Counting Chips Quickly

[Lottery Larry]

Everyone should learn how to stack chips in standard amounts, for easy counting. This assumes decent chips of general uniformity- then, one stack can be confirmed for value and the others just quickly stacked next to it and checked for height.

One person should handle cash/chip conversions and verify the total with the receipient, before removing the chips and dealing with the next person.

Also, having one person buy all of the lower denom chips on the table can save a lot of time.

[usaftrevor]

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Also, having one person buy all of the lower denom chips on the table can save a lot of time.

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This also works great in tournies when coloring-up.

Selling all the small denom chips to the table big stack will save you a headache with all the other players you're cashing out.

When you get back to the big stack, it'll be counted fairly easily, and in theory, they will be the last person you cash out - and if you're not taking a rake, you'll know that the money you have left should equal the money in their stack.


Oh, and in situations like with your friends and the Dirty Diaper, just hand 'em an eye-ball estimate of what they might have in front of 'em, 'tell 'em you'll count it and square up the next time you see each other, if you're all friends and can trust each other, this shouldn't be a problem.

[Etaipo]

another suggestion:

in order for cash out to work properly, it's important to be absolutely sure you got the proper amount when they BOUGHT the chips.

after 3 years, i finally came up a single buyin short a few weeks ago. i'm quite sure it was completely accidental, and certainly the fault sits on me since i'm in charge, but it irked me to no end. so i came up with a solution.

i was already bagging up the standard buying ($25) in ziploc bags before the game. almost everyone buys in for the max, if not, it's $20, so you just take out a red.

now, i bag up ALL the chips in $25 ziploc bags, then put those bags in a duffel bag, plus a spare bag for cash. the duffel bag stays behind my chair. all buyins and cashouts go through me. i always ask them to double-check their chips, though i've never been off.

as people leave throughout the night, i cash them out at the table individually, or at a different table if it will interfere with the game. i ask them to count it and stack it, then i double check the count, bag the chips, they go back in the duffel bag, and their cash gets handed over.

WHEN THE GAME BREAKS: have everyone stack and count their chips. start with the small stack. verify the count, bag the chips, dispense cash. rinse and repeat up the stacks. IMPORTANT: only cash out one person at a time, and don't let anyone interrupt your count.

final two cashouts are the big stack, then me. that way, since if ANYONE screwed up anywhere along the line, it's me, so it will come out of my stack.

since we don't break 1's, i round up for $.75 to a dollar, everything else they lose, and the left over couple of 2-3 dollars will go to the host.

works like a charm.