Long Time, No Blog

Looks like it's been almost 18 months since my last update.  Fear not, I have not neglected my chip collecting duties over that time.  In fact, I've collected almost one chip per two months gone without blogging.  I am now 8 chips closer to hitting the 500 mark, the new chips bring me just 16 shy.  Now it has been a while since I've gotten some of these chips, so a lot of the pertinent details I've forgotten, but I'll try my best.

1.  The Adventure of the Seas Casino on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.  I hope whomever was on this trip had a lovely time and visited some lovely places.

2.  Casesars Windsor.  The 4th "Detroit" casino, it's easily the most recognized structure of the Windsor skyline.

3.  Rivers Casino 5th Anniversary.  Just outside of Chicago.
4.  Rivers Casino.

5.  Hollywood Casino Kansas City.  This one is near the NASCAR track in KC.  Lots going on in KC these days.

6.  Plaza.  Downtown Las Vegas.  Stayed there in January when I visited.  You've been to Vegas too many times when you opt to stay downtown because you're bored with the Strip and "never stayed downtown before."
7.  Plaza Oscar Goodman.  Former Mayor of Las Vegas.  Read a great book about him - Of Rats and Men by John L. Smith.  No, not that John L. Smith.

8.  Casino del Mar - Puerto Rico.  I'm hoping this was from the same person as chip #1.  That would be a lovely trip.

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.

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.

Update - Last sans camera edition

Three more chips added to the collection, bringing the number I still need to take a picture of and catalog to 17. I think this will be the final update/addition with no camera. So there's that. The newest three:

- Kewadin (Sault Ste. Marie) $5 Limited Edition ARCA Racing, Summer '98
- Great Canadian Casinos $5 house, Victoria, British Columbia
- M Resort $5 House, Las Vegas