OK, let the controversey begin-

Can anyone offer an opinion on the future of Palms LE’s? I know this is pure guesswork, but it seems that there’s very little excitement over them. Nonetheless, I’m seriously thinking of adding them to my collection for a couple of basic reasons-

1) It’s a new casino, so there’s not a lot of catching up to do

2) They issue a lot of music-related chips, which is something I’m interested in.

3) I like the style (I believe it’s Chipco? Am I right?)

The general consensus among many in the casino industry is that The Palms itself is shooting for, and has a good chance of attracting, a large portion of the Hard Rock market. They want the young, party-til-dawn-crowd. And unlike Mandalay (who also draw that crowd), they’re not deceiving themselves into thinking they’re the next Bellagio. They host the same type of rowdy crazy events the Hard Rock does, their clubs are in the same vein. Should they fully reach their hippness potential, that could result in a very cultish following for the casino, which could make it appealing to the new collectors (by new, I mean people entering the hobby after the Palms has acheived that level of hipness).

On the negative side, they seem to be issuing a lot of very limited editions, including high-denomination chips, very quickly, and not garnering a large response. Because of that, I also worry they’ll become the next 4 Queens.

Of course I know that as a collector, I should just pick up what I like. For that reason, I fully plan to pick up whatever they put out in any denomination over the next year or so, and if they get too frequent I’ll just limit it to musical acts. That's still a lot of $130 trips to the bank machine, but on the positive side, I can always get my money back (that's what I love about this hobby).

The other side of my brain is consdiering the investing aspect of collecting. The way Hard Rock chips automatically appreciate, you can always be sure that if you pick up a few extras, they'll help defray your costs. But as it stands now, Palms LEs seem to be going for close to face value, so it doesn’t seem worth it. And the Palms seems to issue the 3-denominations pretty regularly, while the Hard Rock rarely does. That’s what got me thinking that maybe I’m eyeing the wrong place to add to the casinos I collect.

Any thoughts are appreciated, and I certainly hope nothing I've written offends Gene. I’m very new to the hobby, and still trying to narrow my focus, so I’m just wondering if it’s a good idea to start widening it with the Palms.