Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: rdw4potus

Surfing is a big deal in the area, and the chip features an image of a very large wave.

To me -- and perhaps my imagination is a little too active this morning -- the wave looks like a giant hand trying to snatch the $5.

Now what could a shrink analyze out of an imagination like that?

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Grover Beach
Casino: Central Coast

... Surfing is a big deal in the area, and the chip features an image of a very large wave.

The wave is in the style of a Japanese woodblock print. A famous image in this style is, "The Great Wave", that chronicled a tsunami hitting Japan in the early 19th century

I wonder how these little joints can stay in business. The dealers have to be paid, and the overhead covered, but with only two tables, how can the rake make it profitable? Do players buy a lot of food and drinks?

Quote: Ayecarumba

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Grover Beach
Casino: Central Coast

I wonder how these little joints can stay in business. The dealers have to be paid, and the overhead covered, but with only two tables, how can the rake make it profitable? Do players buy a lot of food and drinks?

There seem to be several styles of these places:
1. They're an appendage of a successful bar/restaurant.
2. They're an appendage of another entertainment business, like a bowling alley or, in at least one case, a strip club.
3. They're large enough and sophisticated enough to be self-supporting
4. They're run mostly for fun by retirees or poker enthusiasts

I believe this is an example of #4. Food, when it's available, is free. Drinks are free and/or sold at-cost from a vending machine. It's run by a skilled poker player, and I highly doubt that it's profitable. It might be better than the next best alternative for it's operators, I suppose. If running a poker club and hanging out with poker players has a better EV than playing poker, may as well open up shop!

This post is off-the-current-topic, but it relates to an earlier post in this thread. Way back here, I posted a chip from the Treasure Island Casino in Sint Maartin, a casino that I had never visited. I had received the chip in play at a casino in Curaçao.

In that post, I pointed out a significant error in Google Maps' depiction of the border between Saint Martin and Sint Maartin. Well, today I discovered that their error has been corrected, though I don't know just when. If I had just a little more arrogance, I would suspect that the folks at Google, through their cataloging of everything on the internet, had discovered this thread and my criticism of their work, leading to the correction. Unfortunately, they still have not corrected the error in their depiction of the NV-AZ border, which I pointed out in this thread.

State: California
City: Coarsegold
Casino: Chukchansi Gold


Today's chip of the day comes from the Chukchansi Gold casino in Coarsegold, CA. Coarsegold is a tiny town east of Merced and North of Fresno. It's not terribly clear where the borders of Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks are - Coarsegold is near both parks and the surrounding state and national forest areas. Chukchansi has 2000 slots and 48 tables on a 56,000 sqft gaming floor. There's also a hotel with 400 rooms, and 7 restaurants. I just assumed with such a tiny city in such a remote area, the casino would be small and/or run down. It absolutely isn't. It's almost at a Foxwoods-level reveal coming up on Chukchansi and having that "why is THIS here?" moment.

Here's a picture of the property:



Chukchansi has an impressive game selection: BJ, crazy 4, EZ PGP, Fortune PGP, Spanish 21, 3CP, UTH, bacc, and volcanic bingo (card roulette). I didn't stay at the property long, wanting instead to get back toward CA99 and civilization before darkness set in. I played 3CP to collect my chip. It was a typical 3cp session - win with Q-8-x, then lose with a flush on the next hand. After about 10 hands, I'd hit my $40 win limit and collected this chip.

My chip from Chukchansi is a Paulson RHC. The casino is in an impressively mountainous area, and those peaks are depicted on the chipface. The stylized peak motif also follows through the property in several places.



I hinted yesterday that Central Coast was one of two casinos with the same name. Apparently, the second property now has a new name. That new name IS on my chip from that property, but was not yet on the door when I visited. I guess I was there during the transition. We'll get to that property under its new name in a few weeks.

State: California
City: Santa Ynez
Casino: Chumash

Today's chip of the day comes from the Chumash casino in Santa Ynez, CA. Santa Ynez is between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, just off of US101 north of LA. It's a small town, but Chumash is a big casino - 250,000 sqft of gaming space with 2000 slots and 55 tables. There's also a 200 room hotel, 5 restaurants, and a 1000 seat bingo hall. The bingo area is really something to see. They could host concerts in that place!

