November Update

Three new chips added in November, all purchased on eBay.  I've not yet been to any of the three.

1.  Hollywood Casino - Tunica.

2.  Gold Strike - Tunica.  This chip looks exactly like the Beau Rivage chip (6th one down).

3.  Harrah's Del Rio - Laughlin.  Just called Harrah's now.  According to wiki, the casino was the site of 2002's River Run Riot between the Hell's Angels and the Mongols.  Three were killed and 12 were sent to prison.  Laughlin! 

Casino Chip Show, part 3

The third and final installment of my trip to Battle Creek for a Casino Chip Show.  I bought these four chips from the same woman, after flipping through her "Las Vegas" binder.  I didn't sit this time, just stoop and flipped, which seemed to confuse the old folks at the show.  Why would anyone pass up a chair?

1.  Kings Crown - Las Vegas.  Never heard of this place, the chip isn't all that special (has a crown in the middle with the casino name and city).  But it's older, the chip is from the 1980's and the casino opened in 1966 (according to the dealer).  And since it was only $5, it was a no-brainer for me.  I love chips from old places that are no longer open.  According to wikipedia, the Kings Crown was originally the Tally-Ho Casino and eventually became the Aladdin.

2.  Boardwalk Casino.  This is an older chip than the Boardwalk one I already have - it's real creepy, too.  Got a drawing of clown in the middle.  A really odd, creepy looking clown.  I'm not surprised they changed the design.

3.  Boardwalk Casino - Y2K Limited Edition.  This also has the clown picture, it looks like it's superimposed on the Moon.  I'm not sure.  If it is supposed to be the Moon, I'm not sure I get it.  What did the Moon have to do with Y2K?  It also doesn't say what the number of chips production was limited to either.  Hopefully not many.

4.  Luxor - Nefertiti.  I think this is one of the first chips the Luxor put out.  I bought it from this dealer for $5.  The dealer who sold me the NY/Canada chips also had this one for sale, but for $15.  He did tell me that it's one of only a few $5 chips he's ever seen that wasn't red.  I'm not sure what color it is, but I guess it's not red.  So when I saw it later for $10 less than he was selling it for, I thought why not?  It can be the first chip in my Non-Red $5 Chip Collection.  

Casino Chip Show, Part 2

The next batch of chips I got at the Battle Creek Casino Chip show were actually the first ones I bought there.  I had pulled up a chair and was flipping through a binder marked "NY/Canada" hoping to find a Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods chip.  I've been within 45 minutes of each casino on various work trips, but never made it to either, so I figured this might be my best chance at scoring chips from the two mega-casinos.  I didn't find those chips but I did find:

1.  Turning Stone Casino - Verona, NY.  This casino sits between Utica and Syracuse.  It's another casino I was in the vicinity of on a work trip, but never made it inside.  Pretty lucky that I just happened to find it flipping through some random binder.

2.  Casino Windsor.  This casino is 90 minutes away and I've never been there.  Not even to run in and grab a chip.  It's cool looking, too... with a big Maple Leaf on it.  I like it.  I might have to actually drive over and check this place out one of these days.

3.  Casino Niagara.  Never been here either, but it's a nice looking chip, with a drawing of the Falls on it.  It was in the binder next to the Windsor chip, so I grabbed it.

All told, I spent 15 minutes at this guy's booth and spent $15 on three different $5 chips.  Good deal for me.

Casino Chip Show, part 1

Went to a Casino Chip Show in Battle Creek on Saturday and picked up a handful of new chips.  It was my first time attending a Chip Show, and it was pretty much what I expected.  Just like a baseball card or coin show.  There were probably 25ish dealers, they all sat behind folding tables with their chips in front of them.  Most of the chips were in plastic sheets inside binders.  And they all had chairs in front of the tables, so you could sit and flip through hundreds and hundreds of chips.  Also, save for one or two people - everyone was 112 years old.  I mean, the collection of people would make a Wednesday Night Bingo Club look young and active.  But it was a pretty good time and I bought chips from 3 (well 4) dealers.  Up first, the Ohio guys.

