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PokerGrinder
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November 10th, 2017 at 12:52:06 PM permalink
Haha six months is usually about right but I have to have all these posted before I leave for Asia on January 4 so I should be posting almost every day. I have around fifty to post I think so I have to stay on it.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 12th, 2017 at 6:25:48 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

... I have to have all these posted before I leave for Asia on January 4 so I should be posting almost every day. I have around fifty to post I think so I have to stay on it.

Well, it has now been just a tad over 57 hours since you last posted a new chip, so I suspect we should anticipate PokerGrinder-performance-as-usual.

;-)
PokerGrinder
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November 12th, 2017 at 10:35:10 AM permalink
Quote: Doc

Well, it has now been just a tad over 57 hours since you last posted a new chip, so I suspect we should anticipate PokerGrinder-performance-as-usual.

;-)


Hey hey hey! I have 53 days to post 43 chips, I have lots of time lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 12th, 2017 at 11:51:09 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Edmonton, Alberta
Casino: Grand Villa


Today's chip of the day is from the new Grand Villa Casino in Edmonton, AB. This casino is right across the street from the former Baccarat Casino. It is the same casino license but they wanted to build a much larger facility, Grand Villa Casino opened in September of 2016. They were supposed to demolish the old casino building when the new one opened but for some reason when I visited this September a year after they still hadn't demolished the building.

Grand Villa Casino has 622 slot machines and 28 table games. The casino was pretty empty when I was there. I talked to the guest services lady while registering my license plate and she was chatty. Without me asking at all she offered up the info that on nights when there is no event at the new arena that is attached, the casino is pretty empty. Apparently higher ups are actually concerned and hoping that hockey season will bring in the crowds. I am not sure who they thought would magically show up to their casino. This is the problem with having 7 casinos in a city with 900,000 people. Comparatively Winnipeg has 3 casinos and 800,000 people.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC with no edge inserts. The over sized centre inlay is grey with the casino logo in yellow and the casino location, name and the chip denomination in black. The back of the chip has a large "$1" with the casino name above and the city below. Also that isn't bad lighting in the photo, the grey in the centre inlay has a blotchy white as you get closer to the middle.


Last edited by: beachbumbabs on Nov 13, 2017
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 13th, 2017 at 6:28:33 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Grande Prairie, Alberta
Casino: Great Northern


Today's chip of the day is from the Great Northern Casino in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Great Northern Casino opened in June of 1999 and has 419 slot machines and 16 table/poker games. We made a quick stop here as we were just starting to head north and had a long drive ahead of us. I played BJ here and broke even while collecting chips. The casino is small and not very memorable, they have nice new(er) chips though.

The chip is a white and most likely made by Gemaco. We have talked about these chips a bunch, I think they look like split hooves, Doc refers to them as split joint pliers but Gemaco was absorbed into Gaming Partners International in 2015 if I remember correctly which I probably don't. So basically I am saying it is a nice chip that could be from a couple different places depending on when it was made. The chip has 4 sets of black split hooves. The centre inlay is white with a black outline. The casino name is in green and the denomination is in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 14th, 2017 at 8:49:49 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Whitecourt, Alberta
Casino: Eagle River


Today's chip of the day is from the Eagle River Casino in Whitecourt, Alberta. Eagle River Casino opened in January, 2008. They have 250 slot machines and 18 table games. We made a detour from Fort McMurray on our way to Edmonton. The reason we went 2 hours out of the way in the wrong direction is because their table games don't open until 4 and if we stopped there on our way north we wouldn't arrive at our hotel that night until about 4 am. This is why we decided it was better to stop there on the way to Edmonton rather than when leaving Edmonton. During our visit we had lunch and while we waited for our food I stood in line for a promotion they were having. They were giving away wallets with up to $1000 in them to the first 100 guests. I waited for about 20 minutes but sadly ended up with only $10. We ate (I had a salad with a dressing that was way too sweet) and then donated a few dollars at the BJ table before heading to Edmonton. The casino was nice enough for a small town casino, not much stood out about the casino.

The chip is white (same style as yesterday's) with 4 sets of grey (looks a little navy blue but I'm going with grey) edge inserts. The centre inlay is white with an eagle logo, the casino name in dark red, the denomination in light red and "Casino & Travel Plaza" in black.

A lot of these chips are interesting to me because they are in places that I will most likely never return to in my life. Truly the only reason I end up in a lot of these one horse towns is because they happen to have casinos. Oh the places this addiction has taken me! By the way why is it that nobody posts in this thread except when I forget to post lol?

