players, I think, with one table being idle. I think I saw on the web site that they offer a $2 game, but the minimum was $5 while I was there. I guess Friday nights are for the big action.
The images below show the two sides of the token I kept as a souvenir from my blackjack play, in which I broke even. OK, I guess I won $1 after tips, but I don't count the chips/tokens I don't cash in. The casino does not currently use any $1 chips, only tokens, but the MOGH catalog shows a blue Paulson hat and cane chip with a "CB" hot stamped in gold as the only info on the chip. The catalog claims this is a $1 denomination, but I don't know how that could be determined. I can only guess that the "CB" means "Cocopah Bingo" or something like that. The first image of my token includes a label of "Bingomat." The MOGH catalog shows this token but provides no information about when it was issued.
In the second image of the token, just below the big 1, you can see the mint mark "LM" (much more visible in the larger image you get when you click on this small one.) When Lucyjr posted images of some tokens back in June, I pointed out the LM mint mark on the back of the Flamingo token and said, "I believe that stands for Lombardi Mint. I have not found any detailed information about that mint, because most every search result seems to be about some item related to Vince Lombardi that is supposedly in mint condition."
Well, there are plenty of places on the web that mention the "Lombardi" mint, including pages specifically about casino tokens and some eBay pages with tokens for sale. The reason I had trouble finding out more information about the token manufacturer is that their real name is the "Lombardo" mint. Knowing the correct spelling of the name really helps in finding information. If you do a search on the proper name, I think you can find some significant medallions that were minted there.
The company was founded by Orazio Lombardo, who was born in Milan, Italy in 1926. He created his company in Ontario in 1952 as Lombardo Specialty, later renaming it Canadian Artistic Dies and eventually Lombardo Mint. In 2005, the Lombardo operations were acquired by the Mississauga Mint of Mississauga, Ontario, which is on the west side of Toronto. The company claims to be the largest private mint in Canada. I don't have any idea how much competition there is for that title.
OK, folks, let's see all of your Cocopah chips! ;-)
City: Somerton
Casino: Cocopah
Somerton, Arizona is on the southwest side of Yuma, and the Cocopah Casino lies about eight and a half miles south of the point where Arizona, California, and Mexico meet. The casino opened in 1992 and belongs to the Cocopah Indian tribe, known as "the River People." To me, that sounds quite a bit like the Avi casino's Pipa Aha Macav tribe known as "the People by the River." I suppose that if for centuries life itself was heavily dependent on the Colorado, similar names could develop for quite a collection of peoples along the path of the river.
The Cocopah tribe now has reservation lands split into three tracts generally toward the west side of Yuma, all within Arizona, I believe. The three tracts are identified as North, West, and East Reservations, with the West Reservation bordering Mexico. In addition to the casino, which is on the East Reservation, they have a resort and conference center, a museum, a 3/8-mile semi-banked dirt race track, an RV and golf resort, and a bowling alley complex offering both laser tag and an arcade room.
The casino web site claims they have over 500 slot machines and 10 blackjack tables, in addition to their bingo hall. When I was there on a Friday evening a couple of weeks ago, there were only four tables staffed, and I think one of them was something other than blackjack, perhaps three-card poker. At the three staffed blackjack tables, there were a total of four players, I think, with one table being idle. I think I saw on the web site that they offer a $2 game, but the minimum was $5 while I was there. I guess Friday nights are for the big action.
The images below show the two sides of the token I kept as a souvenir from my blackjack play, in which I broke even. OK, I guess I won $1 after tips, but I don't count the chips/tokens I don't cash in. The casino does not currently use any $1 chips, only tokens, but the MOGH catalog shows a blue Paulson hat and cane chip with a "CB" hot stamped in gold as the only info on the chip. The catalog claims this is a $1 denomination, but I don't know how that could be determined. I can only guess that the "CB" means "Cocopah Bingo" or something like that. The first image of my token includes a label of "Bingomat." The MOGH catalog shows this token but provides no information about when it was issued.
In the second image of the token, just below the big 1, you can see the mint mark "LM" (much more visible in the larger image you get when you click on this small one.) When Lucyjr posted images of some tokens back in June, I pointed out the LM mint mark on the back of the Flamingo token and said, "I believe that stands for Lombardi Mint. I have not found any detailed information about that mint, because most every search result seems to be about some item related to Vince Lombardi that is supposedly in mint condition."
Well, there are plenty of places on the web that mention the "Lombardi" mint, including pages specifically about casino tokens and some eBay pages with tokens for sale. The reason I had trouble finding out more information about the token manufacturer is that their real name is the "Lombardo" mint. Knowing the correct spelling of the name really helps in finding information. If you do a search on the proper name, I think you can find some significant medallions that were minted there.
The company was founded by Orazio Lombardo, who was born in Milan, Italy in 1926. He created his company in Ontario in 1952 as Lombardo Specialty, later renaming it Canadian Artistic Dies and eventually Lombardo Mint. In 2005, the Lombardo operations were acquired by the Mississauga Mint of Mississauga, Ontario, which is on the west side of Toronto. The company claims to be the largest private mint in Canada. I don't have any idea how much competition there is for that title.
