Blackjack Chips
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Bright, colorful, and worth anything between $1.00 and over $100,000, casino chips are the prizes players love to collect and exchange for their cash winnings. For over a hundred years, these small tokens have been the main currency for a variety of gambling games all over the world and they are still as popular as ever.
Click chips from your bank to move them onto the table and make your bet. Click chips on the table to take them back. Click Deal, and the dealer will toss you two cards. Options to Hit, Stand. How to Play 21/Blackjack: The goal of 21 is to amount your card values as near to 21 as possible without exceeding or 'busting' it. Moreover, you have to beat whatever hand both the dealer and other players have drawn; if they have 20 and you have 19, you lose the hand. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than blackjack, including a dealer's three or more card 21. If both a player and the dealer have blackjack, the hand is a tie or push. The dealer will usually pay your winning blackjack bet immediately when it is your turn to play. To play blackjack you need chips to bet with, and you typically buy your chips directly from the dealer. When there is a break in the action, you simply put cash on the table and the dealer will change it for an equal value of playing chips. The standard denominations for casino chips are: white chips = $1. Amazing 3d interface, action packed battles and tons of free chips Test your nerve as you take on the dealer - with the Ultimate Blackjack Experience!
Mainly used in brick and mortar casinos, the chips are made of either molded clay composite or a special plastic resin which is often referred to as ceramic. While the actual manufacturing of the chips is a trade secret, the process to create chips unique to each casino is complicated and sometimes include special RFID chips embedded inside to prevent forgeries and fraud.
Why Do Casinos Use Chips Instead of Cash?
It may seem overly complicated to use customized chips as the main game currency in a casino, after all, wouldn’t straight cash be easier to use for games?
It may seem like a hassle to exchange cash for chips and then cash out again, but there are several strategic reasons why casinos prefer chips to cash. Even online casinos will offer players tokens or credits in place of cash for their virtual games.
Playing with Chips is Quick and Easy
Instead of fumbling around for cash or paying for games in different dominations, casino chips are easy to use, quick to read denominations and keep games running smoothly. That is why casino chips have an array of bold colors and designs so that each denomination is easy to spot and use.
Unless players plan to have nice crisp bills ready in hand, nothing would be more frustrating than having to wait for players to count up their cash and place them on the table in a messy pile. Chips stack well and casinos offer chip holders to keep everything neatly organized for quick and easy access while in a game.
Payments and Losses Don’t Seem So Bad
Everyone knows the value of cash, and when each bill is physically in hand, it becomes much harder to part with it. A pile of cash looks far more intimidating than a set of colorful chips neatly stacked on a table. Seeing physical cash move around in games shows players exactly how much is being spent per play (and how much has been lost).
Even though casino chips have the same value as cash, they are simple brightly colored tokens that are easy to toss on a table to make a bet. Instead of counting out bills to add up to a high wager, a high-value chip can easily take its place without actually seeing the cash value.
Custom Chips Prevent Theft and Fraud
Every casino will have custom made chips and tokens that will include their name and logo design on it. This makes it easy to distinguish from other casinos but also help deter people from trying to forge the chips and bring them it to exchange for cash.
The chips are also a good deterrent for would-be thieves who think they can just run into a casino, steal a bunch of chips, sell them on to people or eventually bring them in to exchange for cash. Once a casino finds out a large number of chips have been stolen, they will immediately remove them from circulation and create a new batch that will look different. That way, if anyone wants to cash in the old chips, they will be worthless.
Security Features in Modern Casino Chips
Blackjack Chips
Gambling chips look very simple in design but there is a lot of thought and processing involved to keep casinos and players safe from theft and fraud. Over the last 100 years, the humble chip has evolved in many ways and is currently becoming more technologically-based as well.
Each casino will have its own unique set of chips that are designed and manufactured to their specific requirements. No two casinos will have the same chips, not even casinos owned by the same parent company.
