Whirlwind tour of Las Vegas

Hello All,

I have a question that I think someone can probably help me with.

I collect $5 chips and players club cards. My method is:

1. Join players club (if not already a member at an affiliated casino)
2. Play 5 hands of pai gow poker (or, in the absense of available pai gow poker, 1 shoe of BJ with low house edge)
3. Keep one $5 chip
4. Cash out remaining chips
5. Proceed to next casino

If I follow this method at each and every distinct casino (with differentiated $5 chip) within 60 miles of downtown vegas, and plan on spending 18 hours/day on this project, how many days should I set aside to complete my quest?

Spending 18 hours a day on this [assuming you drive] I would guess 3 days would be more than enough time. Especially if you skipped the playing part, as in some places you would be hard pressed to find decent $5 BJ.

I've tried doing it without playing, and it does not go well. I either end up making a dealer shuffle up a frozen table just to give me one chip, or I hold up a game in progress just to get one chip.

I do think it's best with the playing, and I don't mind playing for higher stakes. $5 is just the lowest common denomination available.

I've really had a lot of fun with this. I hit 6 casinos in southern Indiana during a recent trip to Louisville. Belterra and the Horseshoe Southern Indiana were very nice. The Horseshoe had a promotion where 30 minutes of play qualified for a free buffet, which was much appreciated after driving 480 miles and visiting 5 other casinos in the same day.

I'm going to do the same with the Chicago area in late May, and possibly San Diego in late April.

Can't say I agree with your hobby (why a $5 chip? Why not $1's?), but it should be doable. I buy chips from empty tables all the time without the dealer shuffling up. There are maybe 72 casinos in the Las Vegas Valley with table games. You should be able to hit all of them in three solid days of touring. 18 hours a day is not necessary and you will just burn yourself out. Try 12-14 hours if you really want to burn the candle. Try to break up the casinos into geographic areas, e.g. Henderson, Boulder Strip, North Las Vegas, etc. It can be done -- good luck to you.

Oh yes, your endeavor will cost you approximately $350. Hope you get a lot of pleasure out of it.

Why not just get the chip from the cashier's cage?

60 miles of Downtown Vegas will get you to all of the Casinos in Clark County (except Laughlin) and the three in Pahrump. You'll also need to include Primm and the casinos south on Route 93 in Jean and Searchlight.

The 2010 January Revenue report the following for casinos with table games.

I counted 95 casinos with table games where you could probably get chips. All have 21.


-15 "downtown" casinos. Assume that you spend 20 minutes in each casino. 5 hours. Include lunch.
-37 "Strip" casinos. Assume that you spend 20 minutes in each casino and 10 minutes between casinos. You will not need Player's card again for the MGM properties or Harrah's properties. Add 10 minutes to get player's cards for the Wynn, Venetian, Harrahs (you probably already have one of those) and MGM (the same) and then the individual ones. So, 740 minutes + 10 minutes x 15 = 900 minutes = 15 hours. Your legs will be tired.
-11 "North Las Vegas" casinos. Assume 1/2 hour for each including driving time. 5.5 hours.
-16 "Boulder" strip casinos. These are relatively close together. Assume 25 minutes each. 400 minutes, say 7 hours.
- 13 "Other" Clark County casinos not in Laughlin or Mesquite. These include the ones in Boulder City (2), Primm (3), the ones on the 93 (2), Summerlin (3), and 3 other ones scattered in the city. Assume one hour each -- 13 hours.
- 3 in Parhump. Assume 1 hour drive there and back and then another 90 minutes in town. 3.5 hours.

Overall then, 5 + 15 + 5.5 + 7 + 13 + 3.5 = 49 hours = 3 days. But I would give it four so that you could eat, drink, etc.

Quote: mantic59

Why not just get the chip from the cashier's cage?

Better and faster: Buy the chip from someone on line at the cage.

I am guessing that part of the experience is to play a bit at each casino. I enjoy the chance to play at many different places...each is a little different. Some are worth going back to and some are not...

I like to bet $5 chips much more than I like to collect them but we all have our "things" we like to do. The only chips I have are the darned $1 ones that I hold on to for tips. I always seem to bring a couple back!!

Yes, part of the fun is to play a little at each casino. One of the reasons that I play PGP whenever I can is that it's a game that is dealt very differently at different casinos. Everything, right down to the direction of deal, can be different.

I've found that not all casinos have $1 chips. Below the $5 level, there is a smattering of $.25, $.50, $1, $2, and $2.50 chips, fifty cent pieces, and silver dollars in use. So to collect a consistent denomination that wouldn't break the bank, I settled on nickels.

Quote: mantic59

Why not just get the chip from the cashier's cage?

That's what I've done, but I have been rebuffed, as well (Main Street Station, in particular). Other places seem to have separate racks of uncirculateds solely for collectors (Aria and Planet Hollywood stand out), and yet other places will pull out a stack and let you sort through for one you like. I now have blue/whites from six and tokens from two of those, so I guess I'm about 7% done. :^)

Quote: wildqat

Other places seem to have separate racks of uncirculateds solely for collectors (Aria and Planet Hollywood stand out), and yet other places will pull out a stack and let you sort through for one you like.

