Very few casinos use 25¢ chips anymore.  When they do it is almost always on a "quarter" craps game.  If you want to get a few 25¢ chips for your collection or for trading most of the time the craps table is the only place you'll be able to.  The cage is hesitant to sell them since the cost of the chip to the casino is more than the 25¢ face value of it.  Every now and then you'll find a friendly cashier who will sell you a dollars worth but most of the time they will tell you that they are not allowed to sell them.

You are most likely to find a quarter craps game at a downtown Las Vegas casino, a rural Nevada casino or on the graveyard shift of a smaller casino.  Over the past twenty-two years that I've been a Nevada resident and craps player I have seen many, many casinos eliminate quarters from their game.  I truly believe the 25¢ chip is an endangered species that won't be around too much longer.  Which is all the more reason you should try to get a few any opportunity you have.

So how do you get them from the craps table you ask...

The first thing to do is to look for an inexperienced dealer.  In casino jargon we call a new dealer a "break in".  He/she's the one with their head down, eyes on the layout, extremely focused, nervous, not handling the cheques smoothly and usually being watched by the boxman (the supervisor in a suit sitting between the two standing base dealers facing the players).

Buy in with a $20 bill and ask for a stack of quarters.  If you are lucky you will be given twenty 25¢ chips and fifteen $1 chips.  However most of the time you will be given a stack of twenty $1 chips or two $5 chips and ten $1 chips,  Again, the novice dealer is so overwhelmed that just getting your buy-in correct is all he/she cares about.  They figure they will make change for you later if you need it.

Keep in mind that most 25¢ chips are in pretty bad condition due to the amount of play they receive.  You need to casually look through your quarter chips finding the ones in better condition.  These you pocket while keeping the poorer condition ones in the rack in front of you.  It's often less conspicuous if you pull something out of your pocket after putting a few chips in.  I normally don't wear a watch at the table.  Each time I put  eight or so chips into my pocket I pull my cell phone out of the same pocket and make it look like I am checking the time or looking for a voice mail.  You could also use a tissue or if you spoke a cigarette lighter.

The best way to get quarter chips is to make what is called a "place bet" on the five, six, eight and nine on the table.  This can get a little confusing so you might ask the dealer for a little help explaining it to you.  The place bet wins each time the specific number is thrown on the two combined dice.  The place bet loses when a seven is rolled once there is a point established.

The place bet pays as follows:  seven units to five units on the five and nine and seven units to six units on the six and eight.  So if you bet $5.00 on the five and a five is rolled you win $7.00.  Or if you bet $6.00 on the eight and an eight is rolled you win $7.00.  Now on a quarter game we can bet five units of 25¢ chip or $1.25 on the five and nine.  Or we can bet six units of 25¢ chips for a total of $1.50 on the six and eight.  Each time one of these four numbers is rolled we are paid $1.75 (seven units of 25¢'s).

The place bet can only be set up or taken down by the dealer.  It is NOT a self-service bet.  You give the dealer your money and tell him what you want.  If you want to sound like a "pro" you would give the dealer $6.00 and tell him you want "$5.50 inside".  After giving you 50¢ in change (two 25¢ chips) he will set you up $1.25 on the five, $1.50 on the six, $1.50 on the eight and $1.25 on the nine for a total of $5.50.  Each time you win you will be given one $1 chip and three 25¢ chips.  Whenever you are given any 25¢ chips you quickly and casually assess their condition and either get them into your pocket to keep or into your rack to continue playing with.

You can request your place bets back at any time.  Just tell the dealer to take your bets "down" and he will give them to you.  Just by doing this you will often get six 25¢ chips that comprise your $5.50 "inside" bet.  However if a seven is rolled while your bets are still on the layout than the dealer will take them down but they now belong to the casino.

A more experienced dealer will "deal to your rack".. That is he/she will look and see how many 25¢ chips you have in front of you.  If one of your numbers hit he will give you two $1 chips and ask for a 25¢ chip back (hence you still get your $1.75 payout but now instead of getting three quarters you lose one).  This is why we look for the break-in dealer.  He/she's so freaked out about just getting the payoffs right for up to eight players on his end that the last thing on his mind is dealing to your rack.

In fifteen to thirty minutes I can usually leave the game with 30 to 50 quarter chips in my possession.  Of course I've had MANY years of practice but harvesting quarters from a crap game is a quickly learned skill.

Take a look at some of our other guides to learn more about the exciting hobby of casino chip collecting.

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Dave and Debbie Harber
Cheques in the Mail, Inc.

We've been collecting chips since 1986, selling them since 1995, on eBay since 1998 and working with Chipco International to make custom chips since '98 as well.  If you have any questions about casino
chips, custom chips or eBay feel free to contact me through our About Me page.