Understand How to Play Craps – Tricks and Strategies: Casino Chips or Cheques?
Casino staff normally refer to chips as "cheques," which is of French origin. Technically, there is a difference between a chip and a cheque. A cheque is a chip with a amount printed on its face and is constantly valued at the value of the printed denomination. Chips, however, do not have denominations written on them and any colour can be valued at any cash amount as determined by the table. For example, in a poker tournament, the casino may state that white chips as one dollar and blue chips as 10 dollars; while, in a game of roulette, the croupier may value white chips as $0.25 and blue chips as 2 dollars. Another instance, the inexpensive red, white, and blue poker chips you can get at Wal-Mart for your weekly poker game are known as "chips" seeing as they don’t have values imprinted on them.
When you put your $$$$ down on the table and hear the croupier announce, "Cheque change only," he is basically advising the box man that a new player wishes to exchange $$$$$$ for chips (cheques), and that the $$$$$ on the craps table isn’t in play. Cash plays in a majority of casinos, so if you put a $5 bill on the Pass Line just prior to the player tossing the dice and the dealer does not trade your $$$$$$ for chips, your $$$$$ is "live" and "in play." When the dealer indicates, "Cheque change only," the boxman understands that your cash is not in play.
Technically, in live craps rounds, we gamble with cheques, and not chips. Occasionally, a player will approach the craps table, put down a 100 dollar cheque, and inform the dealer, "Cheque change." It’s amusing to act like a beginner and say to the croupier, "Hey, I’m new to Craps, what’s a cheque?" Most of the time, their crazy answers will entertain you.