Craps Tips

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Casino workers usually refer to chips as "cheques," which has its origins in France. In reality, there’s a difference between a chip and a cheque. A cheque is just a chip with a denomination written on it and is forever worth the amount of the imprinted denomination. Chips, however, don’t have values imprinted on them and any color can be worth any amount as determined by the table. For example, at a poker table, the casino might value white chips as one dollar and blue chips as 10 dollars; while, at a roulette game, the dealer might define white chips as twenty-five cents and blue chips as two dollars. Another example, the inexpensive red, white, and blue plastic chips you purchase at the department store for your weekend poker game are called "chips" because they don’t have values imprinted on them.

When you put your cash down and hear the croupier announce, "Cheque change only," he’s merely telling the boxman that a new player wants to change cash for chips or more correctly cheques, and that the money on the table is not in play. Money plays in most betting houses, so if you put a 5 dollar bill on the Pass Line just before the player tosses the ivories and the croupier does not change your cash for chips, your cash is "live" and "in play."

In reality, in actual craps games, we bet with with cheques, not chips. Occasionally, an individual will approach the table, drop a $100 cheque, and instruct the dealer, "Cheque change." It is amusing to pretend to be a new player and ask the dealer, "Hey, I am a brand-new to this game, what’s a cheque?" Generally, their comical responses will amuse you.