The Ohio guys were easily the youngest of the dealers - unless I missed someone.  They were also the most talkative and outgoing.  I think they were the first people to talk to me while I initially cased the perimeter.  Nice guys and they gave me some info on another show near Cleveland in April.  The chips I got there:

1.  Hollywood Casino - Columbus.  Just opened.  Looks just like the Toldeo chip only it says Columbus on it.  Since I like the looks of the Toledo chip, I like this one too.

2.  MGM Grand Riddick Bowe/Jorge Luis Gonzalez chip.  I saw this chip in a display and immediately knew I would buy it - barring it being ridiculously expensive.  I was prepared to pay $15 for the chip... and I ended up paying $15, but for two chips.  Since the chip has Bowe on one side and Gonzalez on the other, he wanted to sell them as a set.  No big deal - I'll either trade or sell (hopefully) one of them.  And then display the Bowe side.  Even though the Gonzalez side has the slogan "Mortal Enemies" on it, which absolutely cracks me up.  The Bowe side says "1995 WBO Heavyweight Championship."  Bowe won by KO in the 6th.  Fan of Blog Matt Hoppe found online that the fight was refereed by Mills Lane and the judges were Duane Ford, Chuck Giampa and Jerry Roth.  Which anyone could have guessed - they are the only ref/judges to work in the 1990s.  I just hope this chip becomes more popular than Hop's Lewis/Rahman chip.

Winnipeg

A work trip to Manitoba allowed me to pick up a "Casinos of Winnipeg" chip.  There are two pretty big casinos in Winnipeg, and the two are linked.  One is called Club Regent Casino and the other is McPhillips Station Casino.  They have the same chip, which kind of bummed me out.

I visited Club Regent (with plans to go to McPhillips also) on my way to the airport.  I ran inside to get a chip at the cage but was told I had to get chips at the table.  So, I found an empty table and asked the dealer for a chip.  I told him I collected them and asked if they had anything other than the standard house chip and he said no, and that the other casino (McPhillips) had the same chip, so it saved me a trip for nothing.  Club Regent was a tropical themed casino, McPhillips a train station themed one.

The dealer then asked me where I was from and we had the following, brief, discussion.

Me - "Michigan."
Him - "What are you doing up in Winnipeg"
Me - "Filming some shows for the Outdoor Channel, goose and duck hunting."
Him - "You a Lions fan?"
Me - "I guess so."
Him - "What's up with their quarterback.  Fucking guy is KILLING my fantasy team.  I might have to cut him, eh?"
Me - "Yeah, that's a tough one.  So, uh, thanks for the chip."

The Detroit Lions.  Disappointing Canadians everywhere.

October Update

Four new chips have been added since the last update.  In no particular order;

1.  Las Vegas Sports World.  Just like the chip in this update, but with out the "CBS" across the front.  There's a third Sports World chip that has no "CBS" but does have a "Limited Edition" on it.  Not bad for a casino that wasn't open very long.  They dropped the "CBS" from the name/chips when the TV network by the same name threatened to sue.

2.  Stardust old house chip.  Just like this chip, but with a couple minor differences.  On the older chip, the one I just got, the "Stardust" in the silver inlay is in a standard normal font.  The other one had a more "fun" font.  Also, instead of "Hotel & Casino" it says "Resort Casino."  That and the little designs on the outer circle are slightly different.  Instead of the four suits and two dice, it's the four suits with the clubs and spades on twice.

3.  Mahoney's Silver Nugget Mike Tyson chip.  Limited to 1,000.  Old picture of Iron Mike on it with the phrase "One of the Greatest Heavyweight Champions 2001" on it.  Kind of cool.  But also kind of an odd time to put that chip out.  From 2001 on, Mike fought 5 times and lost 3 of them.  None of those fights were in Vegas.  But he did give Alan a vicious cross in "The Hangover."  He's still got it.

4.  Horseshoe Cleveland.  Just opened.  I kind of like the look of this chip (and the Toledo one... when did Ohio get a chip design czar?).  The one thing I think is a tad strange on it is it says "Cleveland OH."  Not simply Cleveland.  I half expected the reverse side to say "Cleveland IO" but it doesn't.  Thanks to Carrie for picking this one up for me.

Off to Winnipeg where they have casinos and I'll hopefully add to my collection.

