Are Kennedy halves still used in any casinos and/or racetracks?

CaptHenway

A challenge to our wonderfully eclectic membership. I am writing a story about the uses of the Kennedy half, most of them now gone, and have some questions about their uses in casinos and at racetracks.

I know that their use in slot machines is virtually gone, if not gone altogether, since nowadays you just feed in bills for credit and push buttons. I find that boring, and miss the clank of the coins being paid out. When dollar machines were not available, half dollar machines sufficed. When I used to buy rolls of halves in Illinois (circa 2010-12) hunting for silver I saw a lot of coins that were beat up from slot machine use.

I remember playing blackjack many years ago where at certain houses if you got blackjack they paid you 1.5 times your bet rather than a straight 1x for a win, so that if you bet $5 you got back $7.50. First of all do any houses still pay back 1.5x on a blackjack, and if so do they still use half dollars to do it?

I vaguely remember that on safety bets you might get back a half dollar as well. Could somebody please explain how that worked, and whether or not they still use half dollars for it.

Finally, I remember at the racetrack, where all winning were paid off rounded down to the lower dime, being paid off in half dollars and dimes for the odd change. Do the tracks still do that, or do they use quarters now, or what?

Thanks,

TD

Greeniejr

They still use them at the Bellagio and Venetian to pay out the 3:2 payouts for blackjack. Sadly many of the low limit Blackjack tables on the strip have moved to paying 6:5 on blackjack.

jmski52

They were using halves a few years ago in Vegas as part of the return on an "insurance" bet at blackjack. I think it was at the Tropicana and maybe a couple other mid-tier casinos that we went to.

Anytime I spend some Kennedys locally, if the person is under 25 they have to check with the boss to see if they are real money; if they are over 25 the response is something along the lines of "wow, I didn't know they still made these!"

MGLICKER

Yep. Still used in many casinos at Blackjack. Also as a house rake at Pai Gow Poker.



<< <i>I vaguely remember that on safety bets you might get back a half dollar as well. >>



I think that you mean the insurance bet on the blackjack table.

When the dealer has an ace up, she offers "insurance" to the players. It is a simple 2-1 wager that wins if the dealer has blackjack (a ten or picture card underneath), A $5 bet would win $10. Idea is to offset the loss on your hand. No need for half dollars for those payouts.

TwoSides2aCoin

I don't think any dated 1969 or older is often used there or anywhere. Probably not since the early seventies . That's when they started disappearing. Clad on the other hand, I do not know. From my experiences in gambling halls , they take dollars by the pound.

MGLICKER

Tom: Just checked with my old racetrack buddy in Detroit.

All the tracks there use only quarters and dimes. To the best of our recollection, that was always true going back to at least the early 70's when we took up residence at DRC.

ajaan

Not used at the casinos in Western New York.

CaptHenway

@McGlicker...I grew up less than two miles from the DRC. On a quiet summer night lying in bed with the windows open I could hear the announcer calling the race in the distance.

MGLICKER

<< <i>@McGlicker...I grew up less than two miles from the DRC. On a quiet summer night lying in bed with the windows open I could hear the announcer calling the race in the distance. >>



You heard the voice of Jack Riggs. No finer racing announcer or gentleman in the history of the sport. Voice was smooth as silk.

Text

jmcu12

I grew up in Las Vegas and I REALLY miss the sound of real money hitting the metal trays! God I love that sound!

Some machines still use actual quarters and halves. They are more targeted to the nostalgic crowd (yes I am one of them) and they are VERY few and very FAR between. But they are around still.

CaptHenway

I also seem to recall seeing a roulette table where you could buy 50 cent chips and the dealer using a half dollar next to the remaining chips to remind him or her that that color in question were not dollar chips, but that's not really using half dollars in a game.

pitboss

Four years ago when I was running a crap table in Albuquerque we had 50 cent pieces on the table and you could see the difference in the silver ones from the clad and no one ever asked for the silver as they were only interested in the game.

CaptHenway

PitBoss...how were they used in the game?

ProofArtworkonCircs

Many years ago race tracks in Massachusetts and Maine used tremendous quantities of 2 dollar bills during race season. They then showed up in general circulation for a short time.
We got a lot at the grocery stores.

Jinx86

I just sold a bag of Bicentennial Halves $270 something face value. Ill have to message the buyer what he's doing with them.

ProofArtworkonCircs

A few years ago we had an armored truck strike in this area. Change became scarce. The company cafeteria where I worked was low on quarters.
I offered rolls of clad halves to them. They declined.

CaptHenway

A few years ago I was selling tickets for the ice cream booth at our parish fish fry, and I brought brought along $2 bills and half dollars to give out as change. Most people loved them, but a few would not accept them.

pitboss

<< <i>PitBoss...how were they used in the game? >>



We had a $1 game and they were needed in some payoffs. I don't know what they have now as i have not been back to see in a couple of years.

CaptHenway

OK thanks!