Warning from Winstar, NO MORE! Anyone caught approaching Hot Seat winners trying to buy their entry chips will be banned from both the casino and the tournament. This also goes for anyone having other people going up to the winners and trying to buy the entry chips for them, both you and the one trying to purchase the chips banned. They are very serious about this and I don’t want anyone paying to travel to this event only to get banned the day/night before or day of the tournament. I was also told anyone selling or buying chips the day before or day of the tournament anywhere on site will be banned as well. The casino is tired of having chips scalped on site; each chip scalped is costing the casino $550 in sales at the box office. Now before I get anyone replying back, that in the rules, Hot Seat winners can sell their chips, this has been changed. Just like any other tournament, the casino has the right to change the rules, so if anyone wants to challenge this new ruling go ahead, but don’t get upset when and if you get banned.
Winstar $2mil This could cut attendance for the next two tournaments. The tourist that wins a chip and no one dare ask to buy it. Of those 180 chips given away how many have no intention of playing the tournaments. They should of charged the $50 fee whether you pay or win a chip. The casinos here in Oklahoma usually keep the fee and put the entry fee back into the players pool. But, I know the casinos here use their players pools many different ways. But, the money still has to go back to the table players. It's driving me crazy trying to get down there. Calling in sick might be the only way and if I win they could see me on TV. Another thought EBAY.
Getting a Chip Rick--Is it posted in the casino that you can't ask to buy a chip off someone or might we get blindsided if we show up, "ignorant" of this rule and try? Also, before, if you were sitting at the table with someone who won, it was okay to buy it off them...allowed or not?
Becareful, you've been warned... I had three people win chips at the table I was playing and three more at tables right next to me and I was told point blank, I could not ask a player if they wanted to sell their chip. Last Thursday it was so bad that one hot seat winner couldn't find anyone to buy his chip so he just gave it away (but not to me). They are tried of players costing the casino $550 each time they sell or buy a Hot Seat chip. If I was putting out the travel expence I don't think I'd chance getting banned over trying to save a couple of hundred bucks for an entry chip. After all the $550 fee is still a HUGE overlay for this event.
Banning If a person was trying to get rid of a chip. Just tell them the rule about "No chips can be bought or sold on casino property (hint). I'll be at whatever local business in 10 minutes." Hmmm. Would that work?
Winstar chips Someone refresh my memory, so I don't have to read all 1000 post on this topic. !- How does one win a chip at the tables? 2- If you already have a chip, and win another, what do you do with it? 3- If you don't win a chip, can you buy one for $550.00 and if so, how close to the tournament time? Like an hour before ? 4- Were people who won chips, but didn't want to play in the tourny, selling them for less than $500.00, and if so, what was the going rate?
I've seen players give them away, others sell them for anywhere from $50 to $500. The problem's are that players trying to purchase chips held up the regular games and several were rude about how they tried to purchase them. Also those that were trying to profit from the chips didn't have their chips pre-sold and were trying to unload them the day of the tournament for whatever they could get and by doing so costed the casino $550 per entry chip they could have sold them for. With Winstar Casino guarantee for the prize of $100,000 each month, you can see why they don't want scalpers selling cheaper chips the day of the tournament and no less at the casino in front of where they are trying to sell the entry chips themselves. Just 20 scalped chips would cost the casino $11,000 and more like well over 100 chips were being sold each month. You can see Winstars concern here. On another note, Winstar's staff is one of the nicest over all groups I've ever dealt with at a casino. They really work well with the players and have put on a very nice event that is OPEN to all players. I have heard that they want to offer more events, so I hope the "SPLIT TOURNAMENT" is a big success so they will offer us more events in the future.
Tournament Chips.. Thanks Rick for the info. Now if you could explain how the "hot seats" work, my knowledge would be complete.
Free entry chips... On the give-a-way days (Thursday and Sundays), if you are in the right pit, at the right table, and in the correct seat they draw, you can win a "Hot Seat" chip, which is one of the entry chips that normally cost $550. For most players trying to win a free chip only cost them a little over $600, then they have to go buy their chip anyway...lol.
Cameras on the "Hot Seat" tables... I was told today just serious they are at Winstar about buying chips from "Hot Seat" winners. From now on they will be focusing the cameras on the tables where the "Hot Seat" winners are and anyone caught buying or trying to buy chips WILL BE BANNED from the casino and tournament. So anyone planning on coming in on the 12th on June to try and pick-up a cheap entry chip, better think again. On another note, watchout for "OLD CHIPS" being sold online. Not sure if they just don't know or if it's a big scam, but some people are selling the old entry chips from March, April, and May (which are no good anymore). To be on the safe side you should just buy your entry chip from the casino at the $550 asking price, and not put yourself at risk of being banned or ripped off. Also the June tournament maybe sold out due to these resent events, so if your coming into play Winstar I suggest you purchase your chip soon, (only 180 are for sell).
Good grief. My own opinion is that it's a bit reactionary of them to ban all commerce in these chips. Some of their loyal and regular patrons will win chips in the HotSeat drawings but have zero desire to use them. These loyal regulars could make a buck selling them, and would likely turn right around and lose the proceeds back to the casino. Quite frankly, it'll be mighty interesting to see how the June entry count is affected by this. I certainly can see Winstar's point of concern, though. The night before the May tournament, it was like a freakin' commodities market in there, with (a very few) people buying, selling, and in some cases bidding for entry chips. They could put a screeching halt to all commerce in entry chips by eliminating the chips altogether - simply write out a specially designed comp slip to the HotSeat winners. This would also eliminate the scammers selling either old or current entry chips online. As a player, it concerns me that they might trash the whole tournament idea in the future because of the actions of those very few "chip brokers" - and that would be a huge loss to the already-too-sparse TBJ scene.
Winstar tournament chips Rick: I was there Thursday , and bought 3 chips without any problem. Just thought I would throw this out there. THE FARMER
Better luck then me... I wish I could have bought three chips. I got in trouble for going over to a table a couple of weeks back where a hot seat winner was and I was called over there by the dealer and didn't even hear him until one of the floor personel came and tapped me accross the pit...LOL. I understand were Winstar is coming from about the buying and selling of chips. Some of the players were were pretty ruin about buying the chips and those buying just to sell the day of the event was and is costing the casino alot of money. It is just like scaping tickets at a ballgame. This is a major TV show, not just a HUGE blackjack tournament and Winstar doesn't want any problems with solitation by dealers, pit personel, or anyone else. The staff at Winstar has been very nice to me and lots of them knew that I would buy chips should a "Hot Seat" winner want to sell them. This is why the dealer call me, he was just trying to help out a chip winner who wanted to sell his chip. Once the manager found out I was called over he was very nice, but still up set that any employee should know anyone that wants to buy chips. I simple told him I wouldn't come back up until the June tournament, that way there is no chance of getting in trouble...LOL.