OK, folks, let's see all of your Cocopah chips! ;-)
September 18th, 2012 at 6:52:45 AM
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I've been to Cocopah many times. It's a fun place. The crowd skews older, but is generally very laid back. I'm still working on getting two last chips from Southern California (from cardclubs in Blythe and El Centro), and I find myself stopping at Cocopah as I drive through.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 18th, 2012 at 9:15:42 AM
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Thanks for this Doc. Very interesting. What's a "Bingomat"?
Much like the "Coup Stick" on the Avi chip, the Cocopah's "War Bonnet" records significant victories by the tribe's warriors. It seems appropriate that the War Bonnet image covers the Bingo card and not the other way around.
Much like the "Coup Stick" on the Avi chip, the Cocopah's "War Bonnet" records significant victories by the tribe's warriors. It seems appropriate that the War Bonnet image covers the Bingo card and not the other way around.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 18th, 2012 at 9:17:11 AM
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Quote: rdw4potusI've been to Cocopah many times.
Image needs fixin'
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 18th, 2012 at 9:20:59 AM
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Quote: AyecarumbaQuote: rdw4potusI've been to Cocopah many times.
Image needs fixin'
Lol. thanks! fixed it:-)
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 18th, 2012 at 9:55:34 AM
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I initially thought it odd that Doc referred to this casino being located "south" of where California, Arizona, and Mexico meet. However, checking the Google map, it is technically correct. However, the location is more accurately described as, "east of the Arizona/Mexico border".
The "hook" in the U.S. / Mexico border near there is an interesting bit of cartography. As I recall from my edumacation via the History Channel, it all stems from a U.S. government survey gone bad, then no one wanting to open the can of worms it would be to "straighten" it out once the error was recognized.
The "hook" in the U.S. / Mexico border near there is an interesting bit of cartography. As I recall from my edumacation via the History Channel, it all stems from a U.S. government survey gone bad, then no one wanting to open the can of worms it would be to "straighten" it out once the error was recognized.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 18th, 2012 at 6:45:14 PM
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As I started to describe the location of the Cocopah tribal lands with respect to Arizona, California, and Mexico, I discovered a minor point that I should have learned back in elementary school. I have long been under the false impression that the "southern" border of California was mostly a true east-west line, with perhaps a few wrinkles. Turns out that it is not simply the way the globe is projected on a flat map that makes the line look as if it slants slightly northeast-southwest -- it really does. Guess I never looked closely before.Quote: Ayecarumba... an interesting bit of cartography.
The Cocopah casino is farther south than any nearby point in California, but the tip of the state between San Diego and Tijuana, where the U.S.-Mexico border reaches the Pacific, is 0.07248 degrees of latitude south of the casino.
On a completely separate topic, today my wife and I made a day trip to the Harrah's Cherokee to check out the recently installed table games. I already had my souvenir chip from back when they installed digital blackjack -- real "dealers" using chips to track betting on video cards. They have changed their $1 chips since I got mine, but I didn't keep another; I don't need the full variety of their issues.
I don't know whether anyone has written up Cherokee's new game offerings on this forum. I'll see what I can find here and may post more about what I saw, if it has not already been discussed. Edit: Posted my writeup here and later responded to a question from RaleighCraps.
September 19th, 2012 at 8:29:22 AM
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State: Arizona
City: Fort Yuma
Casino: Paradise
The Paradise casino in Fort Yuma is on the northern edge of metropolitan Yuma, on the California-Arizona border. It belongs to the Quechan tribe (Kwtsaan, pronounced "kwuh-tsan," is from the Yuma language meaning "those who descended," according to their web site.)
When I say it is on the border, I mean right on the border. This is one of those locations where the state border is not defined by the Colorado River but by an east-west line on dry ground. They have two buildings, with one to the north entirely in California and a larger one 20 feet to the south entirely in Arizona. (Note: Google Maps seems to show the border 15 or 20 feet too far south, unless there was some grievous surveying error during the construction phase. Check it out by searching on Google Maps for "Paradise Casino, Yuma, AZ".)
When I first visited the facility in 2003, they were operating two casinos on the site – a California casino in the north building and an Arizona casino in the south building, each known as Paradise Casino, or collectively as the Paradise Casinos. Players walking between the buildings were crossing the state line and were not permitted to carry alcohol with them. Chips were not transferrable between the two casinos.
The California casino was originally named the Quechan casino, later closed and reopened as the California edition of the Paradise casino, and later closed again. When I last visited in 2010, the north building appeared to be in use just as a warehouse or something. In 2009, the tribe had constructed a much larger and much more elaborate California casino resort, once again named the Quechan casino, about 7 miles to the west, just off I-8. I will, of course be covering that casino and presenting a chip when this thread reaches California, something that will begin in just two more days.