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
rdw4potus
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November 15th, 2017 at 5:51:32 AM permalink
I've been in lots of casinos that were basically truck stops. Some even had tables. This one is a self-proclaimed "travel plaza" that also has 18 tables. That strikes me as a lot. Does the casino feel crowded? or is it a really giant travel plaza?
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
PokerGrinder
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November 15th, 2017 at 6:49:45 AM permalink
Like the Alamo Casino in Nevada, that was literally a truck stop. I think the only reason it is called a travel plaza is because near the casino they own the gas station. I'm not sure what else would make them a travel plaza. The casino itself isn't tiny and I wouldn't say it was crowded. Maybe it seemed smaller because although they had 18 tables, they only had a couple open for some reason. I wonder if they only open more on Friday and Saturday nights.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 15th, 2017 at 6:54:03 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

A lot of these chips are interesting to me because they are in places that I will most likely never return to in my life.
...
By the way why is it that nobody posts in this thread except when I forget to post lol?

The question at the end of your post is mostly answered by your statement that begins that paragraph. You likely won't return there in your life, and we have never been there and never will see these casinos in our whole lives.

While we may be interested in hearing about these places in remote areas of Alberta, the Yukon, or even the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, we know absolutely nothing about the places that we could add to your post. In fact, the photo of the chip is about the only thing to suggest to us that you are not making up the whole dang tale!

But we do thank you for the post, the info, and the chip image. I just need to rag on you every once in a while.
PokerGrinder
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November 15th, 2017 at 9:49:22 AM permalink
What do you mean Doc, most of these places are just a hop and a skip from your front door! 🤣

This is true, I guess there isn't much for you to add to posts like this. There aren't any casinos in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut though. Come on get your facts straight lol.

I actually could be making all this up. Maybe I just email each casino and ask for a picture of a chip on a white piece of paper. I mean some of these places I remember so little about its like I haven't been there. You know that feeling where you stop, grab a chip and leave.

I'm open to the ribbing, it amuses me.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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November 15th, 2017 at 4:57:13 PM permalink
I appreciate the posts PG. Keep em coming. It’s like being along for the ride.

It would be cool to have a map with pins of all the places you’ve been to, or a red line along the highways you’ve covered.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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November 15th, 2017 at 8:11:45 PM permalink
Yes that would be very interesting to do but I would have to have a map of North America blown up wall sized. Even then certain areas of the continent I have collected too many chips from to be able to stick pins in. I mean Nevada alone I have collected chips from 170 different casinos. Also some cities like Shreveport or Biloxi I have a bunch of chips from a tiny area of land. Would be cool though.

As far as highways I wouldn't even know where to begin putting that together lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 15th, 2017 at 8:30:53 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Cold Lake, Alberta
Casino: Casino Dene


Today's chip of the day is from Casino Dene in Cold Lake, Alberta. The casino was opened on September 27, 2007 by the Denesuline Tribe of Cold Lake First Nations. The casino is on the smaller side with 250 slot machines and 10 table games. To be honest before I looked up those numbers I would have guessed less on both numbers from my memory, apparently my memory isn't very good. We got to Casino Dene at the end of a very long first day of driving from Winnipeg. We stayed for about 20 minutes and in that time I think I won $15 playing BJ while Eric donated $20 at the roulette table. The casino is located about 15 minutes from Bonnyville where we stayed that night and about 3 hours from Edmonton.

The chip is once again the same style as the last couple days. I think the chip was white when they first bought the chips but even after a thorough cleaning it still looks like a dirty white. It is obviously possible that this was always the colour of the chip as the chips are only 10 years old. The chip has 3 sets of edge inserts in lime green and 4 "1" around the chip. The centre inlay is white (whiter than the outside of the chip) with the casino logo taking up most of the inlay. The casino name is in the middle of the logo. I am assuming that the logo is a symbol of the tribe but I can't confirm that. Other than the feathers I can't identify anything, the middle piece sort of looks like a sun to me.


You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 16th, 2017 at 6:20:49 AM permalink
This latest CCotD is a good example of why I describe the thread index as listing the chips "with the casinos within each category arranged (roughly) in alphabetical order. " That word in parentheses is quite relevant sometimes.

I started to list this chip in the set of Canadian casinos under "Dene". Then I realized that I already had 18 Canadian casinos listed as "Casino (something-or-other)". Sometimes, when the name begins with "Casino", it just doesn't sound right just to drop that word. Other times, that seems to work just fine, but I decided "No" in this case.

Next, with the following word being "Dene", I had to decide whether it should be listed right before Casino Edmonton or fit it in between all of the "Casino de ...." and "Casino du ..." entries. Chose the latter route, and this one is now indexed between Casino de Mont-Tremblant and Casino du Lac-Leamy.

