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?

Spring Break '15 Update

Got 6 new chips to add to the collection this April.

First - my parents brought back a chip from the Hard Rock in Tulsa.  This is actually the second chip from Tulsa they've brought me.  

Next are five chips from various Laughlin, Nevada casinos.  My aunt and uncle brought these back for me when they went out to northern Arizona to visit a different aunt and uncle of mine.  I have a small group of people scouring the nation for casino chips for me and their work is much appreciated!  The new Laughlin chips are:

1.  The Avi Resort & Casino.  Cool chip with a satanic owl on it.  I like it!

2.  The Pioneer Casino.

3.  The Edgewater Casino.

4.  The Aquarius Casino & Resort.  Their motto is fun in the sun.  I've not been to Laughlin in many many many years, but I think they have the sun part correct.  Not sure on the fun.

5.  Colorado Belle.  

March Update

Six new chips to add to the blog, courtesy of my brother (@ATRoss14) and the internet.  They are:

1.  Soaring Eagle - Mt. Pleasant, MI - new house chip.  My brother stopped by the Eagle a few weeks ago and brought me back the new house chip.  I haven't been to Soaring Eagle in years, instead opting for Detroit and Battle Creek, but I'm sure nothing has changed.  Automatic shuffle machines, high table minimums, unfriendly staff and lots of smoke.  Put that on a billboard!

2.  The Mirage - Las Vegas - 25 Years.  The Mirage opened in the middle of the Las Vegas strip in 1989.  It helped kicked off the new era of modern, upscale Strip casinos.  I've always liked gambling there and once even saw Steve Lyons wandering around.

3.  Hard Rock - Las Vegas - Puma.  How could I not get a chip with a sweet pair of Puma kicks on it?

4.  Hard Rock - Las Vegas - Eminem.
5.  Hard Rock - Las Vegas - Hootie and the Blowfish (New Years Eve 1996).

Just your standard 'musician on a chip' chips.

6.  Riviera - Las Vegas - older house chip.  The Riviera Casino is set to close May 4 (just two days after the Kentucky Derby!).  So I went back and looked for some of their older house chips and found this one.  I've never stayed at the Riviera, I'm sure I've played a little there but really, I only remember that there was a Burger King in their Food Court.  And I never ate at their food court.

That brings my chip total up to 470.

November Update

11 new chips have been added to the collection since the last update.  They are:

1.  Blackbird Bend Casino - Iowa.  Just north of Omaha and on the other side of the Missouri River, I visited this casino on a work trip.  We ate at their less than stellar buffet for dinner one night.  One of the least busy casinos I've ever been in.  Even for Iowa standards.

2.  Isle Casino - Cape Girardeau, MO.  Another casino visited while on a work trip.  This one was pretty new and modern looking.  Not the easiest place to get to when you are just trying to make a quick stop on your way to the airport in St. Louis though.

3.  Horseshoe Casino - Cincinnati, OH.  The last of the four land-based casinos in Ohio to open (Ohio also has a handful of Racino's).

4.  Horseshoe Casino - Baltimore, MD.  Just opened in August of 2014, this is the 4th casino (with live table games) in Maryland.  A planned 5th is set to open in 2016.

5.  Rocky Gap Casino - Cumberland, MD.  Opened in early 2013, this was the 3rd casino in Maryland to open.  Guess I'll have to track down chips for the Hollywood Casino and Maryland Live! before too long.

6.  Linq - Las Vegas.  The Linq replaces the Quad, which was the Imperial Palace.  The name "The Quad" lasted for about 18 months, so the Linq has a low bar to clear.  We'll see if it's still in operation in June of 2016.

7. SLS - Las Vegas.  The SLS is the new Sahara, and opened in mid-2014.

8.  Cromwell - Las Vegas.  This replaces Bill's, which replaced the Barbary Coast.  The Coast is still one of my top 3 favorite places to gamble (along with the Monte Carlo and the Bellagio between 3am and 5am).

9. Westgate - Las Vegas.  The Westgate is the new LVH which was the new Las Vegas Hilton.  This name change happened in July 2014.  Westgate is known for being a time-share company, so it'll be interesting to see if the old Hilton shifts from casino/hotel to time share/casino.

10.  Grand Casino Romania.  Julie's Aunt Linda picked this one up for me while on a long boat cruise of the Danube.  This casino is located in the Marriott Hotel in Bucharest.  The front of the chip reads "10 Ron" which I think means it is worth roughly $3 in U.S. equivalency.  Hopefully, the exchange rate brings the value up as it would currently rank last amongst my chips for face value.

11.  Holland Casino.  Aunt Linda got this one for me on the same trip as the above.  But the Holland Casino was located inside the Shiphol-Airport, which seems really nice and convenient to me.  5 Euros makes it worth about $6.25, which places it as the second most valuable chip by face value, just behind my chips from London.