The Paradise casino opened in 1996, and even the Arizona edition may have originally been called the Quechan; I'm not really sure. It is located just half a mile away from and within sight of a nice historical tourist attraction, the Yuma Territorial Prison, which I visited the morning after my 2010 visit to the casino. I recommend a visit to the prison site, a state park, for anyone who has a couple of hours to spare in the area.
I don't recall how I fared in my gaming at either of the Paradise casinos in 2003, just prior to starting my chip-collecting habit, but in 2010 I managed to lose $25 at blackjack while collecting my souvenir. I drove within about half a mile of the place once again at the beginning of this month, but I didn't bother to stop back in. I don't remember it as a casino that really excited me on either visit.
The chip shown below is an off-white RHC Paulson hat and cane chip with four edge inserts, two purple and two tan. I don't think I understand the graphic in the center inlay, which appears to include a pair of leaping/diving dolphins. That graphic is used on their web site and on almost all of the Paradise casino chips shown in the MOGH catalog. Some of the other chips shown in the catalog are labeled both "Paradise "and "Fort Yuma Casino," with "Yuma, AZ" (without the "Fort") shown as the location. I'm not sure whether there is any significance to that.
Does anyone know what those dolphins are all about?
This is the last of my very limited set of Arizona chips, so you'll have to wait for someone else's collection to see what chips are like from all of the other places.
City: Fort Yuma
Casino: Paradise
The Paradise casino in Fort Yuma is on the northern edge of metropolitan Yuma, on the California-Arizona border. It belongs to the Quechan tribe (Kwtsaan, pronounced "kwuh-tsan," is from the Yuma language meaning "those who descended," according to their web site.)
When I say it is on the border, I mean right on the border. This is one of those locations where the state border is not defined by the Colorado River but by an east-west line on dry ground. They have two buildings, with one to the north entirely in California and a larger one 20 feet to the south entirely in Arizona. (Note: Google Maps seems to show the border 15 or 20 feet too far south, unless there was some grievous surveying error during the construction phase. Check it out by searching on Google Maps for "Paradise Casino, Yuma, AZ".)
When I first visited the facility in 2003, they were operating two casinos on the site – a California casino in the north building and an Arizona casino in the south building, each known as Paradise Casino, or collectively as the Paradise Casinos. Players walking between the buildings were crossing the state line and were not permitted to carry alcohol with them. Chips were not transferrable between the two casinos.
The California casino was originally named the Quechan casino, later closed and reopened as the California edition of the Paradise casino, and later closed again. When I last visited in 2010, the north building appeared to be in use just as a warehouse or something. In 2009, the tribe had constructed a much larger and much more elaborate California casino resort, once again named the Quechan casino, about 7 miles to the west, just off I-8. I will, of course be covering that casino and presenting a chip when this thread reaches California, something that will begin in just two more days.
The Paradise casino opened in 1996, and even the Arizona edition may have originally been called the Quechan; I'm not really sure. It is located just half a mile away from and within sight of a nice historical tourist attraction, the Yuma Territorial Prison, which I visited the morning after my 2010 visit to the casino. I recommend a visit to the prison site, a state park, for anyone who has a couple of hours to spare in the area.
I don't recall how I fared in my gaming at either of the Paradise casinos in 2003, just prior to starting my chip-collecting habit, but in 2010 I managed to lose $25 at blackjack while collecting my souvenir. I drove within about half a mile of the place once again at the beginning of this month, but I didn't bother to stop back in. I don't remember it as a casino that really excited me on either visit.
The chip shown below is an off-white RHC Paulson hat and cane chip with four edge inserts, two purple and two tan. I don't think I understand the graphic in the center inlay, which appears to include a pair of leaping/diving dolphins. That graphic is used on their web site and on almost all of the Paradise casino chips shown in the MOGH catalog. Some of the other chips shown in the catalog are labeled both "Paradise "and "Fort Yuma Casino," with "Yuma, AZ" (without the "Fort") shown as the location. I'm not sure whether there is any significance to that.
Does anyone know what those dolphins are all about?
This is the last of my very limited set of Arizona chips, so you'll have to wait for someone else's collection to see what chips are like from all of the other places.
September 20th, 2012 at 7:07:06 AM
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Wow! Seems as if Wednesday this week was a lot like a Sunday -- no one had interest in, or at least no one had anything to say about, casino chips. I'll post another one when I get to my computer (posting from my phone now.)
September 20th, 2012 at 8:09:59 AM
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Well, since you seem bummed that there was no response, I re-read your post.
I too wonder why there are dolphins on the chip. I can't tell what's under the "e" in front of the second dolphin, but the green patch is a palm tree, and the "i" is 'dotted' with a star fish. The palm trees are far more obvious by looking at the website logo. Not so sure about the star fish:
My guess is that they think the only thing people think of when they hear "paradise" is a tropical isalnd. If so, why build a casino in the middle of the desert, and name it "paradise" ?
For what it's worth, I like the chip. All three colors compliment each other and match the inlay color scheme.
