Key West Resort & Casino Discussion Thread (3 Viewers)

[dennis63]

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These days, much is happening at the Key West Resort & Casino.

I thought the time was right to open a thread to discuss all things Key West. I'll be visiting here daily, answering any general questions people may have about the casino chips, playing cards, dealer buttons, and other things in the Key West line. I have a rather odd, rotating work schedule, and my daily stops here might reflect that.

 

[dennis63]

I just placed the last part of an order with Classic Poker Chips that, combined, will produce 10,000 new Key West chips. Some of the resulting chips will be something we haven't seen before. I'm looking forward to the H mold being placed into production at Classic, which may be happening in August. New chips will likely arrive in September.

There's also a lot happening in the background -- new projects to make new things for Key West. I've been working on some of them for awhile, but creating new products can take months.

I'll be announcing each new item here on PCF first.

 

[SunRA]

Is Key West affiliated with Classic Poker Chips? Or do you order from them like anyone else?

 

[Leonard]

I have always loved the Key West chips and theme. Simplicity done well.

 

[Thomacetti]

Is Key West affiliated with Classic Poker Chips? Or do you order from them like anyone else?

Dennis ownes the KW trademark....he orders his chips @CPC

Let me tell you how great these chips are.....and Dennis is awsome.
My regulars know all my sets and ALWAYS ask for the KW chips, thanks @churlbut18 to get me hooked on these.

200 $0.25
800 $1
400 $5
180 $20
20 $100

@dennis63 You can remove 2 racks of blue $1 chips on you list of live $1's...these will never return, labels removed)

Here is a part of the set, will update when the quarters are labeled

Some of the resulting chips will be something we haven't seen before.

I'll be announcing each new item here on PCF first.

Can't wait....but if you ordered new design quarters I'm gonna go crazy scream cry be happy

 

[churlbut18]

Definitely watching this thread with interest!

 

[DonkeyKing]

Cant wait for the update.

 

[dennis63]

Is Key West affiliated with Classic Poker Chips? Or do you order from them like anyone else?

To echo Thomacetti, no, I'm not affiliated with Classic Poker Chips. I wish I were!

Classic makes Key West chips, and I buy them "exclusively." (That just means Classic won't sell Key Wests to anyone else without my permission.) When Classic Poker Chips opened on March 15, 2014, I think I placed the first, or one of the first orders with them.

Since then we've made a little over 30,000 chips. That number will jump to 40,000 in a couple of months.

So I buy Key West chips as custom CPC chips. And I always have 10,000 or more chips in stock that were purchased one, two or even three years ago at a lower price. Classic also sends a few extra chips with each order. Both of those things mean that my "average" chip price will always be less than Classic's current price for Level 1 custom chips, which is what Key West's actually are.

Most of that savings is passed on to people who buy Key Wests, and I really don't try to make a profit selling chips. I look at the business as two sides. I try to break even on chips -- which doesn't always happen -- and make a profit selling other things -- racks and cases, playing cards, dice, etc.

 

[SunRA]

To echo Thomacetti, no, I'm not affiliated with Classic Poker Chips. I wish I was!

Classic makes Key West chips, and I buy them "exclusively." (That just means Classic won't sell Key Wests to anyone else without my permission.) When Classic Poker Chips opened on March 15, 2014, I think I placed the first, or one of the first orders with them.

Since then we've made a little over 30,000 chips. That number will jump to 40,000 in a couple of months.

So I buy Key West chips as custom CPC chips. And I always have 10,000 or more chips in stock that were purchased one, two or even three years ago at a lower price. Classic also sends a few extra chips with each order. Both of those things mean that my "average" chip price will always be less than Classic's current price for Level 1 custom chips, which is what Key West's actually are.

Most of that savings is passed on to people who buy Key Wests, and I really don't try to make a profit selling chips. I look at the business as two sides. I try to break even on chips -- which doesn't always happen -- and make a profit selling other things -- racks and cases, playing cards, dice, etc.

Love the retro styling and colors. You did a great job on the design!
I hope you continue to sell these and make your profit.

 

[dennis63]

One thing in the works right now will happen in about a week. We'll have a "gently used" Key West chip page on the site, where you can buy a rack or two of like-new Key West chips for prices like they were in around 2012.

The idea is simple. I want to be able to offer some good Key Wests, cared for by the folks here on PCF. When you decide to finally pull the trigger on a Key West set, you can buy some new chips, and soften the hit to your wallet (or from your spouse) by blending some used chips into the set that are functionally indistinguishable from the new ones.

