How Much Money in Chips does a Typical Table Have?

If you took a typical blackjack table and/or craps table at an average casino (say the Monte Carlo or Treasure Island) in Las Vegas, how much money would they have in chips at the table? Would a typical table at the Bellagio, Wynn or Venetian have a lot more?

I know that the pit boss can ask for a fill or two in a high roller walks up, and I am sure that the high limit rooms have a lot money money at their tables, but I was curious what the averages were.

Any ideas?

At the casino I work at (a mostly low/medium-roller place in the Eastern US, highest value chip on most tables is $500) there is typically between $30-40K in cheques in the rack at any given time. The high limit room tables probably have $1000 cheques and probably have more because of it, though I can't really say for sure (I rarely deal in there).

Craps tables, because they accomodate many more players, have more money--about $70-80K.

I know last year I was playing at the $5 table in the Bellagio when the floorperson verified the chip rack. It was in excess of 42k (the number 46000 sticks in my head). When I played downtown at the Main Street Station, the same rack count was around $4500. ;)

-B

There are bankroll requirements that the NGC board sets for casinos depending on their size depending on their gaming revenue for the year

For blackjack (and roulette)
up to $6 million, $2000
$6-$12 million, $3000
$12-$36 million, $5000(example Golden Gate casino)
$36-$72 million, $10,000(example Main Street casino)
$$72-$130 million, $15,000
over $130 million, $30,000(example Bellagio casino)

The required amount are between 2 and 3 times higher for craps.

Although a casino can keep more cash in their vault, they are not likely to keep a lot more because the cost of money can be very high. Cash sitting in a vault is not earning any interest. Presumably the chips that a casino creates would be on the same order of value as the cash they keep in the vault.

I am not sure what happens if someone should break the vault. By my calculation a very small casino (like Golden Gate in downtown) must keep $100K to back their 16 table games, and $150K to back their slot machines. I am sure they can use their slot money to back up a big time winner on the tables, but it is a big reason why they have maximums on the tables. I also assume that they have some other way besides cash to pay off someone who wins over $10,000. The IRS requires special paperwork for cash transactions over $10,000 so I assume that applies to casinos as well.

Main Street is probably $10K per blackjack table, It would make sense that they would issue roughly half that in chips.

Bellagio is about $4million to cover the slots and maybe $7 million to cover the tables. But MGM probably has some kind of central vault to cover high rollers at any one of it's properties. Maybe it is all covered with wire service. You can't take more than $10K on an airplane without reporting it to the IRS.

The old days around 30 years ago were a little different. The casinos would often give each other overnight cash loans if one was running low. Benny Binion would keep a few million to cover his basic tables, but he also had a $25 million in cash to cover high rollers. Benny was known to take any bet, sometimes for up to a million a roll.

Quote: gambler

If you took a typical blackjack table and/or craps table at an average casino (say the Monte Carlo or Treasure Island) in Las Vegas, how much money would they have in chips at the table? Would a typical table at the Bellagio, Wynn or Venetian have a lot more?

I know that the pit boss can ask for a fill or two in a high roller walks up, and I am sure that the high limit rooms have a lot money money at their tables, but I was curious what the averages were.

Any ideas?

Having just been thru a craps class (see my blog) we went over this. The bank was set pretty standard and was:


6 stacks of whites each base 6*20*1*2 = $240
6 stacks of reds each base 6*20*5*2 = $1200
6 stacks of greens each base 6*20*25*2 = $6,000
6 stacks of blacks each base 6*20*100*2 = $24,000
6 stacks of lavender total 6*20*500 = $60,000

Add in some working stacks and some "extra" stacks from fills and losses and you are at around $100,000 or so.

Paco -

You're talking about cash in the cage. Although we like thinking about that (in an Ocean's 11 sort of way), this thread is about the chips on the table.


AZ -

I guess that casino isn't expecting high rollers. I've never seen a craps table that didn't have at least three stacks of $1K chips.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I guess that casino isn't expecting high rollers. I've never seen a craps table that didn't have at least three stacks of $1K chips.