I too wonder why there are dolphins on the chip. I can't tell what's under the "e" in front of the second dolphin, but the green patch is a palm tree, and the "i" is 'dotted' with a star fish. The palm trees are far more obvious by looking at the website logo. Not so sure about the star fish:
My guess is that they think the only thing people think of when they hear "paradise" is a tropical isalnd. If so, why build a casino in the middle of the desert, and name it "paradise" ?
For what it's worth, I like the chip. All three colors compliment each other and match the inlay color scheme.
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 20th, 2012 at 9:33:10 AM
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Quote: DocWow! Seems as if Wednesday this week was a lot like a Sunday -- no one had interest in, or at least no one had anything to say about, casino chips. I'll post another one when I get to my computer (posting from my phone now.)
I'm still steaming because Paradise pulled their tables sometime between when you visited and when I did in 2010. I guess when Quechan opened, they significantly downgraded the offerings at Paradise. I even went back a second time in late 2011 because CasinoCity still listed their tables and I was in Yuma anyway - no luck, and I see that CasinoCity now lists them as slots-only.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 20th, 2012 at 9:44:29 AM
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Quote: DJTeddyBearMy guess is that they think the only thing people think of when they hear "paradise" is a tropical isalnd. If so, why build a casino in the middle of the desert, and name it "paradise" ?
Hehe... Maybe because if they named it, "Mirage" someone would sue their nuts off?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 20th, 2012 at 9:44:37 AM
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Quote: rdw4potusI'm still steaming because Paradise pulled their tables sometime between when you visited and when I did in 2010.
I was there on 1/15/10. Don't know when they removed their tables, and if you mentioned it previously, I had forgotten. Doubly glad then that I didn't go back in 2012.
Quote: DJTeddyBearI too wonder why there are dolphins on the chip.
I just received an outside-the-forum communication from our most-prolific poster -- the one who cannot currently post. She said, "you might want to post something to the effect of dolphins being the state bird of AZ."
Yep. That's a direct quote. Nice to see that her sense of humor hasn't faded during this period of exile.
September 20th, 2012 at 9:51:21 AM
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State: Arkansas
City: West Memphis
Casino: Southland Park
Latest info I have indicates that there are just two gaming establishments in Arkansas where chips might be used and collected. Some day I will probably make it to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, but for now I only have one chip in my collection from the state where Bill Clinton served as governor.
Very much as a way-off-to-the-side-from-this-thread story, my younger son briefly dated a girl from Little Rock while they were in college. Her father was apparently successful in the banking business, and she told a tale that they were neighbors of Bill and Hillary for some years. The girl's family had a dog named Chelsea, and she claimed that their pet was the source for the Clintons choosing that name for their daughter. Believe that or not, as you like.
Southland Park is a greyhound track, just five miles west of the Mississippi River, across from Memphis, TN and just a block off both I-40 and I-55. It was established in 1956, and since 2006 when they received legislative approval, they have offered "electronic games of skill, electronic Blackjack and video poker machines." I am not clear on just what is approved and what is restricted or prohibited by current laws in Arkansas.
The racetrack and casino are owned and operated by Delaware North, self-described as a hospitality management company. Among other functions in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, they operate racetracks and casinos in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, New York, and West Virginia.
They have billboards lining the highway south of Memphis advertising that they are located much closer to that city and should be the destination of choice for those folks making the "mistake" of driving down to Tunica. Based on my observations, if I lived in Memphis and wanted to go to a casino, I would definitely drive down to Tunica.
The Southland Park web site describes their table games this way:
I haven't played Let it Ride or 3-card Poker in years, so I didn't look to see what their version of those games looked like. And I didn't see any place for me to roll any dice, so I don't know what they are referring to.
The blackjack game is the iTable from Shufflemaster, where a live dealer deals real cards from a shoe that reads the cards as they are dealt, entering the info into the table's computer system. A cash buy-in results in credits appearing on the table-top touch screen in front of the player, where wagers and hit/stand/insurance/double/split decisions are entered. When a player leaves the table, chips are used to pay out the balance of credits, and that appears to be the only use for the chips. It seems that a TITO printout and a redemption kiosk would be more efficient than issuing chips to be carried over to the cashier cage or another table, but then they would never get someone like me into their place even for a first visit.
For some reason, I can't remember what the minimum blackjack wager was, but I think it was $5. My records say I cashed in $3 more than I bought in for.
The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson hat and cane chip with four edge inserts, two lavender and two light blue. The MOGH catalog shows both this and another Southland Park $1 chip, and I believe both were in the racks while I was there. The catalog does not mention issue dates for any of the chips.
City: West Memphis
Casino: Southland Park
Latest info I have indicates that there are just two gaming establishments in Arkansas where chips might be used and collected. Some day I will probably make it to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, but for now I only have one chip in my collection from the state where Bill Clinton served as governor.
Very much as a way-off-to-the-side-from-this-thread story, my younger son briefly dated a girl from Little Rock while they were in college. Her father was apparently successful in the banking business, and she told a tale that they were neighbors of Bill and Hillary for some years. The girl's family had a dog named Chelsea, and she claimed that their pet was the source for the Clintons choosing that name for their daughter. Believe that or not, as you like.
