Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: rdw4potus

Makes it hard as heck to read the center inlays, particularly on the one with the fine print.     ;-)

State: Missouri
City: Saint Joseph
Casino: St. Jo Frontier

Today's chip of the day comes from the St. Jo Frontier casino in Saint Joseph, MO. This property was previously owned and operated by Herbst under their Terrible's name. It reverted to the St. Jo Frontier name when it was sold off following Herbst's bankruptcy.

I revisited the property and collected this chip on my way from Kansas City to White Cloud, KS. Saint Joseph is a cute little town, and I drove through most of it on my way to the casino. I played Texas Shootout to collect my chip, then grabbed some pizza from Casey's and headed to White Cloud. My GPS thinks the best route there is a series of dirt (note: NOT gravel) roads, and that's always interesting. I keep meaning to look at a map in advance, but then I forget and by the time I remember en route, there's no cell service to even use google maps.

My chip from the St. Jo Frontier casino is a Bud Jones product. This chip features some of the smallest print I've ever seen on a casino chip, with the city name written under the word "casino" on each side.

Quote: rdw4potus

It's pretty much unchanged from when it was a Harrah's, though there was some construction work happening in the lobby area. There were scaffolds everywhere, and one of the other patrons remarked "there went my luck! Making me walk under ladders on the way to the slots..." I had to laugh at that comment.

The casino renovation is now complete, It looks like your standard generic, bland Hollywood Casino now. But the new carpet is one of the cushiest casino carpets I've ever noticed though, so that's a plus. Also a bunch of new TVs. I wouldn't want to play table games there though, they have crammed them into a very tiny area compared to the rest of the casino.

Quote: rdw4potus

My chip from the Mark Twain casino is a Bud Jones product. This chip features some of the smallest print I've ever seen on a casino chip, with the city name written under the word "casino" on each side.

Quote: rdw4potus

My chip from the St. Jo Frontier casino is a Bud Jones product. This chip features some of the smallest print I've ever seen on a casino chip, with the city name written under the word "casino" on each side.

It's just so dang convenient when the new owners have the good graces to design the souvenirs so that you can just copy and paste from one day's post to the next!   ;-)


Edit 7/31/14: I finally got to visit the St. Jo Frontier. I posted my souvenir chip from this casino, along with a bunch of others, in this post.

State: Ohio
City: Columbus
Casino: Hollywood

Thursday's chip of the day comes from the Hollywood casino in Columbus, OH. The casino has 160,000 square feet of gaming space, with 2,500 slots and 106 tables.

Here's a picture of the property:



I visited Hollywood Columbus about 2 days before I visited it's sister property in Saint Louis. I'd driven down from Chicago. On the way, I listened to a Red Sox/Yankees game on the radio. The game was in the 1st inning when I left Dowagiac, MI, and had not yet ended when I arrived in Columbus, OH. Basketball games take 2 hours, football games take 3 hours...baseball games should NOT take more than 4 hours.

The mood at Hollywood was pretty sour. My dealer commented that they'd had lots of turnover, and I guess there was some bad press about that earlier in the month. It did seem to be a perfectly nice property, but I could see how they'd have a harder time than most in recruiting and retaining experienced gaming industry employees.

My chip from Hollywood is a Paulson RHC. It's very similar to the chips from other Hollywood casinos around the country.



I had internet connectivity issues last night and couldn't make this post until now. This is Thursday's chip, and I'll make another post this evening when I get home.

Quote: rdw4potus

Here's a picture of the property:

Would you happen to have a larger/higher-res picture of the property? It looks a bit like an early-mid-80s department store.

Quote:

On the way, I listened to a Red Sox/Yankees game on the radio.

You really shoulnd't listen to a sleep aid while driving. it could be very dangerous ;)

Quote: Nareed

Would you happen to have a larger/higher-res picture of the property? It looks a bit like an early-mid-80s department store.

Here are more pictures. But, really, I think it just looks like a department store. Or maybe a movie theater. I guess the theater thing might actually be what they're going for.

deleted

Quote: rdw4potus

Here are more pictures.

Thanks!!