All of the casino staff are also very well trained to spot these security features, which is yet another level of security against forgeries.
Colors
Each chip denomination will have a specific set of color combinations for every casino. The colors will either be clay pressed or cast with resin. When two or more colors are used in a chip design, they will be pressed with individual clay colors arranged in the chosen design, rather than painted on. This method makes it very hard for fraudsters to replicate.
Designs
Every casino will have an intricate design that will include their name and logo. Not only does a personalized design give each casino a solid uniform look (like every country’s currency), but it also helps to promote their brand. The more people see the name and logo, the more players trust and love the brand.
Also, casinos choose very intricate and complicated designs for their chips and tokens because they are easy to highlight anything that looks different. Anyone wanting to pass fakes on the floor, no matter how well they try to replicate them, will easily be found out as the fakes will often stand out like a sore thumb.
Textures
Many chips will have a smooth finish, while others will have a slight cross-hatched texture. Other details that may be included are etched patterns and designs on the top or sides of the chip. These details are much more difficult to forge than simple smooth finishes.
UV Inlay
Most paper currency around the world will include UV threads to help prevent counterfeiting and the same is done with many casino chips. Injected with a UV inlay or die, many chips will have a logo, word or design that will only be visible under a UV light.
If a chip does not look or feel right to casino staff, they can instantly check them under UV light on top of the other security checks they have been trained to use.
RFID
Many casinos are quickly turning to RFID-embedded microchips to help them keep track of their circulation. Mainly used for high-value chips, the RFID tags can be easily scanned and monitored anywhere within the casino floor.
This type of technology not only helps monitor where all of the chips are at any given time or where they are being used, but it can also monitor anyone who may be trying to steal other player’s chips or pass fakes around in games.
Casino Chip Values
A common question that pops up is about the value of casino chips. While there are some general colors that are known to represent certain values, each casino will have different colors, color combinations, and designs to make their chips stand out from the rest.
Blackjack Chip Colors and Values
- $1.00 – White
- $2.50 – Pink
- $5.00 – Red
- $10.00 – Blue (uncommon)
- $20.00 – Gray (uncommon)
- $25.00 – Green
- $50.00 – Orange
- $100.00 – Black
- $500.00 – Purple
- $1,000 – Yellow or Orange
- $5,000 – Brown
For large denominations that are valued in the $10,000+ range will often be in the form of plaques rather than chips. These plaques are large, rectangular in shape and will have specific serial numbers attached to them to prevent counterfeits.
Casino plaques are reserved for special VIP players and generally for high stakes games of baccarat and poker. The plaque values are often found in $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, and $100,000.
Games that Use Casino Chips
In most casinos, there will be two main currency types used for each game. The slot machines will generally stick to cash coins and custom-designed metal tokens, the colorful casino chips are mainly reserved for the ever-popular table games.
Although most people will recognize chips being used for games of poker, all table games will use them as the only currency to play. The only difference between each table game is the wager amounts.
Popular Table Games that Use Casino Chips
- Blackjack
- Poker
- Texas Hold’Em
- Roulette
- Craps
- Baccarat
- Pai Gow
- Sic Bo
Although all of the above-mentioned games use chips as the play currency, each one will have a different set of rules, which include minimum table bets for each round. Pay attention to the signs at the table or feel free to ask the dealers about minimum bets.
Etiquette
When playing a game that uses chips, there are a few unspoken rules that seasoned players follow and new players should adopt to help them blend in rather than stick out like a novice player.
Unlike characters who gamble in major Hollywood movies, players do not toss or drop their chips in a wild manner. This will spill the chips in every direction and make it tough for the dealer to determine exactly what was wagered, which could lead to complications in the game (and have very upset players).
Players should also neatly stack chips in their respective denominations. This will make it easy for the dealer to see how much is being wagered each round and give players a quick wager instead of fumbling through a pile of mixed chips.