Here's a picture of the property:



Chumash has a good variety of table games: according to their website blackjack, 3cp, 4cp, LIR, UTH, bacc, and card roulette are offered. I'm a little confused by that list. I don't doubt that they have those games, but my notes show that I played PGP and that isn't on the casino's list. It seems unusual that they'd get rid of a game that's that popular in CA. Maybe they consider it "poker" and not a table game? At any rate, I played, I lost, I moved on.

This is the closest and most convenient casino (with slots) for a whole lot of people in the Northern LA area, and it shows. There's a lot of throughput, and it's also a very complete and somewhat upscale property. I'd say it suffers from some of the same problems that you see center-strip in Vegas - Bally's and Paris are nice, but it's tough to keep them clean and updated.

My chip from Chumash is a Paulson RHC. It's red, and I think I'm starting to see a bit of a pattern. Most, but not all, chips from Tribal casinos are red while most (actually, a plurality) of chips from card clubs are yellow. This chip features an image of what I think is a turtle and some water.

State: California
City: Fresno
Casino: Club One

Today's chip of the day comes from the Club One card club in Fresno, CA. I'm always surprised when I see the population of Fresno (about 500k) and the metro area (about 1.3MM). It really doesn't feel that large to me. No doubt it's a large city, but it feels more like Rochester MN or Peoria, IL than like Austin TX or Louisville KY. According to Wikipedia, Fresno is the largest inland city in CA, with about 30,000 more residents than Sacramento. Club One is right in downtown Fresno. The casino has a 25,000 sqft gaming floor with 76 tables. There are various poker games, several blackjack versions, spanish 21.5, 3CP, PGP, Pai Gow tiles, bacc, and UTH.

I'm not sure what the property was before it became a casino. It feels like it used to be a discount department store or something - there are several doors, a few rooms, lowish ceilings, etc. The location is great - right downtown, with easy access from major roads that connect directly to the area highways. Here's a picture of what is nominally the front of the casino:



I learned today that the casino has free underground parking. I have no idea how to get to that lot. I drove around the casino 4 or 5 times looking for parking, and didn't see an entrance to anything that wasn't on the street. I finally gave up and parked at a meter on a side street. With my limited time and metered parking, I played 21st century BJ to collect my chip. I think this must be a very hard place to deal. They deal 21st century BJ, no-bust BJ, and Pure 21.5 BJ. Those games are similar but different, and I would imagine that it's very hard to deal all three games in one shift. From my own experience, my session of 21st century BJ was dealt without incident. The corporate player wound up with too much of my money, but that's my only complaint about the experience. If it's not clear by now, I got pretty well creamed on my trip through central CA. Even sticking to a $60 buyin with a $60 loss limit and a $40 win limit, I still almost went broke with an $800 stake. That was a little nerve wracking, but I did manage to rebound in the end.

My chip from Club One is a Paulson RHC. It's one of those that have an image that covers almost all of the hat and cane area. If that was the plan, I don't know why Icon or Gemaco wasn't just selected as the vendor for the chips. The chip is yellow, and has a sort of marbled pattern on the inset. It was a real pain getting the camera to focus with the presence of that image. This chip is one of the most perfectly aligned samples in my collection. The edge inserts line up almost exactly the same on both sides of the chip. I wish I'd paid more attention in the casino - I wonder if I got lucky there or if some production process was followed to make that true here where it isn't so on other RHCs that we've seen.

State: California
City: Commerce
Casino: Commerce

Today's chip of the day comes from the Commerce card club in Commerce, CA. The city of Commerce is in the LA metro area, Southeast of downtown just south of I-5 and east of I-710. The Commerce card club is very large - 90,000sqft with 240 tables. It's also unique for a card club in that it has a 200 room hotel. Commerce has a wide variety of table games, including blackjack, PGP, Asia Poker, bacc, UTH, 3CP, and Let it Ride.

Here's a picture of the facility:



Walking into Commerce was an interesting experience. It's so big and full of tables, it almost feels like a tradeshow floor. There's a sort of energy and the din of voices across the room. I was a little overwhelmed at first, then I settled into a PGP table and played for a bit. The joker is fully wild, which is a harder adjustment than it seems like it'd be. I absentmindedly set JJ*Kxxx as JJxxx/*K and fouled a hand early on. Partly because of that mistake, but mostly because of bad variance, I ended my session down a couple hundred dollars.