Southland Park is a greyhound track, just five miles west of the Mississippi River, across from Memphis, TN and just a block off both I-40 and I-55. It was established in 1956, and since 2006 when they received legislative approval, they have offered "electronic games of skill, electronic Blackjack and video poker machines." I am not clear on just what is approved and what is restricted or prohibited by current laws in Arkansas.
The racetrack and casino are owned and operated by Delaware North, self-described as a hospitality management company. Among other functions in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, they operate racetracks and casinos in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, New York, and West Virginia.
They have billboards lining the highway south of Memphis advertising that they are located much closer to that city and should be the destination of choice for those folks making the "mistake" of driving down to Tunica. Based on my observations, if I lived in Memphis and wanted to go to a casino, I would definitely drive down to Tunica.
The Southland Park web site describes their table games this way:
Quote: Southland Park web siteBlackjack tables staffed with the friendliest dealers around open at 10am every day for your gaming pleasure! In addition to these action-packed options, enthusiasts will also be happy to roll the dice at our fun-filled craps games and take a spin at our roulette games igniting the floor on a daily basis! Combine all this with our Let it Ride and 3-Card Poker gaming options, and all your gaming desires are exactly where you want them: CLOSR2U!!!
I haven't played Let it Ride or 3-card Poker in years, so I didn't look to see what their version of those games looked like. And I didn't see any place for me to roll any dice, so I don't know what they are referring to.
The blackjack game is the iTable from Shufflemaster, where a live dealer deals real cards from a shoe that reads the cards as they are dealt, entering the info into the table's computer system. A cash buy-in results in credits appearing on the table-top touch screen in front of the player, where wagers and hit/stand/insurance/double/split decisions are entered. When a player leaves the table, chips are used to pay out the balance of credits, and that appears to be the only use for the chips. It seems that a TITO printout and a redemption kiosk would be more efficient than issuing chips to be carried over to the cashier cage or another table, but then they would never get someone like me into their place even for a first visit.
For some reason, I can't remember what the minimum blackjack wager was, but I think it was $5. My records say I cashed in $3 more than I bought in for.
The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson hat and cane chip with four edge inserts, two lavender and two light blue. The MOGH catalog shows both this and another Southland Park $1 chip, and I believe both were in the racks while I was there. The catalog does not mention issue dates for any of the chips.
Last edited by: Doc on Aug 18, 2019
September 20th, 2012 at 9:55:56 AM
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deleted
DUHHIIIIIIIII HEARD THAT!
September 20th, 2012 at 10:05:03 AM
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Quote: DocVery much as a way-off-to-the-side-from-this-thread story, my younger son briefly dated a girl from Little Rock while they were in college. Her father was apparently successful in the banking business, and she told a tale that they were neighbors of Bill and Hillary for some years. The girl's family had a dog named Chelsea, and she claimed that their pet was the source for the Clintons choosing that name for their daughter. Believe that or not, as you like.
Wait a sec...
Are you saying Chelsea Clinton is named after a dog?
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 20th, 2012 at 10:06:31 AM
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I intend to report this insult to PETA !
September 20th, 2012 at 10:23:26 AM
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Quote: DJTeddyBearWait a sec...
Are you saying Chelsea Clinton is named after a dog?
Quote: DocBelieve that or not, as you like.
September 20th, 2012 at 10:29:13 AM
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Quote: IbeatyouracesEvery table game here is an I-Deal table. A few bj games, LiR, UTH and maybe something else, I don't remember.
So just what is it that their web site refers to with "... enthusiasts will also be happy to roll the dice at our fun-filled craps games ...."? I didn't notice anything that looked like craps, not Rapid Craps and not Bubble Craps (or whatever the real name is). They might have had a video craps game somewhere, but I didn't notice it, and I wouldn't call playing one of those "to roll the dice."
September 20th, 2012 at 10:38:11 AM
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Quote: DocSo just what is it that their web site refers to with "... enthusiasts will also be happy to roll the dice at our fun-filled craps games ...."? I didn't notice anything that looked like craps, not Rapid Craps and not Bubble Craps (or whatever the real name is). They might have had a video craps game somewhere, but I didn't notice it, and I wouldn't call playing one of those "to roll the dice."
When I was there in March, they did have some version of a Craps table, but I don't recall it being the video version found at most casinos; it was similar, but it was not the same.
The reason they still use chips is because back when table games were first approved, the dealers used electronic cards, but the players wagered with real checks. They USED to have one of the best BJ games around, 4-deck, S17, RSA to 3 hands, DAS and surrender. Table minimums tend to be $5 but I have seen them a little lower at off-peak times.
Southland will forever be etched in my heart. On my birthday this past year, I hit a Royal on UTH, then within 30 hands, I hit a straight flush. To that point, with lots of hours clocked on the game, I had never hit anything higher than quads. It made my Tunica trip a lot more fun!
