POKER CHIP VALUES AND DENOMINATIONS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

Poker is composed of many integral components. Whether you’re playing a home game or testing your skills in a poker tournament, every element in a poker game acts as a cog in a complex machine. From the blinds to the playing cards, buttons, and dealers, they each have a role to play, especially poker chips. 

The introduction of these casino chips in poker games totally revolutionised the way we play poker, so they need to be given much more importance than you might think. Luckily, you don’t need to scour the internet to find out why; that’s what we’re here for!

THE ROLE OF POKER CHIPS IN CASH GAMES

The very first question players often ask is how poker chip values tie into their strategy and how they can make a good asset among their other poker skills. Well, to put it simply, a player’s chips are essentially their weapon. Placing chips on a poker table is how a player would place their bets, participate in a serious poker event, decide on their starting stack, adjust to blind levels and adhere to the buy-in amount. Placing chips can also work hand-in-hand with a bluffing strategy!

POKER CHIP VALUES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Casino chips are used in any kind of game, be it a home poker game or an online poker table. How poker players distribute chips often varies, as each poker chip has its own poker chip value.

In most cash games, poker chip values represent actual cash — this is how players adjust their bankrolls, set up chip stacks and decide on their bet value. Traditional chip values in home poker games range between €/$1 and €/$1,000. High-stakes games may require higher-value chips, but it’s rare to find them in home games.

Poker tournaments, on the other hand, have higher denominations, especially in major tournaments like the World Series of Poker or the European Poker Tour. This is because a poker tournament setup uses chip denominations to track the progress of each participant. And casino chips in poker events do not represent cash.

Of course, it is well-known that different poker chip values are assigned to different colours to help differentiate between each chip better. But did you know that there is also some logic to this? The darkest-coloured chips are often assigned the highest value to make sure they stand out. This is because, according to the rules, if a player reaches for a high-value poker chip, they will have to remain with it regardless, as they did not verbalise their intention.

Light blue chips, black chips, green chips and purple chips are among the coloured chips you’ll come across in poker rooms. The colours may vary if you move on to a high-stakes cash game.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF POKER CHIPS AND THEIR VALUES IN HOME GAMES

The way poker rooms differentiate each poker chip is by assigning specific colours to specific chips. Understanding these colours and their monetary values is key to learning how poker chips work and is especially important when under a tournament structure. 

It is important to note that poker tournaments may use different colours and designs for different tournament chip values, but we’ll get to that. Let’s take a look at the standard chip values and colours you’ll find at most casinos and poker rooms: 

• White chips: €/$1
• Red chips: €/$5
• Yellow chips: €/$20
• Green chips: €/$25
• Black chips: €/$100
• Purple chips: €/$500
• Maroon/orange chips: €/$1,000

HOW TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOUR POKER CHIPS

If you’re setting up a home game and aren’t sure how many chips you need or how to set up poker chip values, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The structure of your poker tournament is crucial but can be fairly easy for a simple cash game as, while the value of a poker chip is dependent on the game, values directly translate to cash.

For example, a cash game with six to eight players can take a €/$1-€/$2 No Limit Hold’em structure, assigning white and red chips €/$1 and €/$5, respectively. In this case, a player buying in at €/$100 may receive that amount in chip value, spread across lower and higher-valued chips.

TOURNAMENT POKER CHIPS: COLOURS AND DENOMINATIONS

Like a home game, a tournament includes several chips with varied values and colours. However, tournaments often have higher poker chip denominations, even though players begin with a standard number of chips. This number, of course, builds as players go through the tournament. 

Regular shapes and colours like red and white are still found in tournament cash games, but casinos would then include chips that are larger in size and with much greater values. For example, most casinos offer chips that go upwards from €/$500 since tournaments begin with high blind levels.

