How to Color Up at a Craps Game

[heavy]

Invariably you're going to want to end your craps session at some point. Like buying in to a game - there is a right way and a wrong way to cash your chips in.

The correct way: Wait until the shooter has sevened out and the puck says "OFF." Pick up all of your chips and set them in front of you in the Come area and say "Color coming in." Keep your eye on your chips. The dealer should either move them to the center for the boxman to count - or place an "off" button on them so everyone will know (in particular the eye in the sky) that this is color coming in - not a bet. When the boxman tells the dealer to "bring them in" he'll slide them in front of the box, who will break the chips down to count them. Stacks of five white, stacks of five red, stacks of four green. Once he's counted your chips for himself he'll point to them and count them for you. Watch the count because if there is an error this is your one chance to correct it. Once you've agreed on the count the boxman will instruct the dealer how much to pay you . . . e.g. $360 going out. If the dealer is not allowed to have black chips in front of him the box may hand him three black chips then tell him $360. The dealer adds two green chips and two red chips to the stack and sends it to you. At this point, if you have not been tipping the dealers while playing, it is an appropriate time to toss a few chips the dealer's way and say "hand in for the boys."

The wrong ways: Do not just pick up your chips, put them in your pocket and walk away from the table. The lower denomination chips are generally needed to keep the game flowing, and if the table runs short they have to order more from the cage - which slows the game down and breaks the rhythm of the shooters.

Likewise, walking away from the table with an unknown of chips causes bookkeeping issues for the pit when they close the table down, and can result in an improper calculation of the table hold. If the hold is off substantially over the course of a shift the house assumes there's a thief on the crew and the result can be a killer for the employees on the table. Why? Because the casino's reaction when they think there's a thief on a crew is generally to fire the entire crew.

Last of all, don't color up in the middle of a shooter's hand. Again, it disrupts the flow of the game. Superstitious players will assume you are a dickwad. And if the dice hit your stack of color and the seven shows you are likely to reap much verbal abuse from other players. Just don't be that guy.

[London Shooter]

Good advice.

I see this as a dangerous time for players, purely because of the chance of a mis-count. This should not happen, but certainly can. I think we have all been there. Perhaps we have been lucky enough to demand a recount and get the correct number, but maybe at times we have been short paid.....of course maybe at times we have been over paid.

So, what I would add to this is be aware of what your total in the rack is, perhaps not to the exact dollar, but if you know it is 500 and change then make sure 500 and change is what you get, not 400 and change or whatever. It's also worth a quick check of the chips once they are in hand to make sure they represent the total called out. I know H has a recent story about getting an incorrect amount somewhere in the colour up process.

I must admit there have been times after a long hand when I have all sorts of messed up chips and just stacked them in the come box for a colour up at the end of the hand. Placing maybe 3 or 4 stacks in barber pole configuration and then really wishing I had done some kind of pre-count myself never does you any favours

[Moe Bettor]

Don't know if this is an improper behavior, but I usually stop before coloring up, add up everything and have the total amt. in my head. During hands I separate my $5's with a white chip into $25 increments. I will say, for instance, "$465 color coming in." Now if their count is different..I ask for a recount in front of me, stacks broken down into 5 chips each. If we disagree, I will pick up my chips and go to the cashier. Simple as that. But I have a question about this. People on this forum have talked about squirreling chips. How does that comport. You are taking chips off the racks out of the game. That's going to screw up crew count isn't it?

[heavy]

Yes, if you're pocketing green chips throughout your session, for example, and the house does not catch it (sometimes an astute dealer will ask if you want to color up the chips in your pocket as well) it can impact the table's hold at the end of the day. But probably not enough to cause a second look by the auditors. Now, if the count were "off" from what is expected over the course of weeks then yeah, it's going to raise some eyebrows. But a one off situation for a few hundred bucks is not a big deal.

[wild child]

The player may choose to hold back from the cashier cage in reserve
casino chips equal to your buy in and perhaps a few extra up to your
comfort level......

w c

[HornHighJoe]

When I color up I usually put in an amount so I don't get the same denomination back. For example, I have $563 in chips, so I hand in $550. No need to put in 2 reds and 3 whites, if I'm just going to get it back again. It also helps me pre-count the amount I hand in.

[mycoalsmith]

" . . . . . . it is an appropriate time to toss a few chips the dealer's way and say "hand in for the boys".

With all due respect Heavy, I think it's more appropriate to say "For the crew." Most tables (at least around here) have at least one woman rotating in and out.

[heavy]

Too true. My age is showing. I harken back to the days when few women dealt craps. BTW, although I do tend to hand-in any odd chips at the end of the session - unless you are a regular at a casino you get no particular value from the end of session hand-in. It's just the right thing to do IMHO. This should be considered separate from any in-session tokes, as those are meant to reward good service and encourage more of the same.

