2024 - September

Another 2024 entry! This one comes because The Mirage closed on July 17. It was open for 34 years - and will re-emerge in a couple of years as the new Hard Rock, complete with a guitar-shaped tower on the Strip.

This chip was the original house chip, from what I can tell. Not all that different from the house chip used at its' closing.

This is my 5th chip from the Mirage. Besides the two house chips, there is the 25th anniversary chip, Siegfried and Roy chip, and Danny Gans chip. They also had a Boyz II Men and Terry Fator chip, and a six chip set of Fator's puppets, but I was never particularly fond of those. Boyz II Men is an odd choice for the only musical act to get a chip. And as far as entertainers go - Gans was The Mirage to me, not Fator. 

Stayed at The Mirage once - good location, fine to stay out, really smelled like suntan lotion in that place. Never played there much, but will miss it nonetheless. 

2024 - July

 Now we're cooking with fire! A third post this calendar year! Blog production not seen since the glory days of 2014. Ten fricking years ago. This chip is #530 in my collection (531 if you count both sides of the glorious "Mortal Enemies" chip of 1995).

Encore - Boston Harbor

A work trip took me to Boston just before the 4th of July. There are three casinos in Massachusetts, this being the closest to downtown. I didn't actually make the trip out to the casino as an Uber there and back just for a chip wasn't economically sensible, but we did hit up a Red Sox game at Fenway. GK even made it onto the jumbotron. What an accomplishment. Encore is part of the Wynn/Encore group - hence the very similar chip design. And I can't believe the Wynn opened in 2005 and Encore in 2008. They seem way newer than that. The other casinos in that group are in Macau, so maybe I can head there next.

2024 - May

 For the first time since 2015, a second post in a calendar year! On a roll now. The two newest chips are numbers 528 and 529. 528 came in the mail, 529 came on a recent visit to Las Vegas. I'm not sure what that visit number is... gotta be in the 20s. Here we go:

Four Queens - Mayor Oscar Goodman. This is my second Goodman chip, but it's the first one he appeared on. The other being a Plaza chip. This chip is limited to 2,500... so only another 2,499 are out there in the world. This marked the first time the mayor of Las Vegas was pictured on a casino chip, although to be honest, I haven't seen any others. His wife is the current mayor.

Park MGM. I would have bet you a bunch of money I already had this chip, but in preparation for my most recent visit, I found it was missing from my collection. Which is odd because the last time I was there, we ate at Eataly inside Park MGM twice. I got this one in the course of playing, and what a session it was. $15 table, paying blackjack 6 to 5. I joined three players at this table, all of them with ties to Dominos (there was some super Dominos convention going on at the time). I slid my three $5 chips to the circle and we were off.

Loss

Loss

Loss on a double

Loss

Loss

Down a quick $90 with one Park MGM chip in my pocket for my collection and one chip left, I bailed. A beatdown of epic proportions. Also, the sandwich I had for lunch at Eataly was massively over-priced. Probably done with Park MGM now.

On this visit I did make it down to see the new Fountainebleau. Overrated. And I got most of my $90 back playing at a $10 table at the Flamingo. So at least the old places know how to treat a guy.

2024 - January

 I'm 99% sure this won't be my only post in 2024. So there's that. I recently added seven new chips to my collection. We have:

1. Circa. I would have swore this was in the City Center area on the grounds of the former Monte Carlo Casino (RIP Carlo), but no, it's downtown. Which makes sense, the chip has a very downtown design to it. In a good way.

2. Horseshoe Las Vegas. Was under construction when I was last there, but this is mostly a name change of the old Bally's Casino. Really good location. 

3. Sahara. Just a new, updated chip for one of the originals. Way down at the far end, but now has Fountainebleau nearby and Resorts World across the street. So not as lonesome as it once was. It's also been cleaned up nicely inside. We walked through on the most recent visit and I was impressed. The casino floor layout was almost exactly how I remembered it, too. 

4. Strat. Also a new house chip for a casino down at the far end. I really like the look of this new Strat chip and, like the Sahara, seemed much cleaner/nicer on the inside than I remember. 

5. Circus Circus. Sticking with new house chips from the far end, a new house chip from Circus Circus. I don't think anyone calls it the CC. I did not go inside so I have no idea if the inside's been cleaned up but judging from the outside of the place, I doubt it. Would it kill them to power spray the exterior once every 30 years?

6. Fountainbleau. I think they started on this the last time the CC was power-washed, but it is now finally open. It was nearly complete last year when we were there and it's open now. I'm eager to check out the inside on our next visit. I really like how this chip looks except for the donut hole in the middle. Need to put a big "F" or something in there.

7. Last, it's the Mandalay Bay Raiders chip. From the complete opposite end of the Strip as the last couple. Not sure I could name any current Raiders. David Carr? He still a thing?