Two minutes later, ten players had chips, and the floorperson took the cash and leftovers back to the cage, and the cards were being dealt. Vegas is also the only place I've seen a table open with a dealer having a few racks of chips to allow a fast buy-in as the players arrived, before the game started. Probably a hold-over from the days where the law was the barrel of a gun, but table games have tighter security. They will also hold white chip tips and only put reds in the tip bucket. The way you describe it is how I've seen it in Vegas.
I've only played poker in Vegas, AC, CT, PA Sands, and on one day cruise out of Myrtle Beach SC.
