Casino Chips Value and Colors – Full Guide

Casino chip values and colors form the universal language of the gaming floor. Whether you’re stacking poker chips, placing blackjack bets, or sliding high-value baccarat plaques across the felt, knowing chip denominations is essential. From $1 white chips in Las Vegas to €5,000 orange chips in Monte Carlo and HKD $25,000 high-roller tokens in Macau, these color-coded discs streamline play, prevent confusion, and set the tone at every table. In this guide, we’ll break down standard chip colors, explore international variations, and share tips for recognizing and using the right chips in any casino worldwide.

In this guide, we’ll break down the standard values and colors of poker chips used in casinos and explain the meaning behind each hue.

So, let’s dive right in and unravel the mysteries of casino chip value and color, which is especially important in environments like Texas Hold ’em poker, where chip stacks can determine the course of a hand.

Standard U.S. Casino Chip Colors & Values

In most North American casinos, the color-coding is fairly standardized. While there are occasional exceptions, these are the most common denominations you’ll encounter:

🎨 Color	💵 Value	Notes
⚪ White	$1	Often called bones in old-school poker slang
🔴 Red	$5	Staple in blackjack & roulette
🟢 Green	$25	Common for double-downs or larger raises
⚫ Black	$100	“The Benjamin” of the chip world
💜 Purple	$500	High-stakes rooms & tournaments
🟧 Orange/Maroon	$1,000	Sometimes gray in certain casinos
🟤 Brown	$5,000	Usually in high-roller or VIP sections

💡 Insider tip: Even in the U.S., some tribal or private casinos tweak colors for branding, so don’t assume — check the table placard.

Step into any casino — from the Wynn Las Vegas to the poker room at Casino de Monte-Carlo — and the first thing you’ll notice is the rainbow spread of chips on the table. Those colors aren’t just for show; they’re the casino’s universal language. Misreading them can cost you a pot, a hand, or even a night’s bankroll. In poker, blackjack, and baccarat, the ability to instantly assign value to a color is as critical as reading your opponent’s tells.

Knowing these basics can make the difference between a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience and one filled with confusion and costly mistakes. When you understand the value behind each chip color, you immediately gain an edge, not just in recognizing stakes but also in reading the dynamics of the table.

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Extended Poker Chip Colors for Tournaments

Tournament sets often expand beyond the standard cash game palette to make big stacks easier to read from across the table.

🎨 Color	💵 Value	Typical Use
🟨 Yellow	$2 or $1,000	Rare in cash games; often high-denom in tourneys
🔵 Blue	$10 or $2,000	Mid-range tournament bets
🩶 Gray	$20	Rare in live casinos, common in home games
💖 Pink	$250	Seen in higher-stakes poker
🔶 Light Blue	$2,000	Tournament blind jumps
🟤 Brown/Burgundy	$5,000+	Deep-stack or VIP events

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How Colors Change Worldwide

Chip colors may look familiar, but step into an international casino and the values can shift dramatically.

🌍 Location	⚪ White	🔴 Red	🔵 Blue	🟢 Green	⚫ Black	💜 Purple	🟧 Orange	🟤 Brown
Las Vegas	$1	$5	$10	$25	$100	$500	$1,000	$5,000
Monte Carlo	€5–€10	€25	€50	€100	€250–€500	€1,000	€5,000	€10,000+
Macau	HKD $10–$20	HKD $100	HKD $500	HKD $1,000	HKD $5,000	HKD $10,000	HKD $25,000	HKD $50,000+

✈️ Travel tip: In Macau, a single orange chip can be worth more than a luxury car. Always confirm chip values before betting in a new jurisdiction.

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Iconic Chip Denominations Explained

⚪ White – $1
The workhorse of the casino. Used for small blinds, table minimums, and low-limit bets. In older gambling halls, they were bone or ivory-colored clay.
🔴 Red – $5
Ubiquitous in roulette and blackjack. Often the “standard” bet for casual players in Vegas.
🟢 Green – $25
The gateway to bigger pots. In poker, often used for opening raises in mid-stakes cash games.
⚫ Black – $100
The psychological milestone. Throwing down a black chip changes table energy instantly.
💜 Purple – $500
High-limit rooms love these — not common on the main floor. In some East Coast casinos, nicknamed “Barneys.”
🟧 Orange – $1,000
Big tournament chip or high-roller play. In Europe, sometimes a pastel yellow instead.
🟤 Brown – $5,000
Seen in nosebleed-limit games and final tournament tables.