Quote:

But, really, I think it just looks like a department store. Or maybe a movie theater. I guess the theater thing might actually be what they're going for.

I guess given the name the look is more theater-like. But the original picture you posted, with the lights off and in day-time, looks like a department store right here in Mex City, built around 1982-3. I was struck by the similarity. It's even very close in color.

State: Ohio
City: Cincinnati
Casino: Horseshoe

Today's chip of the day comes from the Horseshoe casino in Cincinnati, OH. The casino has a 100,000 square foot gaming floor with 2000 slots and 118 tables. I thought it was particularly well laid out and spacious feeling.

Here's a picture of the property:



I visited Horseshoe immediately after I left the Hollywood in Columbus. It was about 1am when I got to Horseshoe, on a wednesday, and it was quite busy. I'd heard that this casino was less central than the Cleveland location. And I guess that's true - it's not in the middle of downtown. But, it's very well located and very easy to get to. I did have one little problem when I left, but it was totally my fault. I couldn't figure out how to exit and go south/west on the interstate, and I wound up going back north/east. So I had to take the next exit and turn around before heading down to Louisville to spend the night at Horseshoe Southern Indiana. I suppose location is the key here, but the room rate was $379 at Cincinnati and $0 at HSI. Even then, I thought about dropping the $379 rather than driving 90 miles at 3am. Maybe it's just because it was 3am, but it did NOT occur to me to just stay at any of the hundreds of cincy-area hotels with rates under $300/night.

I played BJ at Horseshoe. The dealer was one of those people with an infectiously upbeat personality. She really made time fly, and I ended up staying much longer than I'd planned. I guess it's good that my buyin lasted the whole two hour session.

My chip from Horseshoe Cincinnati is a Paulson RHC. Except for the location name, it's identical to the chip from the Cleveland location.

Quote: rdw4potus

City: Cincinnati
Casino: Horseshoe

Yes, another casino chip that's on my list to get. I have mentioned previously that my wife and I like to go the the Kentucky Music Weekend in Louisville at the end of each July, though we missed last year for a high school reunion. My very tentative plan for this year is to hit some of those casinos I've recently mentioned in response to rdw4potus's chips (in Biloxi, Bossier City, Cape Girardeau, and St. Louis) on the roundabout way from NC to Louisville, then on the way home we would stop at Rising Sun/Star and Cincinnati. Of course, I also have very tentative plans to hit Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland (plus Erie) on the way home from a potential trip to Niagara Falls, which we haven't visited since 2008. Not all of my tentative plans work out, so I make a lot of them.    ;-)


Edit (6/15/14): Well, I still haven't made it to Cincinnati, but I did make it to Columbus to pick up a souvenir chips from the casino that rdw4potus covered above. I posted my photos here.


Edit 7/31/14: Well, I finally did get to visit the Horseshoe in Cincinnati. I posted my souvenir chip from this casino, along with a bunch of others, in this post.

Quote: rdw4potus

I guess the theater thing might actually be what they're going for.

I agree. Fortunately in St. Louis I doubt they are going to eff with the exterior since it was already built for them. Just like they have yet to eff with the good video poker there. *crosses fingers*

Quote: rdw4potus

State: Ohio
City: Cincinnati
Casino: Horseshoe

Today's chip of the day comes from the Horseshoe casino in Cincinnati, OH. The casino has a 100,000 square foot gaming floor with 2000 slots and 118 tables. I thought it was particularly well laid out and spacious feeling.

Here's a picture of the property:

This is the most awesome horseshoe i have seen in my life on the outside.

Quote: tringlomane

This is the most awesome horseshoe i have seen in my life on the outside.

Me too - and, really, on the inside too - but I have high hopes for Baltimore. And, I suppose, Boston and Miami.

Dang, some day I would love to do a midwest casino tour. Probably in about 40 years when I'm retired and my kids are grown up D:

Quote: AcesAndEights

Dang, some day I would love to do a midwest casino tour. Probably in about 40 years when I'm retired and my kids are grown up D:

How old are the kids now? I'm just wondering why you expect them to be "grown up" in just 40 years from now. Do you have evidence that can happen?    ;-)

Quote: Doc

How old are the kids now? I'm just wondering why you expect them to be "grown up" in just 40 years from now. Do you have evidence that can happen?    ;-)

The kids are hypothetical at this point. But barring major life changes there will be at least one in 2-3 years.

