Best way to harvest chips? (1 Viewer)

Potsie1

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Lots of people here talk about harvesting chips but some tips would be appreciated. My last time in vegas it seemed to work to go to the cashier cage and ask for 10 singles without issue. I did notice that if the cashier asks if they're souvenirs you answer YES as they will give you minty ones every time. So how do you harvest your chips? Can you sit down at a table and instead of cashing out just walk out with a couple racks in your hand and head up to your room? Will they stop you? What casinos are easy or hard? Stories are good to. Whats the best strategy you've used and of course a story where you were asked to stop would be cool too.
Please share your tips as I'm heading back to vegas in July. Would like to come home with a bullet from every casino or perhaps even a rack or two from one casino.
Thanks!
 
Depends on the casino TBH, busy casinos with long waits at the cage wont take the time with you to give you minty chips. Less busy casinos are more likely, with an adequate tip.

Theres no fool proof way, you have to be in the right place at the right time, with the right cashier
Yah I figured each one will be different. I guess maybe I'm curious about what you've found in specific locations and what you've found that might be good general advice.
For example:
On my last trip I found you could walk right up to a blackjack table or big 6 wheel at Flamingo and Mirage and the dealer was more than happy to sell me some chips(tables were empty). At treasure island they were pricks. Dealer called pit boss and pit boss gave a disgusted look and could barely mouth "go to the cashier" and walked off. After that I went straight to cashiers with no issues. But can I ask for 20 chips? Anybody done that? Any places on the strip I should avoid?
 
This was a few years ago at the Bally's in Vegas...I liked their 1's and I thought I would need to go thru a few racks to pick out the nice,clean chips since white chips get kinda grungy after a while. I went up to the cashier and asked if I can have some $1 chips to pick through for my collection. The little old lady informs me that they just got a shipment of new chips in and how many I would like. Alrighty then...I guess 3 racks would suffice. She hands me 3 racks and I slip her a fiver (things were cheaper back then). I walk to sit at a table by their coffee shop hands still shaking holding the 3 racks (partially nervousness and also giddiness from my score). Slip the 3 racks in my backpack, had a Coke w/ oatmeal raisin cookie and walked out of the casino past the security guards as calm as I could act. :whistle: :whistling:
 
Best option to not cause a scene and pick out your own chips is to ask for a rack of whatever chips, say $1s. Go up to a cashier, ask for 100 $1s. they might inquire why you are asking for so many, just tell them you are going to be using them for tips, no min blackjack table or poker. Rifle through the 100, pick out the best ones, go a different cashier window, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat.
 
This was a few years ago at the Bally's in Vegas...I liked their 1's and I thought I would need to go thru a few racks to pick out the nice,clean chips since white chips get kinda grungy after a while. I went up to the cashier and asked if I can have some $1 chips to pick through for my collection. The little old lady informs me that they just got a shipment of new chips in and how many I would like. Alrighty then...I guess 3 racks would suffice. She hands me 3 racks and I slip her a fiver (things were cheaper back then). I walk to sit at a table by their coffee shop hands still shaking holding the 3 racks (partially nervousness and also giddiness from my score). Slip the 3 racks in my backpack, had a Coke w/ oatmeal raisin cookie and walked out of the casino past the security guards as calm as I could act. :whistle: :whistling:
Ha! Thats awesome!

Best option to not cause a scene and pick out your own chips is to ask for a rack of whatever chips, say $1s. Go up to a cashier, ask for 100 $1s. they might inquire why you are asking for so many, just tell them you are going to be using them for tips, no min blackjack table or poker. Rifle through the 100, pick out the best ones, go a different cashier window, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat.
thats a good idea.
 
Doesn't @H|Q or @jbutler have a story about sitting at an empty poker table in the poker room sorting racks of chips?

Can't speak for them, but I did that at Bellagio early in the morning before we checked out on our last trip. Bought three racks of $1 chips, sat down at the empty table in front of the cashier and sorted out the ones I wanted and cashed the rest back in. No one cared.
 
