There are two sides to a poker chip. One is the functional and intentional use of the poker chip as a substitute for money. The other side is more aesthetic and psychological. It is easy to understand to the primary purpose of the poker chip as a symbol for cash, but the more mysterious aspect to the poker chip is a bit more complicated.

The inception of poker chips dates back to at least a century or two ago. Although chips were used as tokens in many games from thousands of years ago even though they looked very different from today’s poker chips, their purpose was the same as it is today. In fact, many studies of early civilizations revealed that seeds or beans of some type were used to represent a value during a game, more than likely the tokens were used to signify a service or item that would be exchanged between the winner and loser as money did not exist during those times. The chip that was developed for poker represents money today, it is that simple. Ever since the game of poker was reported as being played in New Orleans in the mid 1820s players have used poker chips. Generally, there are different colors and/or sizes of chips to symbolize various values of currency. In addition, most chips have the value stamped or engraved on the chip. Common colors that are used for chips in the modern day are green, red, blue, black and white.

Now that the intended purpose of the poker chip is understood, it is possible to consider the other side of the chip. Anyone who watches poker or plays poker knows that many players have unique tendencies when it comes to their poker chips. Some may click the poker chips together, making a repetitive sound that is meant either to soothe the payer himself, or to annoy other players at the table. Other players roll a poker chip between their fingers, in fact, there are some pretty cool tricks that experienced players can do with poker chips. Players can have superstitions of all different types that affect the way they handle their chips at a table. Just watch a World Series of Poker Tournament or a celebrity game on television and as many players as there are at the tables, just as many methods for handling poker chips can be found. How a player stacks their chips or how they place them into the pot can tell other players a great deal about each other too. A more aggressive style player will often throw their chips into the pot, referred too sometimes as “splashing the pot” or when they go all in they will do so in a grandiose sort of way. In contrast, a more subtle or subdued player will gently place or push chips in the center of the table in a very controlled and non-confrontational way.

Poker chips are yet another element to the strategy involved in poker. Either way you flip the chip, poker chips play a significant role in the game of poker. Imagine for a minute if giant piles of cash or coins were tossed into the center of the table while playing cards. Counting the change at the end of each game would not be as quick and efficient as it is with poker chips.