Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: Doc

It turns out, though, that my flight reservations for March have me changing planes in Minneapolis/St. Paul, which I generally try to avoid in snow season. The hub system of airline routing takes me to some out-of-the-way places sometimes.

Now I'm really confused! What warm-weather destination are you going to that connects through MSP and not ATL or SLC. Are you going to the Pacific Northwest?

Ha! Thought that would get you going.

I really prefer going west through Atlanta, at least in the winter, but the best schedule/price I could book for March takes me through Minnesota. We are flying from Charlotte to Phoenix via MSP, and the plan is to try to visit all of those Arizona casinos whose chips you recently posted (not the duplicate chip places), plus the ones in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas, at least so far as possible. I have 11 Arizona casinos and 10 New Mexico casinos on my list, but I don't know how many we will actually be able to get to on this trip. Probably limited by how many my bankroll can handle.

Quote: Doc

Ha! Thought that would get you going.

I really prefer going west through Atlanta, at least in the winter, but the best schedule/price I could book for March takes me through Minnesota. We are flying from Charlotte to Phoenix via MSP, and the plan is to try to visit all of those Arizona casinos whose chips you recently posted (not the duplicate chip places), plus the ones in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas, at least so far as possible. I have 11 Arizona casinos and 10 New Mexico casinos on my list, but I don't know how many we will actually be able to get to on this trip. Probably limited by how many my bankroll can handle.

waaaaait...CLT to MSP to PHX on Delta was cheaper than CLT to PHX on US Air? or do you not fly US Air?

That sounds like a great trip. 10 days should be the perfect amount of time to make that loop. Gaming might be a little odd for you, going from no craps to the best craps games in the country and back again. You'll actually collect chips from some of the NM casinos before I do, then. I visited many of the I-40 corridor and ABQ-area casinos with my brother when he moved to ABQ, but that was years ago and before I started my collection. I'm going back to collect those chips in late June.

Quote: rdw4potus

waaaaait...CLT to MSP to PHX on Delta was cheaper than CLT to PHX on US Air? or do you not fly US Air?

It was a triple whammy.

(1) I became a Delta customer during all those years I lived in the Atlanta area and just haven't yet converted now that I live near a US Air hub.

(2) CLT-MSP-PHX round trip on Delta was available for $268 per person; I just checked US Air, and they offered CLT-PHX round trip on the same dates for $457 per person. I didn't see any flights those dates with a price less than $228/229 for each leg. They offer a direct flight, but it doesn't seem particularly cost-competitive.

(3) I had a companion certificate from my credit card that lets my wife make the round trip flight on Delta paying only the taxes and fees: $310.20 total for the two of us. How can you beat that? Guess I'll just have to put up with changing planes in MSP.

State: Mississippi
City: Tunica
Casino: Resorts

Well, I guess today's post gets us back to the proper alphabetical order for Mississippi, since the Rainbow casino chip was the last one I posted prior to my recent trip back to the Gulf coast.

The Resorts riverboat casino in Tunica, located half a mile from the river, started off as the Southern Belle in 1994, lasting but a few months. Harrah's bought the place in 1996, renaming it the Harrah's Mardi Gras. They sold it to Colony Capital (Resorts Division) in 2005, and Colony Capital has operated the casino under its current name since April of that year.

The casino is in the cluster with the Hollywood and Sam's Town casinos, plus the remnants of the Harrah's/Isle of Capri.

I have a little difficulty taking a casino seriously when they have a picture of a Big 6 wheel on their chips. It's as if they were announcing a suckers-only policy. This series of chips from Resorts Casino shows game photos on each chip, and I guess Big 6 is more appropriate for a $1 chip than for any of the others. The $2.50 chip shows a blackjack table; the $5 chip shows a roulette wheel, and the $25 chip shows a poker hand – a royal flush, of course.

Other than my Resorts Tunica souvenir chip, I have no record of ever having been to this place. There is nothing in my gaming log and nothing on my calendar. From that, I conclude that I played there but once, on my first visit to Tunica in April 2006, before I kept detailed gaming records. Apparently, I have never been back, and I don't remember anything about the place. So how's this for an empty report on a casino?