Binion's Horsheshoe

Binion's Horseshoe was a downtown casino/hotel that was famous for hosting the World Series of Poker.  It's since been sold to Harrah's and then on to another management group and been re-branded Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel.  It has apparently been remodeled, but I haven't been down to Fremont Street in years to check it out.  On my next trip though, I want to get down there and see it.

While it was still Binion's Horseshoe, they put out 4 special chips.  I had one of them - http://fivedollarchips.blogspot.com/2008/02/downtown.html - second from the bottom of this post, but never got the other 3.  Until today that is...

1.  Benny on Horseback statue - The statue used to be downtown and outside but has since been relocated to the entrance of the Equestrian Center at the South Point casino.  No one seems to know why.

2.  Stagecoach.

3.  Million Dollar Display - At the old Binion's, there used to be a million dollars in cash on display in the middle of the casino.  They've since changed the display a little, there's still a million dollars, but it's in a pyramid shape instead of under a horseshoe, and there are certain times you can have your picture taken with it.  And it's probably nice to know that if they are ever in need of quick cash, they have an extra million bucks laying around.

Bob Stupak's Vegas World

Chip number 300!

Bob Stupak's Vegas World.  Opened in 1979, it eventually became the Stratosphere.  It was known for having quirky rules to games and offering unique games that no one else did... so maybe that's why the Strat is as weird as it is.

The owner, Bob Stupak, was the subject of a book called "No Limit" which I found to be really good.  But again, like with most titles of books about Las Vegas, it's title is about as lazy as you can get.  Maybe the same guy does all the Vegas book titles?

Either way - as much as I make fun of the Strat, and by extension its' predecessor Vegas World, casinos like this are way better than another TJ McGillicuddy's Family Fun Time, Casino and Eat-a-ganza.  So, kudos to you Bob Stupak.

Toledo

The state of Ohio is opening 4 casinos this year; 2 have just opened and 2 more are on the way.  The open ones are Toledo and Cleveland.  The soon to be open ones are Columbus and Cincinnati.  My parents passed through T-Town the other day and got a chip for me... saving me the hassle of having to spend any time in Toledo.

The Toledo Casino is called "Hollywood Casino."  The chip has a couple of spotlights shining towards the middle with "Hollywood" across it and "Toldeo, OH" below that.  I'm a little surprised there's not a "Fuck Michigan" on the chip.  Maybe they are saving that for the Columbus one.

This is chip #299 for the collection.  I have 4 more coming in the mail so it'll be a race to see which chip gets here first and is number 300.  The anticipation builds...

8-16-12 Update

Recently found a new website that has greatly helped me find chips I'd like to add to my collection (http://www.all-chips.com/).  There's a ton of chips there, including some really nice old chips that I haven't been able to find.  Today, I got 7 new ones for my collection.

1.  New Monte Carlo house chip.  I know, not exactly a hard-to-find new chip, but it was one I had to have.  I love the Carlo.  I still want to stay there one of these times I'm out there.  Unfortunately, I think the new chip is a step back.  It's basically the same as the old one, but without the catoonish top hat and gold line.

2.  CBS Sports World Casino.  Had to change its' name after CBS threatened to sue, so there's a "Sports World Casino" chip out there, too.  They must've had a crack legal department to green-light that original name.  I think I read somewhere that the "CBS" chips were never actually used in play, but now I can't find that.  We'll just go with it.

3.  MGM Grand - Grand Opening.  Says "Watch Us Roar in '94" on one side and "Dec. 1993" on the other.  This, of course, was the second "grand" opening for the MGM Grand.  The first one caught fire in 1980 and later became Bally's.  This one is the current casino/hotel.  Has a depiction of the lion that doubles as the casino's entranceway on it as well.  Pretty good looking.  I like the older MGM chips with the red and white outer ring and smaller lion heads near the chip bottom.

4.  MGM Grand - Collector's Series Betty Boop Limited Edition.  Not sure which year this is from, but it has the same red and white outer ring as the Grand Opening chip and Julio Cesar Chavez chip.  Unlike those two chips though, this one has a splash of color on it.  Which colors, I'm not too sure.  But they are there.

5.  World Trade Center.  Never opened.  Now it is a parking lot for the Sands convention center.  Must've been fairly close to opening though, as they produced chips for it.  But alas, it was not meant to be.  The chip now sits with other never-opened-casino-chips like the Jockey Club.

