These days, go into any casino or click onto any online casino and you’ll find an array of different colored chips scattered across the gaming tables.
When you log onto any casino betting platform and decide your wager for your next Blackjack or Poker game, you’ll even be given a stack of virtual chips to represent your money.
Using something other than cash to signify the wagers makes casino gaming easier and helped to further immortalize the games. See a casino chip and you’ll instantly think of your preferred tabletop game!
Historians believe that using objects to represent currency when gaming dates all the way back to the earliest figures of mankind when playing dice-based games. As well as cavemen, it’s also believed that throughout history, more cultures will have engaged in some form of gambling pastime, than those who didn’t.
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Moving on slightly and ancient Athens and Rome had their day, allegedly using gold and silver coins to represent their wagers in the 5th century BC.
Games that involve playing cards are thought to have gained popularity across Asia in the 600s (AD) – giving gambling a whole new look. Continuing to flourishing during the Renaissance period, almost all players could be seen using alternative items to represent their wager, with a predetermined value.
Fast forward to 19th century western America, and pretty much anything that was made out of gold had a chance of being used as a stake counter, such as golden nuggets, coins, dust, and pieces.
Gradually, gold was transitioned out – understandably – and chips started to form. These would be made out of wood, ivory, bone, paper, or even clay compositions, with several hundred designs emerging.
As dedicated gambling houses and casinos like gclub etc started to form, it was soon found that round chips worked the best and made for easier gameplay. This soon became the standard design, as we’re sure you’ll recognize, with chips now being synonymous with Poker.
As well as representing your wager, the chips will also be returned to you as your winnings. When you’ve finished your tabletop games at a brick-and-mortar casino, you’ll usually be required to go up to a specified help desk to claim the cash equivalent of your tokens.
When playing online it’s slightly simpler, as you’ll simply click to withdraw your funds.
Moving away from the actual games that use chips, there’s a whole other group of people who keep an eye out for these now-plastic and circular tokens. Casino chip collecting is a popular hobby that has swept the nation throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
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In fact, there are even official associations and events that commemorate these collections. The Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club holds an annual convention every year in Las Vegas, the home of all things gambling and casino.
Buyers can boost their collections, collectors can show off their latest find, and sellers can make a quick buck, as chips from various countries, casinos, and games are displayed. Some of the rarest casino chips can sell for tens of thousands of dollars apiece – that’s how serious the pastime can be!