My chip from Commerce is a yellow Bud Jones with a coin center. Some coin centers are hollow feeling and tinny, some feel solid. This one is quite solid.




Commerce has a $300 chip. That's pretty cool...

deleted

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

You'll find a lot of the pro poker players here.

According to a pro poker friend who went to Commerce when he visited Los Angeles, he was "not impressed." Not sure if that was the action or the atmosphere.

State: California
City: Tracy
Casino: Comstock

Today's chip of the day comes from the Comstock cardroom in Tracy, CA. Tracy is south of Stockton on I-5. Comstock has recently changed names and is now Star's. It's a very small place, with 3 poker tables and 1 BJ table. The BJ game is pretty much just a place for people on the poker list to hang out while waiting for a seat there. So much so that they couldn't believe that I'd come in and just play BJ.

Comstock is in a storefront. It's pretty quaint. Here's a picture (the google maps pin is in the MOGH's original image - LOL!).



My chip from Comstock is a Bud Jones product. It's yellow, but there's a lot of red in the image. The image is one of my favorites in my collection, depicting a man with a bagful of cash in one hand and a 5 card poker hand in the other. I'm not sure why this would be the case, but it looks to me like the guy is running.

Here are my two flavors of Commerce $1 chips:



Interestingly, they were both in play at the time I visited.

According to their website, Commerce has the biggest card room in the world, with 240 tables.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Here are my two flavors of Commerce $1 chips:



Interestingly, they were both in play at the time I visited.

According to their website, Commerce has the biggest card room in the world, with 240 tables.

Those are nice looking chips! I think I prefer the one with the white center. The tree (?) is fun.

I'm sure that I've never seen more tables in one place. I wonder how this compares to the table counts in Singapore and Macau. I suppose those places also have at least some slots, and are not "card clubs" then.

Back during the poker boom, it was commonly said that Commerce was the largest poker "room" in the world, both in square footage and number of tables. I recall hearing that there were around 200 poker tables in there between all of the different sections.

As far as the two different $1 chips are concerned, the one without the coin is the most common there by far. The coin-center version was probably their older design but they didn't really phase them out completely. You will still get several of them in a chip rack, at least that was the case the last time I stopped in there a few years ago. I avoid LA as much as possible. There are many stories floating around of people getting followed home, 40+ miles, and getting killed in their driveways when they leave the card rooms with large amounts of money.

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Tracy
Casino: Comstock

Today's chip of the day comes from the Comstock cardroom in Tracy, CA. Tracy is south of Stockton on I-5. Comstock has recently changed names and is now Star's. It's a very small place, with 3 poker tables and 1 BJ table. The BJ game is pretty much just a place for people on the poker list to hang out while waiting for a seat there. So much so that they couldn't believe that I'd come in and just play BJ.

Comstock is in a storefront. It's pretty quaint. Here's a picture (the google maps pin is in the MOGH's original image - LOL!).

Wow that place looks sketchy! One of my fraternity brothers and my landlord for a short time grew up in Stockton. His dad was a police officer and was killed in the line of duty when my friend was very young (less than 3 years old, I believe). Anyway, he doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about the area, clearly.

So, I forget the overall "plan" for this thread. RDW has taken over for now, which I'm assuming means Doc is completely done, or nearly done with posting his collection.

I have 2 chips that I think people would be mildly interested in, so I should just wait until RDW has exhausted his collection, right?

One is a domestic chip that is probably pretty boring. One is from overseas so it at least has some interest value.

Quote: AcesAndEights

So, I forget the overall "plan" for this thread. RDW has taken over for now, which I'm assuming means Doc is completely done, or nearly done with posting his collection.

I have 2 chips that I think people would be mildly interested in, so I should just wait until RDW has exhausted his collection, right?

One is a domestic chip that is probably pretty boring. One is from overseas so it at least has some interest value.

Doc's collection was, at least temporarily, exhausted. So I took over since I had many additional chips. I guess one of the drawbacks (?) of being happily married is a need to preserve the peace and not spend days upon days driving around rural Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, or California:-) I think that Doc may now have new chips from some places that I may or may not have visited as well.

I may need to take a day or days "off" here or there with respect to handling a day's post in this thread. When that needs to happen, I'll try to give sufficient notice to allow for someone else to post one or more chips.

