There are several ways to get them directly from the casino itself.  Either you can do it yourself or perhaps you have a friend or relative who are vacationing or live near a gaming jurisdiction from which you want to collect.

This is how I go about getting chips from a casino depending on the situation.  The first stop is the casino cage.  I scope the cage for a friendly looking cashier and with the biggest smile I can muster explain that I am a chip collector on vacation and want to bring home a few souvenirs.  I usually follow this up with "you don't have any brand new chips in the back do you?".  Often this will result in the cashier either going through her chips to find you the nicest she has or going to where they do in fact have some brand new, uncirculated chips.  I always "toke" (the gaming industry's word for "tip") the cashier a dollar or two if they go out of their way for me.  Sometimes a cashier will tell you that it's against casino policy to sell chips from the cage or else sell you a beat up looking chip that no one would want in their collection.

If this is the case then I will usually go to the craps table.  I buy into the game with $100 bill asking for a stack of $1's.  After you get your chips you walk away from the game.  If you have a chipping accomplice this is a routine that my wife and I have perfected over the years.  I buy into the game, get my chips and put them into the rack in front of me.  Right before I place my first bet my wife Debbie comes up to me looking agitated and exclaims "There you are... I've been looking all over for you.  I told you I was hungry and wanted to go eat!".  With this I sheepishly gather my chips, shrug to the base dealer and say in a whisper "the wife says we gotta' go eat, I'll be back".  We've played out this scenario hundreds of times and there's not a dealer in the world that will argue with that logic... especially if he's a married man!

My last option is to buy a rack of chips from the poker room telling them I don't want to play but want to go through them to find the nicest chips to save for souvenirs.  I've rarely had a problem with this method but I use this as a last resort.  Not being a poker player I prefer getting them from either the cage or craps table first.

Take a look at some of our other guides to learn more about the exciting hobby of casino chip collecting.

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We've been collecting chips since 1986, selling them since 1995, on eBay since 1998 and working with Chipco International to make custom chips since '98 as well.  If you have any questions about casino chips, custom chips or eBay feel free to contact me through our About Me page.