6.  Bob Stupak's Sinabar.  The guy who would eventually build the Stratsophere once bought a lounge in downtown called the Sinabar and put a few tables and slots in it.  Was only open for about a year and he eventually renamed it "The Vault" but it wasn't long after that that Stupak was off and working on "Vegas World" which became the Strat.

7.  Jackpot Casino.  The Jackpot Casino closed in 1977 and became a part of the Sahara, which is also now closed.

8-10-12 Update

August 10, 2012 is a date I will forever remember.  Not because @geoffkimmerly and Tasha got married.  But because I picked up two new chips for the blog!

1.  Stratosphere Grand Opening.  Dated April 1996.  The Strat has been open for over 16 years, has anyone ever stayed there?  Does anyone even know anyone who has stayed there?  In countless trips to Vegas, I can remember having lunch with my brother at the top of that thing and maybe playing 10 minutes of blackjack.  And I remember their blackjack tables have weird rules.  Oh, the Strat.

2.  Golden Nugget - 50th Anniversary 1946-1996.  Just realized both chips are 1996 chips.  The Golden Nugget.  Featured in a truly terrible reality TV show called "The Casino" which centered on Tim and Tom trying not to run the operation into the ground.  It's still open, so I guess they were quasi-successful.  Tom even wrote a book on the experience, which of course I own, and of course was awful.  It's called "Double or Nothing."  I guess all the good book names were taken.

Pictures coming soon.

And congrats to Geoff and Tasha!

Savannah, GA

Just off the main strip in Savannah, GA is a riverboat that should probably be avoided at all costs.  From the best I can tell, it operated fine for a while, before being shut down by the Feds and is now re-opened "under new management."  I went there on a Sunday with @JulieAnne19 in an effort to get a chip.  Since the cruise was 8 hours long, I was hoping I could just run on, get a chip and run off.  There was a 45 minute boarding window, and we were there right at the start of that so it should have been no problem.  I was also willing to pay the $5 entry fee just to run on and run off.  In short, I was prepared to give them $15 for a $5 chip.  After going through the metal detector and explaining my plan to the dude working the ticket window, I was denied.  No reason was given.  Boo.  Whatever.  I got this chip on eBay for less than $15 anyway.  I'm not sure if this is the current chip being used onboard, or if this was the chip in use when the Feds shut it down*, but I have one.

Also, in the 25 minutes or so we were there during the boarding window, we saw maybe 5 people get on.  Even if there was a mad rush shortly before heading out to International Waters, that's what... 20 people tops?  On an 8 hour gambling cruise?  I can't imagine that being a fun endeavor and I'll bet on anything.  Literally anything.

Oh well, I have a chip from the Diamond Casino and I don't ever have to go back to that parking lot again.  Point for me.

*I realize you'd be able to better tell me if this is a current or old chip if there was a picture included.  As always, I'm efforting the pictures.  I have 14 new ones to add.  I'll get to it, pump the brakes a tad.

Riverside Casino

The Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, just south of Iowa City, has a new 5th Anniversary chip. Actually, the chip must've come out later in 2011, because it has 2006-2011 on both sides as well. And what a coincidence, this was my 5th visit to the Riverside Casino. Which means I've eaten at the Ripple Diner roughly 12-15 times. The Cheeseburger Chowder is phenomenal and the Chicken Tortilla Soup also is very good, even though it has beans in it - no matter what the waitress tells you otherwise. One of these days, I'd like to play the golf course there, too... BlueTop Ridge.

Palazzo

For the first time in its' four plus years of existence, the Palazzo has a $5 chip that does not say "Grand Opening" on it. Bravo. They really out-did themselves, too... the new house chip is exactly the same as the Grand Opening chip, except without the words Grand and Opening across the top.

I'm not sure if "You're a Slob?" works at the Palazzo or next door at the Venetian, but the two are connected, so if you are ever in the area, stop by the blackjack pits and ask every pit boss if "You're a slob?" Oh, and you have to do it as incredulously as possible. He'll remember.

Mid-April Update

Handful of new chips to add to the collection;

1. Aladdin - Planet Hollywood Coming 2006 chip.

2. Hard Rock - 11/11/11. Normally I don't like chips that just commemorate dates, but for whatever reason I kind of liked the triple 11.

