What Does "Walking the Marker" Mean?

I was at a blackjack table and the floorman and dealer were talking about a player who got up and left. The boss said something like the player may be "walking the marker." I don't know what that means, but by their tone and expression, it didn't look like a good thing. What does walking the marker mean?

"Walking the marker" refers to a credit gambler who signs a marker for chips, then leaves without settling up with the casino.

This isn't illegal, but it's certainly not kosher by the casino's view of things and if the gambler isn't careful, it can get ugly.

The benevolent casinos will give almost anyone with a good credit score and no derogatories on their Central Credit report (the casino-credit reporting agency) a certain amount of grace to clear their markers, meaning paying back the casino for the amount of chips they took on credit.

We've discussed this in other QoDs, but it bears repeating for this answer. When you take out a marker, you’re signing a bona fide bank instrument (a check, actually). If the casino determines that you're "NG," meaning "no good" for paying back what you owe, they'll hand the marker over to the friendly Clark County District Attorney, who'll issue a felony warrant for your arrest for passing bad paper. (The background to this is covered in fascinating detail in our book Joe's Dash.)

In general, good customers can usually get 30 days grace and they can often extend that to 60 or even 90 as long as they're making some "good-faith" payments.

If they try to skate on repaying, though, the fun starts. Anytime they're stopped for a ticket, or try to leave the country, or apply for a license, etc., they're busted and heading to the nearest slammer, where they'll sit until they pay off the marker, plus a 10% handling charge that goes to the DA's office. (Several of these modern-day debtor-prison stories are told in our book Whale Hunt in the Desert.)

If the marker's big enough, they won't even wait for you to slip up, they'll just come to your door at dawn, put you in shackles, and haul you off to the Gray-Bar Hotel, where you'll sit and stew and make some phone calls trying to get your hands on some fast money, or you'll be forced to eat a meal that's almost as bad as the Circus Circus buffet. And even if you can rustle up the money and walk away free again, you’ll have a felony bad-check arrest on your resume.

That's the long and short of "walking the marker."

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

Has Clark County ever considered legalizing prostitution?

Comments

Kevin Rough Nov-29-2023

Is this universal??

While I understand that is the process in Nevada where government bows to the will of the casinos, is this the procedure in other states?

Kevin Lewis Nov-29-2023

The most heinous crime of all

Screwing the casinos out of money that they consider theirs is the worst offense you can commit in Nevada. Killing twenty people with an axe would be punished less severely.

That said, forcing anyone to eat food worse than the Circus Circus buffet is cruel and unusual punishment.

Barry Inciong Nov-29-2023

Settle the marker every session?

What if I take a marker, play for awhile, then I'm going to go to dinner or whatever and come back to play again? Do they really want the extra paperwork (to payoff and take a new marker) every session I play?  Or even each time I change tables?  If they don't want to give me 30 days to repay, then change the terms.  What am I missing?

Raymond Nov-29-2023

Keep Them Informed

I don't play on credit, but someone I knew years ago who did told me that the key is to keep everyone informed.  Tell the dealer, tell the pit boss, tell anyone in a suit--"I'm not leaving, I'm just going to dinner.  I'll be back to play some more."  Or maybe, "I'm in town for two more days.  I'll be back to settle up before I leave."  If your record with them is clean, they won't worry, but Heaven help you if just once you don't live up to your word.

He said he forgot to go back and settle one time at one of the original Strip places, and it was five years of playing against a cash deposit before they trusted him with credit again.

shadow520 Nov-29-2023

Settling at table

I have a small credit line @ Linq and have had lines @ Boulder and Sunset Station years ago.  I had never settled at the table until earlier this year.  When I went to settle, I had to wait like 20 minutes for them to pull the marker from the cage.  So I'm not sure settling at the table is universal.  My late MIL was a pit clerk and she told me many years ago to not settle in the pit, rather at the cage, it was better for your rating.  Not sure if that's true or not, take it for what it's worth.

Robert Nov-29-2023

Whale Hunt book

Love these kind of QOD's, and that's why Whale Hunt in the Desert is one of my all-time favorite books. Just a great read, endlessly fascinating, and a rare up close look into a part of Vegas that very few see.

Frank Dellarosa Jan-10-2024

Marker

Years ago while playingBJ at the Stardust if you wanted to say double down, in stead of putting the chips on the table the dealer would just yell “Mark twenty” or whatever amount you needed. After hand dealer would yell “Marker down”. Does anyone remember this from the 70s?

Question of the Day - 29 November 2023

Comments