Chips, table limits and how a round is settled

Chips are the working money of a casino table. Alongside them, tables run on a few simple rules about how much you can bet and how each round is settled. Knowing them makes games easier to follow. It does not change the odds, and every game still has a house edge.

Chips

Chips stand in for cash so that rounds can move quickly and bets are easy to count. Most chips show a value, and different colours usually mean different values. At many roulette tables, each player gets chips in their own colour that carry no printed value, so the dealer can tell whose bets are whose. The value is set when you buy in.

If you are unsure what a chip is worth, ask the dealer before you bet. In online and live-dealer games, chips appear on screen and your balance is tracked automatically.

Table limits

Every table has a minimum bet and a maximum bet. The minimum is the smallest stake allowed on a round, and the maximum is the largest. Limits can differ by bet type. At roulette, limits commonly apply separately to a player's inside bets and outside bets on each spin.

Limits are posted on a sign at the table or shown in the game window. Read them before you play. A limit is a rule of the table, not a recommendation about how much to bet, and you should set a limit of your own as well.

How a round is settled

Most games follow the same order:

• Betting closes. After the dealer calls an end to betting, bets cannot be placed, moved or removed.
• The result is decided. A wheel stops, a ball drops, or cards are dealt and compared.
• The result is marked. In roulette, the croupier places a marker on the winning number, and no bets are touched until payouts are finished.
• Losing bets are cleared. The dealer takes the chips from bets that lost.
• Winning bets are paid. Each winning bet is paid at the odds for that bet type, and the original stake stays on the table for you to collect or leave in play.
• Pushed bets are returned. If the game has a push, that stake is handed back without a win or a loss.

Then a new round starts. Each round is independent of the one before it.

If you think a bet was settled wrongly, say so calmly before the next round starts. The dealer, or a supervisor, will look at the round. When you finish, chips can be exchanged for cash at the venue. Online, your balance is simply updated.

18+ only. This article is for information, not advice to gamble. Responsible gambling.