(Where's a good librarian or editor when you need one?)
PokerGrinder
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November 16th, 2017 at 9:09:48 AM permalink
Haha this is great. Good job Doc, I knew 100% that this was going to be an issue when I listed the casino name. I gave my preference by putting "Casino Dene" but I actually thought I might be asked to switch it lol. I agree with all your indexing decisions!
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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November 16th, 2017 at 5:44:26 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Category: Canada
City: Cold Lake, Alberta
Casino: Casino Dene


... I am assuming that the logo is a symbol of the tribe but I can't confirm that. Other than the feathers I can't identify anything, the middle piece sort of looks like a sun to me.




Here's the logo from the Dene Nation website:



Here's the logo from the Cold Lake First Nations site:


I think the logo for the casino is a separate thing, which is wise in case things don't go well, or there is controversy surrounding the casino.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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November 16th, 2017 at 9:10:24 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Dawson City, Yukon
Casino: Diamond Tooth Gertie's


Today's chip of the day is the main attraction! This is the main reason that I took the almost month long trip in September. Today's chips are from Diamond Tooth Gertie's Casino in Dawson City, Yukon. Gertie's is not only the oldest casino in Canada, but it is also the northernmost casino too. Gertie's was opened in 1971 by the Klondike Visitors Association. I think most of you who follow this thread probably followed my trip report from our drive all the way up to Dawson.

The trip came up in a odd way. Eric and I were in Hong Kong last January, we were talking about chip collecting when he mentioned some of the Canadian chips that he hadn't collected yet. He asked if I knew about the casino in the Yukon and I immediately responded yes it is Diamond Tooth Gertie's as I had it on my list of chips to collect someday. We talked a little about how it would be cool to go up there but it is so far away. Well in June Eric sends me a message that the casino in Dawson is holding a poker series and asked if I'd like to go, I said of course and the plan was set in motion. From there I constructed a chip collecting journey from Winnipeg to Dawson and then from Dawson to Vancouver. I also made the itinerary for collecting through Washington but I figured I would probably be alone for that portion since it was over 30 casinos in two days.

We both knew that there would be a lot of hours in the car on the way but we had broken it up pretty well to make sure that we didn't have too many 12 hour days of driving. Dawson City is a beautiful town and the people were so kind and welcoming. The 5 days we spent there went by so fast, we both said that we would be open to returning some day. This was by far the highlight of the trip. The casino itself is very lackluster from the outside, it looks like an old barn. The inside is another story! It is a beautiful old gambling hall with a bar, a canteen that serves full meals that are made fresh, a stage for the Vaudeville shows they have every night and the rest of the casino is is filled with either slots, tables or seating area to eat and watch the shows. There is also a balcony where you can eat and watch the shows. Gertie's has 64 slot machines, 5 bj tables, 1 roulette, 1 red dog and 5 Poker tables. The red dog table uses a Clifford the Big Red Dog bobble head to mark the spread rather than the normal dealer button or metal token. I loved this and actually jokingly stole it from one of the dealers a few times while I was a little intoxicated. This type of thing would never happen outside of a small town casino. I think I have given enough detail and there is more in the TR thread but feel free to ask questions if I left anything out.

I got both a $1 and a $5 chip from Diamond Tooth Gertie's. The $1 chip is a basic grey Paulson RHC with no edge inserts. The middle has a gold hot stamp with the casino name, location and the chip denomination. The $5 chip is a red RHC with 2 black edge inserts. The centre inlay is orange and yellow with the casino name, location and the denomination in black. The other side of the chip has a vaudeville dancer on the inlay.


You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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November 16th, 2017 at 11:52:50 PM permalink
Was there actually a real person that the casino was named after?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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November 17th, 2017 at 9:47:05 AM permalink
This is from Wikipedia - “Patrons are treated to a daily vaudeville show inspired by one of Dawson's most famous dance hall stars from the Gold Rush era, Gertie Lovejoy, who had a diamond between her two front teeth.”
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 17th, 2017 at 7:55:43 PM permalink
State: Montana
City: Browning
Casino: Glacier Peaks


Today's chip of the day moves south of the border into Montana. The chip is from the Glacier Peaks Casino in Browning, Montana. The casino is owned by the Blackfeet Nation, I wasn't able to find out when the casino opened. It is on the smaller side with 300 slot machines (Class II so they are annoying as hell!) and 1 poker table. My reason to visit was obviously to collect a chip while playing poker, sadly the table was already closed at 10 on a Friday night. Luckily the cage was willing to sell me a chip although I did have to sign a large paper that I didn't bother reading, I hope it wasn't anything important :P (I lost a few bucks in a slot machine before leaving).

