It was just a few months ago that I proudly boasted on this board that I had passed 20 years of living in Las Vegas. I even had a personal chip made that said I had lost over $60,000 gambling over that twenty year period and that as soon as I got even I was going home! Well, I didn’t get even gambling, but I am going home. As we all know, going over 21 here is a bust and I don’t want that to happen!

The first question that everyone has asked is ‘Why?’ In a nutshell, I prefer the small town life to the big city life. When I moved here, Las Vegas was still a small town. It’s changed!! The traffic is horrendous, to put it mildly, and the pace of life is wearing me out. Too much yang and not enough yin. Don’t get me wrong, I love Las Vegas and I’m sure I always will, but it’s a different town now and I need a change. I can’t wait, though, to come back and be a tourist!!

The other big question from customers is ‘How will I get my chips?’ No problem there! I have made arrangements with several people here in town to keep me supplied with all of the new releases. I will be keeping the chip business and the website as is. I’ve started several projects on the website over the last few years and several more are on the drawing boards. Unfortunately, I’ve just never been able to find the time to commit to them. I’m planning on taking the website to the next level once I get settled in Texas. I will also have the chance to upload the thousands of older chips that I have that have never been listed.

‘But won’t you have to raise your prices now that a middleman is involved?’ Nope, not right now. I will be raising them at the next postal increase, though. I would do that whether I was staying here or not. But I really don’t make much money selling chips, anyway. There’s just not enough volume (or markup) to make a living so I will be going back to work. I’ll be dealing blackjack at the WinStar Casino on I-35 in Oklahoma starting in December. Stop by and say hello! By having a regular paycheck once again, I won't need to make as much as I'm making now on chips and I can share that with my suppliers.

Yep, I’ll be living in Texas, working in Oklahoma, and running a business out of Nevada. And the reason I’m doing it is because the pace of life here is too hectic! Seriously, I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not. Anyone that knows me well will understand! And, I just may end up back in Las Vegas in a few years. I’m not ruling that out. Right now, I just need a break so I’m taking one.

I’ll be back in Las Vegas in late January and early February for the Chip Chat auctions and the Super Collectables Show and I’ll be at the Riviera in June for the CC & GTCC convention. I’m sure I will also show up at other chip shows at other times during the year. In other words, I’m not quitting my business, the hobby or the Club. Once I get settled, I may even become more active again.

Without a doubt, I will miss this town and all of the great friends that I have here, but it’s time to go.

Sing it for me Sheryl!

-Tyrus