Other new things will begin to roll out at around the same time, with more things to follow in September of this year.

Believe me, I have an incredibly long list of things I'd like to accomplish with the Key West line.

I'm looking forward to that ride.

 

[dennis63]

Can't wait....but if you ordered new design quarters I'm gonna go crazy scream cry be happy

What are you thinking for colors on a Key West quarter -- base color and edge spot?

Adding a new quarter would be problematic for a number of reasons.

 

[Beakertwang]

What are you thinking for colors on a Key West quarter -- base color and edge spot?

Adding a new quarter would be problematic for a number of reasons.

I've always thought you should switch the nickel and quarter. It's hard to pick any other color for the quarter, since you offer the blue/gold and white/gold $1's.

 

[dennis63]

I've always thought you should switch the nickel and quarter. It's hard to pick any other color for the quarter, since you offer the blue/gold and white/gold $1's.

You're right. Butterscotch would have made a great quarter if we were starting over. But switching colors would be a nightmare. I've shipped out almost 4,000 Key West quarters (3,892 to date), and I have aother 800 in stock and 600 on order. If we switch colors, a lot of people won't be able to get any more quarters and, if they did, no one would know which chip on the table was a nickel and which was a quarter.

 

[Beakertwang]

@dennis63, that’s not to say I don’t like the gray/black quarter, because I do, and it works well with both 1’s. I really like the whole KW set, and the H is among my favorite CPC molds.

 

[dennis63]

I get what you mean. And it's fun to imagine what you could do if you started the set over. The gray quarter was one of the original nine denominations when the set was designed, so it's kind of traditional.

 

[Eloe2000]

Following as well. Very interested in what you are doing.

 

[scottredracecar]

Yes, I also think you have a great offering and plan to place an order after seeing the news

 

[dennis63]

So are people here playing Key West casino games -- the slot machine, blackjack table and roulette table -- on the site?

I'm considering an upgrade, and wanted to know if it would be worth the effort and expense for people to enjoy.

Here's a link to the poll:

Click to take the poll: Do you play Key West casino games online?

 

[scottredracecar]

I didn't even realize that was an option, but no, not interested in the casino games. They are a dime a dozen on app stores.

 

[Davism72]

I'd never noticed the games were on there, but I just checked them out. They play pretty well! Who made them?

 

[Darthhoodie]

You're right. Butterscotch would have made a great quarter if we were starting over. But switching colors would be a nightmare. I've shipped out almost 4,000 Key West quarters (3,892 to date), and I have aother 800 in stock and 600 on order. If we switch colors, a lot of people won't be able to get any more quarters and, if they did, no one would know which chip on the table was a nickel and which was a quarter.

I like the brown nickle, it's like a wooden nickle. I also like the contrast between the $1 and the quarter.

 

[dennis63]

I'd never noticed the games were on there, but I just checked them out. They play pretty well! Who made them?

Jetacer Interactive in Wisconsin. They created new games for us, rather than just tweaking existing games. They're great to work with.

The games were developed at different times a few years ago. It was before I dealt at the casino, so I asked my friend, Heather at Vegas Aces, to help with some dealer questions. She's been a dealer in Las Vegas now for about 10 years.

The games have some really neat features. The blackjack decks are actually randomized during the shuffle, so your results are the same as if you took four decks of cards and shuffled them. It's not a "Dr. Blackjack" or other teaching program that punishes the player if they make a decision that isn't perfect strategy.

The slot machine results are also randomized using the same type of program that's in a real slot machine. The roulette wheel uses a random number generator to pick the winning number, then has the wheel stop on that number and calculates winnings -- if you win.

 

[Davism72]

Jetacer Interactive in Wisconsin. They created new games for us, rather than just tweaking existing games. They're great to work with.

The games were developed at different times a few years ago. It was before I dealt at the casino, so I asked my friend, Heather at Vegas Aces, to help with some dealer questions. She's been a dealer in Las Vegas now for about 10 years.

The games have some really neat features. The blackjack decks are actually randomized during the shuffle, so your results are the same as if you took four decks of cards and shuffled them. It's not a "Dr. Blackjack" or other teaching program that punishes the player if they make a decision that isn't perfect strategy.

The slot machine results are also randomized using the same type of program that's in a real slot machine. The roulette wheel uses a random number generator to pick the winning number, then has the wheel stop on that number and calculates winnings -- if you win.

Very cool! I used to make real-money slot games for the browser. Cool to see stuff like this out in the wild.

