Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: rdw4potus

Have you mapped out what you'll change in March?

If I really make it to all 21 casinos on my list for March (11 in AZ and 10 in NM), that will give me a total of 339 chips in the collection. I will fit in the new AZ chips with the AZ ones already there and add a NM section between the New Jersey and New York chips.

The geometric pattern would be 17 staggered rows of 20 (with a chip exactly in the upper-left corner, unlike the present array), and the very-lower-right position empty (for the beverage coaster); i.e., 339 of the 340 spots filled. Yes, it's a nerdy habit to pre-plan such things.

If I make it to Colorado and Las Vegas in late May, as has been mentioned as a possibility, there are more than two dozen more candidates. And my wife and I have briefly discussed the possibility of a trip in early May back to Niagara Falls, with the return trip taking us by way of the Ohio casinos. There are lots of possibilities for adding to this display, but the March trip is probably the only one that will happen before all of the chips currently on my desktop have been posted in this thread.

Quote: Ayecarumba

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...

The black inlay is part of the original design of the desk. It makes a convenient area to define just where the chips are supposed to go. And yes, I am just nerdy enough to have figured out that a maximum of 624 chips could be arranged in a close-packed array on that black inlay, but I don't really expect my collection to ever reach that point.

There are only two empty spaces in the current array. If they were filled, the lower-right corner would look much like the upper-left corner.

Quote: Doc

... And yes, I am just nerdy enough to have figured out that a maximum of 624 chips could be arranged in a close-packed array on that black inlay, but I don't really expect my collection to ever reach that point.

hehe... I think the fact that you are willing to figure the maximum capacity of your display in various configurations means that you would do quite well if you dedicated yourself to counting Blackjack. Perhaps it is time to move away from Craps?

Quote: Ayecarumba

I think ... that you would do quite well if you dedicated yourself to counting Blackjack. Perhaps it is time to move away from Craps?

Well, my low-roller status suggests that I might be willing to spread my bets from $5 to $10. What do you think my likely income would be as a skilled counter?

I came across a coin that was basically a square with rounded corners from Aruba, and it got me wondering why the vast majority of chips are round. They aren't inserted in machines, and round means they often roll places you don't want them to when you toss them in.

I would like to suggest that an octagon would be a great shape for gambling. They would still be easy to stack, wouldn't roll as much, and would pack tighter in the Dealer's, "bank". What do you all think?

Quote: Doc

Well, my low-roller status suggests that I might be willing to spread my bets from $5 to $10. What do you think my likely income would be as a skilled counter?

Hehe... Don't sell yourself short... From little acorns...

Quote: Doc

a maximum of 624 chips could be arranged in a close-packed array on that black inlay, but I don't really expect my collection to ever reach that point.

624 is a big number. You'll push 400 by the end of the year, though, if you do the OH trip in addition to NM/AZ and CO/NV. Then you just need to work in a couple high-density stops. OKC and/or Tulsa. Or Deadwood! You could take the wife to Sturgis!

Quote: Ayecarumba

... and it got me wondering why the vast majority of chips are round.

I just have to pose the old question: Why are manhole covers round?

Quote: Doc

I just have to pose the old question: Why are manhole covers round?

The best answer, I think

Because the manholes are generally round, and most people would want the covers to fit the holes.

Yes, it is often pointed out that any other shape (eg., square) for both the cover and hole could lead to the covers being dropped into the hole, but until you specify that the holes are round, there isn't much logic to making the covers round.

My response:

Quote: rdw4potus

624 is a big number. You'll push 400 by the end of the year, though, if you do the OH trip in addition to NM/AZ and CO/NV. Then you just need to work in a couple high-density stops. OKC and/or Tulsa. Or Deadwood! You could take the wife to Sturgis!

Of course, chasing collector series chips could also fill any empty spots. Are the old designs retained in the display when a new one is introduced?

Doc and Mrs. Doc at Sturgis? What an adventure! One word of advice... If the tatoo parlor is in the back of a van, it is probably best to keep looking.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Are the old designs retained in the display when a new one is introduced?

For my own part, I will replace non-numbered collector/special edition chips with "regular" chips when/if they become available. If a new regular chip replaces an older regular chip, I retain both.