The chip is a white Chipco. I am not sure how to describe the designs on the chip. In the middle of the chip are 3 teepees on a blue background. There is a giant denomination on top of the teepees, the casino name in grey and the location in white.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 18th, 2017 at 9:01:21 PM permalink
Category: Canada
City: Lethbridge, Alberta
Casino: Casino Lethbridge


Today's chip of the day is from Casino Lethbridge again... I feel like I am having deja vu. As I posted in my TR from the Dawson City trip I made a detour to Lethbridge and Calgary to recollect a couple of chips. Casino Lethbridge used the old Casino ABS chips for over 10 years after the name change so that is the chip that I collected when I was there in 2014. This is also the chip that I originally had posted as Casino Lethbridge but I have since edited that post to be for Casino ABS. They got Casino Lethbridge chips 2 years ago, so I stopped in to get a proper chip since I have never been to Casino ABS and I wanted a Casino Lethbridge chip. The casino hasn't changed since I was there the last time and I don't anticipate a return visit to this casino for many years.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC. The centre inlay is oversized, it is baby blue with a white center. The Pure Canadian Gaming logo is of the company that owns the group of casinos. I love the way they use the Canadian flag as part of the "U". These are the exact same chips as they use for Casino Calgary, Casino Edmonton and Casino Yellowhead except that each obviously has the proper casino name on the chip. The other side of the chip is the same except instead of the logo there is a much larger denomination in the middle. I forgot to take a picture of the other side but you can see it on MoGH if you'd like.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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November 19th, 2017 at 4:57:09 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Category: Canada
City: Lethbridge, Alberta
Casino: Casino Lethbridge


Today's chip of the day is from Casino Lethbridge again... I feel like I am having deja vu. As I posted in my TR from the Dawson City trip I made a detour to Lethbridge and Calgary to recollect a couple of chips. Casino Lethbridge used the old Casino ABS chips for over 10 years after the name change so that is the chip that I collected when I was there in 2014. This is also the chip that I originally had posted as Casino Lethbridge but I have since edited that post to be for Casino ABS. They got Casino Lethbridge chips 2 years ago, so I stopped in to get a proper chip since I have never been to Casino ABS and I wanted a Casino Lethbridge chip. The casino hasn't changed since I was there the last time and I don't anticipate a return visit to this casino for many years.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC. The centre inlay is oversized, it is baby blue with a white center. The Pure Canadian Gaming logo is of the company that owns the group of casinos. I love the way they use the Canadian flag as part of the "U". These are the exact same chips as they use for Casino Calgary, Casino Edmonton and Casino Yellowhead except that each obviously has the proper casino name on the chip. The other side of the chip is the same except instead of the logo there is a much larger denomination in the middle. I forgot to take a picture of the other side but you can see it on MoGH if you'd like.


I give them the award for "Best use of the Canadian flag on a gaming implement"
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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November 19th, 2017 at 10:41:25 PM permalink
State: Montana
City: Box Elder
Casino: Northern Winz


Today's chip of the day is from Northern Winz Casino in Box Elder, MT. Northern Winz Casino opened on March 30, 2007. The casino has 60 Class II slots, 45 Class III slots and two poker tables. I don't think I have ever seen both Class II and Class III slots in the same casino. The place was pretty much empty both times I stopped in. The first time I went to find out when the game was starting and the second time to play. The first time while I was waiting for someone to ask I was playing Black Rhino at 45 cents per spin and hit all the scatters for $200 or $250, I don't remember which. I came back to the casino later for poker and they don't run on much of a schedule. The game started around 45 minutes after it was supposed to and it was slow going once it did start. It was 1/2 no limit but nobody bought in for more than $20 so we might as well have been playing limit poker. After a very boring 40 minutes I gave up my seat to another guy and cashed out. I did get lucky when a guy I was talking to at the table mentioned that a restaurant in town had a game on weekends but I will get to that with tomorrow's chip of the day.

The chip is a white Chipco with 3 faded grey edge inserts. The casino logo is of a Native American shooting a bow and arrow. The logo takes up most of the chip. The casino name is white and inside of the logo and the denomination is in blue. The word casino is in red and the colour has bled onto other parts of the chip. This chip had the least amount of bleeding I could find as some of the others were really bad!

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 20th, 2017 at 6:36:58 AM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

... the colour has bled onto other parts of the chip. This chip had the least amount of bleeding I could find as some of the others were really bad!

That's a common problem with the "Whites." (Sometimes it annoys me that I am so cheap that I collect the $1 denomination!) It even happens with clay chips (in addition to ceramic chips like this one) and with white chips that don't have any bright colors on them at all -- the colors seems to transfer from the $5 and $25 chips that scrape against them on the tables and in the racks.

I have to ask -- what's with the "Winz" in the name? Is it a reference to a tribe? Does that word have some meaning in some language? Is it a play on "Winds"? Is it supposed to look like "Wing"? I don't have any guesses that seem reasonable.