The chip is a white RHC Paulson, with two triangular (I think) edge inserts in maroon and black. The oversized center inlay prevents me from being certain as to the shape of the inserts. UV light reveals the Paulson logo in the center, with nothing else fluorescing.

Here's my chip from Resorts in Tunica. I don't have much more to share than Doc. I wasn't particularly interested in the casinos in this cluster, so I didn't stay around long or take any notes. I suppose the lack of notes probably indicates that I at least didn't lose too badly on my visit.

The chip is a Paulson RCH, and is the $5 roulette chip that Doc mentioned. The ball in the chip seems to have fallen on 19. Maybe if I'm ever forced to play roulette at a Resorts property I'll bet on 19?

With the sale of the sister property in AC, is this property safe? Is it also up for sale, or at risk of closure?

Last time there, about 2 years ago, there was no big 6 wheel!

Quote: Doc

The hub system of airline routing takes me to some out-of-the-way places sometimes.

When I look up fares from Mex City to Vegas, I often find oddities like Mex-Atlanta-Vegas or, worse yet, Mex-Chicago-Vegas, and even Mex-LA-Chicago-Vegas for about three times as much as a direct flight (not to mention a near full day of travel and who knows how many hours just waiting at airports).

I don't know if it's the arilines or the travel sites that are crazy.

BTW If this is the wrong thread to post this in, please do not add a grafito to this post to let me know.

Quote: DeMango

Last time there, about 2 years ago, there was no big 6 wheel!

Is that a sign of progress or a sign of a shortage of suckers?

Quote: Doc

I have a little difficulty taking a casino seriously when they have a picture of a Big 6 wheel on their chips. It's as if they were announcing a suckers-only policy. This series of chips from Resorts Casino shows game photos on each chip, and I guess Big 6 is more appropriate for a $1 chip than for any of the others.

Yeah, the Big 6, if it's on any chip at all, must go on the $1 chip. Makes sense.

Quote: DeMango

Last time there, about 2 years ago, there was no big 6 wheel!

And they are still using those $1 chips? Now that's funny!

Quote: Doc

The $2.50 chip shows a blackjack table; the $5 chip shows a roulette wheel, and the $25 chip shows a poker hand – a royal flush, of course.

I wondered what is on the $100 chip. Dice perhaps? So I looked at the MOGH page. They don't show anything past the $25 chip. Doh. No wonder Doc didn't say what's on the $100.

But the Royal Flush on that $25 chip? Not only is it in diamonds rather than spades, but it has the ace on the bottom and the ten on top. WTF?

Quote: DJTeddyBear

But the Royal Flush on that $25 chip? Not only is it in diamonds rather than spades, but it has the ace on the bottom and the ten on top. WTF?

Yeah, that's just wrong. But I suppose it isn't the only thing that's backwards down there in Mississippi...

Quote: Nareed

... and even Mex-LA-Chicago-Vegas for about three times as much as a direct flight (not to mention a near full day of travel and who knows how many hours just waiting at airports).

There was a great exchange between the two kids in Sleepless in Seattle, regarding the fact that no one knows what an airfare is supposed to be because they change every day. The fares I find quoted for my trips may all be special situations: I fly out of a US Air hub, and Delta flights to Las Vegas or other points in the west almost have to go through Atlanta, Memphis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis, or Salt Lake City. Delta probably tries to compete on pricing since they can't offer me the direct flights that US Air does. Sometimes, like my planned trip to Phoenix in March, the out-of-the-way routing is quoted with an attractive fare; other times, they offer to send me all over the country at exorbitant rates. I just have to look for something that looks reasonable to my cheapskate mindset.

I really, really try to avoid the northern airports in the winter, but I can be drawn in by cheap fares. Even when I do schedule the southern routing, it doesn't always work out the way I have in mind. I had Delta flights booked well in advance from Charlotte to Las Vegas via Atlanta for December 2010. When the blizzard hit from the mid-west to New England, I again had that thought, "I love it when a plan comes together." Unfortunately, the plane that was supposed to take me from CLT to ATL was grounded somewhere up in snow country. After a little confusion, things worked out even better than the plan: Delta instead put me on a direct-to-Vegas flight on US Air!

