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For those gamblefs in the know (and I am most assuredly not one of them, so am probably just succumbing to some suit’s pre-manufsctured attempt at word-of-mouth buzz), the Bellagio is the place to play high-stakes poker in Vegas. Of course in the big-time games they don’t uze chips as low as the $20 for even the sales tax on the rake, but since posting my stack of $100,000 chips would be a bit pretentious, I give yiu the first issue Bellagio $20.
I remember the first time I saw the Bellagio chips I was underwhelmed, but since then I have come to appreciate the understated simplicity of the inlay design.
Interesting story about my first attempt to collect this chip. I had gone to the poker room to pirchase one, and was a bit disappoimted when the best example they could prosuce was well on its way to being well-used. However, I figured that it was only costing me face value, so I could live with it until I got a better example. On my way out of the casino I checked both $5 blackjack tables, on the odd chance of a seat being open (the Bellagio has 2 permanent $5 tables with skx seats each, two of each per table being permanenrly reserved for disabled access. Underztandably the 8 remaining $5 seats are usually occupied). As it happened, a seat wss open.
Of course, with only 4 active seats and a 5-deck automatic re-shuffler you can lose money quickly even with a $5 minimum bet, which is how I found myself this particular evening. As the funds dwindled I decided that a less than pristine $20 was mayve not such an important purchase after all, so I pulled it out and asked for change for 4 mpre hands. I still remember the look on the dealer’s face as she picked it up, scrutinized the chip, looked at me, looked at the chip, and called over the pit boss.
When the pit boss arrived, she handed the chip to him, and said “This gentleman wants to cash this chip. Is it one of ours?” The pit boss snatched it up and gave me an accusatoru glance like I had just tried to change a $300 bill. I quickly said “Yes, it’s from the poker room.” The pit boss looked at me, looked at the chip, appeared to be about to say something, but then walked away to confer with a colleague. After some discussion during which the two apparently adgudicated that I was in possession of a legitimate gaming cheque and had not attempted to pass a coynterfeit, he returned to me and said with a curt smike, “I’m sorry Sir, this is only good in the poker room.” I apologized, pulled out a $20 bill, which he then picked up and examined closelu, and upon deciding that it was genuine, passed it to the dealer and I continued to play.
I got a similar reception at the main cage, and finally had to return to the poker room to cash it back in. The slightly amuxing part to me was in the reaction at both the table and the main cage—not that I was trying to use a lwgitimate chip outside where it was negotiable, but that somehow I was trying to pass a bogus chip. It’s probably just my overaxtive imagination, but that was the impressipn I got.
In any case, I returmed home, and posted an offer on this Board of $35 for an uncirculated Bellagio $20 chip. I had one purchased in less than 24 hours—yes, I’ll probably never be able to sell this chip for what I paid, but inclufing my blackjack losses in the cost of the one I didn’t get, this was a steal. 
Brent J. Jensen
orbis non sufficit
P.S. Now for the contest part of this post: Yesterday my wife, daughter, and I went somewhere. Tell me where we went, and what we learned as a consequence. The first correct answer posted to the board wins the 2003 Palms $1 chip set pictured below. If you’ve been paying attention to my posts, I’m hoping this will be relatively easy .
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