April Update - Vegas

It's been a while since I have been to Las Vegas myself, but the blog is always very appreciative of others who go and bring back a chip or four.  Aunt Winnie recently completed a stay out there and brought me back these four wonderful chips:

1.  Max Casino
2.  Max Casino Grand Opening

The Max Casino is the new name of the Westin Causarina, a slightly off-strip casino that was once named the Maxim Hotel and Casino.  Tupac was shot in front of the Maxim in 1996.

3.  Downtown Grand

The Downtown Grand opened in October of 2013 and is the former Lady Luck Casino.

4.  Planet Hollywood - Britney Spears

Brit Brit is performing a show at the PH called "Piece of Me."  She's got about 1.5 years left on her two year deal, so there's still time to get your tickets.

Casino Chip Show - Battle Creek (part 3 of 4)

On to the chips I actually purchased from actual dealers at the actual show!

1.  Mandalay Bay - Rahman/Lewis November 17, 2001.  Limited to 2,500.  You might remember the $25 version of this chip from this post.  I had no idea there was a $5 version until I saw it in a display case.  It took me roughly .2 seconds to decide to buy it.  This was the rematch which Lewis won, meaning we had a new heavyweight champion who was NOT from the United States.  Fans of Jim Lampley will know what I am talking about.

2.  Luxor - Anubis.  The Luxor had three chips out at once that had a mythological theme.  I had Egyptian Queen one already, 19th one down here.  This one is Anubis, which is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with the afterlife in Egyptian religion.  That makes one want to gamble, no?

3.  Luxor - Sphinx.  The final of the three, this one is designed to look like the entrance of the Luxor.

4.  Binion's Horseshoe Club - Stu "The Kid" Unger.  I think they spelled his name wrong, as everyone else goes with "Ungar."  A three time winner of the World Series of Poker's Main Event, Ungar had a book written about his life by Nolan Dalla that I thought was really good.

5.  Planet Hollywood - Grand Opening November 16 & 17, 2007.  Limited to 3,000.  A two day opening event!  That must've been quite a party.  #sarcasm

6.  Monte Carlo - Happy New Year 2005.  I'll collect just about any Monte Carlo chip that doesn't have Frank Caliendo on it.

7.  Silver Sevens.  Former Terrible's Casino, just off the strip.

8.  Silver Sevens - Grand Opening.  Opened in 2013.  Wonder how long it'll stay Silver Sevens?

Casino Chip Show - Battle Creek (part 2 of 4)

The second batch of chips from my brother (@ATRoss14) are all horse racing themed.  2014 will mark my 10th straight trip to the Kentucky Derby, so these are pretty cool to me.  They are:

1.  Riviera - The Run.  Undated, limited to 1,000 chips.

2.  Riviera - Kentucky Derby 2001.  Limited to 800 chips.  This race was on May 5 and won by Monarchos.  Giacomo in 2005 was my first Derby and the only year I haven't won a bet in the main race.

3.  Palms - 2005 Kentucky Derby Winner Giacomo.  Limited to 1,500.  Hey, what do you know, I was at that race.  Talk about your foreshadowing.  Giacomo was roughly a 50-1 shot and touched off a string of long shots winning the Derby in recent years.  Mine That Bird (50-1), Animal Kingdowm (21-1) and I'll Have Another (15-1) have all cashed tickets for me.

4.  Palms - 1977 Belmont Stakes Winner Seattle Slew.  Limited to 1,000.  The second to last Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew accomplished that feat in 1977.

5.  Palms - 2004 Kentucky Derby Winner Smarty Jones.  Limited to 1500.  This was the year before I started going and the thing I remember most about this mega-favorite winning the race was an episode of the Nick and Jessica Simpson show where they went to the race and bet on Smarty.  At 4 to 1.  Big time.

6.  Palms - 1977 Preakness Winner Seattle Slew.  Limited to 1,000.  See #4.

7.  Palms - 2004 Preakness Winner Smarty Jones.  Limited to 1,000.  Wonder if the Simpsons made it to Baltimore for this race?  Smarty would finish second at the Belmont in 2004, narrowly missing out on the first Triple Crown since 1978 (Affirmed).

8.  Palms - 2003 Kentucky Derby Winner Funny Cide.  Limited to 1,500.  Funny Cide was a 13-1 winner in Louisville and won the Preakness before finishing third in the Belmont.

9.  Palms - 1977 Kentucky Derby Winner Seattle Slew.  Limited to 1,500.  The race that started Seattle Slew's march to the Triple Crown.  Seattle Slew was an incredible 1 to 2 to win the Derby.