Chips as souvenir - quick question

I am about to be in Vegas for the first time and think it would be really cool to have something to show for it. I know people have been collecting chips of the $1 variety or even the $5 variety for a while. I am only going to be in town for a few days and won't have a vehicle at my disposal (not counting cabs of course). With that in mind, I am leaning heavily towards restricting my collection to only the "strip" casinos. According to a few different websites, I am showing 28. This smaller number might also lend itself towards collection $5 chips as opposed to the "less flashy" $1 chips. I am now hearing that some of the "strip" casinos might share chips or might not have table games though. Can anyone spot check my list and maybe save me a trip to an invalid destination? Or maybe note a location that I might have missed?

Luxor
Excalibur
MGM Grand
Monte Carlo
Mandalay Bay (my temporary home base)
Treasure Island
Flamingo
Venetian
Bellagio
Caesars Palace
Cosmopolitan
Aria
Mirage
The Quad
Palazzo
Riviera
Circus Circus
New York New York
Planet Hollywood
Stratosphere
Harrahs
Ballys
Tropicana
Wynn
Encore
Paris
Casino Royale
Slots-A-Fun (looked a little shady to me... but still listed as a "strip" casino)

Any insight from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

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AFAIK -

Wynn/Encore share chips (https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/8928-casino-chip-of-the-day/170/#post180469)
Slots-A-Fun no longer has table games
Margaritaville @ Flamingo has different chips (https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/general/8928-casino-chip-of-the-day/25/#post156958)

You can also try for Hooters which is not far off the strip, and also walk east down Flamingo Rd to hit Westin, Ellis Island, Tuscany, and Silver Sevens

And if you're going to bother going to Circus Circus / Riviera, may as well walk to LVH from there as well.

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Thanks for the heads-up about Slots-A-Fun and the Wynn/Encore, Tropicana/Margaritaville sharing/difference issue. As I will have limited time and am already looking at $135 dollars in souvenir chips as it currently stands, I was originally confining my collection to the official strip. As I understand it, once I start counting the REALLY close to the strip casinos such as Hooters or LVH, I would be opening Pandora's box right? Or is there another line of demarcation that I could draw to grab the few that you mentioned specifically?

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Anyone bold enough to collect $100 chips?

Hahaha. I thought about doing that if I was going to JUST do the Strip casinos as I am currently showing 27 unique chips. If I came home with almost 3 grand in souvenirs, my wife would send me back. :(

Quote: Memnarch

Thanks for the heads-up about Slots-A-Fun and the Wynn/Encore, Tropicana/Margaritaville sharing/difference issue. As I will have limited time and am already looking at $135 dollars in souvenir chips as it currently stands, I was originally confining my collection to the official strip. As I understand it, once I start counting the REALLY close to the strip casinos such as Hooters or LVH, I would be opening Pandora's box right? Or is there another line of demarcation that I could draw to grab the few that you mentioned specifically?

I don't think there's anything that declares a casino as an official strip casino, except maybe having an official address of S Las Vegas Blvd (and in that case you might want to include Stratosphere too!)

It's really up to you - depends on what you consider a strip casino, how far you are comfortable walking, how much time you have, etc.

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Quote: wudged

I don't think there's anything that declares a casino as an official strip casino, except maybe having an official address of S Las Vegas Blvd (and in that case you might want to include Stratosphere too!)

It's really up to you - depends on what you consider a strip casino, how far you are comfortable walking, how much time you have, etc.

Stratosphere is already on my list. And yeah... I knew I kind of had to draw the line somewhere due to time, location, and budget constraints. I'm guessing the few websites I found that listed "strip" casinos was doing the whole S Las Vegas Blvd thing.

With a limited amount of time, you may want to consider a day pass on the monorail. I think it runs $30+, but it goes from the MGM all the way to the LVH. Note that many casinos have "commemorative" versions of their $5 chips, so you may want to budget more if you intend to collect all their offerings. The main thing is to have fun, and visiting every strip casino can be a good time, but you will do ALOT of walking... enjoy!

Here's a tip... Harrah's and the Quad are connected by a bridge near the back of their casino's, so you don't have to walk all the way back out to the street.