In December 2004, I was playing at the now-long-gone Boardwalk casino on the Vegas strip (site of City Center). The crap game was actually just a tub with a single operator. I bought in for $100, and a very lucky session took me to just over $600. I hadn't paid attention to the house stack, but when I quit and colored up, I still had a handful of chips: the table had nothing larger than greens! When I cashed in at the cage, the cashier had to call someone on the phone to get the OK to pay me. I told her she made it sound as if I were a high roller. She just grinned and said, "Small casino."

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Paco -
You're talking about cash in the cage. Although we like thinking about that (in an Ocean's 11 sort of way), this thread is about the chips on the table.

I realize that I am talking about cash in the cage, which is why I said Presumably the chips that a casino creates would be on the same order of value as the cash they keep in the vault.

To go back to my Golden Gate example, if the NGC requires them to bankroll $100K to back up the table games, I would assume that they issue roughly $100K in chips. Since this is a relatively small amount of money they also don't issue any chips over $100.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

AZ -

I guess that casino isn't expecting high rollers. I've never seen a craps table that didn't have at least three stacks of $1K chips.

When I played in Indiana, the highest chip they had at the craps table was 500. Sopunds like the PA bank is going to be like that. Of course, even when you have 1000s, you can clear the bank out pretty nicely with a hot shooter. Again, I'd point you to my first post on this forum, where (in AC) the pit boss told me to take a picture of the bank, because "you'll never see it that empty again in your life."

I saw a near empty rack at a craps table once.

It's was both disgusting and beautiful at once.

Beautiful because I was playing at the table while all those chips methodically moved from the rack to the rail. Sweet!

Disgusting because of all the junk and paper shreds on the felt in the spaces between where the chip stacks used to stand.

Quote: pacomartin

I am not sure what happens if someone should break the vault. By my calculation a very small casino (like Golden Gate in downtown) must keep $100K to back their 16 table games, and $150K to back their slot machines. I am sure they can use their slot money to back up a big time winner on the tables, but it is a big reason why they have maximums on the tables. I also assume that they have some other way besides cash to pay off someone who wins over $10,000. The IRS requires special paperwork for cash transactions over $10,000 so I assume that applies to casinos as well.

Presumably, if somebody won so much that they were taking away more than $250K (the sum of table games and slot machines vault held), would that person REALLY want that money in cash? First, somebody gambling that much probably is doing so with markers, and doesn't carry that much cash on their person anyway, and wouldn't such a person just ask for the money to be wired to them or get a check?

I carry $5k in cash on me, but if I were to win something that would pay me more than even $10K, I don't want that in cash. Give me maybe $2K in cash (for spending and tipping), and I'll take the other $8K in the form of a check.

I guess I just don't really see people who have won as much as $250K to be asking for this in cash. Anybody know if this happens?

When I said that someone would break the bank, he might win $50K on top of a bad night for the casino. The odds of someone winning $250K all by himself making $1K bets are pretty slim. Also someone betting at that level or sustained periods of time is very unlikely to be playing in this tiny casino.

But,as we all know the one time in twenty years can happen. I doubt that the casino can afford to keep an extra $100K just for those really bizarre probabilities.

There is a unit of currency called a brick where 4 bricks are shown in this picture. It consists of 4000 banknotes bundled together in four shrink-wrapped bundles. If those banknotes are $100 apiece, that is $400K. It weighs 8.8 lbs. As long as you keep it wrapped with the federal reserve stamp it is valid, and no one has to tear it apart and count the individual bills. I read a story about a guy who walked into Golden nugget with a few million dollars worth of these bricks. He ended up winning $8M, but he wanted his bricks back before he left. I don't know how he got paid his winnings, but I presume it was wire service.

I guess I really want to know if the casino has an option to make payoffs higher than $10K by check or wire service even if the player wants his money in cash.

Interesting stuff.

The BEP (Beureau of Engraving and Printing) considers a brick to be the shrink-wrapped bundle of 4,000 bills. Therefore the photo contains 4 bricks.

