Hitting the tables in Las Vegas isn’t as popular as it used to be. The downturn in gambling over the past 30 years or so has led to fewer gamblers. This has, in turn, led to even fewer people that know the lingo thrown around the casino by people who have been gambling in a casino since they turned 21.
I’ve been gambling since grade school and learned my way around the casino the week of my 21st birthday. Not everyone is like me, though. Not everyone gambles (GASP!). Since moving to Las Vegas I’ve met a good number of people who visit casinos frequently and have never gambled. They’ve never rolled the bones, looked at a card or even put money into a machine (GASP again!). Different strokes for different folks.
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There was a time where everyone in a casino could identify the kind of player someone was at the tables simply by the color of the chips they played. Every week I meet more people that visit casinos who don’t know the difference between a red chipper, green chipper or black chipper. There are more people than ever who don’t know what the individual chip colors are or mean.
In an effort to educate our non-gambling friends here’s a look at the chips you’ll find at most tables in a casino. I’ll explain how much they’re worth and how most people use them.
- $1 – White or Blue Chips – Fun fact: $1 chips used to be coins and often called “bullets.” Today these chips are usually white but are offered in a variety of colors since white chips get dirty quickly. These are mostly used to tip cocktail waitresses, place appropriate odds in craps or for side bets.
- $5 – Red Chips – These chips are used mostly for table games with minimum wagers below $25. Red chips are sometimes used as a tip for people playing $25 or more per hand. Pro boozing tip: If you’re normally a $1 per drink tipper, use a red chip on the first round to get faster service from the cocktail waitress. This person is often known as a red chipper.
- $25 – Green Chips – You’ll usually see these in play for hands $25 – $200. When the hand is above $200 (8 green chips) you’ll often see $100 chips played instead. This person is often known as green chipper regardless of the amount per wager.
- $100 – Black Chips – Most people in the casino will see a person playing black chips as a high roller. They’re often known as a black chipper. These chips are played similar to green chips.
- $500 – Purple Chips – The goal for most gamblers who play lower denominations is to win so much that they have to cash in their red, green and black chips for a purple (or purplish) chip.
- $1,000 – Orange or Yellow Chips – So pretty. Most gamblers dream of the day they’re paid with this chip. I’ve cashed out with this chip a few times. Multiple purples are more fun to cash out.
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You should note that in addition to these chips that roulette tables use their own chip/chip colors for each player. Poker rooms may also use different chips. The information above is good for most table games in the casino.
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Photo (not real casino chips, but close enough): ebay
If your only gaming experience is at the casinos of Atlantic City, you've probably never given the chips you used much thought.
In the city by the sea, every casino has a white $1 chip. Likewise, every club uses pink $2.50 chips, red $5 chips, green $25 chips, and so on. That's how things are done in Jersey, but not so in other places.
In Nevada, where legalized gaming got its start, you might see mostly red $5 chips and green quarters, but there is no specific law requiring a certain color be used. Thirty years ago you could find $1 chips that were white, yellow, gray, blue, brown and even black. A few years before that, the casinos used Eisenhower dollars, and before that, the casinos used real silver dollars. Imagine that!
As for larger denominations, every club can choose their own color. Harrah's used white chips until the late 1980's. Today, their $1 chips are white, and that's more the norm now, partly because casinos are more corporate (with several corporations owning many casinos), and partly for safety.
Some casinos color-code their table game signs to match the denomination of chip for the minimum bet for that table. That way, all you have to do is look at the color of the sign. The colors of the chips used in the majority of casinos are the same. The denominations of the colors are:
- White or Blue chips are one dollar.
- Red chips are five dollars and are called nickels.
- Green chips are twenty-five dollars and are called quarters.
- Black chips are one hundred dollars.
- Purple Chips are five hundred dollars and are called Barneys.
- Orange chips are one thousand dollars and are called pumpkins.
Why Problems Arose
In the late '90's, a casino in Las Vegas issued one dollar chips that were black in color. This created quite a stir amongst the other casinos who have $100 chips that are black. There were concerns that scam artists would mix some of these in with the legitimate chips. The outcry was substantial and the casino rethought their chip-color choice.
The reason casinos use different color chips is to make it easy for the dealers, Pit Bosses, and surveillance workers to determine how much a player is betting. It also makes it fun for people who collect casino chips!
By matching the color of the chips with the table signs it makes it easy to tell the minimum bet for a table with just a quick glance. A red sign would denote a five-dollar table and a green sign would tell you that the minimum bet is twenty-five dollars. This makes it convenient for the players. There are some tables that have minimums that don't correspond to chip colors such as $10 and $15 games. All you have to do is note which color sign the casino you are visiting uses. Then remember it for the next time. The casinos in Connecticut use yellow for ten-dollar tables and orange for fifteen-dollar tables.
Some casinos may have the same color sign for all table minimums. If this is the case you will need to read them before sitting down. But for most of them, all you will need to do is look for the color of your choice, have a seat and place your bet.
Roulette Chips
As for the roulette table, you can use the same chips used on other tables, but if you are going to be playing mostly the inside numbers, the dealer will offer you a color. That means you'll get your own chips, with their own denomination. The standard value is $1, but you can have whatever value you want, you just can't cash them in anywhere but at that table - as soon as you are done playing!
The reason each player gets their own color is to distinguish who gets what on each winning number selected by the players. If you play roulette, you know that's necessary!