I never thought of that. I've trolled around empty craps tables, and occasionally see an interesting chip on the top of a stack and purchase it, but I never thought that some cages would be so accomodating.



Of course, it makes a lot of sense.

It costs, what? about 40¢ to manufacture chips? And they are selling them for $5?

Man, that's almost as good of a profit margin as the Post Office gets when they sell stamps to collectors! (Why do you think they change stamp designs so often?)

Quote: rdw4potus

3. Keep one $5 chip

A better math question is 'what does this do to the house edge?'. Five bucks is a lot to concede to the house with only one shoe of play (depending on your average bet).

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I never thought of that. I've trolled around empty craps tables, and occasionally see an interesting chip on the top of a stack and purchase it, but I never thought that some cages would be so accomodating.

Aria makes sense to me for uncircs, because it's a brand-new property and they know that some people like to collect, and that's pretty much pure profit for them. PH kinda surprised me, though; she even asked me if it was for a souvenir. As far as the others go, I think they would have been pissier about it if I hadn't been the only one in line.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

It costs, what? about 40¢ to manufacture chips? And they are selling them for $5?

For casino level chips, with a proper inlay and the name custom molded around the edge? More like a buck or so. I'm sure they get volume discounts, but even then 50¢ chips go for a loss.

I've been to some chip collector shows at the Riviera. On the show floor is a glut of recently issued chips. Ordinary $1 and $5 chips can be easily purchased at face value, and sometimes under face value. The chips of value are generally from the sixties or earlier, preferably from defunct casinos. So, collecting $5 chips should be purely for the pleasure of the hobby, not an investment. Even I collect Chinese New Year $8 chips, and I doubt those will ever be worth more than $8.

Quote: Wizard

So, collecting $5 chips should be purely for the pleasure of the hobby, not an investment.

Actually, unless some people collect for pleasure the whole things becomes a bubble, like the infamous Tulip Mania of a few centuries back. Collectibles become expensive, and an investment, only when at least a relatively large group of people value them for their own sake, and when they are scarce.

I am slow joining this thread because I have just returned from a tour of Mississippi and Louisiana gathering chips for my own collection. I collect the $1 variety because I am a cheapskate. Nothing about my collection is special – just chips from casinos where I have personally visited and played.

My personal suggestion to rdw4potus is to forget the idea of hitting all the casinos in Vegas in one trip. First, following the itinerary that has been described would just take the fun out of the experience – it would be too much like working an unpleasant job. Second, if you DO complete your collection that way, what do you do in six months or a year when there is another casino open? Have an incomplete set or make another trip? In my opinion, it is better to hit the various casinos at a rate that makes the process enjoyable, then return periodically to add to the collection.

Using this approach, my collection now includes chips from 112 Nevada casinos, primarily from metro Las Vegas but also from Primm, Jean, Laughlin, and Pahrump. Some day I may get to visit some of the other areas of the state. Prior to my most recent trip, my total collection represented 194 casinos, with 15 more added this past week. I added 8 of those in a day and a half in Biloxi, and that degree of casino hopping is close to my limit, which is primarily why I do not endorse rdw4potus’s plan.

There is a third factor that I think works against the whirlwind approach. When you try to collect chips from ALL of the casinos, you get to visit some truly fabulous establishments. Unfortunately, you also find yourself playing in some real dumps. And I mean sleazy places. Getting out of there quickly may be supportive of a whirlwind schedule, but it may take a while to get in the mind frame to enter yet another dump. After one bad experience, my wife has refused to accompany me on visits to other casinos that might be in the same category.

I don’t want to hijack rdw4potus’s thread, but I do have a question that seems to fit here. Someone tell me if I really need to start a new thread:

It is my belief that I now have souvenir chips from every casino in metro Las Vegas that offers table games (and a number which no longer exist). Every casino except one, that is. A few months ago I heard about a casino that had not been on my radar. The info I found about it on the web made me wonder whether it might be unsuitable not just for my wife but for myself as well.

What can you folks tell me about the Silver Saddle? Is it a reasonable place for me to go, play, and collect a souvenir? The comments I have found on line are to the effect that it is a "Mexican cowboy bar" with live music, a dance floor, and fiery Latin emotions that frequently turn to knife and/or gun fights. It also has a couple of blackjack tables. Since I am a gringo who does not speak Spanish and who has no desire whatsoever to participate in or even witness such a conflict, what can you advise me about making a potential excursion to the Silver Saddle on my next Vegas visit at the end of April? Any input will be appreciated, particularly from those who have been there personally.

Doc, somebody posted an article about the Silver Saddle on a previous thread. Try a search for it. If I remember, the gist of it was "don't go there if you want to live."

Thanks, teddys.

I had looked in the discussion area for the Silver Saddle but there are no threads at all there. I didn't think about the search function, so thanks for rattling my brain a little.