I collect whatever $1 chip is in play when I am there. I only replace that chip in special situations. I did replace the $1 tokens I got at Caesars Palace and Hard Rock Las Vegas when clay chips were available -- those tokens are in a drawer rather than in the display that I showed. I don't specifically look for or avoid special-edition chips, but there aren't a lot of those in the $1 category anyway. I certainly don't bother to get a new chip just because a new series has been issued; I'm just looking to represent each casino once. If the name of the casino changes, I'll collect a new chip and consider that to be from a "different" casino.

Quote: Doc

I just have to pose the old question: Why are manhole covers round?

It seems good at first reading. But a little thought brings up the innevitable question: What can you say about chocolate-covered manhole covers? :P

State: Mississippi
City: Tunica
Casino: Sheraton

As I forewarned when I made my post about the Tunica Roadhouse a couple of days back, I used up all of my ammunition then, regarding the history of this casino hotel. I threatened that I might have to tell some lies today to make up for it, but I seem to be running low on lies that are sufficiently entertaining.

I noted in my post about the Horseshoe that during my April 2006 visit to Tunica I parked in the Casino Center lot and walked to all three of the surrounding casinos (Gold Strike, Horseshoe, and Sheraton) to collect my souvenir chips. I played at the Sheraton that day, but I did not keep a record of my play nor did I revisit the place before Harrah's changed its name from Sheraton to Roadhouse in December 2009. Harrah's already owned the Sheraton by the time of my first/only visit to it under that name. Lacking any records, I'll try to convince myself that I won a lot of money on that visit, but I doubt I'll be successful.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with four edge inserts, two each in yellow and maroon/cranberry. The background for the center inlay is white and quite textured, very much like the one yesterday from Sam's Town. The Sheraton logo and the accompanying text are in a color that closely matches the darker edge inserts. A shade very close to this is used on the Sheraton web site, so I assume that it means/meant something to someone at the company.

UV light reveals the Paulson logo, this time upside down and a little off center. Turn it right side up, either mentally or digitally if you can, and examine it. Does something look a little odd about this logo to you? Before I make any comments about what looks odd to me, I want to wait a little while for feedback from others without my interference.



Edit 1/29/13: Today I noticed another interesting thing about that Paulson logo that shows up under UV light. It is only on one side of the chip, and the other side has nothing at all that fluoresces!

BTW, I caught an error in a post I made yesterday. Ooops. I edited the post this morning.

State: Mississippi
City: Bay St. Louis
Casino: Silver Slipper

Guess no one had any comments or additional Sheraton chips to post yesterday, so on to a new Casino Chip of the Day....

I really don't think there are all that many casinos with chips that identify their county instead of a town or city. In the case of the Silver Slipper, perhaps the justifications include (1) that it is really out in the boondocks (in my opinion) and (2) that available resources disagree on what that location should be called.

Wikipedia's page about the casino claims that it is in the town of Waveland, MS, which I had never heard of until reading that page, even though I apparently drove through the town in March 2010. In contrast, CasinoCity.com claims that the Silver Slipper is in Bay St. Louis, and the MOGH catalog just says Hancock County, as the chip does. I chose to list the location as Bay St. Louis, since I have established a precedent of using cities instead of counties and since Bay St. Louis is a good bit larger than Waveland.

It is a land-based casino, nominally on the Gulf Coast, about 7 or 8 miles as the pelican flies to the southwest of Bay St. Louis, 5 miles out of Waveland, and about 7 miles from where the Mississippi-Louisiana border reaches open water between Heron Bay and Polecat Bend. Did I mention that this is out in the boondocks? The casino is located right where a little twisty stream discharges into open water, but Google Maps declines to identify either the stream or the body of open water. Another map resource revealed to me that the stream is called Bryon Bayou and the open water is Mississippi Sound.

As remote as this casino seems to be, I find that the most interesting related story is mostly about another facility way over 35 miles or so to the east in Biloxi. Wikipedia has a nice little page about the President Casino Broadwater Resort, including this description:

Quote: Wikipedia

Originally known as the Broadwater Beach Hotel and Broadwater Beach Resort, it opened in 1939 as a venue for the illegal but tacitly approved gambling that was flourishing along the coast. In the late 1950s and 1960s, the gambling stopped and the facility was renovated and re-purposed as a resort destination with a state-of-the-art marina and other amenities. … In 1992, President Casinos gained control of the facility, and after changing the name, added a casino riverboat and barge.