And BTW, that other issue that was hanging around here recently seems to have been cleaned up very nicely and quite completely except for this obscure comment. Thanks to the folks who contributed to the solution!
PokerGrinder
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November 20th, 2017 at 6:52:59 AM permalink
Yes that does happen with other chips running off but this one is the “casino” bleeding. It is easier to see on the chips I didn’t take. This was the best I could find.

As far as the name I found absolutely nothing. I couldn’t even find the name of the tribe that owns the casino. These Montana casinos don’t seem to have much info online.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 20th, 2017 at 7:07:00 PM permalink
State: Montana
City: Havre
Casino: PJ's


Today's chip of the day picks up where yesterday's left off. The chip is from PJ's Lounge in Havre, MT which is about 15 minutes from Northern Winz Casino. I stayed in Havre to collect from Northern Winz and was told about PJ's as I was leaving by one of the players. I drove into town and stopped at PJ's, there wasn't a game going anymore and the bartender said there probably wouldn't be that night. He said to come back at 1 the next day and a game would be running. The next morning I got a late checkout and then headed over to PJ's around noon. I ate at PJ's restaurant which is attached to the lounge. After lunch I headed over and about 15 minutes later a game started as people trickled in. PJ's has 10-12 Class II slots and the one poker table. I played for about a hour and won $110. We played dealers choice but most people chose to play Omaha Hi.

The chip is a yellow RTP with 12 white edge inserts that are a bit hard to see on the yellow. The centre inlay is black with what looks almost like yellow fireworks. PJ's and the denomination are in yellow with some shading. This is a very basic chip and not high quality but very nice in my opinion. Cheap chips don't have to look cheap if you do it right.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 21st, 2017 at 10:13:58 AM permalink
Quote: Doc (back more than three years ago in October 2014)

I still haven't been able to verify whether the renamed Harrah's Resort Southern California has any chips with the new name, other than a "Grand Opening" commemorative $5 chip that I have seen a couple of places on the web.


Well, it seems that I am still in the state of not being able to verify that. No one has posted a Harrah's Resort Southern California chip in this thread, and the only one on display in the MoGH Chip Guide is indexed under Harrah's Rincon and is the limited-edition (meaning not likely available any more) commemorative chip for the grand opening under the new name.

I'm bringing this up again because my wife and I will be in San Diego this coming weekend. If a new collectable chip were available, I would drive out to the renamed Harrah's to get one, but I hate to waste my time on a totally-reward-less venture.

Anyone know the status of chips there?

On a related topic, I checked the web site for the casino, specifically this page which shows a photo that certainly looks as if they are offering a "real" craps game there. Another page here calls their offering "Rincon Craps" but does not define that term. I did a search and found this page, which has a partial description including the statement:
Quote:

In Rincon's new version, players roll dice to determine which of 12 cards are flipped over to decide wins and losses. Other than that, the play and betting at "Rincon Craps" are the same as at any craps table in Las Vegas.

Not sure how to interpret that unless they use dice of two different colors (unlike the photo). If they did that, they could have six red cards with numbers (pip patterns) 1 through 6 and the same for six green cards. Shuffle the two sets and place them in six number boxes for each color. Then the red die and green die could indicate which cards are to be turned over. It would be the equivalent of rearranging the faces of the dice, I suppose. I once played a card craps game where they did this with ordinary dice and only used six cards.
PokerGrinder
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November 22nd, 2017 at 8:58:52 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Auburn
Casino: Iron Horse


We are moving over to the west coast today. Today's chip of the day is from the Iron Horse Casino in Auburn, Washington. This is one of the many card rooms in the state of Washington. Iron Horse has 15 tables and no slots because only the Indian casinos are allowed slot machines. I stopped in for a brief visit in which I played a few hands of BJ and left a winner. The card room was packed while others that I visited were quite empty. I'm not sure what makes one card room busier than the others as they all seem to offer the same games and most of them gave away match play coupons to everyone.

The chip is one of the cooler ones that I collected from the state and for a Chipco it is in pretty solid shape with minimal fading. The chip is white with a grey centre that has lightning bolts. The top of the chip has the casino logo which includes a motorcycle that I wouldn't be able to identify if I had a gun to my head, I know absolutely nothing about bikes. Below the logo is the front of another motorcycle that I can't identify and the denomination is in white below that. The other side of the chip has the logo slightly bigger in the middle of the chip. The location is at the top of the chip and the denomination is at the bottom.


You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
PokerGrinder
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November 23rd, 2017 at 8:56:14 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Ferndale
Casino: Silver Reef


Today's chip of the day is from the Silver Reef Casino in Ferndale, Washington. Silver Reef Casino opened on April 9, 2002. The casino has 1100 slot machines and 17 table games. The casino is owned by the Lummi Nation Tribe. I didn't stay too long, but long enough to sign up for a club card and get a few rewards from it. I was given $5 MP and $5 FP which I won a combined $18 from, I played BJ and I ran the FP through a slot machine called American Original. I also got $5 to use at the cafe which I used to buy a giant peanut butter cookie and a drink. I love peanut butter cookies!

