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SELECT GERMAN CASINO CHIPS &
CLUB CARDS |
Some preliminary notes:
2 different types of casinos: As in other parts of
Chips: I collect low-value chips, so the currently available lowest value chip
from each casino is shown here. For a
complete sampling of German chips, I recommend Fran Alejandre’s
website.
You can buy your chips at the table games or at the
cashier’s cage.
Player’s cards: Unlike American casinos, the German casinos
discussed here do not use players’ club cards.
Instead, they issue a cardboard membership card, at least to temporary
visitors. The cards are shown here.
Other interesting ephemera are also shown on this web page.
Information was current as of my visit in the first week of
March, 2008. At all three casinos, the
staff are fluent in several languages, including English.
Some of these items are available for sale or trade for $1
chips I need. CLICK HERE for sale page.
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FRANKFURT, WIESBADEN,
& MAINZ |
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Frankfurt am Main, http://www.airportcity-frankfurt.com/ In March 2008, the airport’s casino was located in Terminal 1-B,
level 3. However, it is changing
locations in April 2008 and adding a second location in June 2008. You should check the airport maps and
brochures, as the presence of the casino is well advertised. |
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The
Terminal B location features/featured about 2 dozen slot machines, an
automated American roulette table, and a dealer-run Blackjack table and a
roulette table.
The
slot games and the automated roulette game use 50-cent tokens; both sides are
shown. These tokens are a golden
color, and are 2.5 mm wide and 28 mm across.
One side features the airport casino’s logo (also shown on the chip
below) and the inscription “Casino Frankfurt” and “
The
two table games use chips in Euro denominations; the lowest denomination is 5
Euros. Both sides are identical. The chip is comparable in size to American
and Canadian chips. At
least at its current location, you must pass through airport security and
have a boarding pass. When you go to
the airport casino, you must present your boarding pass as well as your
passport or other identification. The casino
will then issue a cardboard “tageskarte” (day
ticket).
Unlike
the other two casinos discussed in this article, the airport casino does not
impose a dress code and it does not charge a fee for admission. Also
shown here is the Terminal B hand wipe packet. Both sides carry identical artwork.
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SPIELBANK Kurhausplatz 1, www.casino-wiesbaden.de Everyone will
tell you that the casino in |
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So
how is a “classic European casino” different from an old-fashioned Vegas
casino? First is the dress code; a
jacket and tie are required (if you don’t have one, they will rent one to
you!). Second, the casino imposes a 2.50
Euro admission fee, although I was able to obtain a free entry coupon from a
brochure at my hotel in
Cardboard “gratiskarte”
(free card) You
don’t have to “buy” a color to play roulette; multiples players use the stock
chips and jetons, and the dealers keep track of the
transactions (I suppose with a little help from the honor system). The
lowest available denomination is 2 Euros.
In
a separate building, the casino runs an automated slot machine area. The slot games and use 50-cent tokens; both
sides are shown. These tokens are a
golden color, and are 2.5 mm wide and 28 mm across. One side has the casino’s logo with
“Gambling & More” inscribed in English & German. The other side depicts the casino’s
historic building with the inscriptions “Casino Wiesbaden” and “Kurhaus Wiesbaden.”
Also
shown here are the hand wipe packet and a deck of souvenir cards sold at the
reception desk (note they are English/American style).
The
casino offers free game lessons on Friday and Saturday nights. |
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SPIELBANK Rheinstraße 68, www.spielbank-mainz.de Located in the Hilton International Hotel on
the west side of the |
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The
casino uses chips and jetons in the regular casino
area, and also has a slot section in an adjacent room. The slot games use Euro coins, not
tokens. The
table games are interesting. When I
was there, the roulette games (single “O”) each used two dealers. The lowest denomination chips are 2
Euros. In addition to the regular
white chip, there are other 2-Euro chips with stripes (one red, one green, or
two blue) that a player can use at the roulette table as his or her
“color.” As with
The
basic white chip is shown here. Higher
denominations are larger. As
with the other casinos, a cardboard entry card is issued (“tageskarte,” or day ticket).
Also
shown is the hand-wipe packet.
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Many
of these items will soon be available for sale or trade. Watch my trade web
pages for more details. JIM’S CHIP TRADES