Lack of Chips

I was playing BJ in a UK casino. During certain hours of the day, their minimum bet is $3 (it should be the symbol for pounds, but I don't have that symbol). On more than one occasion, when I sat down at the table, the maximum number of $1 chips that they could sell me was $10. The dealer simply didn't have any more in her tray. So we had to go through this absurd charade where I'd lose 3 or 4 hands and then exchange 2 red chips for $10 in $1 chips. I suppose it could have been an attempt to get me to bet $5, but I really think it was just incompetence at not filling the dealer's tray. In the entire time that I played there (5 sessions), I never once saw a tray fill. I could have gone to the cage, but I've never heard of a casino not having plenty of the most commonly used chips for the stakes of the table.

Since the minimum is only 3 pounds during part of the day, I'm assuming it's 5 pounds the rest of the day. On a 5 pound table, more 1 pound chips than what was there would be too many.

A diligent pit boss should be ready with a fill when more chips are needed, especially on this table.

That is correct. $5 the rest of the day.

One potentially relevant fact I didn't mention before: it's a 50/50 split in terms of time. $3 from 8am to 8pm and $5 from 8pm to 8am. So it's not like the $3 minimum is just for 1 or 2 hours per day.

My first thought was an attempt to get the player to bet 5 instead of 3 as well, especially since a fill was never ordered.

Either way it's incompetence on the casinos part. If someone wants to play 3 per hand, then they're going to slow the game down wasting time to get check change. Here's another question... What would they have done if more than 1 or 2 people wanted to play for 3 per hand? Say "nope, you gotta bet 5?" This is what makes me think they're advertising 3 but making you play 5.

How many tubes in the tray were devoted to one-pound chips? Two? One on each side? So room for 100 pounds in singles?

If they know that this table is going to be set at a three-pound minimum half the time, the imprest amount for the tray should really have three tubes of singles, not two.

Here's how the trays look where I work. We have $5 minimum tables with side bonuses that can be played for $1.

Row 1: 60x$1
Row 2: 60x$1
Row 3: 60x$5
Row 4: 60x$5
Row 5: 40x$25
Row 6: 40x$100
Row 7: 40x$25
Row 8: 40x$5
Row 9: 40x$5
Row 10: 40x$5
Row 11: 40x$1
Row 12: 60x$0.50

Allows for $160 in ones, $1200 in $5s. More than suitable for a $5 table, and $160 can suit a $3 table okay if we need to.

Quote: DoublingHard5

...BJ in a UK casino....minimum bet is £3...maximum number of £1 chips that they could sell me was £10....

In my local, which is either £2 or £3 on the smaller tables, typically start with £120 (3 columns of 40). As the day goes by it is natural for people to take the odd £1 chip away as they cash out. Another occasion is if you have a bad run followed by a good one, then you've changed £20 twice and now built it back to £40 or more. If the table is running good then quite a few people have piles of chips and there's little left for new buy ins or pay outs. Whatever the situation, a good supervisor should detect and order a fill when the chips run low.

However I know what you mean when they either don't keep the trays full up or, in some places, even spot the need when doing the count. On occasions in the past I have been to an adjacent table and bought £100. The problem with going to the cash desk/another table is they can't account the drop to the correct table/game or they get a drop of £100 that is never going to be played which messes up their hold figures.

So I'm not surprised you've seen the chips run out.


btw - I've only seen it a few times but I like the way a few European casinos have a spare set of chips - I think in a tray underneath (for the dealer to use).