In 2001 and 2002, all-too-familiar casino financial difficulties arose, and the hotel, President Casinos, and the Broadwater Casino all filed for bankruptcy, though the casino continued to operate. In 2005, Broadwater Development LLC won a bankruptcy auction for the casino and resort, but they weren't really interested in the casino boat. They had plans instead to sell the boat and completely redevelop the resort.

In April 2005, they sold the casino portion to Silver Slipper Casino Venture LLC. That company planned to move the casino barge to the Hancock County location, but they would continue to operate it in Biloxi until the move. At the end of July, the resort shut down to begin the renovations, but less than a month later, Hurricane Katrina struck, destroying the casino boat, washing it ashore ½ mile away, and seriously damaging the remainder of the resort. Grand plans for redevelopment of the resort with a land-based casino have never come to fruition, and the Silver Slipper Casino was constructed anew from the ground up, opening in November 2006 way out there on Bryon Bayou.

My wife and I visited there just the one time, shortly after leaving the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis, on our way from Biloxi to New Orleans. I played craps, of course, managing to lose $50 while collecting my souvenir.

That chip is shown below and is a white RHC Paulson with two triangular edge inserts in green and orange. I don't know whether there is anything significant about the fonts (look at both the big "S" and the two "E"s in Silver Slipper) or the ironwork (?) topped by what looks like a fleur-de-lis. Nothing on this chip fluoresces under UV light.

Here's my Silver Slipper chip. It seems odd that the edge insert pattern is so different between the $1 and $5 chips. I agree that this casino is in the middle of nowhere. And I can't find another chip in my collection that lists a county instead of a city as the location of the casino.

I visited this casino in September of 2011 as I was making my loop of LA and MS. I stopped in on my way from Vicksburg to Biloxi, played BJ for a few minutes, and headed out. I visited mid-evening, and it was absolutely dead. I commented to the dealer about the lack of patrons, and he said "yeah, you're definitely here after the rush." I can only imagine what that says about the age of their average patron.

I've begun my chip cleaning process. so far, things seem to be going mostly OK. I've definitely left some toolmarks unintentionally, but for the most part the chips are cleaning up better than I'd hoped. Also, fingernail-polish remover seems to be an effective cleaner. Though it does cause some color bleed. in fact, I had a really hard time with this chip - the 3 edge inserts were a real SOB to clean without smudging.

New Orleans has a powerfull AM (also TV) station, WWL(870), that I listen to even in Florida. The Silver Slipper hosts sports broadcasts with old time Saints (Bobby Ebert) in season and has more commercials than any other NOLA casino. My goto radio for news, sports, weather, while in Biloxi.

I live well outside the New Orleans listening/viewing area, so I had no idea about the Silver Slipper broadcasts. Do you mean that the casino sponsors an in-studio show or that they host the broadcast at the casino?


Returning to a topic from yesterday's chip post, I mentioned that something struck me as unusual about the Paulson logo seen on the Sheraton chip under UV lighting. No one else mentioned seeing anything odd, so I don't know whether everything looked OK to everyone or just that no one bothered to look.

The thing that seemed odd to me on that particular hat and cane logo (once you turn it right side up), was that the cane extends from well above the top of the hat to well below the bottom of the hat. I think I have rarely seen a Paulson logo with a cane of that length and orientation, either in a UV or visible light graphic or in a molded impression on a chip. The one visible in the UV image of the Grand casino (Tunica) chip does have this feature, and that one is also at a non-standard orientation, rotated 90°.

I have seen a very few other UV images like this on the MOGH site, but I think it is quite a rare variant of the logo. Comments?

Quote: Doc

I have seen a very few other UV images like this on the MOGH site, but I think it is quite a rare variant of the logo. Comments?

I'll admit that I only briefly looked at yesterday's UV picture. Upon realizing that there was no misspelling to find, I moved on. Looking back, and with my chips spread out in front of me, I agree that is rare. Even in the LCV variation, the cane doesn't extend above or below the hat like it does in this UV image.