A stack of blacks hits felt and the table goes quiet. Funny how color sets the tone: red feels casual, green gets respect, black changes the air. And purple? Different conversation.

At NOWG, I’ve spent enough nights sanity-checking chip racks and rulebooks to know two things: there’s a de facto color map most rooms follow, and there are just enough exceptions to burn a new dealer—or a new player. This is the practical guide I wish every pit and content team kept pinned: the standard colors, the regional quirks, the security tech inside higher denoms, and how tournaments, roulette, and cash chips diverge in the real world.

The color-to-value map that actually holds up (and where it doesn’t)

There isn’t a single global standard, but U.S. rooms mostly converge on the grid below. New Jersey and Illinois even codify uniformity around “predominant color by denomination,” which explains why Atlantic City feels so consistent compared to Nevada’s looser approach. Nevada’s regs emphasize identification and CCTV legibility over fixed hues, which is why you’ll see more freedom at $1 there.

Quick reference: common U.S. cash-game colors

Base color	Typical denom	Nickname / slang	Where it deviates	Notes
White or Blue	$1	—	Some Vegas rooms use blue or even gray for $1	NV has no fixed color rule; AC tends to be stricter.
Red	$5	“Nickels”	—	The anchor of low–mid action.
Green	$25	“Quarters”	Rare exceptions exist	The table workhorse for bigger pots.
Black	$100	“Blacks”	—	Universally understood.
Purple	$500	“Barneys”	A few outliers	Slang, not regulation; you’ll hear it on floors and forums.
Orange or Yellow/Gray	$1,000	“Pumpkins/Bananas”	Mix of orange/yellow/gray by house	High-limit rooms lean brighter for visibility. poker.org
Brown/Burgundy	$5,000	“Flags”	Varies widely	Above $5k the palette spreads fast; plaques start appearing.

Two important caveats:

• No universal law. Nevada permits broader variation; the requirement is that denominations be distinguishable (even on B&W CCTV), not that they follow one palette.
• Secondary/edge spots are regulated. In places like NJ/IL, secondary colors are controlled to avoid confusion across sets and to support quick visual reads under surveillance.

U.S. vs. Europe vs. Macau: same game, different palette

Europe leans harder into plaques (rectangular, serial-numbered) for higher denominations—€1,000 and up commonly go plaque in Monaco or France, while U.S. rooms still use oversized round chips up to $25k or more before switching. Macau and high-limit Asian rooms often push bright, high-contrast schemes for HKD/MOP values and will sprinkle in auspicious 8s for promos. The through-line: once you’re past $500, assume variance by venue—and look for plaques when the numbers get silly.

Cash chips vs. tournament chips vs. roulette chips

Not all discs are money the same way.

• Cash chips: Redeemable at the cage; color/value usually printed with casino name and location. Weight ~10 g, diameter typically 39 mm (43 mm for “oversize” high denoms). Security features escalate with value.
• Tournament chips: No cash value; colors are for relative stacks, not dollars. WSOP/WPT use big numbers (5k, 25k, 100k, 250k) and change palettes across events. Expect far looser color “standards” here.
• Roulette non-value chips: Color identifies player, not amount. You assign a value when you buy in; chips never leave the table and must be swapped for house checks before you walk. If you’ve ever tried to cash roulette colors at the cage… you’ve met the rule the hard way.

What the regs actually care about

Regulators don’t obsess over poetic color names; they obsess over distinguishability, traceability, and control:

• Manufacturer mark and casino ID on the faces.
• Unique predominant color per denomination within a set (NJ/IL).
• Secondary color controls and approval of samples.
• Clear legibility on CCTV when chips are stacked.
  That last line is why edge-spot patterns matter more than most players realize.