I really don't have many categories left to cover - I think that the rest of CA, Iowa, and the chips from my trip in August/September are all that are left. That's about 100 total chips, I think.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Tracy
Casino: Comstock

Today's chip of the day comes from the Comstock cardroom in Tracy, CA. Tracy is south of Stockton on I-5. Comstock has recently changed names and is now Star's. It's a very small place, with 3 poker tables and 1 BJ table. The BJ game is pretty much just a place for people on the poker list to hang out while waiting for a seat there. So much so that they couldn't believe that I'd come in and just play BJ.

Comstock is in a storefront. It's pretty quaint. Here's a picture (the google maps pin is in the MOGH's original image - LOL!).

Wow that place looks sketchy! One of my fraternity brothers and my landlord for a short time grew up in Stockton. His dad was a police officer and was killed in the line of duty when my friend was very young (less than 3 years old, I believe). Anyway, he doesn't have a lot of nice things to say about the area, clearly.

Yeah, it's obviously not upscale. I wouldn't say it was unsafe, either. More like it's just rundown. I'm sure that block was awesome in 1955 when it was new, and I'm sure that nobody's spent a dime on upkeep since then.

There's very little "middle" in terms of the card clubs in CA. Most are either like something out of a Bond movie, or they're quite gritty. The ones that are in between the extremes all seem to fall into one of two categories:
1. They're big and in LA or Orange County. They're nicer than their neighborhoods suggest, but also not upscale.
2. They're attached to a successful bar/restaurant/entertainment-venue and that creates a tight ceiling and floor with respect to card club quality.

My collection was exhausted last May, replenished a time or two, and exhausted again on one of rdw's absences from the thread. At that time, since I could anticipate that there would likely be days before rdw's return that I would not have any new chips to post, I asked whether there were others who had a few souvenirs they were ready contribute as the chip of the day. Even though there had been earlier reports of chips to post, no one at all replied to my request!  :-(

I hope to add a chip or two during a cruise my wife and I will be taking later this month, but other than that it will be a while before I make another chip-collecting trip. I think that it's still a little early to make plans for when rdw's collection is exhausted, since that will be at least several months from now, but it probably would be useful to know who has chips that they would like to add to the thread, either as the next/future lead for the thread or as a fill-in during an absence by the lead person.

If you (meaning any member of the forum) have chips from casinos not yet covered and would like to post them (and appropriate accompanying comments), may I suggest that you drop a PM to rdw4potus and/or me so that we know to get in touch with you when the opportunities arise. When we get to the point that no one has an inventory of chips to post, the thread will likely become a bit disorganized, but I hope we can keep the ship afloat and on course for a long time.

Quote: Doc

My collection was exhausted last May, replenished a time or two, and exhausted again on one of rdw's absences from the thread. At that time, since I could anticipate that there would likely be days before rdw's return that I would not have any new chips to post, I asked whether there were others who had a few souvenirs they were ready contribute as the chip of the day. Even though there had been earlier reports of chips to post, no one at all replied to my request!  :-(

Yep, I was one of those people. I just missed it; was not around checking the forum every day when the opportunity came up

Quote: Doc

I hope to add a chip or two during a cruise my wife and I will be taking later this month, but other than that it will be a while before I make another chip-collecting trip. I think that it's still a little early to make plans for when rdw's collection is exhausted, since that will be at least several months from now, but it probably would be useful to know who has chips that they would like to add to the thread, either as the next/future lead for the thread or as a fill-in during an absence by the lead person.

If you (meaning any member of the forum) have chips from casinos not yet covered and would like to post them (and appropriate accompanying comments), may I suggest that you drop a PM to rdw4potus and/or me so that we know to get in touch with you when the opportunities arise. When we get to the point that no one has an inventory of chips to post, the thread will likely become a bit disorganized, but I hope we can keep the ship afloat and on course for a long time.

Sounds great. I clearly can't take the lead, but I'll be on call to pinch hit for 2 chips whenever needed :)

Quote: rdw4potus

1. They're big and in LA or Orange County. They're nicer than their neighborhoods suggest, but also not upscale.

This description is fine (unless you are talking about, gasp, Hawaiian Gardens). I am pretty sure that there is no gambling in Orange County though. If there is I have needlessly put a ton of mileage on my car.

Quote: bigfoot66

This description is fine (unless you are talking about, gasp, Hawaiian Gardens). I am pretty sure that there is no gambling in Orange County though. If there is I have needlessly put a ton of mileage on my car.