Finally, players should always be aware of the betting line or the line where their cards are presented. Many casinos consider the space past the line (or player cards) as the betting space, so anything that crosses these lines will be considered a bet.
To avoid any accidental bets or issues with game rules, always keep chips organized, neatly stacked, and only place the number of chips that are intended for the wager. Following these simple rules will have the game moving smoothly and keep the dealer (and monitoring security) happy as well.
Definitions
This page shall address the value and optimal usage of promotional, match-play, and non-negotiable chips. Before going further, let me define what each of these chips are.
Match-Play Chips
These are the same as promotional chips, except the player must match the match-play bet with real money. They are often not chips at all, but coupons found in fun books. Usually, the player will keep a match-play chip, in the event of a push. Rules can get complicated with blackjack. A blackjack will always pay 3 to 2 on the cash bet, but may only pay even money on the match-play portion. I believe that paying 3 to 2 on both is the norm. If the player doubles or splits, usually the player will only match the cash wager portion, but sometimes the player must match both portions. Match-play chips are usually restricted to even money bets, including blackjack.
Promotional Chips
Promotional Chips are for one bet resolved only. These chips are sometimes offered in mailers to existing players, as an incentive to return to the casino property. Win or lose, the promotional chip is taken from the player after the bet is resolved. If the player wins, he keeps the winnings only. On a tie, the player usually keeps the chip. In blackjack, the player may double or split with real chips or cash. Usually, promotional chips may only be used on even money bets, which include blackjack.
Non-Negotiable Chips
Sometimes called a 'non-neg,' these act like real chips, except the player may not cash them in. Any winnings generated from these chips are paid in cashable chips, and the player keeps the non-neg chip. There are usually no restrictions on how these can be played. In Macau, these are ubiquitous in high limit baccarat rooms, sometimes known as 'dead chips.'
Blackjack Chips Amazon
The following table shows the value of each kind of chip in various games and bets. The values are expressed as a percentage of the face value of the chip. The table assumes the player keeps any chip in the event of a push. For blackjack, the other rules assumed are as follows.
- Six decks
- Double after split allowed
- Resplitting aces allowed
- Surrender not allowed
- Blackjack pays 3 to 2 on all chips
- On a match play, player may double or split only cash portion of wager.
Chip Value Table
| Game | Bet | Match-Play | Promotional | Non-Neg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | Banker | 46.98% | 48.15% | 97.63% |
| Baccarat | Player | 47.95% | 49.32% | 97.31% |
| Baccarat | Tie | 61.77% | 76.12% | 84.13% |
| Big Six | 1 | 33.33% | 44.44% | 80% |
| Big Six | 2 | 38.89% | 55.56% | 76.92% |
| Big Six | 5 | 42.59% | 64.81% | 74.47% |
| Big Six | 10 | 55.56% | 74.07% | 80% |
| Big Six | 20 | 51.85% | 74.07% | 76.92% |
| Big Six | Joker/Logo (40 to 1) | 50% | 74.07% | 75.47% |
| Big Six | Joker/Logo (45 to 1) | 68.52% | 83.33% | 84.91% |
| Blackjack | 46.2% | 51.4% | 99.15% | |
| Craps | Pass | 47.88% | 49.29% | 97.21% |
| Craps | Don't Pass | 47.9% | 49.3% | 97.23% |
| Craps | Place 6,8 | 51.52% | 53.03% | 97.22% |
| Craps | Place 5,9 | 52% | 56% | 93.33% |
| Craps | Place 4,10 | 53.33% | 60% | 90% |
| Craps | 1-way Hop | 69.44% | 83.33% | 85.71% |
| Craps | 2-way Hop | 72.22% | 83.33% | 88.24% |
| EZ Baccarat | Banker | 48.27% | 49.42% | 97.72% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | Even money | 42.11% | 47.37% | 90% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | Column | 57.89% | 63.16% | 92.31% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 6-way | 73.68% | 78.95% | 93.75% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 5-way | 71.05% | 78.95% | 90.91% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 4-way | 78.95% | 84.21% | 94.12% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 3-way | 81.58% | 86.84% | 94.29% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 2-way | 84.21% | 89.47% | 94.44% |
| Roulette (double-zero) | 1-way | 86.84% | 92.11% | 94.59% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | Even money | 45.95% | 48.65% | 94.74% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | Column | 62.16% | 64.86% | 96% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | 6-way | 78.38% | 81.08% | 96.77% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | 4-way | 83.78% | 86.49% | 96.97% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | 3-way | 86.49% | 89.19% | 97.06% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | 2-way | 89.19% | 91.89% | 97.14% |
| Roulette (single-zero) | 1-way | 91.89% | 94.59% | 97.22% |
Strategy
Match-Play Chips
If restricted to even money bets, then the player will get the most value betting Match Play chips on the Banker bet in EZ baccarat, at 48.27% of face value. If that game isn't an option, then the second best bet to use a Match Play chip is the Player bet in baccarat, at 47.95% of face value. If unrestricted, then the player should make a long-shot wager, preferably on a single number in roulette.