"One out of every four people are [morons]"- Kyle, South Park
September 20th, 2012 at 12:41:37 PM
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Is there a geographic region commonly known as "Memphis", that is divided into an "East" and "West"? I have never heard of "West Memphis" before.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 20th, 2012 at 12:45:29 PM
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Quote: AyecarumbaIs there a geographic region commonly known as "Memphis", that is divided into an "East" and "West"? I have never heard of "West Memphis" before.
West Memphis is a city/town in Arkansas, across the river from Memphis, TN. It's a bit like East Saint Louis, IL.
Edit#1: The "a bit like" refers to the naming, not the similarity of the towns.
Edit#2: Some might say that West Memphis is more commonly known as Saqqara, but that's off topic and perhaps a bit esoteric.
September 20th, 2012 at 1:08:18 PM
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I like Southland Park. I stopped there on the way down to Tunica, spent an hour or two there, and liked it so much I stopped again on the way back. Someone in their marketing/design department is very creative because their graphics/promo package is one of the best I've seen at any casino, let alone a locals' racino. It's some kind of late '50s/early '60s Jetsons-type thing with cartoon characters and silly catchphrases. You can see a bit of it on their website.
They have both the Interblock bubble craps and the SHFL Vegas Star e-craps. The Interblock game is $3 minimums, 3x4x5x odds, while the Vegas Star is $5 minimums, don't remember the odds. I played a little on the Interblock and won. I also played Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em on the i-Table with $5 minimums, and with a dealer who seemed intent on showing me her bottom hole card as clearly as possible. Unfortunately, I still got killed on the game. I liked how you could press the base bet up in $1 increments and still get the correct payouts. Almost no "live" game will let you do that.
They have both the Interblock bubble craps and the SHFL Vegas Star e-craps. The Interblock game is $3 minimums, 3x4x5x odds, while the Vegas Star is $5 minimums, don't remember the odds. I played a little on the Interblock and won. I also played Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em on the i-Table with $5 minimums, and with a dealer who seemed intent on showing me her bottom hole card as clearly as possible. Unfortunately, I still got killed on the game. I liked how you could press the base bet up in $1 increments and still get the correct payouts. Almost no "live" game will let you do that.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
September 20th, 2012 at 2:32:31 PM
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Quote: DocWest Memphis is a city/town in Arkansas, across the river from Memphis, TN. It's a bit like East Saint Louis, IL.
Edit#1: The "a bit like" refers to the naming, not the similarity of the towns.
Edit#2: Some might say that West Memphis is more commonly known as Saqqara, but that's off topic and perhaps a bit esoteric.
I ask because the airport in Cincinatti is actually in Kentucky, across the river from the city, but no one there thinks twice about it. It seems that everything in the region is located in, "Cincinatti"; not "Cincinatti, OH" nor "Cincinatti, KY".
I wonder if the folks in "West Memphis, AR" consider themselves distinct from the "Memphis, TN" crowd across the bridge?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 21st, 2012 at 9:07:30 AM
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State: California
City: Rancho Mirage
Casino: Agua Caliente
Today we begin a new state in this thread. It is my understanding that the legal gambling facilities in California, not counting the horse race tracks, can be categorized as either card rooms or tribal casinos. While I visited a few of the card rooms in 2003 before I started collecting chips, I have decided (at least for now) that I will not take my collection in that direction. That may not represent rational thinking, but that's the "decision."
Each of the 21 California chips in my collection is from a tribal casino, and to this point I have only made the rounds of the far southern end of the state – farther south than the tip of Nevada. I think the casino in Havasu Landing is the northernmost that I have visited.
The Agua Caliente casino in Rancho Mirage opened in 2001 and is owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The tribe also owns and operates the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, which opened on a limited scale a few years earlier, starting out in a tent next to their Spa Resort Hotel, but developing later into a pretty nice place a block away. The two casinos are located about eight miles apart and are neighbored by some rather highfalutin communities.
The tribe's ancestors have inhabited the Palm Springs area for centuries, benefiting from the natural hot springs there. According to the tribal web site, the Cahuilla name for the area was Sec-he, meaning "boiling water." The Spanish who arrived in the area converted this name to Agua Caliente, or "warm (hot?) water," and also applied that name to the local tribe. Eventually, the name "Palm Springs" evolved in English, representing both the native tree and the hot springs.
In addition to their casinos, the tribe has commercial operations that include two hotels, a golf resort, and what they refer to as "the premier concert theatre in Southern California, The Show." I have never been there, so I can't say whether that description is accurate or bloated.
In contrast to so many previous posts, this time the two images below do not show the two sides of the same chip. I visited the tribe's two casinos one day apart in 2007 to collect my souvenirs. They were using different chips in the two casinos, but each chip had the name of one casino on one side and the other casino on the other. I do not know for certain that the chips were interchangeable between casinos, but I suspect that they were. Most, but not all, of these two casinos' chips shown in the MOGH catalog have this dual-use design.
