Jordan Downs
3 of a Kind
So, this weekend I had a couple of hours to do some specific specialty harvesting in Vegas, (Unfortunately I didn’t have more time to invest). I dedicated this short time slot for two chips, the elusive Venetian $2 chip and the mysterious unicorn better known as the Flamingo spotted bird & non spotted bird.
I hit the Venetian first, I walked around the entire poker room and scoped out every table and not one was in play or in a dealers tray. I then went to the table games and craps tables, again none were in play or in dealers trays. I then went to the main cash cage and asked a cashier for ten of them to use as tips. She looked at me like I asked her for her first born child and quickly responded, “No, we don’t give out chips here.” I smiled, said thank you and walked away.
Discouraged and as my last hope I went to the poker cash cage and again asked for ten $2 chips to use as tips. Without batting an eye the cashier said sure, walked away and came back with ten $2 chips all in very good condition all in the LCV. I tipped her $5 and politely walked away. Almost wished I’d asked for twenty; however, that could’ve been the difference between receiving a no for an answer. This whole process took about 20 minutes before I struck pay dirt.
I then went to the Flamingo and repeated the above process. I was able to harvest six non spotted birds and two spotted birds playing at various table games. Pai Gow, Three Card Hold’em, Black Jack, Roulette and Craps. Every time I saw a spotted one in the dealers tray I sat and played. Immediately after sitting down I asked for five ones to tip the dealer and asked for that one chip with the yellow stripe for “good luck.”
All dealers were all to happy to oblige except for one. Just like at the Venetian I simply smiled and said thank you. I was able to buy one non spotted bird off of a player next to me for my ninth. Last ditch effort I went to the cash cage and asked for one of the spotted chips for a souvenir. The cashier again was all to happy to accommodate me. She walked to the back and gave me what I’m gonna call as close to near mint as a near mint spotted bird can be! I tipped her $2 and call it a night with 10 spotted Flamingo $1’s.
As for actually playing all the various table games, half of which I’ve never played before nor knew how to play, I just about broke even. I started with $60 and minus the $10 worth in spotted $1’s plus tips I cashed out for $51. Not a bad trade off in my book (y) :thumbsup:. Here are the pics. The ten to twelve year old bird I’m calling near mint is the one on the bottom left in one pic and on the top of the stack in the other pics. The whole process took about an hour and a half.
I hit the Venetian first, I walked around the entire poker room and scoped out every table and not one was in play or in a dealers tray. I then went to the table games and craps tables, again none were in play or in dealers trays. I then went to the main cash cage and asked a cashier for ten of them to use as tips. She looked at me like I asked her for her first born child and quickly responded, “No, we don’t give out chips here.” I smiled, said thank you and walked away.
Discouraged and as my last hope I went to the poker cash cage and again asked for ten $2 chips to use as tips. Without batting an eye the cashier said sure, walked away and came back with ten $2 chips all in very good condition all in the LCV. I tipped her $5 and politely walked away. Almost wished I’d asked for twenty; however, that could’ve been the difference between receiving a no for an answer. This whole process took about 20 minutes before I struck pay dirt.
I then went to the Flamingo and repeated the above process. I was able to harvest six non spotted birds and two spotted birds playing at various table games. Pai Gow, Three Card Hold’em, Black Jack, Roulette and Craps. Every time I saw a spotted one in the dealers tray I sat and played. Immediately after sitting down I asked for five ones to tip the dealer and asked for that one chip with the yellow stripe for “good luck.”
All dealers were all to happy to oblige except for one. Just like at the Venetian I simply smiled and said thank you. I was able to buy one non spotted bird off of a player next to me for my ninth. Last ditch effort I went to the cash cage and asked for one of the spotted chips for a souvenir. The cashier again was all to happy to accommodate me. She walked to the back and gave me what I’m gonna call as close to near mint as a near mint spotted bird can be! I tipped her $2 and call it a night with 10 spotted Flamingo $1’s.
As for actually playing all the various table games, half of which I’ve never played before nor knew how to play, I just about broke even. I started with $60 and minus the $10 worth in spotted $1’s plus tips I cashed out for $51. Not a bad trade off in my book (y) :thumbsup:. Here are the pics. The ten to twelve year old bird I’m calling near mint is the one on the bottom left in one pic and on the top of the stack in the other pics. The whole process took about an hour and a half.