Promotional Chips
If restricted to even money bets, then the player will get the most value betting promotional chips in blackjack, at 51.2% of face value, give or take depending on the table rules. If unrestricted, the player should make a long-shot wager, preferably on a single number in roulette.
The following basic strategy table is for promotional chips, under the rules above. If the player is faced with a real money only decision, as a result of splitting, he should revert to conventional basic strategy. The row for a soft 21 is for a 2-card soft 21 after splitting tens, not a blackjack.
Non-Negotiable Chips
Whether restricted or not, the player should bet these in blackjack, where the value is 99.6% of face value, give or take depending on the table rules. If restricted to baccarat, as is the case in Macau, they are best used on the banker bet. I have in-depth coverage of the non-negotiable chips in Macau on my companion site, Wizardofmacau.com.
Other Coupons
The free ace coupon may be used as an ace, in lieu of the first card dealt, in blackjack. According to my blackjack appendix 14, the expected value of an ace as the first card is 50.4% of the amount bet, assuming liberal six-deck rules (dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, re-splitting aces allowed). These statistics are on a per hand basis, and include pushes. The probability of a push in blackjack is 8.5%. I have not calculated the conditional probability of a tie, given the first player card is an ace. Assuming the push probability is still 8.5%, and the player keeps the coupon on a push, the value of a free ace is 55.1% of face value, under the same liberal rule assumptions.
First Winning Blackjack Pays 2 to 1
The probability of a winning blackjack is 4.53%, in a six-deck game. On average, they come along once in 22.06 hands. The house edge under liberal six-deck rules is 0.29%. So, the player can expect to lose 22.06 × 0.0029 = 0.064 bets waiting for a blackjack. The coupon obviously is worth half a bet. So, the value of a 2 to 1 blackjack coupon is 50% - 6.4% = 43.6% of the amount the player may bet per hand.
Blackjack Chip Tray
First Winning Suited Blackjack Pays 3 to 1
The probability of a winning suited blackjack is 1.13%, in a six-deck game. On average, they come along once in 88.26 hands. The house edge under liberal six-deck rules is 0.29%. So, the player can expect to lose 88.26 × 0.0029 = 0.256 bets waiting for a suited blackjack. The coupon is worth 1.5 bets (the 3 to 1 payoff less the 1.5 you would get normally). So, the value of a 3 to 1 suited blackjack coupon is 1.5 - 0.256 = 1.244 bets, or 124.4% of the amount the player may bet.
Further Reading
For an outstanding in-depth treatment of these and other types of chips and coupons, I highly recommend the 21-page paper 'Beyond Coupons' (PDF) by James Grosjean. Grosjean and I have some disagreements about the strategy and value of the value of match play and promotional chips in blackjack. I have the greatest of respect for Grosjean, so I could be wrong about those.