State: Mississippi
City: Philadelphia
Casino: Silver Star

About 80 miles northeast of the capital city of Jackson, MS is the city/town of Philadelphia, population 7,477. The drive from Jackson will take you through the even smaller town of Pearl River, population 3,601, lying some eight miles out of Philadelphia. Unincorporated Choctaw, MS is supposedly someplace in that vicinity, though I have found maps that disagree by more than 100 miles on its location. Probably there are multiple, unincorporated places named for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, but this one is supposed to be a base of their reservation.

In those eight miles between Pearl River and Philadelphia (and some resources claim it to be in Choctaw), lies the Pearl River Resort, operated by the tribe. The resort includes two casinos, the Silver Star and the Golden Moon, plus a hotel, golf course, and water park. Someone (don't recall who) posted in this forum about getting together with friends for golf weekends at Pearl River. These are the only Native American casinos operating in the state of Mississippi. There is a Hilton Garden Inn quite nearby that may also be part of the resort.

The Silver Star was the original casino and opened in 1994 as the only non-floating casino in the state. It was well-received, so the Golden Moon was designed as a more upscale casino incorporating the new hotel, and it opened right across the street from the Silver Star in 2002.

I'm not sure whether it was just the effect of the resort/casinos or whether there were other big factors at play, but the Wikipedia page about the tribe says that they went from 70% unemployment in 1997 to less than 3% unemployment in 2007. That strikes me as an incredible change for one population group. The same Wiki page claims that during that period the tribe became the third largest employer in the state. I have no other resource for such data, and I don't know whether I should believe these claims on Wikipedia. Input/comments from anyone?

The Golden Moon never gained quite the same following as the Silver Star, and in 2009 it cut back to operating just on the weekends. That was the case when my wife and I visited the area on a Wednesday in August 2010, so I was only able to play in one of the two casinos. I lost $100 at craps in the Silver Star and planned to return to the Golden Moon on a subsequent trip that included a weekend.

Unfortunately for my collection, but perhaps fortunately for my wallet, the Golden Moon cut back even further. They replaced their pit with a concert venue right in the middle of the remaining slot machines. With no more table games, the place does not have anything to draw me back. If anyone has a chip from the Golden Moon casino, please feel free to post it at this time.

The Silver Star chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with four edge inserts, two each in maroon and blue. The oversize center inlay is mostly blue and includes a drawing of the casino and the designation that it is located in Philadelphia, rather than either Pearl River or Choctaw. UV light reveals the hidden Paulson logo, with nothing else fluorescing.

Here's my chip from the Silver Star. At the time that I visited the property in the fall of 2011, the Golden Moon's role had apparently shifted from what Doc encountered. When I visited, the Golden Moon's floor was reserved for special events. There was a slot tourney, and later a concert, there when I visited. There were a handful of slots around the periphery that were operating and available to the public. And many restaurants were open in the Golden Moon.


These are both very architecturally interesting buildings. I'm not sure what to think about the employment claim. On the one hand, the casinos are quite large and share ownership. Also, the tribe has other employees as well (public safety, education, etc.). On the other hand, other casinos are larger and busier. But I suppose if, say, Harrah's and Horseshoe are counted as two employers instead of one then maybe the tribe would rank this high.

I never made it into the Golden Moon myself, since it was only operating on weekends, and I was there mid-week. I think it continued/continues to function just on weekends but that the concert venue replaced the table games.

As for Mississippi employment, my guesses would be that some of the largest employers are the State government and the school systems of some of the larger counties. There are also some military bases in the state, so the federal government probably is a rather large employer. I think there used to be a large chemical company operating a plant in Hattiesburg, and there are probably a few other large manufacturers that employ as many people as any of the casinos do. I just don't know how to figure the tribe as ranking as high as #3, and I don't know a good source for reliable data.

I get this list in several places when I try to search online for the largest employers in MS:

Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, University Hospitals and Clinics, Nissan North America, Greek Orthodox Church of Holy, Mississippi State University, Beau Rivage Resort and Casino, Forrest General Hospital, Ashley Upholstery, Baptist Medical Center, Grand Casino Hotel, Heart Center at Baptist, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi, State Health Department, Horseshoe Casino, Mississippi Band-Choctaw Indians, St. Dominic Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Mississippi Medical School, U.S. Waterway Experiment Station, Baptist Hospital-Express Care, Mississippi State Hospital, Rush Foundation Hospital, and Gulfport Memorial Hospital.

