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

A Trip to the Choctaw Casino in McAlester, OK (or was it Durant?)

By Dave Pawson

In the last week of May 2016, an inquiry appeared on the Chip Board regarding the Choctaw Casino in McAlester, Oklahoma. A request was made for a chip from their tables.

As one who does not care for slots, and who has made the trip between Dallas and points in Missouri on a pretty regular basis over the last several years, I have had occasion to look in on the numerous Choctaw Casino locations that populate the sides of US Highway 69 through Oklahoma. I recalled that the last time I stopped, none of them had table games except their main location in Durant. However, the member directed me to their website, which indicates that the McAlester location does have table games.

On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, having offered to pick up chips for other collectors, which resulted in about half a dozen requests for one or more chips from the place, I drove the two and a half hours to McAlester with my wife and sister for company. Along the way we passed by the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, with its multi-storey hotel, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, poker variants, and slots, where we would normally stop. However, our destination was another 75 miles farther up the highway. Between Durant and McAlester are also several truck stop locations equipped with electronic slots operating under the Choctaw Casino umbrella. As we approached McAlester, we finally entered the address into the GPS – my sister on her phone, I on my Magellan. Both agreed that the casino was about five minutes farther north than it actually is. Do not let yours fool you: the McAlester Choctaw Casino is actually located on the South end of town, where Business US69 splits off from US69, on the northbound side of the highway.

Because we could find no address numbers on the building, my sister ran inside to make certain that we had found the right place, that this wasn’t just another satellite location. She came back out and reported that this was it, that they have a couple of tables that open at 4:00 against the back wall, and that she was assured the next nearest casino of any kind is about 30 miles away. I parked and we all went in to register for cards and have a bit of fun. We learned that, in addition to two blackjack tables, they have one three-card poker table, which opens at 5:30. There are, of course, also a mess of electronic slots.

I went immediately to the blackjack table, which had opened about fifteen minutes prior to our arrival, and told the dealer and pit boss that I am a collector of chips, a member of a chip collectors’ club, and that we had no information about the chips in use at this casino. I said I would want first to buy a $500 chip to take aside and document, then return to break it up first into chips to bring home for distribution among several collectors, and then chips to actually play at the table. I told them that when last I visited, they didn’t have table games. The pit boss said that they have had the tables for maybe eight or nine years. I realized then that the last time I had been there was on the drive to Sarcoxie, Missouri, in January 2006, for my uncle’s funeral. Ten years ago.

They thought it was cool that there is such a thing as chip collectors, and I showed them on my phone pictures of some of the chips in my collection. I also opened the ChipGuide, and showed them that the only information we had on McAlester was a TITO. At this point, the pit boss said, "Perhaps I should warn you, though, that we use chips from Durant.”

Poof! That sucked the wind out of my sails! What? I didn't think that was even allowed! Chips are supposed to name the casino and location where they are used! I pulled up the ChipGuide on the phone again, went to the Choctaw Durant page, and showed him the chips catalogued there. He pointed at the wave chips, those of designs listed as CG018453 and similar. “That’s what we use. They even still say Durant on them, not McAlester.” These chips are three generations behind the Game On chips in current use at Durant. The only exception is the $500 chip. They use the same chip that is currently in use down the highway, leading us to believe that there was never a purple wave design chip.

On the bright side, we discovered that the $100 wave chip had not yet been photographed and posted to the Durant page. The dealer looked through the rack and came up with one of their better condition blacks, which I purchased and photographed down near the soda dispenser. Sadly, because they are using these ancient chips, even the best looks shabby.

Well, I e-mailed everyone who had asked for chips, advising them that there were no unknown new chips here, and that I would not get any or hold anyone to their prior requests, unless they got back in touch and said to get them anyway. Just to be sure, I bought a handful of chips to bring to Vegas for anyone who might not have the old (and formerly hard to get) Durant chips yet. It never hurts to have trading goods.

I also left the table about $40 ahead.