Table Talk
Why chip denominations are colour coded, and why the colours vary
Chip colour exists so that a stack can be valued from several feet away at speed. The convention is strong, widely shared, and not a standard.
Chips are coloured because a dealer has to value a stack at a glance, from an angle, across a table, while doing something else. Reading printed numbers on the face of every chip would be impossible at working speed.
Colour solves that. Denominations are assigned to distinct, high-contrast colours, and a stack of one colour can be counted by height rather than read. A mixed stack can be broken down visually before it is touched.
The conventional assignments are widely shared across rooms and are stable enough that experienced players expect them. White or blue for the smallest denomination, red for the next, green above that, and black above that are the familiar rungs of the ladder, with further colours for higher values.
They are conventions rather than rules. A room can and sometimes does assign colours differently, particularly at the extremes of its range or where a denomination is unusual. The printed value on the chip face is the authority; the colour is the shorthand.
The edge markings matter as much as the base colour. The contrasting inserts around the rim are arranged so that a chip is identifiable when it is lying in a stack with only its edge showing, which is the normal case on a table. Different edge patterns distinguish denominations that might otherwise be confused under poor light.
Tournament chips follow their own logic entirely and are often marked with much larger numbers, because they represent tournament stack values rather than a cash amount and are not exchangeable for anything.
The practical point for a player is small and worth knowing anyway. Check the printed denomination when sitting at an unfamiliar table rather than assuming the ladder, and expect the crew to break a large chip down before it is put into play rather than after.