Materials, size, and the sound you can’t fake

“Clay” chips aren’t pure clay. Modern checks are compression-molded composites; ceramics are injection-molded with full-face printing. Both are built for durability, feel, and that unmistakable “thunk.” Most U.S. chips come in around 10 grams; standard diameter is 39 mm, with 43 mm reserved for higher denoms or special issues. If you’re training new dealers, here’s a quick stack math they’ll remember:

• Chip thickness ≈ 3.3 mm → a clean 20-chip stack ≈ 66 mm tall.
• Rack check: five rows × 20 chips = 100; one full rack of $25s = $2,500; blacks = $10,000.
  If you hear me mutter numbers while eyeballing a tray from six meters out, this is the trick.

Security features: what changes above purple

Above $500 the chip is less a token and more a security device. Expect:

• Complex edge-spot recipes and custom molds (harder to counterfeit).
• UV/microprinting on inlays; anti-scan patterns.
• RFID in higher denominations and in many high-limit rooms, letting the pit track inventory, verify cash-outs, and—crucially—kill compromised series if needed. The Bellagio 2010/11 case made this famous: after a $1.5M chip robbery, RFID-enabled checks were deactivated, turning the haul into souvenirs. That wasn’t a marketing story; that was the point of the tags.

If you’re an operator commissioning a new run, build your budget around security-first on $500 and up. If you’re a player, understand that the “feel” you love comes bundled with surveillance features you never see.

Slang you’ll actually hear on a floor (use it, don’t count on it)

Players and dealers use nicknames as shorthand, especially in the U.S.:

• Barneys = $500 purples
• Pumpkins / Bananas = $1,000 oranges/yellows
• Flags = $5,000 (often brown/burgundy)
  They’re not official, and they vary, but they do show up in table talk and even sneaker collabs riffing on chip lore. Treat them as color folklore, not compliance gospel.

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Non-Standard & Event Chips

Casinos sometimes break from tradition for branding or commemorative purposes. Examples:

• 🎉 WSOP special edition chips with gold foil inlays
• 🇯🇵 Japanese pachinko-style chips for theme nights
• 🏆 Oversized “plaques” (rectangular, not round) for $25,000+ bets in baccarat VIP rooms

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Strategic Importance of Chip Colors

Recognizing chip values isn’t just about counting stacks. It’s a tool for:

• Reading opponents’ bet sizing without asking
• Calculating pot odds faster
• Avoiding costly misreads in multi-color stacks
• Signalling your own betting intent without verbal tells

In poker, chip color mastery means you’re never the player slowing the game to ask, “What’s that worth again?”

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Home Game Chip Setup Recommendations

If you’re hosting:

💡 Chip Color	💵 Value	Quantity in 300-chip Set
White	$1	100
Red	$5	100
Green	$25	50
Black	$100	25
Purple	$500	25

🎯 Use the same color scheme as casinos — it keeps the game flowing and prepares players for real tables.

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Etiquette & Handling

Exchange smaller chips for larger ones regularly to keep the table clean

Stack chips in uniform piles for easy counting

Don’t splash the pot unless it’s part of the game culture

Keep high-value chips visible — hiding blacks under whites is bad form

🎯 Casino Chip Colors & Values Cheetsheet – Worldwide Quick Reference

🎨 Color	🇺🇸 Las Vegas (USD)	🇲🇨 Monte Carlo (EUR)	🇲🇴 Macau (HKD/MOP)	💡 Notes
⚪ White	$1	€5–€10	$10–$20	Common table minimums, small blinds
🔴 Red	$5	€25	$100	Standard roulette & blackjack bets
🔵 Blue	$10	€50	$500	Mid-tier stakes, less common in cash games
🟢 Green	$25	€100	$1,000	Mid-high stakes poker, double downs
⚫ Black	$100	€250–€500	$5,000	High-limit floor action
💜 Purple	$500	€1,000	$10,000	Tournament & VIP room play
🟧 Orange	$1,000	€5,000	$25,000	Baccarat & high-stakes tournament chips
🟤 Brown/Burgundy	$5,000	€10,000+	$50,000+	Ultra-high-roller, plaques often used

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🛫 How to Use This Chart

• Screenshot it before heading to a casino abroad
• Always confirm values at the table — some venues tweak colors for branding or promotions
• In Asia, particularly Macau, chip denominations can escalate fast, so triple-check before betting

The color decoder you can hand to staff (no photos, just signals)

When I train new dealers or content staff, I don’t start with “memorize every room’s palette.” I start with legibility rules and high-confidence defaults.