(emphasis mine. Ultimate source unknown. My immediate source here.)

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the largest employer in MS is the University of Mississippi Medical Center with 8,000 employees.

Beau Rivage Resort Casino is fourth at 4,000 and Grand Biloxi Casino Hotel Spa is tied for 8th at 3,000. The Chocktaw are tied for 17th at 2,500 (as many as Tyson Foods). A casino also fills the 14th slot, as Hollywood Casino employs 2,950.

See the list here

Are there actually pearls in Pearl River?

Quote: Ayecarumba

Are there actually pearls in Pearl River?

This resource for the origin of names of places in Mississippi includes this note:

Quote:

Pearl River; county, so named on account of the pearl fisheries which were early established by the French upon the above mentioned river.

No idea whether pearls are still farmed there.

State: Mississippi
City: Biloxi
Casino: Treasure Bay

I had a little bit of trouble gathering information about the Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel. There is no Wikipedia page for the place, and the casino's own web site is minimal. The casino belongs to Treasure Bay Gaming & Resorts, Inc. They own six casinos, but in spite of being headquartered in Biloxi, only one of their places is in the U.S. The others are all located in the Caribbean.

In addition to their casino in Biloxi, I have played at their Treasure Bay casino in Lucaya (Freeport), Bahamas and their Divi Carina Bay casino in St. Croix, USVI. I also have a chip in my collection from their Alhambra casino in Aruba, but I actually got that chip at the Seaport Casino in Aruba – they don't seem to be too concerned about whose chips they are using in the Aruba casinos. I'll comment more on that when this thread gets to the island casinos.

The Treasure Bay casino opened on a pirate-themed boat docked off the Biloxi beach in April 1993, with a land-based hotel. The ship was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, and the casino was relocated within the hotel structure. It is located on the second or third floor (can't remember exactly).

My wife and I visited the hotel-casino one afternoon on our first visit to Biloxi in March 2010. I managed to lose $45 at craps – have you noticed a recurring theme in my gaming reports, i.e., losing?

On a deck behind the casino they have a nice infinity pool, with some of the hotel rooms opening right out onto that deck. My wife and I sat around the pool for a little while just enjoying the ambiance.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson with eight edge inserts, four black triangular ones and four narrow green ones. I don't know that I have ever seen quite that complex a pattern of edge inserts on a $1 Paulson chip. The center inlay is almost monochrome, with a sketch graphic that I'm guessing is supposed to represent a find-the-treasure compass. UV light reveals the hidden Paulson logo and nothing else.

This UV Paulson logo makes a nice contrast to the one on the Sheraton chip that I posted a few days ago and commented about how the cane on that chip extends from above the top of the hat to below the bottom of the hat. Also, just today while preparing this post, I noticed something else odd about that Sheraton UV image and edited the post. Take a look back there with the link above if you are interested.

Here's my Treasure Bay chip. I'm pretty sure that the inset is exactly the same as on the $1 chip, photo color variation notwithstanding. I visited Treasure Bay in the early fall of 2011. I have no notes from the visit, and no strong recollection. I think that means that my visit was on the evening of September 30th, rather than the morning of October 1. This would have been one of the last stops in a 22 hour long day of gambling and driving (from Tunica to Biloxi).

That Sheraton chip is indeed odd. Almost like a bad knockoff. Wrongly-done image in the style of the correct image and everything. Maybe it's really a Pualson.

Quote: rdw4potus

Maybe it's really a Pualson.

Now that's funny!

Quote: Doc

State: Mississippi
City: Biloxi
Casino: Treasure Bay

The UV image looks like a fat Iron Cross.

State: Mississippi
City: Greenville
Casino: Trop

The Lighthouse Point Casino opened in 1996 as a riverboat floating on the Mississippi River at Greenville, MS under ownership of Columbia Sussex, a property of the Yung family. In 2002, an affiliated company owned by some members of the family purchased Bayou Caddy's Jubilee, another riverboat casino located just a good stone throw downstream.