I, and I imagine a lot of people, consider a 'brick' to be 1,000 bills. I.E. The photo consists of four shrink-wrapped packages, each containing four paper wraps commonly called bricks. And each paper wrap contains ten straps of 100 bills. So the photo shows 16 'bricks'.

I had to investigate further: According to WikiAnswers, BOTH are considered correct.

Quote: pacomartin

Presumably the chips that a casino creates would be on the same order of value as the cash they keep in the vault.

Surely they hedge on that? In the same manner that a bank that has X millions in deposits, would only have a fraction on that on hand [which is why a run on a bank is so ruinous]. A bank in fact is only required by the Feds to have a fraction in reserves, seems like I've heard 30% as a figure. I'm thinking that fraction might have to be higher for a casino than a bank, but ....

Quote: odiousgambit

A bank in fact is only required by the Feds to have a fraction in reserves

A casino is required to have an entire set of chips equal in dollar value to those that have been issued to the cashier, cage and customers, but totally distinct in design. A bank's cash on hand is to prevent a ruinous "run" on the bank. A casino would normally just love to have a player win so much that the casino had to go out and summon several armored cars. The publicity value of such an event would be extremely profitable for a casino. Consider how many craps players flocked to the Borgata in Atlantic City after their history making roll there. Casinos are permitted to have standy letters of credit to supplement their actual cash reserves. Even during hard economic times its often a matter of prestige that a high limit room has its tables banked at a very high figure. The cost of the letter of credit is far less than the amount gained from gamblers who are impressed by the value of the bank.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Paco -

You're talking about cash in the cage. Although we like thinking about that (in an Ocean's 11 sort of way), this thread is about the chips on the table.


AZ -

I guess that casino isn't expecting high rollers. I've never seen a craps table that didn't have at least three stacks of $1K chips.

DJ: They will be ready for them, they will have plaques for the higher denominations I think up to $20,000 but they just don't want the big chips hanging out. Interestingly, when I was in class they told us the boxman must be able to account for each and every chip => $100 (blacks) to the floorman at any time.

Also, this is PA, not Caesars Palace. Next to some sports players coming down the street I don't see much call for $1000s. But I could be wrong and they will put some $1,000s on the floor at open.

Quote: odiousgambit

Surely they hedge on that? In the same manner that a bank that has X millions in deposits, would only have a fraction on that on hand [which is why a run on a bank is so ruinous]. A bank in fact is only required by the Feds to have a fraction in reserves, seems like I've heard 30% as a figure. I'm thinking that fraction might have to be higher for a casino than a bank, but ....

The fed changes this percentage all the time. It allows them to control the supply of money which is available to the general public without all the hassle of distributing banknotes or collecting banknotes. They simply change the percentage and the banks have less money to lend. I don't think it the same with a casino since the NGC is simply trying to protect the player against going to the cage and being told to come back tomorrow since they have run out of cash.

Official terminology of the Federal Reserve Bank
Strap = 100 notes = 3.48 ounces
Bundle = 1,000 notes = 2.19 pounds
Brick = 4,000 notes = 8.75 pounds
Cash Pak = 16,000 notes = 35 pounds

The photo in the above post is of a Cash Pak. See it has 16 bundles each with 10 straps (you can count the paper wraps.

So a Cash Pak of $100 bills is worth $1.6 million dollars. The gambler in the story of Golden Nugget (Sep 2004) showed up with two of these Cash Pak's in a pillowcase. He then proceeded to win over $8 million. Although he asked to have his original currency returned, he did not ask for his winnings in cash (which would weigh over 175 lbs). Presumably some people in his entourage carry guns.

Under more normal procedures I would think that someone carrying a Cash Pak would want it in some kind of secure briefcase which would presumably weigh at least 15 lbs. So the overall weight would be luggable. The compressed shrink wrap would help a little with volume. So if you are watching a movie where they ask for $1 million in cash in small unmarked bills, you know they didn't multiply very well.

But in casual terminology what they are calling a bundle looks like a brick to me.