Why are $1s so expensive / hard to find? (1 Viewer)

[kmccormick100]

I've given up hope of finding any Empress $1s at a price I could afford, but it got me thinking. It seems like many $1s are hard to find, or very expensive when they are i.e. Empress, Casablanca, PNY etc. They seem like they should be the most plentiful chips, are they desirable because people like putting them into play? Condition is usually poor? Some other factor? Obviously live harvestable casino $1s are turning into a more appealing option.

 

[manamongkids]

because people can walk out of a casino with them for ....$1

 

[Psypher1000]

They seem like they should be the most plentiful chips

Not from a casino's perspective. In most larger casinos $5's and $25's rule the roost. $1's are primarily used as tips and for side bets/prop bets. Other than in poker rooms/smaller card rooms, when you buy in at a table, you almost always get paid in $5's and $25's, with maybe 5 $1's to start with, if any at all (might get a few more $1's at a craps table).

In addition to that, what @manamongkids said. The $1's are one of the most collected denoms out there due to their cheapness. They also tend to walk out of casinos accidentally more than other denoms. If you forget to cash in a hundo, most people are gonna go back to that casino and remedy the situation. If you forget to cash a $1, though, it's probably not worth your time to get back there to exchange it.

 

[Psypher1000]

I've given up hope of finding any Empress $1s at a price I could afford,

The odds of finding these available outside of a whole set is low enough as it is, let alone at an "affordable" price. It's something of a fool's errand.

This fool would know.

 

[BiGGyT]

Usually, unless there is a poker room, you are not going to see a lot of $1s. The Casablanca had a poker room, and I did see stacks of $1s, but most of what was on the tables were $2 chips since they had $4/$8 limit and $1/$2 NL while I was there. There are several racks, but they are being hoarded.

Honestly, for the $1s, I would harvest and relabel or just use the harvested as your $1s. I just paid $2/chip ($215 after shipping) to buy chips that I am putting $20 worth of labels on so I can have $100 worth of Casablanca $1s, seems counter-intuitive. What makes sense is pull $100 minty $1's off the poker tables and use them, even if not a perfect match. If you can get yellow chips, much closer to the real ones, but no one will care if they are blue or white, unless you are also using actual white $2s, then you are fucked.

I am all for matching chips, but when the chip is $10/each, I look for substitutions.

 

[Psypher1000]

I just paid $2/chip ($215 after shipping) to buy chips that I am putting $20 worth of labels on so I can have $100 worth of Casablanca $1s, seems counter-intuitive.

I paid somewhere around $1.50/chip for 5c chips. *shrugs* Not counter-intuitive when it comes to customs/hybrids. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Your point about spending $235 instead of $1000, though, is very well taken.

 

[DrStrange]

Once upon a time, you could find $0.25 chips even nickels or dimes. Inflation happened and those chips slowly dried up and went away. We are nearing the same point with $1 chips. Fives and twenty-fives rule the floor. Ones are for tipping, odd sized bets, the crap table and the poker room. Some day there will not any ones at all just like we don't see some fractionals any more.

And anyone who ever sold their $1 chips will be sorry -=- DrStrange

 

[doakwolf]

I always figured it's because they're the workhorse chip at most home games so they're a highly desirable denom and usually wanted in high quantities.

 

[ovo]

unfortunately there are people that like to buy large amounts of the dollars when there is a chip room sale, let the price build, then release years down the road.

 

[atomiktoaster]

I always figured it's because they're the workhorse chip at most home games so they're a highly desirable denom and usually wanted in high quantities.

Every time I've seen total chip counts from a chip room haul, there's been several times more $5s and $25s than singles. I think the issue is more with supply than demand.

 

[slisk250]

Great quality 1s with good spots are in low supply. There are hoarders (not me really). I'll be releasing hundreds back into the wild starting in July.