Casino Basics: Chips and Bets

Casinos offer plenty of entertainment and excitement for their patrons. Gambling is one, if not the primary, reason why people flock to casinos everyday. First time casino goers are more prone to committing common mistakes that veterans don't. One such mistake is the misuse of casino chips and how they're used for betting.

Before taking part in any casino gambling game, it is essential for players to understand the basics of betting and the use of casino chips. If this is accomplished, it will save the player from plenty of embarrassing moments, not to mention the loss of a portion of their betting money.

Before sitting down and playing at any table or slot machine, the first thing that players need to learn about is the game's requirements when betting. The easiest way to do this for slot machines or video poker is to find the denomination which is usually painted on the glass of the machine, or shown on the video screen.

The process is slightly different at table games, albeit it is as easy as those on slots, video poker and similar machines. A sign, which is usually rectangular in shape and painted in colors that are easily noticed is conveniently placed at each table. This sign gives important details such as the minimum and maximum bets allowed for that particular game.

A color coding scheme is frequently used for these signs. The colors used accord with the color of the chips in use. In most casinos, this is how the color coding scheme goes; white signs denote tables with a minimum bet of $1, red for minimum bets of $5, green for $25, and black for minimum bets of $100. This corresponds to the color of the chips used in most casinos.

This scheme however, doesn't work in some casinos. So to play it safe, players should check the signs first before gambling in casinos unfamiliar to them.

When playing at table games, payers can easily change their cash for casino chips by simply asking the dealer to change them. Upon receiving the player's cash, the dealer puts them inside a locked box and gives the player an amount in chips that corresponds to the cash given to the dealer.

It is important to note that dealers cannot change a player's chips for cash as they simply don't have access to it. Players need to go to the cashier's booth to change their casino chips for cash.

For slots, players usually receive their winnings through a bar-coded ticket, tokens, or coins instead of chips. These too can be exchanged for cash at the cashier's booth.