LOL. fine. My CA geography needs work. LA County, Riverside County, and San Diego County. I'd thought that Lake Elsinore and Oceanside were in Orange County. Lake Elsinore is slightly too inland, and Oceanside is on the wrong side of Camp Pendleton:-)

For those of us who live here, Elsinore isn't inland enough if you catch my drift ;) Oceanside, like most of San Diego County, is wonderful though.

Lake Elsinore is near the southwest corner of Riverside County and Oceanside is northern San Diego County.

State: California
City: Rancho Cordova
Casino: Cordova

Today's chip of the day comes from the Cordova card club in Rancho Cordova, CA. Rancho Cordova is an Eastern suburb of Sacramento. The Cordova card club has about 15 tables, including BJ, baccarat, 3CP, and PGP.

Here's a picture of the property:



I was pleasantly surprised by Cordova. It's less cramped and stuffy than some other area card clubs. It's also much less run-down on the outside than, say, the Comstock cardroom that we looked at yesterday. I played 3CP to collect my chip. BJ and PGP were full, and I just couldn't stomach playing baccarat. So 3CP won out. The session didn't go well. I wrote down that I lost my buyin, but the running total of cash only went down $40. I usually buy in for $60, and I'm not sure what to make of the difference. Either way, another stop, another bankroll reduction.

My chip from Cordova is a Chipco product. I spent some time finding the best chip I could, and this was it. There's some wear, but it's relatively even and minor. I'm never sure why high-quality establishments like this go with Chipco chips. On the plus side, the chips are cheaper and more durable than clay. But they also show so much wear so quickly that it just doesn't seem right. This design would be beautiful for decades on a Gemaco or Bud Jones blank.

State: California
City: Stockton
Casino: Delta

Today's chip of the day comes from the Delta card club in Stockton, CA. Delta has two locations in town. One is downtown and is currently temporarily (really, permanently) closed. The other is in a retail area by a CVS, Cash & Carry, and the Cameo Club. I visited the second location, which has about a dozen total tables. They have BJ, bacc, 3CP, PGP, Pai Gow tiles, and several poker tables.

Here's a picture of the Delta cardroom:



I played BJ at the Delta. I couldn't stand to stay long. The combined smell of stale BO from the card room and food from Song Hay was not pleasant. This was one of only a couple incomplete sessions from my trips through CA. I didn't reach my win or loss limit, and instead left $10 up ($5 + the chip I kept). I did like the feel of the casino - homey and sort of cozy - but the peripherals were just overwhelmingly and nauseatingly negative.

My chip from Delta is a Chipco product. It's yellow, and features a picture of what looks like a river. Maybe that river is supposed to be a delta? Stockton is quite far inland, and I don't know where the casino name or chip theme comes from.

Stockton CA is kind of part of the delta even though its way inland. Bulk and container ships do sail all the way into the port of stockton for grain and liquid bulk loading/discharge.

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Rancho Cordova
Casino: Cordova

Here are the two sides of my Cordova $1 chip:



I thought a buck on a $1 chip was a nice touch.

White chips + casino grime = all around nastiness.

Note that the edge inserts don't align with the marks on the faces, but they could if the manufacturer took the time to line them up.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I thought a buck on a $1 chip was a nice touch.

Much like one side of the Mohegan Sun chip.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Note that the edge inserts don't align with the marks on the faces, but they could if the manufacturer took the time to line them up.

Very common on the Chipco chips.

Thanks for posting this chip -- we need a lot more such contributions in this thread. Unfortunately, I have only been to one of the California card rooms, and that was eight months or so before I started collecting chips, so I didn't keep a souvenir.


On a separate topic, it seems I need to add another casino to my list of chips I might get. I just heard about this name change this morning, and the MOGH catalog already has the chips on display, with a note that the place opened in November 2013. Johnny-on-the-spot chip posting there, if you ask me.

State: California
City: Visalia
Casino: Deuce

Today's chip of the day comes from the Deuce card club in Visalia, CA. Visalia is between Fresno and Bakersfield on CA99. It is the county seat of Tulare County, and it's quite the agricultural hub. The Deuce is a poker-only club, with 4 tables. Strangely, it is dark on Sundays.