Quote: Ayecarumba

With a limited amount of time, you may want to consider a day pass on the monorail. I think it runs $30+, but it goes from the MGM all the way to the LVH. Note that many casinos have "commemorative" versions of their $5 chips, so you may want to budget more if you intend to collect all their offerings. The main thing is to have fun, and visiting every strip casino can be a good time, but you will do ALOT of walking... enjoy!

Here's a tip... Harrah's and the Quad are connected by a bridge near the back of their casino's, so you don't have to walk all the way back out to the street.

Excellent tips. Thank you.

I think you have a good list. As others have mentioned, you may want to replace slots-A-fun with Margaritaville. and Wynn/Encore have the same chips. Beyond the strip, there are two ways to go:
1. Do the near-strip properties. Rio, Palms, Gold Coast, Tuscany, and Hooters are easily walkable from the center and southern strip. Ellis Island, Silver Sevens, and Hard Rock are also walkable from that end of the strip. LVH is about as far from the back of Riviera as Circus Circus is from the front of the property.

2. Go downtown. You could get many casinos in just a few blocks.

Just remember: Your wife will *not* appreciate your new hobby, no matter what;-)

Quote: rdw4potus

I think you have a good list. As others have mentioned, you may want to replace slots-A-fun with Margaritaville. and Wynn/Encore have the same chips. Beyond the strip, there are two ways to go:
1. Do the near-strip properties. Rio, Palms, Gold Coast, Tuscany, and Hooters are easily walkable from the center and southern strip. Ellis Island, Silver Sevens, and Hard Rock are also walkable from that end of the strip. LVH is about as far from the back of Riviera as Circus Circus is from the front of the property.

2. Go downtown. You could get many casinos in just a few blocks.

Just remember: Your wife will *not* appreciate your new hobby, no matter what;-)

If I commit to sticking with $1 chips, I could certainly afford to expand on my current list of casinos. I have gone through numerous pages of the ChipOfTheDay thread and haven't noticed a marked difference in the quality of the chip. Is that still the case for most casinos?

Quote: Memnarch

If I commit to sticking with $1 chips, I could certainly afford to expand on my current list of casinos. I have gone through numerous pages of the ChipOfTheDay thread and haven't noticed a marked difference in the quality of the chip. Is that still the case for most casinos?

Just like $1 bills, typically $1 chips are the dirtiest since they are the most handled.

I would add my support of the "go downtown" idea; it costs $2 or so each way from the north monorail stop (Strat) and you're in walking distance of, what, 20 casinos in 4 city blocks?

The monorail is a terrific choice as well; I use it constantly when I'm staying on the Strip.

And here's an off-the-wall idea; I've seen any number of places take other casinos' chips in, either by mistake or by mutual agreement (they put them in the drop box and pay out that house's chip from the till). I assume they accumulate in the cage for eventual exchange. Maybe you can query a cage or two and see if they have any chips they might sell at face value and save you a trip or two?

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Anyone bold enough to collect $100 chips?

I saw a guy at Foxwoods (4/8) once with one of their own blacks soldered to what looked like a belt buckle... which he was using as a card protector. Got to wonder what would have happened if he'd gone all in.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Anyone bold enough to collect $100 chips?

My first trip to Vegas, I brought home a $100 chip from Stardust. This was in 1988 or 1989?

Last saw it in 1994- packing for a move. No clue where it is today? Likely lost or stolen forever.

Wish I still had that sucker.

Quote: Memnarch

Stratosphere is already on my list. And yeah... I knew I kind of had to draw the line somewhere due to time, location, and budget constraints. I'm guessing the few websites I found that listed "strip" casinos was doing the whole S Las Vegas Blvd thing.

May I add one that's not quite on the strip? While at MGM Grand cross Tropicana Avenue and go to Hooters. Good things come in pairs there. :-)

I also have a chip from all the casinos I've been in and on my first visit did the walk from one end to the other - however luckily I had a car. One problem is of course keeping so many chips in ones pocket (I always wash them and wrap them in a sheet of toilet paper - also they rattle less). Alternatively buy a container for 20 and gradually fill it up using tissue paper to take up the unused space - also makes it easier to pack for flying home. Personally I tried to get the 1 and 2.50 - the former was easy make a $6 bet and give them a 20-bill - you only have to stay one throw and have 4 to choose from (or 7 if you're lucky!); the latter can usually be bought at a Blackjack table with little fuss (or play a few hands first). Getting a 50c means finding a table that uses them, so takes a little longer. With practice you can get in and out fairly fast!

