Learn to Play Craps – Tips and Tactics: Chips Or Cheques?
Casino staff frequently allude to chips as "cheques," which has its origins in France. Technically, there’s a difference between a chip and a cheque. A cheque is a chip with a value written on it and is always worth the value of the written denomination. Chips, however, don’t have values imprinted on them and the value is determined by the casino. For instance, at a poker tournament, the casino might value white chips as $1 and blue chips as ten dollars; whereas, in a roulette game, the casino may define white chips as twenty-five cents and blue chips at two dollars. A further example, the inexpensive red, white, and blue plastic chips you purchase at Wal-Mart for your weekend poker game are called "chips" because they don’t have denominations imprinted on them.
When you put your money down and hear the croupier say, "Cheque change only," he’s merely informing the boxman that a new bettor wants to exchange money for chips, and that the money sitting on the table is not in play. Cash plays in most betting houses, so if you place a 5 dollar bill down on the Pass Line just before the player rolls the ivories and the dealer does not change your money for chips, your cash is "live" and "in play."
In reality, in live craps games, we wager with with cheques, not chips. Occasionally, a player will walk up to the the table, drop a 100 dollar cheque, and inform the dealer, "Cheque change." It’s amusing to pretend to be a beginner and ask the croupier, "Hey, I am a beginner to this game, what’s a cheque?" Frequently, their wacky responses will entertain you.