HARVEST ADVENTURES FROM AN ADDICTED CHIP COLLECTOR

Hello Chippers; Here is a short story from yours truly or a guest author of our experiences while harvesting somewhere in the gaming world. A few are from countries out side the USA. Most are entertaining and most are instructive as to what to do or what not to do while harvesting chips from casinos or card rooms.
Some people have compulsions to gamble, some to amass fortunes and other’s, they just like to write stories; yeah, that would be me. I was never very good at it; but I have done it over the years just the same.
If any of you want any inside info on any casino that I’ve been to, I would be happy to tell you what I can.

Reggie

A GUEST AUTHOR’s HARVEST STORY

VIEJAS CASINO ALPINE, CA

By:J ERIC FREEDNER

A very recent Chipping Tale should you ever want to use it.

Last night I drove to Viejas Casino in San Diego County after work - braved rush-hour traffic or better said, went with the (mostly) ebb and flow of it - and arrived at Viejas around 9:00 PM.

i'd received a special invitation in the mail to get $20 in free play chips. But the conditions were I had to arrive on a specified Monday or Wednesday to cash in on the offer. Arriving at the casino, I went to the V Club and was told to first insert my Club Card in any slot machine. The $20 credit would be applied to the card, and I should then go to the cashier to exchange that for chips if such were my desire. The Viejas comp chips are notched ceramic ones, good for a two-year interval, and have recently been released for the 2017-2018 period.

Off the the main Cage I trotted, "loaded" club card in hand, dodging a cocktail bar that somehow appeared where some perfectly good slot machines stood a few months ago. At the Cage, I presented my player's card, the invitation card and my driver's license. I was informed that my ID (driver's license) wasn't current, but that I had $25 in comp chips available. I suggested the cashier look carefully at my current, valid license and she agreed that it was in fact still good, That hurdle cleared, she asked: "Do you want five nickels or a twenty-five?"

I expressed surprise, and she said, "Nickels are $5 chips." Told her I understood that half of the question but I didn't know $25 NCV chips even existed. "Oh, yes," she replied, "Comp chips come in 5 and 25."

I briefly thought over the dilemma. Almost nobody, no card gambler anyway, would put a free $25 chip in his pocket, walk past the tables and out of the casino with it. So, ask for the five $5 chips and have extras to sell or trade to four of my closest collector friends? Maybe even one to Reggie? Or . . . get a single $25 NCV which nobody knows exists as of yet, and which will likely remain quite rare, but keep it for myself? What would YOU do?

Yep, that's what I did, too.

J. Eric Freedner