REGGIE

A GUEST AUTHOR’s HARVEST STORY

COMMERCE CASINO

By: J ERIC FREEDNER

Hi, Reggie,

Here's a recent chipping adventure for you.

Last week I stopped in at the Commerce Casino in search of more of their most elusive $5 Year of the Rooster chips. Nothing to be found or spotted on the tables, but the Cashier in the Fill Cage offered to look through some of her racks for them. She said to come back in about five minutes. It was around midnight and I'm always superstitious about hanging out in cardrooms during late night hours. But I wandered around a bit, watched a spirited Baccarat game or two, and then returned to the Fill Window.

Ahead of me, a casino runner turned in a stack of $100 bills for chips. The Cashier looked through them, came to one bill, and shook her head. The mark left by the dealer's security pen showed brownish, not invisible. Then she felt the bill (apparently too smooth). Next she held up the bill to look for the hologram. Either there was none, or it was in some way defective. A counterfeit!! Then she tore the bill just a bit to see how the paper split - it didn't act like real banknote paper (a lot harder to tear). She made a quick phone call to someone. Asked the runner what table he had picked up the money from, and told him to go back there. From my position in line behind the runner, I got a pretty good look at the banknote in question - an older style green $100 with large portrait of Benjamin in the middle, not the newer colored-ink variety.

He left and I just said, "Bad money?" And the cashier said, "Yes, sometimes happens. I didn't find any Rooster chips."

This was not the time to wait around. I could just imagine Casino Security, the Commerce Sheriff's Deputies, and the FBI all converging on the Fill Room within five minutes, and maybe bringing the cuplrit to the window too. So I hustled out, Rooster-less for now.

J. Eric