After a variety of corporate difficulties (aka fiascos), both casinos became properties of Tropicana Entertainment. By the time of my first visit to Greenville in August 2010, Lighthouse Point had ceased to operate their table games, so I was only able to get a souvenir chip from Bayou Caddy's.

In 2012, Bayou Caddy's was closed, and the operations were moved to the Lighthouse Point facility. The name of the place was changed to the Trop Casino, and I think this all happened in May 2012.

I returned to Greenville as a part of my recent trip to Mississippi and made the opportunity to play at the Trop. I was there right at mid-day on a Monday, and there was almost no activity. They had a craps table, but not surprisingly at all, it was not staffed at that time. I played blackjack for only about ten minutes at a 21+3 table and wound up exactly even, plus the souvenir chip. Blackjack just doesn't seem to hold my interest any more. I know, I know; it probably makes more sense than craps, but since I'm playing for the entertainment, I think I should try to play the games I enjoy most.

The base of the chip shown below is almost identical to the Lady Luck chip that I recently identified as looking like a Gemaco chip series P style 139.30.22.00. In contrast, the MOGH catalog identifies the Trop chip as coming from Bud Jones. If there is not a connection between Bud Jones and Gemaco (I really don't know), then I don't see how they could be turning out identical chips. I think the "G" in the logo beneath the denomination on the second image below is supportive of my guess of Gemaco instead of Bud Jones.

Anyone got any input on this?

The center inlays differ on the two sides of the Trop chip, with both sides providing the denomination, the casino name, and the city, but only one side noting the state. Neither side of this chip has anything that fluoresces under UV light, other than the general white background of the center inlays.



This is the last of the Mississippi casino chips currently in my collection. I have a few chips I recently acquired from casinos in states I had covered (in part) previously, so I plan to go back and catch up with those in the coming days before beginning a brand new state for this thread.

I didn't realize that Bayou Caddy's had closed! that was a fun (if dumpy) little boat! Was the former Lighthouse Point boat renovated in any way before it became the Trop? If not, this would be by far the lowest quality establishment to have that name.

I guess at any rate, I've added this one to the list of casinos to visit on my second swing through LA and MS, which will probably occur sometime in early 2014.

I can't really say much about the degree of "renovation" to change from Lighthouse Point to Trop, since I didn't go to the place during my first visit to Greenville. We approached the Trop via a wrong turn that took us into the parking lot at Bayou Caddy's, and that boat essentially looks abandoned. Other than an empty parking lot, "abandoned" doesn't imply much of a downgrade from its previous condition.

The Trop struck me more as "dinky" than a dump, but I was only in the place for a few minutes and didn't really check it out thoroughly. Most of the floor space I saw was occupied by slots. The only areas I went into were supported on dry land, and I don't know what if anything is still going on out on the floating part of the establishment. I'm pretty sure that part was closed while I was there, and perhaps that opens up at night or on weekends when the number of players reaches double digits.

Is "TROP" short for "Tropical"?, "Tropicana"?, "Trope"?

I like the look of this chip. The "felt" green is a nice touch.

I also note that the little "photostudio" for your chip portrait sittings now includes a green felt background. A nice touch!

Quote: Doc

...perhaps that opens up at night or on weekends when the number of players reaches double digits.

Ouch! Is there a clear reason why the place is suffering for business? Too many boats for a small community? Poor location?

"TROP" is short for "Tropicana", and the short version has long been a nickname used for the casinos that have the full name. I don't know whether Tropicana Entertainment has some plan such as using the short name for small casinos or what.

The green felt background has been used for all of my chip photos, though it may not be particularly evident in many of them, dependent upon the lighting, I suppose. When I first started displaying my chips on a desktop, it was an old junker of a desk that I had made in high school shop class back in 1960-61. I had a sheet of green felt covering the desktop with the chips arranged on that and covered with a piece of Plexiglas. Later I bought a bit nicer desk and a glass cover (as seen in the photo I posted last week), and I have just used that piece of felt as a backdrop for the chip photos.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Ouch! Is there a clear reason why the place is suffering for business? Too many boats for a small community? Poor location?

