[ English ]

Casino workers generally reference chips as "cheques," which has its origins in France. In reality, there is a difference between a cheque and a chip. A cheque is a chip with a value printed on it and is forever worth the amount of the written on it. Chips, however, don’t have values written on them and any color can be worth any amount as defined by the table. For instance, at a poker tournament, the dealer may value white chips as one dollar and blue chips as ten dollars; whereas, in a roulette game, the casino may value white chips as $0.25 and blue chips at $2. A further example, the cheap red, white, and blue poker chips you purchase at Wal-Mart for your Friday-night poker game are referred to as "chips" due to the fact that they do not have denominations imprinted on them.

When you put your money on the table and hear the dealer say, "Cheque change only," he’s basically telling the boxman that a new competitor wish to change cash for chips or more correctly cheques, and that the cash on the table isn’t in play. Cash plays in many betting houses, so if you put a 5 dollar bill on the Pass Line just prior to the player tosses the dice and the dealer does not change your money for chips, your money is "live" and "in play."

In reality, in live craps games, we bet with with cheques, and not chips. Occasionally, an individual will approach the table, put down a one hundred dollar cheque, and inform the dealer, "Cheque change." It’s amusing to act like a newbie and ask the croupier, "Hey, I am a brand-new to this game, what is a cheque?" Frequently, their comical responses will amuse you.