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Buying Chips and Tokens
“Cashing In” 

Small, Unmarked Tokens? 

If you plan on playing a casino game you will need to replace your money with their chips, or tokens.  Casinos do this for many reasons, almost all of which involve you leaving the casino broke.  Some casinos will allow you to place a cash bet, “Money Plays”, but they always pay you in their casino chips. 

A casino chip is usually a piece of plastic, made with very high security standards, and bears the casino’s insignia.  It is more and more common that the chips are magnetized and, just like cold hard cash, have certain distinguishing features that are very hard to duplicate or counterfeit.  After all, this is the casino’s money. 

One of the all time funniest stories is the group of scammers in Vegas who were buying $1 chips from one casino, sticking a centerpiece they had made themselves with a remarkable resemblance to another casino’s $25 chip, and cashing in.  The story goes that they were making a killing, with $100 of $1 chips making them  $2,500, and $2,500 making them $62,500.  Here we are selling a blackjack program!  Everything was going great until one of the stickers fell off revealing a $1 chip…

To purchase chips, just place your money on the table. The dealer usually cannot take it out of your hand.  The logic is that they could slip you something, like a few $ 100 dollar chips.  The casino frowns upon that.  Once the dealer takes your money from the table, they will give you an equal amount back in casino chips.  Always double count it, or pay careful attention. We have seen a number of accidental mistakes, and you don’t want to be on the losing end before you even make your first wager. 

Just Give Me Black

There are different denominations of chips, ranging from fifty cents, $1 (usually silver and called Tokens), to $5, $25, $100 and so on.  More and more casinos are offering a $2.50 chip, making the 1½ times paid on the odd dollar Blackjack an easier payout, although these chips take from the dealer’s tips. 

Depending on the casino, the dealer may announce your money coming in, “Changing $100”.  In the smaller casinos the pit bosses may be inclined to inspect your money, or at least say, “Change it.” Afterward, the dealer will usually drop your money through a slot in the table and into a box mounted underneath the table.  He then flips up his hands quickly to show the cameras he isn’t palming it and cheating the casino.  That is usually the last time you see your money, or any money for that matter.  That box under the table is picked up by security and put in some rich companies bank account.   

While playing, if you run out of any denomination of chips, the dealer is there for your assistance.  They will gladly check up your chips and give you smaller ones, or take your chips and give you bigger ones.  At the end of your playing session, always give the small chips to the dealer so they may “Check Up” your chips.  This is a polite gesture so the table does not run out of smaller denomination chips, and waste the players time by having to get a refill in the “Chip Tray” sitting in front of the dealer. 

Also, if you win, remember, you are in a service industry.  If you felt like the dealer was polite, feel free to give them a tip, just throwing it at them, not at their head or anything, but in front of them on the table.  They do appreciate tips. 

If by some chance you happen to win at the table, which may be an obvious sign you bought our program and know how to play absolutely every hand, you would go to the “Cashier’s Cage” and that is where the casino buys your chips back and gives you real currency.