PokerShark
Pair
I was on holiday in Cuba a few years back strolling through the streets of Havana on a sunny afternoon when I happened across a small square. There were plenty of market stalls set up with vendors selling mostly books and tat with Che Guevara plastered over it.
I was aimlessly wandering the square and browsing the wares when I approached by an unkempt man with a greying beard and tatty straw hat. He had a small folder in his hand that held a page of various casino chips. The man didn’t speak much English at all but I was led to believe they were mostly if not all chips from Cuban casinos before the revolution.
Unfortunately I didn’t have much cash on me at the time otherwise I would have tempted to buy the lot off him! There were mostly colourful chips all of different designs though I can’t remember any of the writing or denominations. As it happens I only had enough of the local currency on my to buy a single chip.
I asked the gentleman to stay in the square and I would be back to buy more and I ran back to my hotel to get some more cash from the safe in but by the time I was back at the square the man was gone. Whenever I happened to return to the square in remaining days in Havana I did not chance upon the man again.
So which chip did I choose! Of all the colourful chips on offer I perhaps chose the dullest one of the lot. The simple design shows a symbol we are all familiar with and can certainly spark debate. I’m not a massive WW2 buff and I’m not aware with any connections between Germany and Cuba during that time and I thought I’d ask you guys if there are any leads I chase when it comes to identifying the casino, or at least verifying if it is real and if it did originate from the island.
I was aimlessly wandering the square and browsing the wares when I approached by an unkempt man with a greying beard and tatty straw hat. He had a small folder in his hand that held a page of various casino chips. The man didn’t speak much English at all but I was led to believe they were mostly if not all chips from Cuban casinos before the revolution.
Unfortunately I didn’t have much cash on me at the time otherwise I would have tempted to buy the lot off him! There were mostly colourful chips all of different designs though I can’t remember any of the writing or denominations. As it happens I only had enough of the local currency on my to buy a single chip.
I asked the gentleman to stay in the square and I would be back to buy more and I ran back to my hotel to get some more cash from the safe in but by the time I was back at the square the man was gone. Whenever I happened to return to the square in remaining days in Havana I did not chance upon the man again.
So which chip did I choose! Of all the colourful chips on offer I perhaps chose the dullest one of the lot. The simple design shows a symbol we are all familiar with and can certainly spark debate. I’m not a massive WW2 buff and I’m not aware with any connections between Germany and Cuba during that time and I thought I’d ask you guys if there are any leads I chase when it comes to identifying the casino, or at least verifying if it is real and if it did originate from the island.