State: Nevada
City: Fernley
Casino: Fernley Nugget

Today's chip of the day comes from the Fernley Nugget in Fernley, NV. Fernley is a tiny town about halfway between Fallon and Reno. It is where US50A and I-80 connect. The Fernley Nugget has 165 machines, 2 poker tables, 1 blackjack table, and 1 roulette table. It's also fully non-smoking.

Here's a picture of the property:



I mentioned several times that some of the California card clubs made it feel like I was playing at a friend's house. Fernley Nugget is another one of those places. Drinks are free and served in real glasses. Even the self-serve soda fountain has a stack of glass glasses next to it. There's no smoking. The poker games are very friendly. I played BJ to collect my chip. It was maybe the worst blackjack game I've ever played. Double deck, double 10 or 11 only, no DAS, no RSA, H17, BJ pays 6:5, and this is the only place in the US that I've seen where the dealer check for BJ AFTER players have acted AND all chips are collected if the BJ exists. I'm not even sure how that could be worse. I suppose BJ could pay even money, or it could be a shoe game. Despite the rules, the game was a lot of fun. And, at $2-$25 stakes, the rules cost me maybe $2 during my session.

My chip from Fernley Nugget is a Paulson RHC. It has one of those extra-big inlays that covers part of the H&C section. Also, it features an image of a nugget. Yep, there's a pic of a rock on the chip.

Quote: rdw4potus

I mentioned several times that some of the California card clubs made it feel like I was playing at a friend's house. Fernley Nugget is another one of those places. Drinks are free and served in real glasses. Even the self-serve soda fountain has a stack of glass glasses next to it. There's no smoking. The poker games are very friendly. I played BJ to collect my chip. It was maybe the worst blackjack game I've ever played. Double deck, double 10 or 11 only, no DAS, no RSA, H17, BJ pays 6:5, and this is the only place in the US that I've seen where the dealer check for BJ AFTER players have acted AND all chips are collected if the BJ exists. I'm not even sure how that could be worse. I suppose BJ could pay even money, or it could be a shoe game. Despite the rules, the game was a lot of fun. And, at $2-$25 stakes, the rules cost me maybe $2 during my session.

WOW those are terrible rules. And weird too. Why have double on 10/11 only and nDAS if you're already only paying 6-5 on naturals? Boggles the mind.

Dang! I forgot that we hadn't yet covered the Fernley Nugget in this thread. I didn't even have this on my list of chips I need to post.

I picked up this $1 chip on a loop of western Nevada we took one day while my wife and I were visiting Lake Tahoe last September. Guess I need to check back to see whether any of the other chips I gathered came from casinos not yet covered. My feeble memory was that I picked out the casinos to visit based on the ones that rdw4potus had already posted.

I did not get the "thrill" of playing those delightful BJ rules that rdw described. When I was there, it was still too early in the day, and the table games had not opened. I bought the souvenir chip from the cashier and played $1 through a VP machine to conform to my personal "rule" that I collected the chip at a casino where I had gambled.

My chip is identical to rdw4potus's, except it is white and the denomination mark is a white "$1" instead of a red "$5".

Ah, now I found it! After returning home from that Lake Tahoe trip, I posted chips that I had gathered from ten casinos already covered in the thread. I also noted then that I had chips from two more casinos that had not yet been covered and said that I would post those later at an appropriate time. Well, I guess I just forgot, and today is an appropriate time for one of them. I have added the other to my list of chips to post. Perhaps rdw4potus will cover that one in the next few days, too.

Quote: Doc

My chip is identical to rdw4potus's, except it is white and the denomination mark is a white "$1" instead of a red "$5".

Is the image in the insert an actual Fernley "nugget", like the "Hand of Faith" at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas?

Sorry, but I have no idea, and I couldn't find the answer with a very cursory search.

