Chip: meaning in casino games

What a casino chip is

Chips are the currency of the gaming floor. Each one carries a value, and dealers handle bets, payouts and change in chips rather than notes. Some casinos call them cheques. They're quicker to count and stack than cash, harder to fake than paper money, and they keep every bet visible on the layout.

You get chips by buying in at the table or the cashier, and turn them back into money when you cash out. This glossary entry covers physical and online chips, how bets are counted in chips and what each chip really costs.

How chips work in a land-based casino

Each casino sets its own chip designs, colours and denominations, so a colour that means one value in one venue can mean another elsewhere. The printed value is the only safe guide. Chips are normally only cashable at the casino that issued them.

At roulette many casinos also use plain coloured chips with no printed value. Each player gets their own colour, so bets on a crowded layout don't get mixed up, and the value per chip is agreed at the buy-in. These must be exchanged for value chips before you leave the table.

Dealers will "colour up" small chips into larger ones when you leave, and break larger ones into smaller ones when you need to bet a table's minimum bet.

Bets counted in chips: roulette call bets

On European and French wheels, call bets cover sections of the wheel and are named by the number of chips they need. Wizard of Odds on sector bets (opens in a new tab) gives the same unit counts. The table shows the chips per bet and what one spin costs on average at £1 and £2 chips, using the 2.70% single-zero edge.

The average cost is simply stake × 2.70%. Covering more numbers needs more chips but doesn't lower the edge: voisins du zéro wins more often than a single straight-up bet, yet it pays less when it wins. Our voisins du zéro and orphelins pages show where each chip goes.

Chips in online and live casino games

Online and live dealer tables show a chip tray along the bottom of the screen. Placing a bet works like this:

1. Choose a chip value from the tray. The lowest chip often matches the table minimum.
2. Tap or click the betting area once for each chip you want there.
3. Use undo to remove the last chip, or double to double every bet on the layout.
4. Wait for the betting timer to end; bets lock when it does.
5. After the result, a re-bet button repeats your last bets for the next round if you press it. It isn't autoplay, which UK rules ban.

Since 17 January 2025, casino games other than slots must allow at least 5 seconds per game cycle under the Commission's responsible product design standard (RTS 14) (opens in a new tab), and autoplay is banned for all online casino games. Some games, such as Mega Roulette, add bets that place one chip on each number of a selection automatically.

Why the chip doesn't change the odds

A chip is just a unit of money. The chance of winning and the payout are set by the bet, not by the chip's size or colour, so a £25 chip on red has the same house edge as a £1 chip on red. What changes with bigger chips is the money at stake: ten £5 chips on a 2.70% game cost about £1.35 a round on average, against 27p for ten £1 chips. Our roulette odds page lists every bet's probability.

Casinos track what they win as a share of the chips they sell, called the hold. It looks bigger than the house edge because the same chips are bet many times over a session.

Related table terms

See also unit, stake, table limit, inside bet and croupier.

Table chips and partner casino offers

Our partner offers are aimed at slots rather than chip-based table games, which are often excluded or count for less towards wagering. Look at each casino's terms and live lobby. 18+ and terms apply.

With Casumo, a first deposit of £20 or more earns new customers who opt in a 50% bonus up to £100, to be wagered 10x within 7 days at no more than £5 a bet. 10bet offers a 100% match up to £25 when you choose its casino bonus and deposit within 7 days; wager it 10x on slots within 3 days, with a £1,000 cap on bonus winnings and Skrill and Neteller deposits excluded. Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p each on selected slots once you deposit and bet £10 on slots, with 48 hours to claim, 7 days to play and no wagering on winnings.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.