3. Palms - 10th Anniversary. Cool looking chip, has the Palms towers on one side and the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" sign on the other.

4. Westward Ho - Puttin' On The Ritz. The Ho had three preferred customer chips; this one, the next one on the list, and the Grubstake Jamboree chip. These were apparently regular events and according to Wiki, the parties helped make the Ho semi-famous. But apparently not profitable, as it closed in 2005.

5. Westward Ho - Ho-Waiian Luau. See above.

6. Silverton - Get Your Grove On. This is a casino in North Las Vegas. I don't understand the slogan and am not entirely sure they didn't misspell "groove."

7. Western - House. The Western closed earlier this year and I believe this gives me all three of their house chips. I also think it kind of looks like the Westward Ho's "The Ho" chip - which is one of my all-time favorites.

Las Vegas Hilton, old and new

Two new chips added from the same building, but with different names. A Las Vegas Hilton chip and a Las Vegas Hotel chip, which is a new brand after Hilton pulled their affiliation from the casino/hotel.

1. The last house Hilton chip I needed, so now I have all of them (that I am aware of). This one is newer, red with a script Hilton across the front. Probably my least favorite of all the Hilton chips, it's pretty plain compared to the others.

2. Las Vegas Hotel. This one isn't bad, it's similar to some of the older Hilton chips in that it has a picture of the hotel tower on it. And has a big "LVH" across the picture. If you aren't going to change the name that much, why mess with changing the chip that much?

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, West Virginia

Added two new chips to the collection... stayed at the Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in Nitro, WV on my drive down to the Masters. First, the chips;

1. House chip. Looks pretty good. Has some type of creepy masked face on it and says "Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming."

2. What I assume is a chip commemorating their opening. Picture of the outside of the casino with the date 8-25-2010 on it.

The casino itself was super nice. No smoking anywhere in it, which was a bonus. They dealt decent blackjack (when some putz wasn't sitting at 3rd base), offered horse race betting (lost a bunch on the Louisiana Derby thanks to some 100-1 shot winning), and had live greyhound racing. Which was phenomenal. Watched the first race while we had dinner just to see what the hell they were actually doing, and after that I ended up betting 5 races. So much fun. The races itself were 31 seconds of madness. If your dog got bumped or knocked into early, that was pretty much it for him. But if he got through the initial scrum with clean air, he had a good shot at running near the top.

Won one of the races - which netted enough to cover the losses on the other 4. The winning dog? Rockdown Ross. What a great dog. Want to see him dominate the field?

http://www.trackinfo.com/video-box.jsp?raceid=gts%2420120401e05

I highly recommend a trip here to do some gambling and bet the horses/live greyhounds. You won't be disappointed.

February Update

The February Update is a little late, but whatever. You aren't paying me to do this. Pictures, as always, coming soon.* On to the chips, all courtesy of @AllThingsSharp. Definitely one of the top 1,000 twitterers with "All" "Things" and "Sharp" in their handle.

1. Las Vegas Hilton - old house chip. I call this one the Rainbow chip, because there's a huge rainbow across the front. With the Hilton changing affiliations, I'm trying to get all the old chips from there. I think it's just called LVH now, but I'm not sure what they are using for chips.

2. Las Vegas Hilton - old house chip. I call this one Big Red. It's all red with a huge $5 on the front. Not very imaginative. Also not as gay-friendly as the Rainbow chip.

3. Las Vegas Hilton - old house chip. No clever name for this one, it has a black and white print of the hotel tower with "Hilton" in script across it. One more older Hilton chip to get, and then I think that's it. Aside from the Spock chips that are wildly expensive. Damn Star Trekkies.

4. Monte Carlo - 1st Anniversary. Do you remember where you were on June 21st, 1997?

5. Monte Carlo - 2nd Anniversary. How about on June 21, 1998? And what event happened on June 21, 1999 to make them go against a Third Anniversary chip and ruin the streak?

6. Western - old house chip. The Western closed on Jan. 17. 2012. Pour out a little liquor.

*I swear, I'll get pictures up relatively soon. I have chip-getting trips planned to Savannah and some town in West Virginia this month, so after that, I'll post pictures. I know you are all dying to see these beauties.