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Fake Gambler

for those who only go to Vegas for the experience
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This casino offers a special service for the type of guest who isn't really going to Vegas for the gambling.

You pay a fee of $1000, but you get chips "worth" $100,000. These look identical to normal chips but are worthless. They are coated with a special dye only visible in the near IR.

The groupier can identify the fake chips through an IR video camera, and will discretely pay out winnings with more fake chips.

At the end of the day, if you come back with more than $100,000 worth of fake chips to the cashier, you get your $1000 back. If you come back with a fraction you get to keep that fraction of the $1000.

Yeah, you can only lose, but in the long term isn't that how casinos work anyhow? Still, some tourists would be prepared to pay $1000 to be able to show off and "experience Vegas" a little. You can pretend to be a glamorous James Bond-type for a day and attract a lot of attention from the opposite sex in the process.

It could be an additional source of income for casinos. Of course, the fee needs to be as high a $1000 to prevent just anyone from being a fake gambler. Otherwise the sight of $10,000 chips would become to common to turn heads.

manicdictator, Jul 26 2008

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       So it's penny ante by a different name?
phoenix, Jul 26 2008
  

       It wouldn't really work though would it?. The casino would rather have a 'full payer' and the croupier would not have time to keep these special chips separate.
You might as well segregate the tables.
gnomethang, Jul 26 2008
  

       Sadly, people play much differently when they know it doesn’t count. Play on-line and note the behavior differences between those playing free games and those playing for real money. People take silly risks when they don’t view it as a risk.   

       The entry of the rich and stupid into the professional tournaments has killed casino poker as a game for the intelligent, measured, risk taker. Now, any clown with enough money to enter might win. Looking strange or professional for the cameras it now more important than one’s skill set.
CwP, Jul 27 2008
  

       Seems to me that if I were a professional poker player, I'd be more than happy to play against any number of rich and stupid opponents, CwP.   

       Sure, they might win occasionally, but over the long term I'd milk 'em dry. In fact it's probably the existence of these players which enables poker playing as a profession.
Loris, Jul 27 2008
  

       Somewhat like "racecar driver for a day" or guided big game hunts? Experience the big gambler lifestyle without throwing your savings down the toilet. I think it would turn off the paying customers to know that there were fakers about.
WcW, Jul 27 2008
  

       Realistic counterfeit chips would be dangerous. Someone would get a hold of one or be given one or being paid in chips and then would be upset to find they had been playing all night and doing very well using counterfeit chips.   

       I would have to think that casinos spend much effort and research figuring out the minds of people motivated by the urge to pretend to be James Bond, as such people are likely to soon to be parted with their money by means as yet to be determined.
bungston, Jul 28 2008
  

       This does leave unanswered the question of who James Bond was pretending to be.
Loris, Jul 29 2008
  

       I know how to count cards: 1 card, 2 cards, 3 cards, 4 cards, 5 cards, 6 cards... wait, what does busted mean?
jaksplat, Jul 29 2008
  

       How sad that people would be willing to pay good money just to pose in front of others. I know they are, and I'm aware there would be a market for this, it's all just a little sad.
Custardguts, Jul 30 2008
  

       [Loris] I agree that a certain quantity of the rich and stupid is almost required to sustain the professional circuit. If you will excuse the metaphor, if you like to shear sheep, a herd of sheep can be amusing and fun.   

       However, if statistically one or more of those sheep can shear the shearer (just by shear luck…sorry…), statistically many sheep will do so before the shearing is done. Thus, a sheep wins. In the case of professional tournaments, this has already happened. Highly skilled professionals are put out by rank amateurs. This is good to some degree but these tournaments are now being over run by sheep and the overall quality of player shown on TV has dropped.   

       The good news is that the energized and popularized circuit has also brought in a even greater number of people (with skills) to the herd of shearers and sheep. So it is fair to say the jury is still out.   

       BTW, casinos do hire professional player at an hourly rate to use their own money to gamble. What is described in the idea would be illegal in most states and countries.
CwP, Jul 30 2008
  

       So what happens if you have a real $100,000 and you're playing Texas Hold'em with a guy playing with fake $100,000 chips? It really takes the fun out of the game if you cleaning the other guy out and then realize he's worth about a hundred times less than you thought.   

       Just think if you were playing for 7 hours straight and then realized every dollar you won was only worth $.01....I just hope the casino comps you big.
WhereYouAt, Jul 31 2008
  

       You can play small Hold'em tournaments. The fee isn't usually that high and you can be playing for hours.   

       It's still gambling, but you won't lose your shirt that way
Bad Jim, Jul 31 2008
  


 

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