State: Michigan
City: Dowagiac
Casino: Four Winds

Today's chip of the day comes from the Four Winds casino in Dowagiac, MI. Dowagiac is in a remote area about 20 miles north of the MI/IN border. It's pretty much straight north of South Bend, and I assume that's where most of this casino's draw comes from. Four Winds has 300 machines and 4 tables, though the floor could easily support twice as many gaming stations.

I can't find a good picture of this property. Most of the ones online are actually of the Hartford location. Here's an artist's rendering that's pretty accurate:



I get a kick out of the Four Winds properties. Except for their scale, they look very similar from the outside. But the difference in scale is comical. The New Buffalo location has 3000 slots and 90 tables on 130,000 square feet. This casino has 300 machines and 4 tables on 27,000 square feet.

I played BJ at Four Winds. It was a fun enough experience. The casino opened in April of 2013, and I visited in September. They were still working on the parking lot entrances and exits and on the pedestrian lanes through the valet area when I visited. That made it a bit of an adventure to get in and out of the property, but that'd be much better now (assuming the work is done). Most of the problem when I visited was an odd clockwise traffic routing pattern that required exiting vehicles to turn left across the entrance lanes in order to get out. A desire to avoid that exact situation is the reason why many parking lots have a counter-clockwise rotation in place.

My chip from Four Winds is a Paulson RHC. The style is very similar to that of the New Buffalo and Hartford chips, but the inlays are a different color at each location.

Quote: AcesAndEights

WOW those are terrible rules. And weird too. Why have double on 10/11 only and nDAS if you're already only paying 6-5 on naturals? Boggles the mind.

I know the "Pussycat Dolls" (LOL like they're relevant anymore) Pleasure Pit at Caesars Palace is 6:5 double on 10, 11 only as it is clearly written on the felt. That possibly is the worst Strip Rules I'm aware of. But at least you can stare at women there.

Quote: rdw4potus

I get a kick out of the Four Winds properties. Except for their scale, they look very similar from the outside. But the difference in scale is comical. The New Buffalo location has 3000 slots and 90 tables on 130,000 square feet. This casino has 300 machines and 4 tables on 27,000 square feet.

This is a ridiculous for a new property. Why bother? I really, really like Four Winds New Buffalo though. First Native American casino I have ever visited, and very classy looking. They also have decent VP for cheap, which I never mind. It also helps I am 3 for 3 on winning trips there including Thursday. ;)

State: Indiana
City: Evansville
Casino: Tropicana

Today's chip of the day comes from the Tropicana casino in Evansville, In. This property was formerly the Aztar. It has about 900 slots and 40 tables on a gaming floor that is a little under 40,000 square feet.

Here's a picture of the property (as the Aztar):



This property makes me chuckle every time I visit. Downtown Evansville has new buildings and clean lines. It's like Peoria, IL or Rochester, MN. The population is about 120,000, but there's a little skyline and it plays like a bigger city because of the regional draw. The on-land part of this property fits reasonably well into the downtown area. And, as the picture shows, the outside of the boat looks good downtown as well. But, the inside of the boat is tired/old/stale and you don't quite see that coming as you enter. It's kind of like if the outside of Aria and the inside of Sams Town were combined.

I played BJ at the Trop. It was surprisingly lively in the early afternoon when I was there. At least in September, they really hadn't done much to the property to mark the change from Aztar to the Trop. Really, I think the name & logo change was the only thing that was done.

My chip from Tropicana is a Bud Jones product. I think this chip does a lot of things well. The pattern is attractive, it stresses the Trop nickname, and the inserts are well aligned.



This chip represents what is currently the final unique casino in my collection. AcesandEights will take over posting duties tomorrow.

Quote: rdw4potus

This chip represents what is currently the final unique casino in my collection. AcesandEights will take over posting duties tomorrow.

Finally, my moment in the sun has arrived!

Quote: rdw4potus

But, the inside of the boat is tired/old/stale and you don't quite see that coming as you enter. It's kind of like if the outside of Aria and the inside of Sams Town were combined.

The last time I was there was in 2000 or early 2001 and it was tired and stale THEN...