These two images below show the Agua Caliente side of the two chips that I have in my collection. The opposite sides present the Spa Resort Casino in matching designs, and I will be posting those images a little over two weeks from now. I do not remember which chip I obtained in which casino – the mixed labeling and the jumble of my travels that week led to the specifics being lost in the noise.
Both chips are from Chipco. The edges of both chips have alternating segments of blue and white, and the chip shown in the first image also has the "1" denomination – without a "$" – as a blue numeral in each of the two white fields on its edge.
City: Rancho Mirage
Casino: Agua Caliente
Today we begin a new state in this thread. It is my understanding that the legal gambling facilities in California, not counting the horse race tracks, can be categorized as either card rooms or tribal casinos. While I visited a few of the card rooms in 2003 before I started collecting chips, I have decided (at least for now) that I will not take my collection in that direction. That may not represent rational thinking, but that's the "decision."
Each of the 21 California chips in my collection is from a tribal casino, and to this point I have only made the rounds of the far southern end of the state – farther south than the tip of Nevada. I think the casino in Havasu Landing is the northernmost that I have visited.
The Agua Caliente casino in Rancho Mirage opened in 2001 and is owned and operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The tribe also owns and operates the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, which opened on a limited scale a few years earlier, starting out in a tent next to their Spa Resort Hotel, but developing later into a pretty nice place a block away. The two casinos are located about eight miles apart and are neighbored by some rather highfalutin communities.
The tribe's ancestors have inhabited the Palm Springs area for centuries, benefiting from the natural hot springs there. According to the tribal web site, the Cahuilla name for the area was Sec-he, meaning "boiling water." The Spanish who arrived in the area converted this name to Agua Caliente, or "warm (hot?) water," and also applied that name to the local tribe. Eventually, the name "Palm Springs" evolved in English, representing both the native tree and the hot springs.
In addition to their casinos, the tribe has commercial operations that include two hotels, a golf resort, and what they refer to as "the premier concert theatre in Southern California, The Show." I have never been there, so I can't say whether that description is accurate or bloated.
In contrast to so many previous posts, this time the two images below do not show the two sides of the same chip. I visited the tribe's two casinos one day apart in 2007 to collect my souvenirs. They were using different chips in the two casinos, but each chip had the name of one casino on one side and the other casino on the other. I do not know for certain that the chips were interchangeable between casinos, but I suspect that they were. Most, but not all, of these two casinos' chips shown in the MOGH catalog have this dual-use design.
These two images below show the Agua Caliente side of the two chips that I have in my collection. The opposite sides present the Spa Resort Casino in matching designs, and I will be posting those images a little over two weeks from now. I do not remember which chip I obtained in which casino – the mixed labeling and the jumble of my travels that week led to the specifics being lost in the noise.
Both chips are from Chipco. The edges of both chips have alternating segments of blue and white, and the chip shown in the first image also has the "1" denomination – without a "$" – as a blue numeral in each of the two white fields on its edge.
September 21st, 2012 at 9:47:21 AM
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Thanks for this post Doc. The Agua Caliente is a very nice facility. They offer the odd "card craps" game since California fobids non-card based table games.
As much as I enjoy the tradition, weight, and texture, of the Paulson "clay" chips; I think the Chipco "ceramic" cheques are superior for their ability to handle detailed graphics and edge printing.
Edit: Here is my Agua Caliente $1. Not as nice as Docs. I do note that California's Native American Casinos seem to change designs every few years. I wonder if they are trying to stay ahead of counterfiters?
As much as I enjoy the tradition, weight, and texture, of the Paulson "clay" chips; I think the Chipco "ceramic" cheques are superior for their ability to handle detailed graphics and edge printing.
Edit: Here is my Agua Caliente $1. Not as nice as Docs. I do note that California's Native American Casinos seem to change designs every few years. I wonder if they are trying to stay ahead of counterfiters?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 21st, 2012 at 10:39:11 AM
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I have played several variants of card craps in California tribal casinos, and I cannot remember which version is played in which casino. The one I liked best (in whichever casino that was), had a rotating player as the shooter, rolling two standard dice. To that extent, the game was just like standard craps. The difference was that the box man had a six-card deck, A-6 (spades, I think), that he shuffled and dealt into six boxes marked 1 through six. He did that before each shooter's first come-out roll.
On each dice roll, the two dice were read, and the box man slid the cards in those two boxes (or one box in the case of a hard way) forward. Those two cards (single card) indicated the "roll" that was to be paid. If the shuffled cards came out in order, then for that shooter the game was exactly like standard craps, otherwise it was just as if the faces on the dice had been rearranged or renumbered.
I liked that version much better than the others. Both of the others that I remember involved the box man shuffling and dealing cards each time to indicate the roll. In one case, there were two decks, red and green, with cards that looked like dominoes -- two sets of pips on each card, but no blanks. After shuffling, the box man dealt one card from each deck face down. A player rolled two non-standard dice, one red and one green. Whichever die showed the higher number indicated which card the box man was to turn over and reveal the "roll" to be paid. The non-standard dice did not have the same numbers on them, so there was no way to have a tie, but there was 50-50 chance of the red or green being higher.