My quip about the number of players may have been too harsh. I was there at mid-day Monday, and the tables had almost no players and very few dealers. There is only one casino boat operating in Greenville now, and one land-based casino a few miles out of town. The place just isn't a hot bed of tourism for the casino industry. I have commented previously about my anti-casino friends who now live near Tunica. They previously lived in Greenville and developed their bias based on having seen the local casinos exploit the not-very-well-to-do locals, and they thought the games were trying to bleed the struggling local economy dry. The lack of players during my recent visit could be related to that in some way, but I don't really have much basis to judge.

Quote: Doc

"TROP" is short for "Tropicana", and the short version has long been a nickname used for the casinos that have the full name. I don't know whether Tropicana Entertainment has some plan such as using the short name for small casinos or what.

The green felt background has been used for all of my chip photos, though it may not be particularly evident in many of them, dependent upon the lighting, I suppose. When I first started displaying my chips on a desktop, it was an old junker of a desk that I had made in high school shop class back in 1960-61. I had a sheet of green felt covering the desktop with the chips arranged on that and covered with a piece of Plexiglas. Later I bought a bit nicer desk and a glass cover (as seen in the photo I posted last week), and I have just used that piece of felt as a backdrop for the chip photos.

I need new lenses for my eyes. Looking back, I do see that the background is the green felt. For some reason, perhaps the lighting or cropping, the green felt in the graphic and the background seemed to stick out more than before.

So, what is a, "Tropicana"? Is it a combination of "Tropical" and "Banana" or "Havana"?

Chip collectors : Just wondering what is the most different name chips you have for a single casino?

In Central City, Harvey's Wagon Wheel opened in 1994. Some time around 2000 it became Fortune Valley. 2 years ago it became Reserve. Based on the mailers I receive and feedback on the web, new ownership may occur in the near future.

Curious as to the record holder for a large casino in same physical building.

Quote: Ayecarumba

So, what is a, "Tropicana"? Is it a combination of "Tropical" and "Banana" or "Havana"?

Disregarding any reference to orange juice, I think use of the Tropicana name probably derives from the Tropicana Club established at some tropical gardens outside of Havana, Cuba in 1939 as a combination cabaret and casino. I understand from Wiki that the cabaret is still in operation.

Quote: Buzzard

Chip collectors : Just wondering what is the most different name chips you have for a single casino? ... Curious as to the record holder for a large casino in same physical building.

Since I have been collecting for less than a decade, and only from casinos that I have personally visited, I don't have more than two chips with different casino names from any one facility. I suspect that a few of the buildings on Fremont Street have housed a much larger number of different casino operations over the years.

Quote: Doc

Since I have been collecting for less than a decade, and only from casinos that I have personally visited, I don't have more than two chips with different casino names from any one facility.

Do you have a Barbary Coast chip? That one became Bill's and it's not morphing into something else.

Also, while we're on the subject, will the Quad issue new chips? And has the Ditz already done so?


And don't forget that, in my opinion (the) Baltimore (Ravens) must be destroyed.

Quote: Buzzard

Chip collectors : Just wondering what is the most different name chips you have for a single casino?

In Central City, Harvey's Wagon Wheel opened in 1994. Some time around 2000 it became Fortune Valley. 2 years ago it became Reserve. Based on the mailers I receive and feedback on the web, new ownership may occur in the near future.

Curious as to the record holder for a large casino in same physical building.

I only have two from the same place / different name. There aren't too many "large" places I can think of that have changed more than three times in the same building. The Mint / Binion's Horseshoe Club / Binion's Horseshoe / Binion's, is one string that comes to mind, but I don't know if the name change is enough to say it is actually different, and the place doesn't qualify as "large". The Vegas Club/Stratosphere transformation, could be one (was the original structure completely torn down?), but I don't have old chips from there. The International / Las Vegas Hilton / soon to be "LVH"? could be a good example, but I don't have anything from the International. Others?

Quote: Nareed

Do you have a Barbary Coast chip? That one became Bill's and it's not morphing into something else.

Also, while we're on the subject, will the Quad issue new chips? And has the Ditz already done so?

I do have chips from Barbary Coast and from Bill's Gamblin Hall, both of which have been posted in this thread, and I anticipate getting one from whatever the revised place is, whenever it is open. I have also posted chips from both Fitzgeralds and The D on Fremont Street. The Quad has indeed issued new chips, and I plan to get one in May.