I found the thread you meant under a discussion of the Western. I have my chip from the Western, and it is indeed one of the "dumps" I referred to in my earlier post, and one to which I did not have my wife accompany me.

With regard to the comments about the Silver Saddle in that thread, lo and behold, those are the comments I had read "on line" before -- I just forgot that I had seen them in this very forum! Anyone else have in-person experience?

Hey y'all,

I'm working on planning out my trip to LV in October. I'm going to try to hit every casino in town. Here's my plan for the 5 weekdays from oct 18-Oct 22. I think there are 8 casinos that I'll be at for various reasons on the 16th and 17th, and they are assigned with a day 0 below. Can someone spot check me on this? Am I missing anything?

Here is the link to my casino visiting schedule

Basically, it breaks down as:
Day 0: Paris, Bellagio, Rio, Stratosphere, Sahara, Venetian, Palms, Gold Coast (8 casinos)
day 1: Primm, Pahrump, Jean, Boulder City, Southern Henderson, and Mesquite (16 casinos)
day 2: Downtown, North Strip (LVB&Sahara intersection), Henderson (20 casinos)
day 3: Strip (19 casinos, walking)
day 4: Far south strip (south of Tropicana), LV Locals Casinos (20 casinos)
Day 5: Boulder Highway, North Las Vegas (19 Casinos)

from memory.....
Day 0: Caesar's, Orleans, Casino Royale, Bill's, Ballys, Flamingo, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore

Casino MonteLago is closed. You can go there, but you will just find an empty building. Other than that I think you got everything, and I applaud your idea. There are a bunch of slot/sports-only joints that you could add like Stetsons, Terrible's Town, Rainbow Club and Emerald Isle in Henderson, Mystic Casino, and Dotty's.

Also didn't see Club Fortune in Henderson which has table games.

Casino MonteLago is closed? DAMNIT! I was really looking forward to using that ACG coupon for a free tshirt, too.

I do think I'll end up with more visits on the weekend than I'm counting on now. The girlfriend will be with me on those days, so the current list is only the places we're staying (paris, then rio), going to shows (bellagio) or eating (sahara, stratosphere). I also included Rio's neighbors, since I'll be there after she leaves and they'll be easy.

I really do want to go to every casino, but from a time management standpoint, the focus is going to be on chip collection. Which casinos share chips? O'sheas and Flamingo are double sided chips, right? What about Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn/Encore? Are they differentiated chips? Are there any instances where the different "casinos" (rooms) at the larger properties have separate chips?

Somebody a while ago asked what I was going to do with the chips. My plan is to lay them out on an end table or two, and then lay glass over them. Then those tables will go in my den/game room.

Quote: rdw4potus

Hello All,

I have a question that I think someone can probably help me with.

I collect $5 chips and players club cards. My method is:

1. Join players club (if not already a member at an affiliated casino)
2. Play 5 hands of pai gow poker (or, in the absense of available pai gow poker, 1 shoe of BJ with low house edge)
3. Keep one $5 chip
4. Cash out remaining chips
5. Proceed to next casino

If I follow this method at each and every distinct casino (with differentiated $5 chip) within 60 miles of downtown vegas, and plan on spending 18 hours/day on this project, how many days should I set aside to complete my quest?

This doesn't answer your question, but given that you're going to go to all those places, you'd be crazy not to join the Las Vegas Advisor and get their coupon book, as well as get a copy of the American Casino Guide coupon book (which you can get at the LVA store for half price).

The +EV of all the offers will exceed the cost of all the chips you collect, making this a +EV endeavor overall. There are also many bonuses for slot club signups that exist independently of the ACG or LVA offers.

Quote: mkl654321

This doesn't answer your question, but given that you're going to go to all those places, you'd be crazy not to join the Las Vegas Advisor and get their coupon book, as well as get a copy of the American Casino Guide coupon book (which you can get at the LVA store for half price).

The +EV of all the offers will exceed the cost of all the chips you collect, making this a +EV endeavor overall. There are also many bonuses for slot club signups that exist independently of the ACG or LVA offers.

I have the ACG now, and I'll join all the player clubs I can (time/time-of-day permitting). I looked at the LVA, and the website made it look like most of the benefits were food/lodging/show related. Are the gaming related benefits alone enough to justify joining?

Quote: rdw4potus

I have the ACG now, and I'll join all the player clubs I can (time/time-of-day permitting). I looked at the LVA, and the website made it look like most of the benefits were food/lodging/show related. Are the gaming related benefits alone enough to justify joining?

There's $50 in free slot play, and a few great blackjack coupons, including a 3 to 1 blackjack payoff at the Silver Nugget. The best coupon is the Palms 50% off up to $50 all-purpose comp--you can eat in one of their excellent restaurants and get $50 off the whole bill. The LVA online membership is $37, and you can pick up the coupon book at their Vegas office, or have it mailed to you. Plus, you can get the ACG for $10 there, and many of those ACG coupons (like the matchplays) can be used a second time (some of the free slot play offers get matched to your slot card, so I don't think you can use those twice).

So getting the LVA book is still +EV.