Here are common poker chip values that are often used in tournaments:

• Red chips — €/$25
• White chips — €/$100
• Green chips — €/$500
• Black chips — €/$1,000
• Pink chips — €/$5,000

Casinos generally utilise more than one chip set, especially when chip values of over €/$5,000 are needed. The colour rules are not as easy-going as regular home games, but casinos always list all information regarding the prize pool, chip denominations and how many poker chips are needed in their software or rule book. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING PROPER POKER CHIPS IN WORLD SERIES OF POKER

The World Series of Poker is the event of the year. It is one of the biggest championships in the history of poker, and because it is so big, it even has its own chip set-up that is unique in comparison to regular cash games. The WSOP even has oversized chips to denote greater values.

Given that this is one of the biggest competitions of all time, bet levels will increase quite astronomically, so greater values are needed. Players also need to be able to tell the difference between each chip value, especially at the final table. This is why a standard set of ceramic chips cannot be used. 

The values found in the WSOP include the following:

• Green WSOP chips: 25
• Black chips: 100
• Blue chips: 500
• Yellow chips: 1,000
• Orange chips: 5,000
• Dark green chips: 25,000
• Lavender chips: 100,000
• Beige chips: 250,000

TIPS FOR BUYING POKER CHIPS

Suppose you want to set up a home game but don’t have your own set of chips. There are many different sets you can purchase, but to help make your decision a little easier, here are a few tips you should consider:

RESEARCH CHIP MATERIALS

One of the very first things you need to do is decide on the material of your chips. Of course, the better the composition of your chips, the greater the price, so this is something to keep in mind when making your purchase. Most players often go for plastic chips, but these often feel cheap, so others generally go for ceramic.

DECIDE HOW MANY CHIPS YOU’D WANT TO HAVE

The number of chips in your set is imperative as it determines how many players would actually be able to participate in a cash game. Experts recommend purchasing standard poker chips in a 500-piece set, as you’ll have enough chips to meet the requirements of a home game. You’ll likely fall short with a 200-piece set; a 1,000-piece set is considered overkill if you’re setting up a single-table game. 

BLANK CHIPS OR ENGRAVED ONES?

Purchasing blank chips gives you the freedom to assign cash game chip values as you please, but it is recommended that you purchase a set with chips that already have their assigned values, as it makes everything a little easier.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CHIP CASE

There is a high chance that you won’t always be setting up cash games in the same venue, so having a chip case can help you transport your set seamlessly without worrying about whether you even brought all the chips needed in the first place.

PURCHASE CHIPS FROM A TRUSTED SELLER

This goes without saying, but there are many sites out there that might try to scam you. Poker sets are a popular purchase, so you will come across a number of sites trying to offer you the best deals. Prior to your purchase, make sure that you research the best sellers, look at forums, and even get personal recommendations if you can.

CARING FOR YOUR POKER CHIPS: DOS AND DON’TS

Now that you’ve purchased your own set of chips, the next thing you need to do is care for them! Poker chips don’t last forever, so to help make them last as long as possible, here’s a quick table on the do’s and don’t’s of caring for your poker chips:

DO	DON’T
Test your cleaning procedure on one chip.	Use any cleaning products on any chip material.
Be gentle when rubbing decals and labels.	Scrub the chip roughly.
Clean ceramic and clay chips with a damp cloth.	Immerse ceramic and clay chips in water.
Keep your playing table clean.	Play on a dirty surface or around food.

Bear in mind that, how long your chips last is dependent on the type of chips that you purchase. Ceramic tokens are the best on the market in terms of durability, especially in comparison to their cheaper alternatives.

POKER CHIP VALUES AND YOUR BANKROLL

When it comes to playing poker and gambling in general, protecting your bankroll is crucial. The stakes can rise quite quickly in a game like poker, and you can easily get sucked into the thrill of betting and raising. 

Before you enter a poker room, be sure to have a good bankroll management strategy in place to utilise your money as optimally as possible. Otherwise, you’ll likely spend recklessly and end up with fewer chips than you’d like. Your starting stack will always look different to your final stack, but with proper money management, you’ll leave a poker room without putting a dent in your bankroll.