Can I Use a Chip from Casino A at Casino B?

Can I use a chip from a different casino to play, like place a Circus Circus chip down at a MGM table? What if I place a Caesars Tahoe chip down at Caesars in Las Vegas? What if I were to place an older chip down? Would it void the play if I win?

[Editor's Note: This answer was supplied by Andrew Uyal, our man behind the pit and author of The Blackjack Insiders.]

This is a question a lot of people ask on the casino floor, especially on the Strip. It's fairly common for people to bounce from casino to casino. Wouldn't it be easy if we could just play any chip at any casino? Unfortunately, it's a tad more complicated than that.

Typically, the only casinos where the chips are interchangeable are those owned by the same company. For instance, if you have chips from Caesars Palace, they'll accept them at Paris, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, or any of the other Caesars properties. Now, even though they'll accept them, they usually aren't playable. What I mean by that is, normally a casino can accept bets of chips only from that casino. So if you're at Paris with a pocketful of Caesars Palace chips, they'll take those, but they'll exchange them for Paris chips and you can play with those.

Chips from properties that aren't owned by the same company are usually not accepted at the tables. For instance, if you're at Paris and have chips from an MGM property, you'll either have to visit another MGM property, or perhaps visit the cashier's cage, where exchanges tend to be a little more liberal. Not always, however.

As for the out-of-town chips, these are typically not accepted. Sometimes, exceptions are made at the cage in special circumstances, but I wouldn't count on it. They're too hard to verify.

Same goes for older chips. When a place closes down, there is usually a generous window of time for chips to be turned in. Once that window passes, they're nothing more than collector's items.

When I was playing, I made a habit out of visiting the cage and turning my chips in before leaving a place. I'd only hang onto chips if I knew I'd be returning in the next few days. Or, of course, if I was hiding how much I actually had on me, with a return trip in mind. But that's just me!

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Comments

shadow520 Oct-29-2020

Not sure about that

Unless this is a recent change, I disagree.  It's been a while since I used another Las Vegas casino's chip in a Las Vegas casino, but every time I had, they would exchange it right at the table.  Otherwise, I am also in the habit of cashing out before I leave unless I am staying there and can cash out later.

jay Oct-29-2020

Chip Exchange

Gamblers by nature tend to be superstitious and by extension that often implies that they are often religious. Perhaps ending up in Church after a night of debauchery. In any extent the collection plates in the (Las Vegas) Churches often end up with a good number of chips that need to be sorted by casino for redemption.

I have heard that this is looked after by the Chip Monks !

Ok - it was funny the first time I heard it 20 years ago....

Randall Ward Oct-29-2020

chips

even at same brand casinos they won't usually accept black or higher at table. But I have seen MGM change out small amounts of Caesars chips at the table.

Kurt Wiesenbach Oct-29-2020

chip exchange

I had heard that the casinos used to have a chip exchange on a weekly basis where they would get together and exchange chips that had been gambled at the wrong establishment. Assuming that hasn't happened in awhile if Andrew didn't mention it. I would think people still put chips down at the wrong casino all the time, and even a top notch dealer would have a hard time noting every single rogue chip that comes in off of a table, especially if they are very similar in color or design to the house chips.

Dave Oct-29-2020

Foreign chips

I've seen dealers get approval then take chips and exchange them. They'll put the foreign chips in the cash drop box so they stay out of play.

I've also seen poker dealers take a chip for the rake, notice it's a foreign chip, and put it back in the pot, taking a different chip for the rake. I.E. They let that foreign chip be the problem of whoever wins the pot!

Chip Monk? It's not a joke. There used to be a priest who would gather the chips from the collection plate and periodically exchange them. Yep, his nickname was 'Chip monk'.

Dave in Seattle. Oct-29-2020

Foreign chips.

Extra work for the casinos. They have to take them to those casinos for redemption.

Kevin Rough Oct-29-2020

I've done it

Many years ago (2009 or 10) I was at Binion's.  I knew I had a black chip in my pocket and I could have sworn it was from Binion's.  I lay it on the table.  It's from the Four Queens.  Dealer let me know that it was a Four Queens chip but that she could break it into Binion's chips.  She got out $100 in reds and put the black chip from the Four Queens into the drop box as if I had given her a hundred dollar bill.  I have never tried this since because when I mentioned it to people they were adamant that I was making it up and it wasn't possible.

Question of the Day - 29 October 2020

Comments