Whoops! Another casino to add to my list of chips to get!

Maybe on that trip this summer?


My wife and I are off to Tunica this morning. I hope the transitions to AcesAndEights and the next lead in the thread go smoothly in my absence. I have that next lead tentatively set up, but I may not have given enough notice.


Edit 7/31/14: I finally got to visit the Tropicana I posted my souvenir chip from this casino, along with a bunch of others, in this post.

Quote: Doc

Whoops! Another casino to add to my list of chips to get!

Maybe on that trip this summer?


My wife and I are off to Tunica this morning. I hope the transitions to AcesAndEights and the next lead in the thread go smoothly in my absence. I have that next lead tentatively set up, but I may not have given enough notice.

I have exactly 2 chips, so next man up should be ready on Thursday 2014-03-13 if possible.

Speaking of which, I forgot to photograph chip #1 this morning before I left for work, so it will be coming this evening.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Speaking of which, I forgot to photograph chip #1 this morning before I left for work, so it will be coming this evening.

This is pretty much why my usual posting time is/was 12am EPT:-)

Quote: AcesAndEights

I have exactly 2 chips, so next man up should be ready on Thursday 2014-03-13 if possible.

Speaking of which, I forgot to photograph chip #1 this morning before I left for work, so it will be coming this evening.

I'm ready, almost always willing and sometimes able :)

My collection will drift a little further afield then what we have seen so far but more about that on Thursday!

(Edit: slow typing once again!)

Quote: AcesAndEights

I have exactly 2 chips, so next man up should be ready on Thursday 2014-03-13 if possible.

Tomspur has agreed to post his collection starting on Thurs. He claims that a 17-hour time differential will allow him to prepare. I'm not exactly sure how that works.

I'm also not sure how many chips he will be showing us -- at one time, he indicated that he had about two months worth, but the latest numbers I saw were more like 10 to 15. That may be the number of photos he has ready right now. We'll have to wait to see about that, but for now we're still waiting to see yours! ;-)

Quote: Doc

(Edit: slow typing once again!)

Tomspur has agreed to post his collection starting on Thurs. He claims that a 17-hour time differential will allow him to prepare. I'm not exactly sure how that works.

I'm also not sure how many chips he will be showing us -- at one time, he indicated that he had about two months worth, but the latest numbers I saw were more like 10 to 15. That may be the number of photos he has ready right now. We'll have to wait to see about that, but for now we're still waiting to see yours! ;-)

What I mean by the time difference is that, I have until my Friday here to post, which in my mind makes it easier than saying, "you have to have it done by Thursday" :) Call it the "time travelers fallacy" :)
As for the amount of chips, I really cannot remember. My collection is about 200 chips strong but many of them is US casinos which, I'm sure has been done to death already. At last count I believe I have anywhee from 10 to 30 or so international chips which I would like to share.

I have 10 ready to go right now so from Thursday until the 23rd March we are good to go!! :)

Country: Czech Republic
City: Prague
Casino: Casino Kartáč

Today's Chip of the Day comes from the lovely town of Prauge, in the Czech Republic. In the spring of 2011 I went on a 7 week trip through Europe, staying in hostels and generally exploring and going on pub crawls (I had never been outside of the US/Canada before this trip).

Sadly, I did not hit up that many casinos. I was firmly on the path to casino enthusiast, but at this point in my gambling career, my main game was craps, and there is very little craps in Europe. I'm not sure what led me to walk in to this particular casino, other than boredom. I had a copy of Snyder's Blackbelt in Blackjack with me on this trip, and I was reading it and learning/practicing counting on the trains for much of the trip. Sadly I was not capable yet, although I had a pretty good handle on basic strategy.

At Casino Kartáč, I played blackjack for several hours into the early morning. There was a friendly Irish gentleman who was playing with me and betting much bigger; he was in the IT industry and was in Prague on business. If I had known how to count, this game would hardly have been lucrative - it was a 4 deck game that was pretty much exactly center-cut. It was a standard ENHC game, with early surrender against 2-10 only. I don't recall the rules on DAS or whether you lost original bets only on dealer BJ. There didn't appear to a be a "floor supervisor" as we know them in the US, as 2 dealers were switching off every few shoes, and the off dealer would sit next to the game and take a turn supervising. At one point, the supervising dealer actually fell asleep while we were playing.