I actually did a lot of Tunica for several years until Delta bought NorthWest and the price of flying into Memphis almost doubled. But never saw the big six wheel in any Tunica casino. Heck even Baccarat is pretty rare there.

Quote: Doc

There was a great exchange between the two kids in Sleepless in Seattle, regarding the fact that no one knows what an airfare is supposed to be because they change every day.

I've seen them change several times a day, too.

The thing is in the old days, say up to the late 80s, there were some informal but steady rules for fares. For example, a direct flight always cost more than one with stops, and one with connections cost even less. Today that's nowhere near so certain.

In 2006 I'd settled in a flight to Orlando via Houston, because the only direct flight, with Aeromexico, cost a lot more. then suddenly Delta offers the direct flight, operated by Aeromexico, for only a few dolalrs more than the one with the connection in Houston. I took it. But I couldn't help but wonder how many people paid about 75% mroe than I did on that flight.

Quote: DeMango

But never saw the big six wheel in any Tunica casino. Heck even Baccarat is pretty rare there.

Yeah, I've never seen big six anywhere but Vegas I think. I have never noticed the big six wheel on the $1 chip; I'll definitely have to check it out. I would assume it's the same; Resorts looks like it's struggling pretty hard. It seems more dead than most other Tunica casinos. But I wouldn't call it a place for suckers if you like blackjack, they have a 6 deck game for as low as $3 and a double deck pitch game for as low as $5 with standard Tunica rules. And in late 2012, they offered 2 to 1 suited blackjacks weekdays til 6pm. I was sad to see that promo go, even though I was unlucky enough to get any blackjack last time in 90 minutes...lol

Quote: tringlomane

Yeah, I've never seen big six anywhere but Vegas I think.

There's one at Harrah's in AC. I had to chuckle when I walked past on Friday night - it was staffed by a young attractive male dealer and the players were all middle aged women. Pretty much the exact opposite of how that usually works.

deleted

Quote: DeMango

Last time there, about 2 years ago, there was no big 6 wheel!

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have them. It's the first stop for bus passengers because many use their coupons there and the tables are often crowded.

Just got back from Nassua and Atlantis has wheel too.

State: Mississippi
City: Vicksburg
Casino: Riverwalk

The Riverwalk was the second of the Vicksburg casinos south of the I-20 bridge across the Mississippi River, and it neighbors the Lady Luck (nee Rainbow) casino which is just a few steps further south. It is a land-based (i.e., post-Katrina) casino that opened on the banks of the river in October 2008. According to one report I found, of the 19 Mississippi casinos located along the Mississippi River, Riverwalk was one of only two facilities that were not forced to close due to the river flooding in the spring of 2011.

The casino and hotel were purchased in October 2012 by Churchill Downs, Inc., presenters of the Kentucky Derby and owners of Harlow's Casino in Greenville, MS. The announcement of the purchase indicated that the casino has been operated by Magnolia Hill LLC and was previously owned by a conglomeration of High River Gaming LLC, JB3 Corp., and Taiman Holdings, with the largest stakeholder being Chicagoan Neil Bluhm, with a 70% equity position.

My wife and I spent one night at the Riverwalk hotel when we visited Vicksburg in August 2010. My objective was to collect a souvenir chip from this casino as well as from DiamondJacks, which I had missed on my 2006 visit to town. I lost badly playing craps at both casinos, down $200 at the Riverwalk alone. Fortunately, I had done fairly well in Tunica and Greenville in the days before, because Vicksburg, Pearl River, and Biloxi took serious bites out of my wallet for the remainder of that trip.