 

[dennis63]

Want one? Here's a link to the Group Buy, open until noon EST on Aug. 5:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/key-west-logo-polo-group-buy.44475/
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Just got a few samples of these pique polo shirts in. We did a three-color version of J5's palm trees, added the name in the right font, and had it embroidered on a nice sky blue polo shirt. They were made for our dealers to wear at our weekly blackjack events at the senior center.

The image at right is a mock from the shirt company on a decidedly different background color.

We'll be placing a larger order soon, to sell on the Key West site. If there is any interest here, I can do a group buy and anyone who'd like one can select from any available shirt color and get it at cost. Might be a nice add to your Key West collection, or as a prize at your game.

It also sounds like a good opportunity for a giveaway.

 

[dennis63]

There is now a "pre-owned Key West chip" page on the Key West site.

The idea is simple enough: If you are building a set of Key Wests, you can buy new chips. But now you can also pick up a rack or two of like-new, near mint chips that are functionally indistinguishable from your new chips.

There are 900 chips currently being offered for $1.25 per chip. The chips are near-mint, oiled and ready for the poker table.

Link to the page:

Key West Pre-Owned chips

 

[dennis63]

Link to the Key West shirt group buy, open until noon EST on Aug. 5.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/key-west-logo-polo-group-buy.44475/

 

[dennis63]

Also working with a casino vendor (and J5) to make some Key West custom cut cards. J5 is working on a design for the card now.

The green ones made for us awhile back were nice, but were also very thick. They were fine to put on the bottom of the deck to conceal the bottom card while dealing, but it was a tough sell trying to cut a deck with one.

 

[dennis63]

Trying to buy Tech Art Hole Card Peepers

One of many projects I'm trying to do in the background lately has been getting a supply of Tech Art hole card peepers. They're essentially a tiny plastic telescope installed at the blackjack table. When the dealer has an ace, 10 or face card showing, they slide their cards into the mirror to check for blackjack. I used them many times per shoe while dealing at the casino. They look like this:

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These things are notoriously hard to get, even in the casino industry. The casino where I worked as a blackjack dealer had a tough time getting them, and the peepers at the table were really terrible. They were foggy and scratched from years or decades of use, and every time you looked into one, you squinted to see anything in the little window against the glare of the lights above your head. Often, you looked for the raised index, made a "best guess," and held your breath, hoping you were right before flipping the hole card. (I actually got it wrong once, but the floor supervisor blamed the crappy peeper.)

The peepers were invented by a dealer at a Las Vegas Casino who left to form the company Tech Art. I tried calling them about a year ago, but they never even answered their public phone number. Tech Art was recently purchased by a company called Scientific Games, with offices in Las Vegas.

I called them just a few minutes ago. They actually answered. The polite woman on the phone needed to know from which casino I was calling. She said, "there are licensing and regulatory issues,' and they can "only sell to licensed casinos." I was pleasantly surprised, because this is 12 words more than anyone has ever heard from GPI.

When I told her I owned a business in Delaware, she immediately put me on hold. She picked up, and I heard muffled discussion in the background, and a distant male voice. Three seconds later, they hung up. My number is now apparently blocked.

Ah, the casino industry!

I'd like to invent a better peeper (that doesn't violate their patent), and put them out of business.

 

[dennis63]

Strike Two today: Trying to resurrect a UV palm tree stamp on Key West chips:

I reached out yesterday to a high-tech company that makes UV products, trying to find out if there exists a safe UV ink that is reasonably stable and long-lasting when dry. This was a follow-up to something we tried a couple of years ago, intending to add an invisible UV security stamp to Key West chips, then send the stamp and ink around to chip owners to apply on their chips, too. If it ever works, it would look like the mock up and sample, below.

Left: A mock of the location of the invisible UV stamp on a
Key West chip. Right: a trial with UV ink on a real chip
that looked great, but wore off too quickly.
​

Sadly, I learned there is still no solution to this. UV inks that would be safe to put on chips and handle are (still) not permanent, and would disappear in about a week. Permanent UV inks contain solvents and are not safe to handle.

The president of the tech company wrote back, suggesting that I stamp the chips with a non-toxic UV ink, then apply "a clear nail polish" to the inlay.

Clear nail polish? That's like drawing on his Maserati with a felt-tip pen.

 

[alittlemessi]

Asking from the perspective of a new chip collector, is there any benefit to having UV markings on a chip that isn’t live at a casino?

The security aspect is always important, but I was just curious to hear if there are any other use cases?