While playing at the craps table you might have seen players calling out “Color Please” “Color In Please”, “Color Out Please” or “Color Up” please. All these terms have a meaning to understand. Let us find out what does these call outs mean, why are they said and whom are they referred to.
What is Color Out
At the craps table before the stickman pushes the dice to the shooter, a player leaving the table places his chips in the apron and tells the dealer, “Color out, please.” It means the player wants to exchange his low-denomination chips for higher denominations generally because he doesn’t want to carry a pocketful of chips to the cage, or to dinner, or wherever.
For example, suppose after a winning session you think it’s time for dinner. You look down at your rack and see $200 worth of red chips and $30 in white. That’s 70 chips with 40 reds and 30 whites, which most players find it difficult to carry in two hands without dropping some. Instead of putting two handfuls of chips into your pocket, you color out and the dealer exchanges them for two $100 black chips, one $25 green chip, and one $5 red chip. That’s a total of only four chips, which are a lot easier to handle and hold in your pocket than 70. That means you exchange colors of chips and the chips leave the table, or they go “out” of the casino’s pocket meaning “coloring out”.
How to Color Out
You need to color out when you need to. It is not always necessary to color out. Whether you have $27 in chips when it’s time to leave or $2,700 in chips, you don’t have to color out if you don’t want to.
You can politely say “No I don’t Need Right Now Thanks “in case the dealer or boxman asks you to color out.They say it in a way that sounds like a requirement, but it isn’t and you don’t have to stop and place your chips on the table.
There is no need to color out if you have few chips and were not so lucky in playing. As an example say $27 in red and white chips means five reds and two whites total only seven chips. So it’s not necessary to waste the dealer’s time coloring you out for one green and two whites. However, if you want a green chip for whatever reason, then by all means feel free to color out those seven chips.
When you color out, do it only when the stickman controls the dice. Don’t do it when the shooter is about to roll. Get the dealer’s attention and say, “Color out, please.” Then, place all your chips on the table in the apron in front of you.
Never place the chips you wish to color out on the Pass Line or in the Come box because you don’t want the dealer or boxman to get any idea that you’re making a bet with all those chips. Put them in the apron and make sure the dealer knows you’re coloring out instead of making a bet. The dealer says loudly so the boxman and pit boss can hear, “Color coming in!” The dealer takes your chips and stacks them in front of the boxman. The boxman counts them, and tells the dealer the exact amount. The dealer then counts out the proper amount using the fewest number of chips and places them in front of himself so the boxman can verify the count is accurate. When the boxman gives the nod, the dealer then places your chips in the apron in front of you. Pick up your chips, put them safely in your pocket, and as a courtesy say, “Thank you,” to the staff.
What is Color In
Color In is the term often used by the casino crew. You might hear the dealer say loudly for the boxman and pit boss to hear, “Color coming in!” i.e., your chips are coming “in” to the casino). Generally, they want you to color so they can determine exactly how much you won and how much is leaving the table.
Drop A Dollar
Another form of coloring is when the dealer pays a winning bet with the highest possible denominations while asking you for change. Like suppose most of your bets during your session are $12 Place bets on the 6 and 8. The dealer quickly gets a sense for the type of bettor you are. Suppose the last few rolls have hit the 6 and 8. Each of those winning $12 Place bets pays you $14. So, after a few hits, you’ve accumulated a lot of white chips. The dealer keeps track of the chips in your rack, so the next time your Place bet wins, the dealer knows you don’t need anymore white chips, so he gives you three red $5 chips and says, “Drop me a dollar,” which means he wants $1 change i.e., the bet wins $14, the dealer pays you $15, and you give the dealer $1 in change.
Has the dealer colored you up in this process. This is what most players at the craps table think so. In the above example the dealer by giving you only three chips ; three reds instead of six chips which is two reds and four whites, the dealer has colored you up when paying a winning bet. The players believe that they do this so that you can get into betting more than your normal amount because you have higher-denomination chips in your rack. But it is your choice again to firmly say No and making up your decisive mind when to get colored at the craps table.
With the proper strategy to play craps your mind cannot be in doubt for not winning at the table. Now as things of coloring are cleared to you, your mind will work better with clarity of these terms.