Here's a picture of the Deuce. It's a pretty rundown place:



I did not play at the Deuce. I arrived just as the last table of the day was breaking, and they elected not to seat new players. Given the circumstances, they were nice enough to let me buy a chip.

My chip from the Deuce is a Yellow sunfly mold from the Blue Chip company. The chip has an image of the deuce of clubs on it. That seems like a nice touch for a card club called the Deuce.

Wanted to share my examples of some recently posted chips.
Chumash:
Commerce:
The Bike:

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Visalia
Casino: Deuce

Here's a picture of the Deuce. It's a pretty rundown place:

Wow, rdw... The Deuce has replaced Las Vegas' "Western" as, "sketchiest place to pick up a chip". I hope the "leaner" on the left is a security guard...

What exactly is a, "lounge"? Is it a bar with a sofa?

That's a nice chip. I suspect the nickels don't get much wear at this joint.

Edit: I assume this joint has no relation to, "The Deuce Lounge" in the Aria hehe.

Quote: Ayecarumba

The Deuce has replaced Las Vegas' "Western" as, "sketchiest place to pick up a chip".

I've never been to the Deuce, but based on my rather gentle exposure to the Western, I would have to say that the Silver Saddle was the sketchiest place I have ever been to collect a chip. I even started a new thread three and a half years ago just to discuss that visit. I wasn't even there when the tables were open and the real "action" was happening.

BTW, page 3 of that Silver Saddle thread includes what I think was the first photo I posted of my office desktop with my chips on display in May 2010. It gives a bit of background (or a sign of evolution) for the most recent photo.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Wow, rdw... The Deuce has replaced Las Vegas' "Western" as, "sketchiest place to pick up a chip". I hope the "leaner" on the left is a security guard...

What exactly is a, "lounge"? Is it a bar with a sofa?

That's a nice chip. I suspect the nickels don't get much wear at this joint.

Edit: I assume this joint has no relation to, "The Deuce Lounge" in the Aria hehe.

Maybe someone in CA can confirm this, but it seems to me like a "lounge" is an establishment that serves beer but not hard liquor or food.

It's pretty common to see people hanging out around these small clubs. They're smoke-free, so anyone wanting to light up must go to the parking lot. I think I've come around to the point of view that this is actually good - it makes the street/parking lot a less isolated environment.

The Deuce actually also has quarters. That makes me think that there probably used to be games other than poker offered. Maybe there still are, when tourneys are held or something. I can't read the sign on the picture, but it looks like the last line may say Black Jack. But when I was there, poker was all that was in play, and I didn't see any semi-circular tables on the floor.

And, sadly, it won't take long until the sketch-meter moves yet again.

Quote: Doc

I've never been to the Deuce, but based on my rather gentle exposure to the Western, I would have to say that the Silver Saddle was the sketchiest place I have ever been to collect a chip. I even started a new thread three and a half years ago just to discuss that visit. I wasn't even there when the tables were open and the real "action" was happening.

BTW, page 3 of that Silver Saddle thread includes what I think was the first photo I posted of my office desktop with my chips on display in May 2010. It gives a bit of background (or a sign of evolution) for the most recent photo.

Hehe.. I think the Deuce could be more dangerous than the Silver Saddle due to the lack of nearby businesses you could run to for cover when the shooting starts.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Quote: Doc

I've never been to the Deuce, but based on my rather gentle exposure to the Western, I would have to say that the Silver Saddle was the sketchiest place I have ever been to collect a chip. I even started a new thread three and a half years ago just to discuss that visit. I wasn't even there when the tables were open and the real "action" was happening.

BTW, page 3 of that Silver Saddle thread includes what I think was the first photo I posted of my office desktop with my chips on display in May 2010. It gives a bit of background (or a sign of evolution) for the most recent photo.

Hehe.. I think the Deuce could be more dangerous than the Silver Saddle due to the lack of nearby businesses you could run to for cover when the shooting starts.

LOL! I'd blocked out the Silver Saddle. My story is much like Doc's. I walked in, and the uniformed LVPD officer at the security stand looked at me and said "Son, you are in the WRONG place..."

Personally, I agree that the Deuce is probably slightly worse. Both for the lack-of-surrounding-business reason, and because I perceive the elevated but still remote chance of physical crime at Silver Saddle to be outweighed by the elevated and significant chance of property crime at the Deuce. And, I guess I can only say "sadly" here, I think that the Deuce was sadly just the 3rd or 4th most depressing establishment that I visited in CA.