We liked the Riverwalk hotel, but I seem to recall some kind of awkwardness about the elevators, perhaps back doors I didn't understand, going to other areas. Don't remember the issue clearly now. Also, I think I was paying full rack rate because of my lack of previous play at the hotel, so the higher-than-usual rate for casino lodging didn't combine all that well with losing money at the table.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with two triangular edge inserts in peach and lime. The center inlay is mostly white, too, with a graphic that looks like a bird (seagull?) over a wave at sunset. How the heck does that scene apply to Vicksburg, some 150 miles from the nearest open water? Anyway, UV light reveals the hidden Paulson logo and the peach insert fluorescing.

Here's my Riverwalk chip. Like Doc's, it's a Paulson RHC. I also got utterly creamed at Riverwalk. I lost my buyin so fast playing BJ that I had to buy back in because I hadn't even pocketed a $5 chip yet. I liked the vibe in Vicksburg. Sort of an eclectic mix of students, tourists/travelers, and true locals.

I'm not sure what the water part of the scene on this chip is supposed to be, but there sure were a lot of gulls around when I was in town. Doc, if you missed them you should count yourself lucky. They sure did a number on my rental. While I've occasionally said some bad things about the Chrysler Corporation, these birds shat all over my car! I think this was the only time that I've ever washed a rental car. I just couldn't imagine returning it like that (or driving it like that for 3 more days).

Quote: Doc

State: Mississippi
City: Vicksburg
Casino: Riverwalk
The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with two triangular edge inserts in peach and lime. The center inlay is mostly white, too, with a graphic that looks like a bird (seagull?) over a wave at sunset. How the heck does that scene apply to Vicksburg, some 150 miles from the nearest open water?

Hehe... Maybe it's a pelican? But more likely a migrating duck or goose. The Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge is in the area.

The graphic is reminiscent of the "bird" on the Aliante chip (or is it "Aliente" as per the "Moderator"?) It also reminds me of the cover of, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull":

I thought the bird on the Riverwalk chip looked much like the birds on the Island View chip I posted a few weeks ago.

I guess the sea gulls do come quite a way inland. I live close to Lake Norman, just north of Charlotte, NC. We have quite a few sea birds around here. The story I was told was that when Hurricane Hugo came through the Charleston, SC area in 1989, many of the birds were trapped in the eye of the storm and flew with it rather than be exposed to the high winds a second time. The storm fell apart in the peidmont of North Carolina, and the birds just stayed here at the lake. Or so I'm told.

State: Mississippi
City: Tunica
Casino: Roadhouse

In beginning this write-up, I pondered whether to give the history of the casino. It is another of the establishments that have changed names, giving me the opportunity to collect souvenir chips from two casinos in the same facility. If I tell the history in today's Casino Chip of the Day post, then I've used up my ammo that could be used for the write-up coming day after tomorrow. Sort of like robbing Peter without bothering to pay Paul. I decided to tell the boring story today and either cut it short next time or maybe just make up some lies.

The place began as the Sheraton Casino and Hotel Tunica, using a "Black Forest" theme. It opened in 1994 and was owned by ITT Sheraton. That company was purchased by Starwood Hotels in 1998, and its casinos were sold to Park Place Entertainment. That company changed its name to Caesars Entertainment after purchasing Caesars Palace and was itself purchased by Harrah's Entertainment in 2004/5.

The casino and hotel continued to operate under the Sheraton name until December 2009, when Harrah's applied the Roadhouse theme and name to it. It remains the only one of their properties with the Roadhouse name. In 2010, the corporate name was changed to Caesars Entertainment, making use once again of a known brand.

I first visited the Roadhouse under its new name in March 2010, just three months after the change. My records say that I played craps for an hour and broke even. I just love that free entertainment!

My wife and I stayed at the Tunica Roadhouse hotel for a couple of nights last July, and we had a very nice room, a lot nicer than I expected for the $40/nt I was paying. While we were there, I played two more sessions of craps, for an hour one night and a bit over an hour the next. I broke even the first shot and lost $25 the second time. I can't really complain about how much craps has cost me overall at the Roadhouse.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with two black, triangular edge inserts. The center inlay is blue and white, with what appears to be a plank wood panel in the center circle. The layout of the wording implies that "Tunica" is part of the name of the casino, and I think that's probably correct. The graphic also includes tiny emblems for the four card suits.

