I think Hooters has been the worst for collectors...search the archives for the first few months they were open and you'll find lots of 'horror' stories.

Palms often gets kudos for being chipper friendly, Gene announces new releases here.

Hard Rock announces new releases here, giving the time and date of the release. They issue numbers an hour or so before the chips are released.

In general...most casinos sell the chips from the cages.
Unless you're at a scheduled release...pick a time when the cage isn't busy.
Some cage cashiers will take extra time to search for new/good condition chips for you...or older chips that might be harder to find. If they do, slip 'em a few dollars.
Ask if they have any obsolete or 'foreign' chips (foreign, in this case, refers to chips from another casino)...occasionally you'll get an older or higher priced chip for face.

Have fun!