Doesn't @H|Q or @jbutler have a story about sitting at an empty poker table in the poker room sorting racks of chips?
I did this just last month. Every dealer and manager in the place asked me what I was doing. I straight told them I was taking the chips and received no resistance. The place is swapping chips so they didn't care.
 
Doesn't @H|Q or @jbutler have a story about sitting at an empty poker table in the poker room sorting racks of chips?

Yeah I sat at the table right in front of the window sorting through 1200 white chips at Borg to end up with the best few hundred chips. I walked out with the chips and several racks and no one gave a fuck.
 
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Doesn't @H|Q or @jbutler have a story about sitting at an empty poker table in the poker room sorting racks of chips?

Yeah I was in the Flamingo and sorting through 3 racks at a time.

The floors/dealers and even players where rotating racks for me when I was looking for the spotted birds in @courage's collection.
 
This was a few years ago at the Bally's in Vegas...I liked their 1's and I thought I would need to go thru a few racks to pick out the nice,clean chips since white chips get kinda grungy after a while. I went up to the cashier and asked if I can have some $1 chips to pick through for my collection. The little old lady informs me that they just got a shipment of new chips in and how many I would like. Alrighty then...I guess 3 racks would suffice. She hands me 3 racks and I slip her a fiver (things were cheaper back then). I walk to sit at a table by their coffee shop hands still shaking holding the 3 racks (partially nervousness and also giddiness from my score). Slip the 3 racks in my backpack, had a Coke w/ oatmeal raisin cookie and walked out of the casino past the security guards as calm as I could act. :whistle: :whistling:
You didn't tell me you had racks of Bally's hiding in the 50k chip vault haha. What other Vegas $1s are you hoarding? haha
 
Bally's main cage is the best. They will go to the main vault and get you mint racks. Just go when it's not busy.

I never lie. I always straight up say I collect chips and want them for myself.

Any casino with a poker room is the best. Just go to the cage, buy a couple racks like you would if you were buying into a game and then walk out.

On one trip I was in search of 3 racks of mint Caesars $2s. I only had about 800 on me, so four racks at a time I would go to the cage, sit at an empty table and pick out the new ones. Rinse and repeat. It got a lot slower at the end as I reached my goal because I could only buy two racks at a time. I straight up explained to the cage and floor what I was doing. Took most of two hours and went through at least 30 racks. The waitress even served me free drinks so it wasn't too bad. :)

The weirdest part was when I left. I forgot to bring a bag so I had to walk out and walked down the strip to my hotel with $600 in chips in my hand.
 
Bally's main cage is the best. They will go to the main vault and get you mint racks. Just go when it's not busy.

I never lie. I always straight up say I collect chips and want them for myself.

Any casino with a poker room is the best. Just go to the cage, buy a couple racks like you would if you were buying into a game and then walk out.

On one trip I was in search of 3 racks of mint Caesars $2s. I only had about 800 on me, so four racks at a time I would go to the cage, sit at an empty table and pick out the new ones. Rinse and repeat. It got a lot slower at the end as I reached my goal because I could only buy two racks at a time. I straight up explained to the cage and floor what I was doing. Took most of two hours and went through at least 30 racks. The waitress even served me free drinks so it wasn't too bad. :)

The weirdest part was when I left. I forgot to bring a bag so I had to walk out and walked down the strip to my hotel with $600 in chips in my hand.
In February, I was sent to the poker room from the cashier at Bally's, and the gal sorted out a VG rack for me and a gave her a $20 bill. When I asked her if I could get best looking chips they had, she chuckled and said " well this only Bally's". I also didn't lie, I told them we wanted them for our home game.
 
Always wondered how this was done. I need to try walking into my casinos and doing the same...
 
Made a stop at Greektown Sunday, played paigow 3 hours, and managed to pocket 27 quarters off the table (got them in change when paying the commission on winning hands). Need 28 more to complete a rack.
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Sorry, probably no quarters left in Vegas that I know of. I just posted Greektown pics to show what I was able to get playing 3 hours of paigow.

