Craps Tricks

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Casino employees generally reference chips as "cheques," which has its origins in France. Technically, there’s a difference between a cheque and a chip. A cheque is a chip with a value written on it and is always worth the value of the imprinted value. Chips, on the other hand, don’t have denominations written on them and any color can be worth any amount as determined by the table. For example, at a poker table, the croupier might define white chips as $1 and blue chips as 10 dollars; at the same time, in a roulette game, the casino might define white chips as $0.25 and blue chips as two dollars. A further example, the cheap red, white, and blue plastic chips you buy at the department store for your weekly poker game are called "chips" due to the fact that they don’t have values imprinted on them.

When you put your cash on the table and hear the croupier say, "Cheque change only," he’s simply telling the boxman that a new player wish to exchange cash for chips or more correctly cheques, and that the money on the table is not in play. Money plays in many betting houses, so if you place a five dollar bill down on the Pass Line just prior to the shooter rolls the dice and the dealer doesn’t change your money for chips, your cash is "live" and "in play."

Technically, in live craps games, we play with cheques, and not chips. Sometimes, an individual will approach the table, put down a $100 cheque, and inform the dealer, "Cheque change." It is a blast to act like a new player and ask the croupier, "Hey, I am a beginner to this game, what’s a cheque?" Most of the time, their comical responses will amuse you.