Posted by Dillan | Posted in Craps | Posted on 09-03-2010
Casino employees normally reference chips as "cheques," which is of French background. Technically, there is a distinction amidst a chip and a cheque. A cheque is a chip with a denomination printed on it and is forever valued at the amount of the imprinted number. Chips, however, do not have denominations written on them and any colour can be valued at any amount as determined by the casino. For instance, in a poker tournament, the croupier may value white chips as 1 dollar and blue chips as ten dollars; whereas, in a game of roulette, the dealer might state that white chips as twenty-five cents and blue chips as $2. A further example, the inexpensive red, white, and blue poker chips you buy at K-Mart for your weekly poker get together are referred to as "chips" seeing as they do not have values printed on them.
When you plop your $$$$ down on the table and hear the dealer announce, "Cheque change only," he is simply informing the box man that a new patron wishes to trade $$$$$ for chips (cheques), and that the cash on the table isn’t in play. $$$$$$ plays in most casinos, so if you lay a $5 bill on the Pass Line just prior to the shooter throwing the dice and the croupier does not change your cash for cheques, your cash is "live" and "in play." When the dealer states, "Cheque change only," the boxman knows that your $$$$$$ isn’t part of the action.
Technically, in live craps games, we wager with cheques, not chips. Every now and then, a player will approach the table, put down a one hundred dollar cheque, and inform the croupier, "Cheque change." It is entertaining to pretend to be a novice and say to the croupier, "Hey, I’m new to this game, what is a cheque?" Generally, their wacky responses will amuse you.