That's about how long it was typically taking me to harvest 20x .50 centers from the 3 dollar blackjack table at St Croix Casino. After 7 trips equaling out to almost 1100 miles of back and forth driving I had 200 x .50c chips harvested for a member on here lol.
 
Somebody from Detroit here? Looking for MGM quarters. Would prefer the oldschool version, but the current chips might be cheaper if somebody could harvest them ;).
Please pm if you know sb or if you are from Detroit and could get some racks for me.
 
Bottom line, harvesting chips is not illegal. It may be frowned on by the casino, particularly for chips that cost the casino more than their face value (fracs, etc.) but a smile and a tip can usually convince the cashier -- its not her money!

And if there is something you want, ask! I found the cage at the poker room (which does not use quarters) sometimes ends up with quarters and they are more then happy to get rid of them and square up their chips.
 
Bottom line, harvesting chips is not illegal.
Actually, it is. Even when you 'buy' them, casino chips remain the property of the casino, and nearly all have policies that they are not to be removed from the premises. Gaming regulations require that they keep pretty close tabs on casino currency.

Doesn't mean that you're going to get arrested for it, but from a legal perspective, it's theft of casino property. Even worse with taking chip racks (which didn't require a deposit) -- ask around here if you want some real-life stories of how a Ohio casino recently responded to someone harvesting chips and racks.
 
Even worse with taking chip racks (which didn't require a deposit) -- ask around here if you want some real-life stories of how a Ohio casino recently responded to someone harvesting chips and racks.

Allow me to be the first to ask! How did an Ohio casino recently respond to someone harvesting chips and racks?
 
Actually, it is. Even when you 'buy' them, casino chips remain the property of the casino, and nearly all have policies that they are not to be removed from the premises. Gaming regulations require that they keep pretty close tabs on casino currency.

Doesn't mean that you're going to get arrested for it, but from a legal perspective, it's theft of casino property. Even worse with taking chip racks (which didn't require a deposit) -- ask around here if you want some real-life stories of how a Ohio casino recently responded to someone harvesting chips and racks.

I guess I should have clarified. Buying them from the cage and/or taking them to your room or an empty table to sort is not illegal. Not until they leave the casino.

I'd like to hear about the Ohio casino, tho... Gotta link to a thread?
 
Yeah I sat at the table right in front of the window sorting through 1200 white chips at Borg to end up with the best few hundred chips. I walked out with the chips and several racks and no one gave a fuck.
I knew spending $500 on a fake mustache and cane was overkill...
 
That's about how long it was typically taking me to harvest 20x .50 centers from the 3 dollar blackjack table at St Croix Casino. After 7 trips equaling out to almost 1100 miles of back and forth driving I had 200 x .50c chips harvested for a member on here lol.
Seems like it might be less work to genetically engineer a seed that grows into a Paulson tree that flowers various chip denominations.
 
How did an Ohio casino recently respond to someone harvesting chips and racks?
I'd like to hear about the Ohio casino, tho... Gotta link to a thread?
The thread has apparently been deleted, no real surprise there given the context of the story.

I think it was the Jack Casino Cincinnati, where the PCF member had played and previously harvested many racks of chips (along with racks) on multiple occasions. The PCF member returned (presumably to just play, not harvest), was approached by security, and taken to a back room for questioning. They were expecting him. After hearing his story about why the chips were removed (for resale on PCF to chippers), the bottom line is that they really didn't seem to care about the chips any longer, but demanded that the racks be returned. He wasn't banned, but they made it quite clear that nothing belonging to the casino should be leaving the casino by his hand in the future. My guess is they were likely more concerned about him using the chips to make counterfeits and returning with fake copies or counterfeited larger denominations made from the chips he took. But they were certainly aware of what he was doing, directly confronted him on it, and could have pressed charges, but chose not to.

Personally, I'd prefer to not ever see the back rooms of a casino under those circumstances. Sounds mighty -EV to me.
 

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