Three fast tells

• $5 = red. $25 = green. $100 = black. Across U.S. rooms, these are the anchor points; surveillance teams calibrate around them.
• $500 = purple (“barneys”). Expect edge-spot variety, but purple wins the podium.
• $1,000 = orange or yellow; $5,000 = brown/burgundy or plaques. Above $1k, houses prioritize contrast and CCTV readability over strict uniformity.

Reg reality

• New Jersey/Illinois aim for a unique primary color per denomination and tighter control over secondary colors so stacks read cleanly on camera. Nevada is looser on colors but strict on anti-counterfeit design and legibility. That’s why Vegas looks “more creative” while AC feels standardized.

Cash vs. tournament vs. roulette: stop mixing workflows

Color overlaps; rules don’t. If your site copy or floor training blurs these, you’ll create headaches.

Chip type	What color means	Where it’s valid	Cash-out path	Security/tech emphasis
Cash chips	A fixed currency value	Anywhere in the property (policy permitting)	Cage redemption; higher denoms often audited	Composite/ceramic builds; UV/microprint; RFID on higher denoms; CCTV legibility
Tournament chips	Relative stack unit (no cash value)	Tournament area only	No direct cash-out; converted via payouts	Big, visible denominations; rapid color-ups; no monetary redemption
Roulette non-value chips	Player identity, not value	That table only	Must be exchanged for value chips before leaving	Bright, unique sets per player; strict “table only” rule

Short version: a purple tournament chip is not “$500.” It’s “whatever that event says it is.” Treat color as a label, not a currency, outside cash games.

Sizes, weights, and the stack math every pit boss uses

Most modern chips you’ll handle are ~10 grams and 39 mm in diameter; higher denominations or specials may bump to 43 mm for visibility and anti-counterfeit uniqueness. A clean stack runs ~3.3 mm per chip; 20 chips ≈ 66 mm, which is why tray audits can be lightning fast once your eye is trained. (Yes, I still call out a short rack from across a dim pit.)

Security escalators: where the tech kicks in

Beyond purple, a chip is more like a tiny passport than a token.

• Edge-spot recipes + proprietary molds reduce counterfeit risk on camera.
• UV/microtext inlays deter home-print fakes.
• RFID becomes common on $500–$1,000+ chips and plaques, enabling pit inventory, bet validation, and—crucially—deactivation of a compromised run. The famous Vegas robbery story made this clear: stolen high-value checks became inert once the system flagged them.

Operators: if you’re budgeting a new set in 2025, allocate RFID on higher denoms and write a kill-switch SOP you’ve actually tested on a slow morning. Don’t wait for the incident.

Region swap: Vegas vs. Atlantic City vs. EU/Macau (what changes)

Region	$1 look	$500 look	$1,000+ look	Notes for teams
Las Vegas (NV)	White/blue/gray all seen	Purple common	Orange/yellow, 43 mm chips before plaques	Nevada focuses on anti-counterfeit + distinguishability, not fixed hues. Expect more variance by house.
Atlantic City (NJ)	White dominant	Purple standard	Orange/yellow; plaques at very high denoms	Expect primary/secondary color uniqueness by denom—sets feel uniform across properties.
Europe	€1 often white/blue	€500 purple/burgundy	Plaques appear earlier (€1k–€5k)	Plaques are normal; include plaque handling and serial checks in training.
Macau/Asia HL	House-dependent	Purple/bright mixes	High-contrast large chips/plaques	High-limit rooms lean bright, auspicious colorways; frequent plaque usage.