UV light does not reveal a Paulson logo this time, but it does reveal the repeated name, "Tunica Roadhouse." I have made a variety of comments about such hidden images these past months, pointing out that there is a hidden error each time, usually either a missing letter or two letters swapped. Often I have just invited folks to search for it.

This time, I have to admit that I cannot pick out any such "error" on the chip myself. If you find one, please let me know what/where it is.

I can't find an 'error' either Doc. Maybe that is an error on the manufacturers part?

Here's my chip from the Roadhouse. It's a Paulson RHC, like Doc's chip. Speaking of Doc's chip, I also don't see any misspellings there.

The Roadhouse is a part of the same cluster of casinos as the Gold Strike and Horseshoe. I think this is by far the best such cluster in Tunica. Roadhouse has a very particular odor, and I can't personally tolerate it. It's a woody scent and I think it's supposed to be cedar, but I have no reaction to actual cedar. It's a shame, because they have (had?) some of the best BJ rules in Tunica but my eyes start to water after 15 minutes.

Quote: rdw4potus

My Roadhouse chip

Here's my chip from the Roadhouse. It's a Paulson RHC, like Doc's chip. Speaking of Doc's chip, I also don't see any misspellings there.

The Roadhouse is a part of the same cluster of casinos as the Gold Strike and Horseshoe. I think this is by far the best such cluster in Tunica. Roadhouse has a very particular odor, and I can't personally tolerate it. It's a woody scent and I think it's supposed to be cedar, but I have no reaction to actual cedar. It's a shame, because they have (had?) some of the best BJ rules in Tunica but my eyes start to water after 15 minutes.

I didn't see a misspelling on Doc's chip. Perhaps it is a fake??

I find it interesting that rdw's red chip has, what appears to be, a red insert. I wonder what it looks like under UV?

What is a "Roadhouse"? I have a bad connotation of the name. Like naming your business, "The Rowdy Biker Bar A Ways Off The Highway"

Quote:

What is a "Roadhouse"? I have a bad connotation of the name. Like naming your business, "The Rowdy Biker Bar A Ways Off The Highway"

Roadhouse is a name for a small hotel or stopping place from the 1800's or maybe before then. In the Cariboo area of British Columbia where I live some of the communities still have names that reflect back to the road houses from the Barkerville goldrush.

Communities such as 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House and 70 Mile House.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I have a bad connotation of the name. Like naming your business, "The Rowdy Biker Bar A Ways Off The Highway"

I have that same general connotation. It makes me think of places like the Titty Twister

Luckily, the casino seems to be free from vampires and it really is a high-quality place.

Quote: Doc

This time, I have to admit that I cannot pick out any such "error" on the chip myself. If you find one, please let me know what/where it is.

PM sent.

Quote: miplet

PM sent.

Now, I realize I shouldn't violate the sanctity of private messages, but I recently heard a rumor that some people think that at the far left of the third row down on the UV image, it looks like "HOUSS" instead of "HOUSE". That could very well be the case, but my opinion is that the "UN" from TUNICA in the underlying visible image just makes it hard to read the word HOUSE.

I think this is much like trying to read the letters of TUNICA in the UV image right on top of the letter "A" in the visible "ROADHOUSE" just to the left of the center of the chip. I would have a heck of a time verifying that there is a "U" in that TUNICA.

What do the rest of you think about this? And by the way, I appreciate the confirmations and suggestions.

I concur. I was about to say the same thing. That E does look like an S.

Except the bottom left corner of it doesn't match the shape of the S, making it obvious that it's really an E, but the UV is partially masked by the visible letters.

The smaller I make the image, the more clear the vertical stroke of that E appears. Up close, I could swear it was an S. But from a distance it's an E.

Quote: Doc

What do the rest of you think about this? And by the way, I appreciate the confirmations and suggestions.

Whatever you do, DO NOT LOOK AT THE CHIP WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS WHEN THE UV LIGHT IS TURNED ON.

