If you have never before played a casino game, no need to fear. The games were not developed for geniuses; otherwise very, very few people would play them. Indeed, I wouldn’t be able to play any of them, as I am certainly not in the Einstein category. There are a few simple facts to know before you read about and/or learn any game.
I will cover these facts in this chapter, and then you will be off and running. Playing with Chips Casinos want players to bet with casino chips—sometimes called “checks” or “cheques”—rather than with cash, although some venues sometimes allow cash play. Dealers will call out, “Money plays!” for a player betting cash. To convert your cash to casino chips, wait until the dealer completes the round of play in progress, then place your cash on the layout in front of your betting spot in card games or on the layout in front of you in games such as craps and roulette.
The dealer will exchange your cash for an equivalent amount in casino chips, which you then use for betting. When you are fi nished playing, you put your chips in front of you and say, “Cashing out,” “Coloring up,” or something to the effect of “I’m done.”
The dealer will then take the chips, count them, give yoularger denominations (if that can be done), and you can then go to the cashier, also called a “cage,” where the cashier will give you money for your chips. It is bad enough to lose your chips to the casino, but it is far worse to lose your chips to a thief, also known as a “crossroader.” You must protect your chips.
Conclusion
At games such as craps, where there are chip rails, put the highest-denomination chips in the middle, put the second-highestdenomination chips next to those on both sides, and so on down to the lowest-denomination chips that you have.
