The origin of roulette dates back to 1655, and over the centuries, the game has attracted a lot of folklore. Today, it ranks among the most popular casino table games, and its online version is just as well loved. Although with online roulette the betting chips have a standardized appearance and a preset value, in brick-and-mortar casinos, players generally have the choice between using colored or standard roulette chips. Choosing between the two has its advantages and disadvantages, so which should players go for?

The Origin of Betting Chips

Betting chips were first used in 13th-century China and were beautifully crafted from a variety of materials, including mother of pearl. Clay versions became currency in the early casinos of American prospecting towns, safely and conveniently replacing piles of raw gold that gamblers brought to the tables. They were introduced commercially in France in 1873. Today, betting chips are made from ceramic or clay, or sometimes metal, and are made by compression or injection molding methods. Roulette chips in America are generally 1.54 inches in diameter and weigh between 0.212 and 0.388 ounces. No less technical in their specifications are roulette wheels, which are made with engineering precision to ensure they are completely balanced and give a fair outcome.

Colored Betting Chips

If you’re the kind of player who likes to scatter your chips across the roulette table to maximize your chances of winning, choosing colored chips is an easier way of tracking how you do with each spin of the wheel. Roulette is a game entirely of chance. Whatever betting strategies you may apply and however you distribute your chips on individual numbers, dozens or columns, red or black, you cannot shape the outcome of the real-life or online version of the game in the same way as you can manage your hand in other online casino games such as poker or blackjack. Although the odds of winning in American versus European roulette differ slightly due to there being two zero slots in the former version and only one in the latter, the odds on red or black remain even. In other words, abandon the gunshot tactic and be more focused, leave the colored chips, and stick to the standard casino issue.

With colored chips, players choose a color not already in play and determine the roulette chips’ value themselves. Players simply indicate to the croupier the ascribed value before they place their bet, ensuring that it meets the table minimum and does not exceed its maximum stake. So, the advantage of colored chips is visibility, but their disadvantage comes when you want to move tables or switch games completely. Colored chips can only be used at the table where they are issued, so players must swap them for standard chips as they leave a game. If they are leaving the casino, players must then cash the standard chips in with the cashier.

Standard Betting Chips

Although the appearance of so-called standard chips may vary between individual casinos and casino chains, they have pre-set values of $1, $5, $25, and $100. Many casinos also offer high rollers bigger denominations. Standard chips come fitted with a number of safety devices. This enables casinos to track their chips if they are taken off the premises as well as when they are in play. For roulette casino chips this can be important as sensors under the table’s felt top can detect exactly how a chip is placed. This can resolve any potential disputes regarding chips deliberately or accidentally placed touching or straddling two adjacent numbers or identify if chips are moved after the ball has landed.

Using standard chips also provides players with more versatility when placing their chips using different denominations or values, as they can choose how much to place where. With colored chips, the same value has to apply to every chip, and this can only be changed between spins, and swapping and changing values can potentially be confusing.

When To Use Which Chips

If there are many players around a table, it can be less complicated visually to choose colored chips, but with fewer players, the table will be less cluttered and following the fate of your chips is easier. If you want to place different value bets on different sections, colors, or numbers on the roulette table, players must choose standard chips, as all their colored chips must have the same value. If players want to be able to move easily between tables and different games, it’s preferable then to use standard chips as these are interchangeable between both. In addition, some standard chips are valid between different casinos. 

Chips in Online Roulette

In online roulette, all betting chips are standardized. Although play is enhanced by computer graphics with the additional added sound effects of the ball spinning and clicking into a slot, and all outcomes of the wheel spin are determined by random number generators, there are no colorful chips in this version. The virtual croupier ably manages the placement of bets, and the player’s chips are never jumbled with anyone else’s. 

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Playing online roulette from the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night is easy when you register with Borgata Online. Even with standard chips, we guarantee that all your games will be fun — and colorful.