You should def go to Hooters and the Riv since they're the most likely to close down soon. One day in the future, you'll be glad you made the effort.

Also, as with all collectibles, condition is everything. Dirt can wash off with a toothbrush scrubbing when you get home, but you want chips with sharp edges that will stand up by themselves when placed on their ends. Asking a dealer to poke through their tray is asking a lot, even when they're bored, so maybe buy a stack of 20 and poke through 'em yourself and then cash in the 19 you don't want at the cage.

Also, some casinos use metal tokens in the table games, so you'll have to visit the crap table for actual chips. Metal chips tear up the felt when tossed around so they're not used at craps. Commemorative chips can be bought at the cage so you don't have to search around everywhere.

Quote: Memnarch

I have gone through numerous pages of the ChipOfTheDay thread and haven't noticed a marked difference in the quality of the chip. Is that still the case for most casinos?

I was traveling yesterday and didn't get the chance to contribute to this thread. I only have a few comments that I think might be of value to you.

As for chip quality, there is quite a range. Within a particular casino and a particular denomination, the big difference is in the condition of the chip -- mostly how worn or how chipped the edges are.

There are also quality differences between chip manufacturers and chip designs. There have been quite a few recent posts from rdw4potus in the Casino Chip of the Day thread pointing out that the Chipco ceramic chips tend to get the image worn off around the edges of each face, and it doesn't take very long for a white line to appear. Look for a "good" one before you leave the casino.

Even within the category of Paulson top hat and cane chips, there can a big difference in how the image is applied. Take a look at the $1 chips I posted from the Carson Nugget and the Carson Valley Inn. Those are hot stamped chips, and the lettering completely disappears very quickly. I had to search through chips to find souvenirs that were even readable. I don't think I have ever encountered that style on the strip, and the one I collected from Sam's Town may be the only one I have from Las Vegas. I generally consider the hot stamped chips to be rather junky, even if they have a top hat and cane.

Another quality issue may really just be personal preference -- I have much higher regard for chips in which the casino name is molded into the chip rather than just added with an inlay.

Before you start your collection, I highly recommend that you try to define what it is that you plan to collect and any constraints you want to place on your collection. If you just want to gather casino chips, it's probably quicker, easier, and even cheaper not to go to the casinos at all and just look on eBay. In contrast, I have pointed out numerous times that I don't consider a chip as part of my collection unless I gathered it myself in the casino, and I gather them by playing games myself except for a very few exceptions when the tables were closed, I didn't anticipate returning when they were open, and I just bought a chip at the cage. You might enjoy your collection more in the future if you define your own guidelines/constraints up front.

Also, if you plan to get a chip from the Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo, don't expect to just drop in, play, and keep a chip. They produced very few Margaritaville chips, and they are very hard to find. As I described when I posted my own chip from there, I had to ask the cage to keep an eye out for one and was able to pick one up from them a few days later.

As for whether to collect $1 chips or $5 chips, you can see from the CCotD thread that rdw4potus and I took completely opposite approaches. My original motivation was heavily dominated by the fact that I am a cheapskate. In retrospect, however, I am pleased with the variety of colors in $1 chips, particularly in Nevada. While a single $5 or $25 chip tends to look much prettier than a single $1 chip (even disregarding the monetary value), a display of $1 chips is much more varied than a display of 100% $5 chips (everything red) or a display of 100% $25 chips (everything green). We call the $1 chips "whites", but I have them in white, light blue, dark blue, gray, tan, orange, and other colors, even without including the colors of the edge inserts and inlays.

Good luck with your collecting!

Thanks again for all of the insight everyone is providing. Also good to see the "expert" weighing in as I hoped he would. I guess at the end of the day, I want something to look back and say "I was there" kind of thing. I have never been a picture taking kind of guy so I want each chip to symbolize that I walked in the door of that casino, took a chance, and this is what I have to show for it.