If you look on Google Maps for this casino, you will notice the pin is directly on the "Museum of Communism." They share the same building, in fact, which allowed me to snap this amusing photo.

I don't generally collect chips, but for some reason decided to keep this one as a souvenir. I won't speculate as to the manufacturer as I have no background in that area, but it looks exactly the same on the front and back (thumbnail links to a full resolution photo). 50Kč (Czech Koruna) is about $2.50 at present, and was about the same when I was there. I lost several thousand Czech Koruna at this game, and then lost one bet on roulette before calling it a night. Looking at this casino's website, they have some machines and a few other games, but it is a pretty small place. When I left, I believe only BJ and roulette were open.

The "Casino Kartáč" name appears to be a chain, with the branch located in Prague referred to as "Casino Kartáč - Savarin." The chip also includes the text "Cartwright Inn" (or Onn?), which I believe is from a different branch (again looking at the website above). They probably share the same chip supply.

Identifying the manufacturer is easy for this one. The "BG" logo at the bottom center means it is from Bourgogne-et-Grasset, the European division of Gaming Partners International.

When I have posted a chip that includes the name of one casino but I got it in play at another casino, I think I have always listed it in the header of the post and in the directory as being from the casino it names, but describing in the post just where and how I got it. That has happened a lot in the Caribbean. I have one chip I haven't posted yet that I picked up last fall in the Caribbean, but it says it is from a casino in South America.

Let's discuss how best to list this chip.

Quote: Doc

When I have posted a chip that includes the name of one casino but I got it in play at another casino, I think I have always listed it in the header of the post and in the directory as being from the casino it names, but describing in the post just where and how I got it.

Let's discuss how best to list this chip.

That makes sense, however sleuthing on the web I can't seem to find a casino with the name "Cartwright Inn." Following this web trail:
Casino Kartáč home page
Casino Kartáč Prague location - this is where the "Savarin" name shows up. At the bottom of that page, there is a link to "Bílý Kartáč Cartwright Inn" with the "Cartwright Inn" in the same font that is on my chip.
Follow that link here...
And there are links to two locations of what appear to be restaurants, and no casinos...

So it's all very confusing to me. For the index page, I would propose categorizing this chip under the name "Casino Kartáč" since that seems to be the only consistent name about this whole mess. I have modified the header on my post to say just that.

OK, while I don't understand the local language and customs, it seems plausible that your chip has the name of the casino where you played plus an ad/promo for a restaurant there. I will add it to the directory when I get home.

At that point, the Europe category will have a total of four casinos with names beginning "Casino da ___", "Casino de ___", "Casino ___", and "Gran Casino de ___". For the U.S. casinos, I haven't included "Casino" in the name except for a couple of special cases like Casino Royale. I'm not sure whether I should handle the Europe directory differently or not. Suggestions?

Quote: Doc

At that point, the Europe category will have a total of four casinos with names beginning "Casino da ___", "Casino de ___", "Casino ___", and "Gran Casino de ___". For the U.S. casinos, I haven't included "Casino" in the name except for a couple of special cases like Casino Royale. I'm not sure whether I should handle the Europe directory differently or not. Suggestions?

It seems the custom outside of the US is to name the casino after the city/region that it's in. And, I think that means the "Casino..." needs to stay. It would be strange to have entries that are simply titled Barcelona, Rama, Nova Scotia, etc.

Quote: Doc

At that point, the Europe category will have a total of four casinos with names beginning "Casino da ___", "Casino de ___", "Casino ___", and "Gran Casino de ___". For the U.S. casinos, I haven't included "Casino" in the name except for a couple of special cases like Casino Royale. I'm not sure whether I should handle the Europe directory differently or not. Suggestions?

I think we'll all accept whatever you decide. But for ease of identification, I'd vote for ommiting "Casino" when too many places are anmed "Casino something or other". On a list they all look too much the same.