[Bankerdude80]

I admit I am one of those that walk off sometimes with my chips. Usually I buy in for only $300-$500 and if the session was bad and I am walking, I might have less than $300 left. I want to get out of Dodge and I don't like waiting for the dealer to color me up. I take 'em and run to the cage.
Patience was never one of my virtues. Now if it was a winning session, I have no problem coloring up at the table less the chips I may have rat-holed.

[dork]

Heavy,

Whaddya do at a casino with multiple tables? Say you're holding $1,000 in chips and wanna go to another table- do you just pick up your chips and migrate? That's what I've always done; I've walked with $100-1,500 to another table. Sometimes the box notifies the new box, sometimes they don't. Until your original post, I didn't know it was a potential issue.

[220Inside]

Interesting question dork. I've always been of the mindset that I buy in with cash. I've always wondered if the house records and/or treats buy ins differently for comp calculations and ratings if done with cash vs chips from a previous session.

[pappyvanwinkle]

It will depend on the conditions, but if you see a spot has opened up at another table that you want to go to, just take your chips and go. Once at the new table again when appropriate give the box man your players card and explain your coming from the other table and give them a rough approximation of how much you brought with you. All other times you should generally wait to color up and then go.

The core issue is why are you there, are you looking for shooting opportunities, more money making opportunities or increasing your comps. They are actually different things, sometimes they align, sometimes they won't.

[6dollar6]

A long time ago I learned to pre-count my color to even 100's.
6 times over 25 years of play I've been short-colored by $100.
Fortunately I caught each one of those errors.
The most recent was just a few weeks ago.
I was a retailer for 55 years so I know money-handlers can make mistakes.
However, in many thousands of sessions, no box has ever over-colored me.

6dollar6

[Raider]

Ialways keep some greens at home, so when I get to the table, I can get in without slowing down the game. Last week, I stopped in on my way to work, and since I had about what I bought in with, just took the chips with me, once again, I didn't want to slow it down to get two blacks and two greens when I had six greens and 20 reds, couldn't wait for the player to seven out, next time I will tell the dealer what I am leaving with.

[mssthis1]

If you play regularly at the same casino and they figure out you're a ratholer, they will assume you ratholed the missing chips and adjust your cashout amount in the computer to that effect whether you actually had the chips or not.

[driglaz]

the better question is when to color up...

[LetsPlayCraps]

Are you all keeping a running count?
I don't.
Even if I keep the chips organized in the rack, it still takes time to count before handing them to the dealer.
Since I usually play at table with a low number of people, the dice are out and the table is active rather quickly after a 7 out.
If I try to count before handing to the dealer, they table is active and I tend to wait which is why I usually just stack them and watch the dealer count.

[heavy]

You can learn to estimate your chip count easily if you stack your chips in the rack right. First off, you should always put your highest denomination chips in the center of the rack, surrounded by your next lowest denomination chips, followed by your next lowest denomination, etc. That way the rail birds can't steal your green or black chips. The most they can steal from your rack is a one dollar chip. Stack them like this: $1 $1 $1 $5 $5 $5 $25 $25 $25 $25 $100 $100 $100 $25 $25 $25 $25 $5 $5 $5 $1 $1 $1 - See how your large value chips are in the middle surrounded by your lower denomination chips? Now no one can grab a $100 chip out of your rack without you knowing it. But it you had your $100 chips on the left side of your rack like I see so many people do, and you're tossing from Stick Left, there's no protecting your rack from the player on your left or the rail bird standing behind you when you toss from SL. Anyone can reach in and snag a chip while you're tossing and you'll be none the wiser? Don't believe me? I saw a gal steal $14K in $1000 chips from a guy's rack at Beau Rivage one night. When she left the table with them I told the box and he called the cage and had her brought back tot he table by security. They made her dump her purse on the table in front of the guy she stole them from and asked him if he'd given them to her. He replied, "Hell no!" Did he want to press charges? "Hell yes." And they took her away in handcuffs.

Now, you've seen the boxman and dealers reach down and stack up chips and pick up a handful of chips and BAM - it's perfectly sized at $100 or $500 without them having to pre-count them. It's all by feel and muscle memory. But you can learn to estimate the value of your rack the game way. Your thumb is about the same length as $100 in $5 chips or $500 in $25 chips. Lay your thumb on the rail against your chips and estimate. If the chips cover 3/4 of your red chips you have around $75. If if covers all of your geen chips and there are four or five left over you have around $625. Easy peasy. I do it all the time and am rarely off more than ten to twenty five dollars. You can do it too.