My current plan is to actually put some money down on a table and play a few hands in order to say I played in that casino. The reason I was sticking to the strip is due to time constraints, quantity of chips/money to spend on chips, and the fact that when people from down here think of Vegas casinos they are going to be looking for the Luxor/Bellagio/Caesar Palace/etc. chips... not the Hooters/LVH/etc. chips.

I do like the idea of having more variety in the colors, and so I think I will be focusing on the $1 chips, which my wife/accountant will also appreciate. Thanks for reminding me about all of the 5s being red.

I think at the end of the day, it is going to come down to what I can physically squeeze in. If I can play and get a chip from all 27 distinct "strip" casinos and still have money and time to spare, THEN I will start getting the extras... like Hooters or LVH or the downtown ones.

Just for the record, so far the additional sites I need to look into are Hooter's, LVH, Rio, Palms, Gold Coast, Tuscany, Ellis Island, Silver Sevens, Hard Rock and the downtown casino section? Any other "right off the strip" casinos that I shouldn't miss?

Quote: rdw4potus

I think you have a good list. As others have mentioned, you may want to replace slots-A-fun with Margaritaville. and Wynn/Encore have the same chips. Beyond the strip, there are two ways to go:
1. Do the near-strip properties. Rio, Palms, Gold Coast, Tuscany, and Hooters are easily walkable from the center and southern strip.

Excuse me? I wouldn't say Palms is "easily walkable" from the Strip - it's a stretch to walk there from the Rio! The only off-Strip property I would recommend on limited time is Hooters (just east of the Tropicana).

As for Slots-O-Fun, even if they do have chips, they got rid of their own chips years ago, and started using Circus Circus chips - you might want to check it out anyway, if only so you can avoid having to go to Circus Circus if SOF has them. (The one advantage to CC: it's pretty much right across the street from the Riviera.)

Then again, you say you only have a limited amount of time; how limited? I would allow for at least two hours just for the west side of the strip (Mandalay Bay up to TI), and another two for the east (Wynn down to Tropicana).

Another suggestion: the Aria's main entrance is at the top of a significant climb; however, there is an interior entrance somewhere that connects to a shopping area with escalators. I can't remember if it is connected directly to the Cosmopolitan or lets out onto the strip right next door, but either way, it's better than the climb.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Palms, will have to check it out before I start that hike. I am going to be there for about 5 days, but will be in conference session all during the day. I am a complete night owl though so I figured I would use the middle of the night hours to hit up the strip. Maybe one side the first night, and the other the second night? Having never been to Vegas, I assume it is still lit-up/populated enough in the middle of the night to safely walk from one end to the other and back? I mean, I'm not going to the Silver Saddle or anything right?

Quote: Memnarch

I mean, I'm not going to the Silver Saddle or anything right?

Hey, even I survived a visit to that place. Once. And a couple of years ago they started using real Paulson hat and cane $1 chips, instead of the tokens like I got as a souvenir. Why not check it out and get a chip to post in the CCotD thread for us? Show a little spunk!

Many years ago I went to the Palms for Monday Night American Football - quite good fun.
[IMG]http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy96/AbbaPix/Places/th_Palms1196_zps3816a892.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/yy96/AbbaPix/Places/th_Palms1188_zpsc42be422.jpg[/IMG]

Quote: Memnarch

Thanks for the heads-up on the Palms, will have to check it out before I start that hike. I am going to be there for about 5 days, but will be in conference session all during the day. I am a complete night owl though so I figured I would use the middle of the night hours to hit up the strip.

If you're going at night, there's no particularly safe way to walk from the Strip to the Rio / Gold Coast / Palms. There is a free shuttle from both Bally's and Harrah's to the Rio (and back) that runs every 30 minutes until something like 1 AM, but I don't know how crowded they get at that time of night.

Also, there is a bus that runs along the Strip and goes to Downtown - in fact, now there are two of them: "The Deuce" and the SDX. You can get a 3-day pass for $20 at pretty much any bus stop ticket machine on the Strip. Note that the SDX does not stop at nearly as many stops as the Deuce; also, the Deuce stops in front of the Riviera, while the SDX stops in front of the LVH, if you're interested in heading up that far. (The passes are also good on all of the other Vegas buses.)