The chip is white with two large blueish grey edge inserts. This chip looks exactly like a Paulson to me but it doesn't have the hat and cane so I am not sure of the maker. The casino name is embossed twice around the outside of the chip. The centre inlay is grey and has the casino logo on it. The boat plus all the words are a part of their logo.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 24th, 2017 at 7:43:41 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Auburn
Casino: Muckleshoot


Today's chip of the day is from Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington. The way it was explained to me Muckleshoot and Muckleshoot II are attached but have two separate licenses which is why I made the decision to collect both. They have completely separate sets of chips that can't be used or cashed out in the other casino. I started in Muckleshoot and then made my way over to Muckleshoot II. Muckleshoot Casino opened on April 27, 1995 with Muckleshoot II opening September 6, 2006. The two casinos have 3050 slot machines and 103 table games between them, I believe these are the combined numbers. Casinocity treats them as one casino whereas MoGH treats them as two which is why I wasn't sure whether to collect both chips or not until I got there.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC with no edge inserts. The centre inlay has a dream catcher with mountains in it. The denomination is inside the dream catcher in red. The casino name is in blue and the casino location is in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 24th, 2017 at 10:06:29 PM permalink
Well, I'm in travel status again (San Diego this time), so I may be a wee bit slow getting the updated entries in the thread index. Not nearly so slow as during my previous trip which had me out at sea and away from the internet for more than a week.

Also, I now have the info to answer a couple of my own questions that I posted in this thread back on 11/21:

(1) No, the Harrah's Resort Southern California does not yet have a full set of new chips showing the new (as of 2014) name of the casino. The dealers tell me they should have new chips within the next year. There are still quite a few signs around the building calling the place Harrah's Rincon.

(2) In conflict with my assumption, the Harrah's SoCal limited-edition 2014 Grand Opening commemorative chip that I saw in the MoGH Chip Guide is not "not likely available any more." The Chip Guide claims that there were only 2,000 of them produced, but I saw several of them in play at a craps table. Either they got some more, or nobody has been hording the commemorative collectables. Yes, I got one, even though the $5 denomination doesn't fit with most of my collection.

(3) I was mostly correct in my guesses about how card craps is played at the two casinos I visited.

(a) The Hollywood Jamul-San Diego uses six cards -- the Ace through 6 of spades when I played. The cards are hand shuffled/washed each time there is a change of shooter and are placed face up in boxes numbered 1 through 6. They use standard dice, and the numbers shown by the roll are used to identify the boxes (or box) for the cards that determine the result of the roll. If someone really had the skill to set the dice and roll the numbers that they wanted on each die, they could be just as successful with this game as on a regular craps game.

(b) The Harrah's SoCal game is known as Rincon Craps and uses six cards (A through 6) with green backs and six cards with red backs. Big difference here -- the cards are shuffled with two automated shufflers and are shuffled after each roll. (I don't know how many cards are in each shuffler, but they have to be shuffled in batches of six.) After shuffling, the cards are then placed face down in numbered boxes for the red and green cards respectively. There are a total of four dice available on the table -- two red and two green -- and the shooter selects one of each color to roll. After each roll, the green die result determines which green card is turned over and similarly for the red die & card. Even after the dice stop, nobody knows the result until the box man turns the two appropriate cards over. Even a magical dice shooter could not set, roll, and beat this game, because he would not know what faces of the dice he wanted to have appear in order to get his desired result.

The game is still what I refer to as random bets on random numbers, but the cards (required by the State of California) just add another level of complexity, nuisance, and opportunity for errors. I've never heard a rational explanation for that law.
PokerGrinder
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November 25th, 2017 at 8:46:46 AM permalink
I played card craps at one of the Southern California casinos in April and I wasn’t a fan. It just took away from the enjoyment of the game. I played the version that you described at Hollywood Jamul.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 25th, 2017 at 9:25:27 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Bellingham
Casino: Slo Pitch


Today's chip of the day is from Slo Pitch Casino in Bellingham, WA. The casino opened in 1998. I remember it having 4 table games despite casinocity thinking it has 9 tables. Slo Pitch's website mentions a poker room that I didn't see so maybe they have 5 poker tables which would make up the difference. That is my guess and I am sticking with it! I stayed for a very short time as I think I won 1 hand before losing $50 betting $5 a hand, that was enough for me to want to move on with my day. The casino is attached to the restaurant.