Quote: Doc

Now, I realize I shouldn't violate the sanctity of private messages, but I recently heard a rumor that some people think that at the far left of the third row down on the UV image, it looks like "HOUSS" instead of "HOUSE". That could very well be the case, but my opinion is that the "UN" from TUNICA in the underlying visible image just makes it hard to read the word HOUSE.

I think this is much like trying to read the letters of TUNICA in the UV image right on top of the letter "A" in the visible "ROADHOUSE" just to the left of the center of the chip. I would have a heck of a time verifying that there is a "U" in that TUNICA.

What do the rest of you think about this? And by the way, I appreciate the confirmations and suggestions.

It's killing my eyes. If I want to see an "E" I can see it. If I want it to be an "S", magically, it is there.

I'm of two minds on this:
1 - Based on past examples, there is supposed to be a, "misspelled" entry. Therefore, it should be found. Therefore, it must be there.
2 - Typically, the "misspelled" entry will be found below the centerline of the security marks. Since this suspected mark is well above the line, it may not be the one. Doc's chip could be a fake.

. . . 3-Someone at this casino decided that a hidden typo isn't fooling anyone.
. . . 4-They figure that a counterfeiter will make a mistake and insert a typo that doesn't belong. Perhaps this very E/S thing...

Quote: DJTeddyBear

. . . 4-They figure that a counterfeiter will make a mistake and insert a typo that doesn't belong. Perhaps this very E/S thing...

I would be overjoyed if this were the actual reason. "The correct spelling is a deliberate mistake".

Um... I meant that the counterfeiter is smart enough to know about the intentional UV typo on most other chips, and make a mistake and think it's the E/S that we've decided is not a typo, but he'll go ahead and make that typo.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I would be overjoyed if this were the actual reason. "The correct spelling is a deliberate mistake".

I think the logic in this thread may be getting as convoluted as the questions/answers in that thread about a "Math problem the hurts my brain."

And no, I still don't think that anyone is counterfeiting $1 Paulson chips, with or without typos in the hidden UV images.

Quote: Doc

I think the logic in this thread may be getting as convoluted as the questions/answers in that thread about a "Math problem the hurts my brain."

And no, I still don't think that anyone is counterfeiting $1 Paulson chips, with or without typos in the hidden UV images.

Hehe... Were there other UV's that didn't have a typo? I can't recall any off the top of my head (which still hurts). If this is the first, I wonder if GPI, Paulson's parent company, would confirm it?

Well, there are lots of the chip UV images that don't have typos, but most of those are simple Paulson logos. I think this is the first of the repeated-names hidden images without an identifiable "error", but I think I have one or two more yet to post for which I haven't found the error myself. We'll talk about them in turn.

State: Mississippi
City: Tunica
Casino: Sam's Town

Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall opened in Tunica in 1994 as the first Boyd Gaming property outside of Nevada. It is located in the cluster at the end of Casino Strip Resort Boulevard, between the Resorts casino and the defunct Isle of Capri property. Like its older sibling on Boulder Highway, this Sam's Town has an RV park on its property. This was the third casino to operate with the Sam's Town name, although the one in Laughlin was sold before this one opened in Tunica. The one in Shreveport was added in 2004.

I have no records and don't remember clearly whether I made it to Sam's Town when I visited Tunica in 2006 or not. In any case, I definitely went there during my visit in August 2009. It was just half an hour after I won $150 playing craps at the Isle of Capri in Lula, and I proved that variance (unlike standard deviation) can take on negative values. I promptly lost $200 at Sam's Town playing the exact same game. I don't think I have been back since.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with two triangular edge inserts in dark blue. The center inlay is mostly white and has a highly textured surface. The graphic in gold shows a western-themed set of buildings typical for the Sam's Town motif. Nothing on this chip fluoresces under UV light.

Do you recall if the exterior is fashioned with facades of storefronts in an old western "town" theme as pictured on the chip's graphic? The Las Vegas "flagship" Sam's Town has this look on the exterior, and to a lesser extent on the interior, which is weird because inside there actually are retail stores, including a large western apparel retailer. It would have been cooler if the "storefronts" were for actual stores, like you might find at a theme park, or "ghost town" tourist attraction.