BTW, I posted a photo of a chip from the Royal Yak casino in Mexico City (really, that's the name) in my article (I no longer have the chip): https://wizardofvegas.com/articles/gambling-in-mexico/

I think that's as plain a design as I've seen.

BTW I haven't been back since writing the article, or ot any other Mexican casino, either.

State: Oregon
City: Pendleton
Casino: Wildhorse Resort & Casino

Sadly, my previous chip of the day was the only one which I brought home from Europe. I did play Blackjack in a casino in Vienna, Austria that had very strange, cheap, plastic chips with rounded edges that made them really hard to stack. Anyway.

Today's chip comes from the Wildhorse Resort & Casino outside of Pendleton, Oregon. Here's a picture of the casino:


When I visited Wildhorse, it was under heavy construction but still open. In fact, I visited Wildhorse twice within a short period: once on the way to Washington from Idaho, and once on the way from Washington to Idaho. I believe I played BJ on one visit and craps on the other, but I can't be sure. Of some note to craps enthusiasts is that the Wildhorse has a Reno craps layout, which pushes Don't Pass/Don't Come bets on a 2 and pays them on a 12.

I also remember feeling bad counting cards at this casino because the dealer was nice. Aww, I was so young.

Once again, I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to keep a $1 chip from this casino. I think I may have had a plan of starting a grand collection like Doc's/RDW's, but then gave it up. Like yesterday's, this chip is the same on each side, so I only photographed one side.


I have no idea how Wildhorse claimed the title of "Northwest's Highest Paying Casino" or if that claim is still valid, but there it is.

Thus concludes my contribution to the Chip of the Day thread! Thanks Doc for organizing it, I enjoy reading the thread and am happy to have contributed a small part.

Today I just went to the Playboy Casino in Cancun and collected a chip after playing BJ and UTH. If anyone would like a chip I may be able to whip back down there. Also I would be willing to post pictures for chip of the day, or answer any questions.

Category: Caribbean Islands
City: Willemstad, Curacao
Casino: Plaza hotel and Casino

This is the first chip in my collection. Perhaps I should give a small history about my collection. I'm not an avid collector but whenever I go to a casino and I remember, I try to collect a low denomination chip from there. I have traveled all around the world but unfortunately the bug to collect casino chips only caught me quite late. Some of the chips are not in great order and the pictures are not of a very high quality as I had to ask my wife to take the pics for me back in Vegas. I therefore have very little quality control. As soon as I get back to Vegas I will retake the pics and post them in the place of the not so great ones. I apologize in advance.
I will start with what I have from the Caribbean. I hope I don't jump around too much because of the aforementioned picture delivery system I have going on at the moment.

I visited the Plaza Casino in Curacao sometime during the back end of winter in 2004. I was working on a cruise ship called the Raddison Diamond at the time. She was my first ship and I was quite "green" in those days but full of promise.
The casino was very small and tightly packed with locals and cruise ship employees. Mostly Phillipino as they loved to chuck their weekly pay packets away at the casino.
Here is a pic of the place I found online.



I played Roulette to get this particular chip. The gambling there was in USD. I bought in for $100, played roulette for about half an hour and walked with $61 (including the $ you see below). The casino was not very inspiring and it seemed to me like a typical small island casino who preys off the locals as well as the cruise guests and employees. Back then I doubted their honesty but I had no way of proving that!

The chip is a yellow plastic chip with 4 white inserts. This chip appears to me to be the cheapest of the cheapest of the cheap. There appears to be no security features and I cannot place a manufacturer.



I only visited this island once which is kind of rare as I spent 6 years on ships with a large amount of time in the Caribbean.

More to follow tomorrow, I'm sure the writing will get better too!

PS: Can you guys let me know if you see the pictures. It seems like I have done everything correctly but on my work PC it shows as the Red X in the little white box. If it does not show properly I will attempt to rectify tonight or tomorrow morning when I'm back in the office, around 6PM PST.

Pix are good!

Tomspur,

Excellent first chip post! I am pretty sure I can identify the manufacturer of your chip, but that will have to wait until I get home.