The chip is a yellow RHC although it is hard to tell because the chip is quite worn out and a bit rounded. The chip has 4 edge inserts, 2 purple and 2 a darker pink. The centre inlay has a baseball with the casino name over it in black. The denomination is white (or was at some point) and the location is in black. I really like this chip because it is different than what I normally collect. I don't have a lot of chips in my collection that aren't white or blue so whenever I get to add something different I enjoy that.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Doc
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November 25th, 2017 at 9:37:00 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

...The centre inlay has a baseball with the casino name over it in black.

It's a rather minor point, and pure speculation on my part, but I'm guessing it's a softball rather than a baseball. Perhaps Canadians are not familiar with the notion that softball games are divided into two categories (with different rules): Slo (or Slow) Pitch and Fast Pitch. Never heard of a Slo Pitch baseball game, I don't think.

And thanks for the nice chip post.
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November 27th, 2017 at 6:38:05 PM permalink
Quote: Doc

It's a rather minor point, and pure speculation on my part, but I'm guessing it's a softball rather than a baseball. Perhaps Canadians are not familiar with the notion that softball games are divided into two categories (with different rules): Slo (or Slow) Pitch and Fast Pitch. Never heard of a Slo Pitch baseball game, I don't think.

And thanks for the nice chip post.


I missed your reply. Yes we play softball (slo-pitch and Fast) I just wasn't thinking straight apparently.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 27th, 2017 at 6:57:29 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Tacoma
Casino: Emerald Queen


Today's chip of the day is from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. The casino was originally called Puyallup Tribe Casino until May of 1997 when it was re-branded Emerald Queen. The casino is still owned by the Puyallup Tribe and they have opened a second Emerald Queen Casino in Fife that has no table games. I sadly know this because I visited the one in Fife because I wasn't sure, not the first 30 minutes I wasted on this trip or the last for that matter. Emerald Queen has 1638 slot machines and 56 table games. I won a couple bucks on my visit while playing double deck.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC with no edge inserts. The chip has a decent amount of chipping and a little rounding. I am not sure how long these chips have been on the floor since they have another set on MoGH. All I know is the chips were all in really rough shape and it took me a while to find an acceptable one. The centre inlay is blue with the EQC (Emerald Queen Casino) logo taking of most of it. The casino location and chip denomination are both in white.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 28th, 2017 at 10:12:04 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Everett
Casino: Great American


Today's chip of the day is from the Great American Casino in Everett, Washington. This is one of 4 Great American Casinos in Washington state (used to be one in Kent but it recently closed) and I think if I am not mistaken I have been to all 4. The casino like all card rooms in Washington has 15 table games and no slot machines. If I am thinking of the correct Great American then I played BJ and almost lost my $100 buy in before getting back to even. The dealer was really pissed off that the Asian player at the table was betting two spots at $50+ per hand and wasn't tipping. After every tip I placed for her she asked me not so sarcastically to teach him how to tip. I laughed although maybe she should have been a little quieter with her complaining since I am sure he heard her lol.

The chip is the exact same as the one I posted from Great American Tukwila 2 years ago except obviously the location on the chip. The chip is a white Bud Jones with 6 yellow edge inserts and 3 horizontal yellow lines, one between each set of two edge inserts. The centre inlay is a version of the American flag with the Great American Casino logo on it. The chip denomination is in white and the location is in black. (I might have stolen most of the chip description from my previous post, can you plagiarize yourself?)

Last edited by: PokerGrinder on Nov 29, 2017
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
miplet
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November 28th, 2017 at 10:24:18 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

(I might have stolen most of the chip description from my previous post, can you plagiarize yourself

LOL You just plagiarized your previous header. Better fix that before your editing privileges run out.

I haven’t been to that card rooms in ages.
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November 29th, 2017 at 6:44:58 AM permalink
Quote: miplet

LOL You just plagiarized your previous header. Better fix that before your editing privileges run out.

I haven’t been to that card rooms in ages.


Haha thanks Miplet. I copy and paste the header each time so I get it right. I guess I was tired when I did this last night.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 29th, 2017 at 8:05:40 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Lakewood
Casino: Palace


Today's chip of the day is from Palace Casino in Lakewood, Washington. I visited a different Palace Casino in La Center back in 2012 when I was in Portland. The casino has it's standard 15 table games and it is beside the Chips Casino as the two come in pairs to skirt the 15 table limit law. I played a little double deck and came out ahead by a few dollars if my memory is correct. They gave me a $25 food comp which I went next door to use as they had an Asian Menu instead of the sort of Italian one at Palace. Either way I wasn't expecting the food to be of much quality, and it wasn't!