Are they still offering 100x odds on Craps?

Quote: rdw4potus

It's a shame, because they have (had?) some of the best BJ rules in Tunica but my eyes start to water after 15 minutes.

My guess is had. Tunica roadhouse even offers some 6 to 5 tables now, as well as Harrah's Tunica inside the center bar. And the Harrah's Tunica bar tables are usually packed. :(

The Roadhouse still offers 99.96% Deuces Wild and Double Double Bonus for as low as quarters though. And you can usually get a room for ~$40/night with a TR card during the week and all rooms have a whirlpool tub. I usually stay here a few nights when I visit Tunica.

Here's my chip from Sam's Town. I don't have any notes from my visit, or anything particularly interesting to share about the casino. I remember thinking that the parkinglot was incredibly empty, but that the casino was somewhat full. I suppose the RV park explains that.

It's interesting that rdw's nickel has, what appears to be, a smooth finish on a very clean center graphic, while Doc's chip has a textured center graphic. Were the dollar and $5 chips consistent in this regard (all texture or all smooth), or are there both varieties of each?

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Quote: Ayecarumba

Were the dollar and $5 chips consistent in this regard (all texture or all smooth), or are there both varieties of each?

About the only source I have for chips other than the ones in my collection would be the MOGH catalog. That site shows only one $5 chip and four almost-identical $1 chips like mine. Their photos do not have enough resolution for me to see the texture of the center inlays, so I can't answer your question.

The differences between their four $1 chips are different positions and orientations for a hidden Paulson logo revealed by UV light. I checked my chip again with my UV flashlight, and I still couldn't see any UV image at all. I even pulled the chip out from under the glass cover on my desk (with my wife's help) and examined both sides under my UV lamp. Nope, no UV images at all on either side of my chip.

On the topic of chips on my home office desktop, I guess things have changed enough that I could post another photo of what the desktop looks like now. I currently have 318 chips in my collection, and the best geometric configuration I could come up with is 16 staggered rows of 20, with two of the spaces left empty at the lower right. My excuse (other than not having two more casinos represented by their chips) is that I usually keep a beverage coaster in that location. ☺


The chips are arranged the same way that they are listed in post #1 of this thread, starting from the left and going down each column in turn. Where do we stand as of today? Well, begin with the chip shown in the upper right hand corner and count four to the left (5th from the corner). Then go one chip down and to the left. That is the Silver Star casino chip from yesterday, and today's chip from Sam's Town is right below it. That should give you a fairly good idea of how much longer my collection will sustain this thread, disregarding the three recent additions from Florida and Louisiana that I need to go back and post, plus any more that I might collect before running out.

Edit 1/26/13: I screwed up when I made that statement in the previous paragraph saying, "That is the Silver Star casino chip from yesterday...." Of course, the chip from "yesterday" was from the Roadhouse casino, but no one pointed that out to me. The truth is that the chip in that position on my desk, right above the Sam's Town chip, really is from the Silver Star, and I just have it out of position on my display. I need to fix that. I just let the error in my display lead me to another error in my post. :-(

I have posted related photos twice before, but I have never been able to get a photo that shows the entire desktop with the resolution and clarity to allow you to examine individual chips. That was part of the justification for this thread. Here is the post about what the desktop looked like in May 2010 with 216 chips, and here is the post from October 2011, when I had 270 chips in the collection.

Quote: Doc

My display of chips from 318 casinos

Good God, that's beautiful! Have you mapped out what you'll change in March?

I have the glass cases for my collection just sitting on the floor in my office. I still haven't cleaned and re-photographed my chips, which means that I also haven't hung the cases. I guess I could put the cases on the wall. Maybe that would motivate me to work on the collection itself.

That is awesome Doc! is the black backing made of a special material, or is it part of the desk?

It acually looks like three empty spaces could be filled in the corner. Of course, you could just squeeze them together to get a few more rows in.... There is always Macau and Central/South America after all...