Playing poker can be fun and exciting. The game is fast-paced, and it can have high stakes. With all the betting action that takes place during most poker games, it would be too confusing to have a lot of cash bills flying around. Instead, most professional games — and plenty of household games — use colored chips. In many casinos, these chips are actually marked with the denominations so that there isn’t any confusion about what is being bet. However, classic poker chips are unmarked, and you are supposed to understand poker chip values based on their colors.

Common Poker Chip Values and Colors

Poker chip values can vary by casino, tournament, or individual game. However, there are some common values that you are likely to see wherever you go. Knowing these values will put you at ease, giving you a baseline of understanding when you enter a game.

Poker Chip Values 4 Colors

The standard poker chip set has four colors:

• White: $1
• Red: $5
• Green: $25
• Black: $100

The general trend is that the chips get darker as they increase in value. However, you will find exceptions to this.

Poker Chip Values 5 Colors

The five-color chip set is common in house games. The values and colors are the same as the four-color set, but there is the addition of a blue chip that is valued at $10.

Again, there can be exceptions to this general rule, but these are the colors and values you will find in most cases.

What are Poker Chips?

Poker chips are small discs that are used to represent a monetary value when placing bets in a poker game. The chips are made of hard plastic, and they are a couple of inches in diameter. The chips are colored, and they may have a graphic in the center, such as the casino’s logo. If you are using chips in a home game, the center may be blank. Often, chips also have a striped border.

When you go to a casino, you would purchase the amount of chips you want from the cashier. Then you take those chips to the game you want to play, and you put down the chip corresponding to the bet you want to make. When you want to raise your bet, you add the appropriate colored chip.

Poker Chip Colors and Denominations

Typically, most casinos are going to have chips in the traditional colors with the usual values so as to maintain some consistency. There will be some overlap with the four and five-color sets, but since casinos offer a variety of high and low-stakes games, there will be a greater range of values.

Usual poker chip colors and denominations include:

• White: $1
• Red: $5
• Blue, Brown, or Orange: $10
• Green: $25
• Black: $100
• Purple: $500
• Yellow, Orange, or Gray: $1,000
• Orange, Gray, or Red/White/Blue: $5,000
• Dark Green, Dark Blue, or Brown: $25,000
• Light Blue or Gray: $100,000

Casinos will also often have marked chips that clearly indicate the value so that there is no confusion. Players will know for certain how much they are betting by looking at the value printed right on the chip.

Poker Chip Values in Tournaments

Poker chips values used in tournaments can vary wildly. The chips are selected for the specific needs of the tournament, so they may have different values than what you would normally see. The chips may even be branded specifically for the tournament to make them special.

As always, check the chips before you begin play. If the chips are not marked with their value, talk to the dealer or another person involved with the tournament to get the information you need.

Determining Poker Chip Stack Sizes

Most casinos put chips together by value in stacks of 20. In a tournament, when a player busts out, the remaining players will acquire their chips. However, because the games progress to higher stakes, those lower value chips accumulate and are not used. Therefore, most players will trade out their lower value chips to higher value so they can keep their stacks at a manageable size.

Rules can vary for home games based on the stakes. If the blinds are low — like $1 and $2 — then players won’t usually need the higher value chips. However, if players want a high stakes game, they can assign the chips new values, and they can distribute their chips accordingly. Typically, most home games would have each player getting 25 to 50 chips. Stack sizes would be determined by what makes the most sense for the game.

Types of Poker Chip Sets

Most poker chip sets available for home play will have the same distribution of the standard four or five colors, made of one of the following types of materials:

• Plastic
• Composite/Clay
• Ceramic
• Metal

Chip sets come in varying sizes, and some sets have more colors for a wider range of values. You can also buy specialty sets that mimic tournament sets. You can even order poker chip sets customized with your own text or logo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I buy poker chips?

You can buy poker chips from numerous online sites. Sometimes, casinos will also make their old chips available for purchase.

Can I use poker chips from one casino at another casino?

No. Casinos mark their chips to be unique to their property. Typically, the only casinos that will accept chips from another casino are those owned by the same company.

What happens if I lose my poker chips during a game?

Your chips represent the money you have to play. If you lose all your chips, that means you’re out of the game. You can certainly buy more chips and rejoin the game, but without any chips, there is no play.

Play Poker at Blue Lake Casino

Blue Lake Casino is proud to offer exciting games of poker to give players many opportunities for play — and perhaps to win big. Visit us today to join a hand or even to sign up for a tournament.