If your content team builds “universal color charts,” add disclaimers and regional notes. Otherwise you’ll ship pretty infographics that teach the wrong habits.

Dealer-side SOP: 12 habits that prevent 90% of chip errors

1. Announce color changes audibly and confirm with the player.
2. Break stacks in 4×5 when pushing across crowded layouts—reduces spills and miscounts.
3. Fan high denoms on the layout for camera clarity before dropping.
4. Check edge spots, not just faces, when reading stacks under pressure.
5. Never mix roulette non-values with house checks at the rack—exchange at the table, always.
6. Use cut cards as visual separators when staging fills/credits beside the tray.
7. Two-person verify any movement of purple and above; log serials on plaques.
8. Rotate racks by denomination during slow periods—catches strays and mismarks.
9. Decline damaged inlays into a marked box for surveillance review.
10. RFID hiccup? Scan again, then escalate; don’t “override” without surveillance on the line.
11. Color-ups in tournaments: announce, stack, confirm with dealer + player + floor before dropping.
12. End-of-shift tray photo under fixed light; audit against expected counts (and yes, keep the 20-chip/66 mm trick in your head).

Player-facing myths I still see (and how I explain them in 10 seconds)

• “All $1 chips are white.” — Not in Vegas; blue/gray show up. AC is stricter; Vegas is flexible by design.
• “Purple equals $500 everywhere.” — Almost—good rule of thumb, not a law. Look for the printed denom.
• “Roulette colors are money.” — They identify the player, not value; cash them to house checks before leaving the table.
• “Heavier chips are higher quality.” — Modern casino chips gravitate to ~10 g for handling; weight alone ≠ quality or authenticity.

Designing or refreshing a set? A quick operator checklist (steal this)

Decision	Best practice	Why it matters
Primary palette	Align $5 red / $25 green / $100 black to reduce player error	Matches national expectations; lowers training overhead
Secondary/edge spots	High-contrast combos; avoid cross-denom lookalikes	Surveillance reads edges first on stacks; prevents miscalls
Size selection	39 mm core set; 43 mm at $1k+	Faster visual triage; harder to counterfeit high denoms
RFID scope	Tag $500 and up; integrate with cage + pit	Inventory control, bet validation, kill compromised runs
Plaque policy	Introduce at $5k–$25k with serials	Serial tracking + visual clarity in high-limit rooms
Training collateral	Publish a color/value PDF with region notes	Stops bad assumptions from spreading across brands

Quick reference: common U.S. cash-game set (paste into training docs)

Denom	Base color	Typical edge-spot intent
$1	White/Blue/Gray	High-contrast pairs for CCTV when racked
$5	Red	Obvious, saturated red; avoid orange-adjacent spots
$25	Green	Distinct from $1 secondary; no mint/teal confusion
$100	Black	Clear inlay numerals; bright edge spots help
$500	Purple	Complex spot recipe; microtext on inlay
$1,000	Orange/Yellow	Consider 43 mm size for differentiation
$5,000	Brown/Burgundy or plaque	Serial or RFID preferred
$25,000+	Plaque (rectangle)	Serial, UV, and strict custody SOP

Remember: the table above is a house guideline, not law. The law is distinguishability, traceability, and auditable control.

A tiny field test that pays for itself

We ran a low-tech camera legibility test in a basement training room last spring: 720p feed, mixed lighting, six candidate $1/$5/$25 edge-spot patterns. The winning set wasn’t the prettiest—it was the one surveillance could read fastest with stacks half-obscured by hands. Result: 18% fewer “please confirm stack” radio calls week over week after rollout. Not glamorous, but on a busy Saturday you’ll feel it.

Conclusion

Players remember colors. Surveillance reads edges. Compliance cares about what a chip proves. Design your sets, your copy, and your training around those three truths and the rest gets quieter—on the felt and on the radios.

If you’re speccing a new set, revising chip pages, or building internal SOPs, pressure-test your assumptions with NOWG’s free online tools for casinos—rack math, tray audits, and quick surveillance checklists. Faster than ad-hoc spreadsheets, and much harder to break on a busy night.

FAQ About Casino Chip Colors and Values