Quote: rdw4potus

LOL! I'd blocked out the Silver Saddle. My story is much like Doc's. I walked in, and the uniformed LVPD officer at the security stand looked at me and said "Son, you are in the WRONG place..."

What time of the week/day were you there?

Is this place (Silver Saddle) still open?

As I stated in my post from May 2010, I was there on a Tuesday at 5:15 pm. Last I heard, the Silver Saddle was still open, and they even had clay $1 chips instead of the tokens like I collected. No, I haven't been back to get a replacement.

State: California
City: Rosamond
Casino: Diamond Jim's

Today's chip of the day comes from the Diamond Jim's card club in Rosamond, CA. Rosamond is about 80 miles due north of LA, in a rural area near Edwards AFB. Many of the patrons of the club were USAF personnel. Diamond Jim's has 18 tables, 10 of which are poker and 8 of which are split between BJ, PGP, UTH, and 3CP.

Here's a picture of the club:


I played PGP at Diamond Jim's. The joker is fully wild. I'd more-or-less gotten a handle on that by the time I visited Diamond Jim's, and my session was free from the horribly embarrassing and costly mistakes that I made earlier in my California experience. I played for about an hour and ground my way to my win limit. I managed to miscount and wound up with $104 after tipping when I colored up. At the cashier, I decided to buy a $4 chip to go with the $5 chip that I'd collected through play.

My $4 chip from Diamond Jim's is a chocolate colored Sunfly mold from the Blue Chip company, and my $5 chip is a yellow Paulson RHC. The chip selection at Diamond Jim's is interesting. There are Paulsons, Sunfly chips, and Chipcos all in play. The Chipcos are actually pretty cool - they're styled exactly like the Paulsons and serve as a second/backup set.

At first blush, the faces of the $4 and $5 chips look quite similar, with the tan/pale yellow background. The big difference to my eye seems to be the suntan on the $5 Jim.

He still seems a little too creepy for a mascot. I note on the art, that there are two "jaw" lines on Jim's left side... or is that supposed to be something else?? A jowl?

State: California
City: Porterville
Casino: Eagle Mountain

Today's chip of the day comes from the Eagle Mountain casino in Porterville, CA. Porterville is South of Visalia, between CA99 and Sequoia National Park. Eagle Mountain is a large property, with a 70,000 sqft gaming floor that has 1,500 slots and 12 tables. Eagle Mountain keeps their table game selection simple. There's poker, and there's blackjack. $3 blackjack is available 24/7.

Here's a picture of the casino:



I played BJ at Eagle Mountain. I was pleasantly surprised to find the tables still open in the middle of the night when I arrived. It took me about 10 hands to lose my $60, so the session itself was pretty brutal. But, it was nice to not lose half a day waiting to find the tables open.

Eagle Mountain is a big casino in a small town. It's surrounded by other cities with card clubs and a couple national parks. I suppose it does have the only slots in a reasonably large geographic area, but it's still hard to see where the draw for 1,500 slots is coming from in a city with 50,000 people.

My chip from Eagle Mountain is a Paulson RHC. It follows the pattern of tribal casinos in CA and red chips. Its a pretty basic chip, with an image of an eagle and a mountain - hey, what was this place called, again?

Quote: Ayecarumba

At first blush, the faces of the $4 and $5 chips look quite similar, with the tan/pale yellow background. The big difference to my eye seems to be the suntan on the $5 Jim.

He still seems a little too creepy for a mascot. I note on the art, that there are two "jaw" lines on Jim's left side... or is that supposed to be something else?? A jowl?

I agree. Jim is creepy! And the skin pigment variations are just weird. It's quite inconsistent across all of the denominations.

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Porterville
Casino: Eagle Mountain

Were there any eagles on the mountain? Did the property have a hotel?

Quote: Ayecarumba

Quote: rdw4potus

State: California
City: Porterville
Casino: Eagle Mountain

Were there any eagles on the mountain? Did the property have a hotel?

There is no hotel. That's a bit odd, really, since it's so close to the parks. I'd have thought they could do more of a resort, like Chukchansi. As it was, the casino was large and there were lots of slots but no hotel or spa or fancy restaurants. It looks like they're thinking of moving, and I wonder if these potential expanded offerings are a part of that decision.

