Abandoned Chips

What happens to chips that are abandoned on a table? If a player gets up to use the restroom, but doesn't return for an extended period of time (or never), what happens the to the funds represented by those chips? This question was raised in a different form ("Is it safe to leave your chips on the table if you have to use the restroom?") on Mark Pilarski's "Deal Me In" site (www.markpilarski.com). His response mentioned abandoned chips, but not what actually happens to the "abandoned" money.

I know that after a while, the chips are pulled into the table and kept in the dealer's chip tray or somewhere else. I think that if the chips are tied to a player's card that the casino would tie the money to him and get it back to him next time he played. But for money absolutely abandoned, I would think it's the casino's money... is it a tip?

Quote: boymimbo

But for money absolutely abandoned, I would think it's the casino's money... is it a tip?

NO. It is most definitely not a tip. No matter how much the dealers would love it to be a tip and it might even have been left as a tip by some silent player who faded away thinking it would be a tip, the dealers are not permitted to latch onto some abandoned chips or abandoned bet. Its the casinos money! And from time to time the casino will be happy to remind a dealer of that. They might even remind the entire crew, Boxman included!

In "days of old" I understand that a player could actually ask for a towel and the pit would supply a towel to cover the chip tray to prevent pilferage by railbirds and prevent someone from taking the player's location at the table during a restroom-break. I don't know if that is still done or not. If alcohol fogs a player's memory or an encounter with an amiable young lady alter's the player's intentions, the space at the rail is likely to be at a premium so I don't think a casino would do this towel stuff anymore. They would probably just color up and risk losing the player.

But chips on the floor or abandoned in the rail are not a toke. Chips on the layout that were not specifically designated as a toke bet are not toke bets. Now with cameras and digital replay and player club cards the casino can do more to track down a rightful owner, but those chips will never become a toke!

I had asked this question to a casino floor manager at the Stratosphere. They mentioned that if they know who the player is, they will hold the money for them until claimed. If the amount is large, they will inform the player's host and the host will call the player. Imagine, that's a great cold call, "Hey it's Ron, your host at the Stratosphere. You left $5,000 sitting at the craps table the other month. Come on down, we're holding it for you!"

However, if a player is not known, they will make every reasonable effort to find the player. After about a month, the money officially belongs to the casino. However, according to this floor manager, the money is donated to the casino's charity.

Quote: FleaStiff

In "days of old" I understand that a player could actually ask for a towel and the pit would supply a towel to cover the chip tray to prevent pilferage by railbirds and prevent someone from taking the player's location at the table during a restroom-break. I don't know if that is still done or not.

This is still standard practice. Whenever I leave the table to use the bathroom, the pitboss will either cover the chips with a towel or a clear plastic tray. Of course, I have never left the table for more then 10 minutes. No idea what would happen if I had left for 2 or 3 hours.

I've seen the towel thing at craps tables.

I've personally left chips on a BJ table when I run to the restroom. It's one of the little joys of playing at a hand shuffle table, and being able to make it back without missing a hand.



I've also seen chips get removed from a poker table.

Different casinos have different rules as to how long you can be away from the table. In poker, you're not allowed to take chips off the table, since the other players have a right to try to win chips back, until you decide to leave for good. That's why, at poker tables, you often see a player or two with stacks that exceed the maximum buy-in. Only for little things like tipping the waitress, can chips be taken off the table.

However, they usually won't remove the chips for an absent player unless the remaining players request it. Normally, if it's a guy that was bleeding chips, the players will be more patient.

The two times I've seen chips get removed from a poker table, the floorman came over with a rather large zip lock bag. He and the dealer counted the chips, marked the bag with the amount, table, seat number and any description the players could provide, then both signed the bag, put the chips in the bag, and the floorman took it somewhere.

At that point the seat becomes open.

One time, the chips were locked up, a new player sat down, and was being dealt his first hand when the guy returned. That, apparently, was the "too late" point to reclaim the seat. Most of us breathed a sigh of relief, since the guy was a total A-hole.

id imagine if a player is gone for an abnormally long period of time, they will take his chips out of the rail and place them near the boxman with an OFF button on top of them. if the player still hasnt appeared back after quite some more time, they would then hold the chips for the player at the cage.

I'd be VERY surprised if they merely moved chips to the boxman with an 'off' button on them. They'd be too close to the house chips, there'd be a danger of them getting mixed up. What would happen if a shooter hit the stacks?

In the two cases I saw, they counted the chips, marked down the total and then bagged them and locked them up - the actual chips, without coloring up.

I'm sure the reason for all that was do reduce the likelihood of being accused of anything. Can you imagine if they took the casual attitude you suggest?

your situation is much different. they need to remove the chips from the poker table to allow another player to sit there. they dont have to immediately bag the chips in this situation. just bring them closer to the boxman, make a quick count, and leave them sitting there with an OFF button. if he doesnt come for another halfhour or so, then they will do something like you suggest.