How to Handle your Chips at the Casino Craps Table

Before getting a place at a casino craps table, don’t fiddle with your wallet at the casino craps table, showing other players how thick it is. Just have your buy-in money ready.

When approaching a table most probable is that a game will be in progress but you can buy your chips at any time, so you don’t need to wait for the current throw to end but you need to be careful how you ask your chips. You should not throw your money is a shooter is on its way to throw the dice. The best is to wait until the dealer finishes paying off all bets for that roll and while the stickman still holds the dice in the middle of the casino craps table say in a strong voice so the dealer and boxman can hear you, "Change only, please” while you throw the money on the table.

It is important to remember to ask to ‘change only’ so there will be no confusion regarding your money – you are not making any bets, you only want to exchange that sum in chips. The process continues with the dealer saying out loud for the boxman to hear "Cheque change only," then picks up your cash and places it in front of the boxman. Themoney are counted by the boxman and turns it facedown so the camera can get a good look at the denominations before pushing it down the money slot. After the boxman gives the ok, the dealer places a stack of chips in front of you. Make sure to take your chips fast from the table before the shooter will get ready to throw again the dice. If you reach down the table when the shooter throws the dice and the dice hits your hand or your chips is considered bad luck and for sure you will get bad looks from the other players at the table.

Arrange the stack of chips in the chip rack that is directly in front of your seat. As a piece of advice, if the dealer gave you chips in different denominations it is best to arrange the chips in your rack so the higher-denomination chips are in the center (i.e., surrounded on both sides by the lower-denomination chips). This way you are making sure that your higher denomination chips are not stolen. Let’s say you changed $200 in chips and the dealer gave you four green chips ($25 each), 18 red chips ($5 each), and 10 white chips ($1 each). In this case you should arrange the green chips between the red and white chips.

This protects your higher-denomination chips from theft. For example, suppose your buy-in is $200. The dealer typically gives you. Make sure you protect those green chips by putting them between the red or white ones. Perhaps hearing me say that this way you avoid having your chips stolen sounds odd but suck things happen at the casino craps table. A thief typically sneaks one of your chips when you're leaning over the table or otherwise distracted.

For instance while you are playing craps and you lean over to roll the dice, the natural tendency is to remain leaning until the dice have stopped. This is when usually everyone’s attention is on the dice and this is also when a thief finds easiest to reach for your stack and sneak a chip.

When taking a position at the table, a game will likely be in progress. You can buy-in at any time; you don't have to wait for the current game to end. However, don't drop your money if the shooter is getting ready to throw. Wait until the shooter throws, then wait until the dealer finishes paying off all bets for that roll. While the stickman still holds the dice in the center of the table (before he pushes them to the shooter for another roll), ensure you have the dealer's attention and drop your buy-in money in front of you in the Come area. As you drop your money, say in a strong voice so the dealer and boxman can hear you, "Change only, please."

"Change only, please," makes it clear to the crew that you're not making any bets with your cash; you simply want to exchange it for chips. The dealer responds so the boxman can hear, "Cheque change only," then picks up your cash and places it in front of the boxman. The boxman counts it to verify the amount and turns it facedown so the camera can get a good look at the denominations before pushing it down the money slot. When the boxman gives the okay, the dealer places a stack of chips in front of you. Pick up your chips immediately, unless the shooter is getting ready to throw. Never reach down into the table when the shooter is about to throw. It's considered bad luck if a die hits your hand. If a 7 shows after hitting your hand, the whole table gets mad and blames you for causing a 7-out.

Put your chips in the chip rack directly in front of you. If the dealer gives you chips in different denominations, immediately arrange them in your rack so the higher-denomination chips are in the center (i.e., surrounded on both sides by the lower-denomination chips). This protects your higher-denomination chips from theft. For example, suppose your buy-in is $200. The dealer typically gives you four green chips ($25 each), 18 red chips ($5 each), and 10 white chips ($1 each). Make sure you protect those green chips by putting them between the red or white ones.

This seems trivial, but there's a good reason for it. Most people with whom you gamble are fairly honest, but the moment you let your guard down is probably when you'll get hit. Look at the boxman's huge chip stack. Notice that the $1 chips are on the outside ends of the stack, then the $5 chips, then the $25 chips, and so on. The highest-denomination chips are in the center. When in the center and protected, the chips are less vulnerable to theft. Same goes for your chips.

A thief typically sneaks one of your chips when you're leaning over the table or otherwise distracted. For example, as you lean over to roll the dice, the natural tendency is to remain leaning until the dice have stopped. Everyone's attention, even the crew's, is typically on the dice at the opposite end of the table. This is an optimal time for a thief to reach for your stack and sneak a chip. It's too difficult for a thief to sneak one from the center of your stack, so he usually goes for one on the end. If a thief sees your $1 or $5 chips on the outside of your chip stack, he'll likely find another player with unprotected high-denomination chips, rather than risk being caught for a measly $1 or $5.