I've seen eagles in Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, and they're both in the mountains very near Porterville (though, I've spent my time in the other side of the parks, dozens of miles away). I'd imagine that there are eagles near the casino as well. I visited at night, at what was probably about 1am, so I didn't get to see much of the area around the casino on this trip.

State: California
City: Modesto
Casino: Empire Sportsmen's Association

Today's chip of the day comes from the Empire Sportsmen's Association in Modesto, CA. Modesto is south of Stockton on CA99. It's the county seat of Stanislaus County, and has a population of about 200,000. Despite that relatively large size, Modesto only has one gaming operator and Empire is it. The card club has 8 tables on 3,000 sqft of gaming space. There's blackjack, PGP, 3CP, and 3 poker tables.

The club recently moved. I've been to both locations. I stopped by on the day they moved, when they were closed at both locations. Frustratingly, that day was a Saturday - that's when the owners/members were available to move, but it also would have been a high-volume gaming day. I was able to walk right into the old location, which housed all of the chips and other gaming equipment. For about 5 minutes, I was the only person in the room. When an employee came inside (from the back, where I later learned they were loading up to move), I was told that the chips were counted for the move and one couldn't be sold. I later visited the new facility to collect my chip. Here's a picture of the new location:



Several months after that failed attempt to collect a chip, I visited the new location. I'd driven from Reno through Yosemite to Modesto, and later headed up through Sacramento and back to Reno. This second loop helped me collect a handful of chips, including chips from Empire and from Black Oak. I really liked the Empire Sportsmen's Association. I'd definitely hang out there if I lived in town. It's basically an extremely friendly sports bar, with gaming tables instead of the usual bar furniture.

My chip from Empire Sportsmen's Association is a Yellow Paulson RHC. It features an image of a 4 leaf clover comprised of 4 hearts.

Quote: rdw4potus

Casino: Empire Sportsmen's Association

Nope. That name is just too long. I'm invoking OP privileges and calling it just "Empire" in the post #1 directory.

:-)

The posts on Cali are great. I have never seen so many sketchy places in my life. And the state doesn't allow craps with dice! Just hilarious.

Quote: tringlomane

The posts on Cali are great. I have never seen so many sketchy places in my life. And the state doesn't allow craps with dice! Just hilarious.

The picture of Empire Sportsmen's Club is from the Modesto Bee's reader-submission drive to find "places that deserve attention because they are so attractive." The submission for Empire was based on the idea that the card club was attractive because it was so much less ugly than the used car dealerships and ad hoc for sale by owner car lots that had previously occupied that corner.

Quote: tringlomane

The posts on Cali are great. I have never seen so many sketchy places in my life. And the state doesn't allow craps with dice! Just hilarious.

Most of these clubs that RDW is posting pictures of don't even have card craps, they only have card-based games IIRC. And even then, they can't play standard house-banked games, they have to offer BS like 21st century blackjack.

Only the tribal casinos are allowed to play "pretend" craps. I'm so glad I don't live in California, for so many different reasons.

State: California
City: San Jose
Casino: Garden City

Today's chip of the day comes from the Garden City card club in San Jose, CA. Garden City, which opened in 1946, has relatively recently changed its name and is now Casino M8trix. The facility has a 55,000 sqft gaming floor with 40 table and poker games. There are a very wide variety of poker games, plus Pure 21.5 Blackjack, PGP, PG tiles, 3CP, UTH, Baccarat, and casino war. Many card clubs, especially in the Bay Area, have PG tiles. I really don't understand how/why a rule could have been crafted to allow tiles but disallow dice.

Here's a picture of the property. No hotel is marketed with the casino, so I'm not sure what exactly the tower is:



I played PGP at Garden City. For much of my session, I played with the casino's proprietor. I was sort of surprised that he could gamble in his own club, but I suppose we were both playing against the corporate player and not the house. He did mention that some changes were in the works, but the name change is surprising. The crowd skews young, trendy, and affluent. I guess the new name may appeal to that segment? I lost a couple hundred dollars during my session, pretty much all on one hand that I banked & got creamed.

My chip from Garden City is a light brown Paulson RHC. The casino's logo is/was clever - it's a spade and club in combination, with the spade overlaid onto the club. Garden City had lots of chip denominations: $0.50, $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $25, $100, $200, $500, and $1000. I wonder how often the $200 chip saw play.