A quick report on two 50¢ chips. I went to buy some 50¢ chips at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona. The cage was very hesitant to sell any. Finally they told me that they were not going to be using the 50¢ chips anymore and that they were all going to be destroyed. They sold me a couple with the agreement that I could NOT sell them back. The ones I got looked brand new. Such a waste of good chips.

At Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa (Phoenix), Arizona I had another interesting experience with the 50¢ chip. I tried to buy one from the poker room and the cage. No luck. "They did not have them anymore." I asked the Poker Room manager and he told me they did not use them anymore but that one of his dealers had bought a few the week before. I managed to get into that dealer's game. Asked him about the chips. He said he would get me two. He tried but inventory, etc. had closed the vault. I could not wait. He said he'd mail me two. I tried to pay him. He refused payment. When I got home from my trip I found the two 50¢ chips in the mail. Let me give the dealer recognition and thanks on the board. His name is Harry Kilbride, Poker Dealer, Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino. He sent an interesting letter I'd like to quote. "Originally the casino was Harrah's Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino. The Ak-Chin Indian Community is a small group of Native Americans (only 479) made up of Pima and Papago who established a farming community. Ak-Chin refers to the mouth of a river (Gila River) which is in this area and to the tributaries feeding the Gila River. The casino first opened in December 1994. At the start, Harrah's ordered 2,000 of the 50¢ chips to be used as antes or blinds in the stud and flop games. Within a short time, the 50¢ chips were discontinued, and the stud games went low card brings it in at a $1. minimum. Currently Harrah's has 404 green 50¢ chips remaining. These chips are out of service." Sorry guys for such a "long" short report. Doug