The chip is a white Chipco and boy was it hard to find a chip worth keeping. I spent more time picking a chip here than anywhere else. The chips were so faded that I ended up settling on a chip that had one side that was in pretty solid shape and the other side is 75% faded. The centre of the chip has the casino logo that looks a lot better if you look at MoGH from when the chips were brand new. The location and denomination are in black. By the way at one point the black coming out of the centre inlay reached the edge of the chip but the fading has worn most of that off.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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November 30th, 2017 at 1:24:56 PM permalink
Back last May, PokerGrinder posted his souvenir chip from the Hollywood Casino in Jamul, CA. My wife and I also stopped by that casino during our recent visit to San Diego, and I collected an identical souvenir chip.

I have now posted images of my chip here, in an edited entry just two posts below PokerGrinder's CCotD post, in order to include the UV image of the chip, in case anyone is interested.
PokerGrinder
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November 30th, 2017 at 7:01:39 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Lakewood
Casino: Chips


Today's chip of the day is from Chips Casino in Lakewood, Washington right beside yesterday's Palace Casino. I won a few bucks playing BJ while waiting for my food that I ordered with my food comp. It was really hard to spend $25 when main courses are only $12. I ordered salt and pepper shrimp and salad rolls and still didn't use the whole comp. The food was not great, I ate enough that I wasn't hungry anymore and threw the rest out at Macau Casino. I don't have much to add about the casino except that they really could use some better lighting in there, it was so dark.

The chip is a white Chipco with 3 blue fake edge inserts that are a little faded. The chip is in much better condition than yesterday's. The centre inlay has the casino logo which includes a blue flower for some reason. The denomination is in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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December 1st, 2017 at 7:13:04 AM permalink
Is there a person named Chip that owns the casino? Or is it like Caesars Palace where the place is supposed to be full of little Caesar's?

Also, is there printing on the edge?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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December 1st, 2017 at 8:55:28 AM permalink
Not that I know of. A company called Evergreen Gaming owns Chips and Palace casinos Lakewood, Riverside Casino in Tukwila and Goldie’s Shoreline Casino. They acquired all 4 between February and July of 2011.

As far as the edge of the chip I will check when I get home tonight.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 1st, 2017 at 8:15:56 PM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

Also, is there printing on the edge?


The outside of the chip has 6 equal parts, black/white/black/white/black/white. The black sections each have one "$1" in white.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 1st, 2017 at 8:35:34 PM permalink
State: Washington
City: Bothell
Casino: Silver Dollar


Today's chip of the day is from the Silver Dollar Casino in Bothell, Washington. Bothell and Mill Creek (location on chip) are 8.5 miles apart. The casino is much closer to being in Mill Creek but it's legal address is in Bothell so I decided to go with it. The casino opened up in 2004. I stayed at this casino longer than most of the others I visited so that I could eat dinner and call home. I had a pretty solid chicken bacon salad but how do you screw up something so easy? I played a little BJ after dinner and won enough to pay for dinner. The place was quite dead, I don't think they had 10 customers between the bar and casino. There used to be as many as 11 Silver Dollar Casinos in Washington but there are only 3 left. I visited 2 of them on this trip.

I am not sure of the maker of the chip (it is plastic feeling) but it is white with 8 mustard yellow edge inserts. Actually technically I guess you could also say it is a mustard yellow chip with 8 white inserts since it is even between the two colours. The centre inlay is white the casino logo taking up most of it. The logo is two palm trees with a table in front of it. The table has stacks of chips and the AJ of spades. I am not sure what the significance of those two cards or that suit have to with anything. The location and denomination are in black.

You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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December 1st, 2017 at 8:57:54 PM permalink
Quote: PokerGrinder

Bothell and Mill Creek (location on chip) are 8.5 miles apart. The casino is much closer to being in Mill Creek but it's legal address is in Bothell so I decided to go with it.

I have indexed the chip as you have it listed. I would have posted it as being located in Mill Creek, since that is what it says on the chip. Remember all of those "Las Vegas" chips that we have posted from casinos that are really in Paradise, NV?

Quote: PokerGrinder

The table has stacks of chips and the AJ of spades. I am not sure what the significance of those two cards or that suit have to with anything.

Well... let's see. What kind of significance might an Ace and a Jack together have in a casino, particularly a casino in which you just played blackjack? And as far as "that suit", what color are those pips?

Seems like a plausible explanation to me, but then I have never been to that casino. ;-)
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December 1st, 2017 at 9:49:52 PM permalink
I guess so, makes sense. I have no good argument except I’m tired lol.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
Ayecarumba
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December 2nd, 2017 at 12:15:08 AM permalink
The table is connected to the trees? Odd that it has no other visible means of support.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
PokerGrinder
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December 2nd, 2017 at 8:36:16 AM permalink
Haha I didn’t notice that until you mentioned it. It is a very odd chip.
You can shear a sheep a hundred times, but you can skin it only once. — Amarillo Slim Preston
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