The other version I remember had no involvement from the players in determining the roll. The box man just shuffled and dealt cards that determined the "roll."
One of these last two versions has been discussed (maybe at WoO?) as possibly being countable with a potential advantage arising for the don't pass bet. I can't remember what the policy was on penetration and shuffling or which version was possibly countable.
Is there someone here familiar enough with the California tribal casinos to provide a rundown of which kind of card craps is played in which casinos?
BTW, I just received communication from the usually-prolific-but-not-at-the-moment resource of the Spanish Word of the Day thread, telling me that Agua Caliente means "hot" water in Spanish and that there would be disagreement among Spanish speakers about the proper way to say "warm" water or "warm" anything else. I had originally posted "warm (hot?) water" because the tribal web site translates it as "warm water," while I thought it should be "hot water." Note: that is not a claim that I know Spanish.
On each dice roll, the two dice were read, and the box man slid the cards in those two boxes (or one box in the case of a hard way) forward. Those two cards (single card) indicated the "roll" that was to be paid. If the shuffled cards came out in order, then for that shooter the game was exactly like standard craps, otherwise it was just as if the faces on the dice had been rearranged or renumbered.
I liked that version much better than the others. Both of the others that I remember involved the box man shuffling and dealing cards each time to indicate the roll. In one case, there were two decks, red and green, with cards that looked like dominoes -- two sets of pips on each card, but no blanks. After shuffling, the box man dealt one card from each deck face down. A player rolled two non-standard dice, one red and one green. Whichever die showed the higher number indicated which card the box man was to turn over and reveal the "roll" to be paid. The non-standard dice did not have the same numbers on them, so there was no way to have a tie, but there was 50-50 chance of the red or green being higher.
The other version I remember had no involvement from the players in determining the roll. The box man just shuffled and dealt cards that determined the "roll."
One of these last two versions has been discussed (maybe at WoO?) as possibly being countable with a potential advantage arising for the don't pass bet. I can't remember what the policy was on penetration and shuffling or which version was possibly countable.
Is there someone here familiar enough with the California tribal casinos to provide a rundown of which kind of card craps is played in which casinos?
BTW, I just received communication from the usually-prolific-but-not-at-the-moment resource of the Spanish Word of the Day thread, telling me that Agua Caliente means "hot" water in Spanish and that there would be disagreement among Spanish speakers about the proper way to say "warm" water or "warm" anything else. I had originally posted "warm (hot?) water" because the tribal web site translates it as "warm water," while I thought it should be "hot water." Note: that is not a claim that I know Spanish.
September 21st, 2012 at 2:41:57 PM
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Agua Caliente had the "two cards each numbered 1-6" version the last time I was there. I didn't play, but it was odd seeing a few players standing around the craps table with stickperson, and no dice. Didn't look like fun at all.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 21st, 2012 at 3:30:04 PM
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At Agua Caliente (and most of the Palm Springs joints) they have 1-6 from two different colored decks. They put the packet of 12 cards through the shuffler. The top card is one die, and then the top card from the other colored deck is the second die. The "red and green nonstandard dice" method is employed only by Pala, as far as I know. Sycuan uses the "two dice, one set of cards on numbered boxes 1-6" method. Harrah's has the best method IMO. A red and a green die, both standard. two card shufflers shuffle packets of 7 cards each. The stick has red 1-6 boxes and green 1-6 boxes and puts the newly shuffled cards on the boxes every hand. A roll of Red 5 Green 6 would mean they flip the card on the red 5 box and the green 6 box (and with my luck it would be a 7 out).
Vote for Nobody 2020!
September 21st, 2012 at 6:29:47 PM
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Thanks for the rundown, bigfoot66. I assume that's Harrah's Rincon? I was there one evening in 2009, but I don't remember that version of craps. It sounds like a fine way to do it, but I'm not clear on how it's better than what they do at Sycuan. What do you see as the benefits to using two decks and different colored dice? To make sure I don't misinterpret the "every hand" shuffle, do you mean they shuffle once after each 7-out or once before each come-out roll?
September 21st, 2012 at 6:51:40 PM
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Fwiw,
The best California dice is at Barona, just like regular dice, but with the boxman pushing forward the corresponding card.
The best California dice is at Barona, just like regular dice, but with the boxman pushing forward the corresponding card.
Gambling calls to me...like this ~> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nap37mNSmQ
September 21st, 2012 at 6:56:03 PM
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Quote: TIMSPEEDFwiw,
The best California dice is at Barona, just like regular dice, but with the boxman pushing forward the corresponding card.
Well, Tim, that sounds like both the version that I described and that bigfoot66 says is at Sycuan and the version bigfoot66 described as being at Harrah's. How are these different, at least in terms of being "just like regular dice"?
And BTW, how do the various card craps games compare in terms of buy bet vig, field payout on the 12, and free odds limits? I can't remember that stuff at all.