Quote: Ayecarumba

The International / Las Vegas Hilton / soon to be "LVH"? could be a good example, but I don't have anything from the International.

Calling it the soon to be "LVH" is a bit out of date. I picked up an LVH chip way back at WoVCon ][. I don't have one from the old International either, but rumors are that the LVH name might be revised to include the word "International" once again. I think there should be a chip from that place under the name of "White House" from when it was Willard White's place. ;-)

IIRC, he spelled it W H Y T E

Ooops! I should have checked.

State: Louisiana
City: Baton Rouge
Casino: L'auberge

Today, I'm taking a step backward in the presentation sequence to post a chip from a Louisiana casino I had not yet visited when I posted my other Louisiana chips. The L'auberge Casino Hotel opened in Baton Rouge in September 2012, some seven months after my wife and I made our loop of Louisiana to support my collecting addiction. We made our return trip to Baton Rouge earlier this month as a day trip out of Biloxi, on a trip during which I focused on Mississippi casinos.

The new hotel/casino is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, about 8 miles straight line south-southeast from downtown Baton Rouge, or more like 13 or 14 miles following the river. The casino portion of the facility is across a small levee from the hotel and is floating in its own small, rectangular lagoon, which appears to be separated from the river by a concrete dike. I guess that helps deal with seasonal fluctuations in the river level.

The day that my wife and I visited, the weather was terrible, with totally overcast skies, fog, and a persistent though intermittent drizzle. There had been heavy rains earlier that led to substantial flooding in that part of Louisiana.

My wife was not favorably impressed with the appearance of the exterior of the hotel and casino, saying it just looked plain and drab, but I suspect it may appear more attractive in a better weather situation. The interior looked quite nice. While we were there, I stepped out onto the back deck of the casino to look at the river. I think I could see less than half way across through the fog. All I could think of was some evil-infected fen from a Lord of the Rings tale, where the mists likely concealed scores of dragons.

The L'auberge is owned by Pinnacle Entertainment and is a sister property of the casino they own at Lake Charles. When I obtained the chip I posted from that property, it was known as L'auberge du Lac Hotel and Casino, but the opening and naming of the Baton Rouge facility led to renaming the Lake Charles place as just "L'auberge Casino Resort – Lake Charles." The MOGH catalog doesn't show any chips with the revised name for the Lake Charles casino, so there doesn't seem to be any urgent need for me to get back to that side of the state. If anyone hears that they get new/renamed chips there, please let me know.

This L'auberge – Baton Rouge chip is similar to the one from Lake Charles, with both being RHC Paulson chips with three edge inserts each. In this case, the inserts are pink, brown, and olive green. The center inlays of the two chips are designed quite similar to each other, too, except for the name distinctions and different background tones/patterns. If you look very closely just to the right of the casino name, you can see that it is marked "TM", so I guess they have trademarked either the name or the font in which it is presented, with the fancy L and g. The name is marked the same way on the Lake Charles chip.

Unlike the earlier posted chip, this one does have hidden images revealed by UV light – a repeated "LAUBERGE BATON ROUGE", though I cannot see any apostrophe between the L and A. Maybe we will have to consider that repeated "misspelling" the obligatory "error", for I cannot pick out any other error of the type we usually have seen with this pattern of hidden image. Please let me know if you find one.




Edit 9/15/13: An image of the $5 chip from this casino has now been posted here by rdw4potus.

Not sure how many places have been there, but I think the current Hooters (just east of the Tropicana) was once known as The Treasury and maybe 1-2 other names.
Same with The D, formerly Fitzgeralds, had some previous names as well but they go back quite a few years.

Quote: Doc

State: Louisiana
City: Baton Rouge
Casino: L'auberge

Unlike the earlier posted chip, this one does have hidden images revealed by UV light – a repeated "LAUBERGE BATON ROUGE", though I cannot see any apostrophe between the L and A. Maybe we will have to consider that repeated "misspelling" the obligatory "error", for I cannot pick out any other error of the type we usually have seen with this pattern of hidden image. Please let me know if you find one.

Hmm, another recent addition without the misspelling... perhaps the employee responsible for creating the misspelled names has been "re-classifeid"?