Have you looked at the index on page 1 of this thread? We already have a category called "Caribbean Islands" rather than listing each one separately. If you can edit your header to match that category and add the country to the location, I will list this chip in with the others from there.

Two interesting things about the casinos from those islands: they don't really seem to care whose chips they have in play, and the names can be confusing.

I was in Curacao last November and played at both the Paradise Plaza casino and the Royal Plaza casino. I am almost certain the Royal Plaza used to be just the Plaza and is the one in your photo. I first visited there in 2009, but their tables were closed while our ship was in port.

When I returned last fall, I played blackjack, and they had an interesting mix of chips in the rack. They had $5 chips marked "Plaza", but those were only valued at $2.50 in play. The real $5 chips were marked "Americana," which is a completely different casino in town.

They also had other chips marked in dollar denominations, but those were for wagers in florin!

Anyway, you've given me the opportunity to post my own souvenir Plaza chip in reply.

Quote: beerseason

... Also I would be willing to post pictures for chip of the day, or answer any questions.

I try to coordinate who has lead responsibility for the chip of the day, so I'll add your name to the list and let you know when it's your turn at bat.

Quote: Doc

I try to coordinate who has lead responsibility for the chip of the day, so I'll add your name to the list and let you know when it's your turn at bat.

Sounds like a plan. Doc, would you like me to pick you one up? I know you collect chips and if I could get back down there I would be glad to pick you one up. That is unless you want an excuse to go, lol.

Quote: beerseason

Doc, would you like me to pick you one up? I know you collect chips and if I could get back down there I would be glad to pick you one up. That is unless you want an excuse to go, lol.

Thanks for the offer, but if you read through this whole thread, you'll find I have some personal "rules" about my collection. While a couple of folks have provided chips as gifts, and I have posted those chips here, I don't consider those chips as part of my collection. To include a chip in my set, I must have been to the casino myself, and (with very few exceptions) I must have played there. Maybe I'll get back to Cancun some day, but it's not likely -- only been there once in my life.

Tom,

Chip pic and write-up both very interesting! Looking forward to your seaborne reminisces. Thanks for doing it.

Quote: Doc

Thanks for the offer, but if you read through this whole thread, you'll find I have some personal "rules" about my collection. While a couple of folks have provided chips as gifts, and I have posted those chips here, I don't consider those chips as part of my collection. To include a chip in my set, I must have been to the casino myself, and (with very few exceptions) I must have played there. Maybe I'll get back to Cancun some day, but it's not likely -- only been there once in my life.

I completely understand, I am the same way. And if I were you I wouldn't come to Cancun just for that chip (wasn't all that impressive). Sorry I didn't read through the whole thread, that was a few too many pages (although I will try to keep up from now on).

Category: Caribbean Islands
City: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Casino: Marriott San Juan & Stellaris Casino

Todays chip comes from the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico. In fact, the first time I ever set foot on a cruise ship was in Puerto Rico all the way back in 2003. This is probably the Caribbean island I have visited most often and it obviously has a very special place in my heart.

The casino I visited was the Marriott, San Juan on Condado beach which is home to the Stellaris Casino. See pic sourced from the internet below:



I believe I collected this chip sometime in 2006 after signing off of one of the ships I was on, I believe it was the Seven Seas Voyager. I had to spend the evening in San Juan as my flight was only to leave the next day sometime. I chose to stay at this hotel as it had a great little bar right on the beach where you can sit, have a drink and watch the ships sail away. It was a remarkable evening with beautiful weather and I had a great seafood dinner.
The chip was sourced while playing craps. It is a $1 chip, white with 4 red inserts. The chip had a very nice inlay of the Hotel name and logo. The chip was brand spanking new when I got it and you can see by the pic it is still in excellent quality. I believe I bought in for $100 and left the game with a little over $400. One thing I did notice about this table was the stick didn't have its usualy hook on the front but rather a full circle. I would again see this type of dice stick somewhere in Europe but they are few and far between.

Here is a pic of the chip



Again, due to chip delivery system I may jump a little tomorrow to a few of my South African chips and then come back to my Caribbean collection sometime thereafter. Hope Doc doesn't mind :)