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Knocking on the poker table to indicate a check. Also known as a cash game, it is any ongoing cash poker game except for a tournament. The final face-up community card in Hold ‘em and Omaha. Poker Table Materials and Supplies For all your poker table needs, whether you are building, repairing or upgrading your poker table. We have a wide selection of shufflers, table felts and foam, drop boxes, cup holders, food carts and even our signature line of poker tables legs and table.

Some casinos use $2 chips at the $2/$4 limit games. It just makes things easier / quicker than having lots of $1 chips, or to have to constantly make change for $5 chips. Similarly, they'll use $20 chips at the $20 / $40 game. Some casinos also use $20 chips at Pai Gow tables, and set the minimum at $20.
When the poker room at Sands first opened, players could not re-buy at the table, so they devoted part of the rack to $2 chips which would be used for the rake. This was just to prevent the rake bucket from filling up with $1 chips too quickly. The $2 chips were marked 'Rake only'. However, they have since allowed people to re-buy out of the rack, so the $2 chips are gone. Turns out that most pots yield the max $5 rake anyway, so it's not that big an issue.

Knocking On Poker Table Game

I have a question related to cash game poker and the casino chips used at the table. While observing some cash games (mostly 1-2 NL, 3-6 Limit and 2-5 NL) I noticed that dealers had $2, $3 and $4 poker chips in the trays at the various levels. I was curious to what the significances of these chips and what they are used for. It did not appear that the players had these chips in any significant quantity or really at all, so my best guess it that they are used for rake purposes. I was just curious and couldn't find any information via Google so you input is appreciated.

You are correct. They are used mainly to color up before dropping the rake and bonus.

I have a question related to cash game poker and the casino chips used at the table. While observing some cash games (mostly 1-2 NL, 3-6 Limit and 2-5 NL) I noticed that dealers had $2, $3 and $4 poker chips in the trays at the various levels.

I'd heard of $2 and $3 denoms, but isn't $4 overdoing it just a little? Would the bucket really fill that fast?

I'd heard of $2 and $3 denoms, but isn't $4 overdoing it just a little? Would the bucket really fill that fast?

That might be for a $4/$8 game.
For the record, casinos sometimes make chips in all sorts of weird denominations. The $8 chip for Chinese New Year is pretty popular among Asian chip collectors, to the point where they generally aren't even circulated. I.E. You purchase them at the cage for face value.
Also, you can use ANY value chip at any game, provided it can be divided by what's in the dealer's rack. I.E. You can use a $20 chip at any game, but you can't use a $2.50 chip unless the dealer has other $2.50 chips or quarters in the rack.
Of course, every rule has an exception.
I recently saw a stack of $2.50 chips on a craps table. I was told that they can be used for half-unit betting - but only for toke bets.

I'd heard of $2 and $3 denoms, but isn't $4 overdoing it just a little? Would the bucket really fill that fast?

I think there could also be a slight issue of game protection in that area. It's easier for players to clearly see one chip being dropped for a rake, as opposed to multiple chips. I can't tell you how many times late in the evening I've seen an old table need a knife and supervisor to knock chips down in the drop box.
Atlantic City has it right (about the only thing they get right). They drop the rake into the tray, and it prevents continuous fills. I used to have a cool $2 chip from Hollywood Tunica that I used for a chip protector, but I lost it... :(

I'd heard of $2 and $3 denoms, but isn't $4 overdoing it just a little? Would the bucket really fill that fast?

I think there could also be a slight issue of game protection in that area. It's easier for players to clearly see one chip being dropped for a rake, as opposed to multiple chips. I can't tell you how many times late in the evening I've seen an old table need a knife and supervisor to knock chips down in the drop box.Game protection / watching the rake isn't a problem.
The chips to be raked remain on the table, on top of the rake drop box, or in a circle, where they can easily be seen and counted. After the hand is over, and after the pot has been shipped to the winner, THEN the chips are dropped into the rake drop box.

Atlantic City has it right (about the only thing they get right). They drop the rake into the tray, and it prevents continuous fills.

Connecticut does it that way too.
In fact, Foxwoods goes one step further.
When the pull the extra $1 for the bad beat, the slip a 'bad beat coupon' under the raked chips. When the hand is over, all the raked chips go into the dealer's tray, and the coupon goes into the cash drop.
These coupons are such a non-security risk that one time, when our table had only 2 coupons left and I was out of the hand, I went to the floor person for more. Instead of bringing them to the dealer, he just handed them to me.

Game protection / watching the rake isn't a problem.
The chips to be raked remain on the table, on top of the rake drop box, or in a circle, where they can easily be seen and counted. After the hand is over, and after the pot has been shipped to the winner, THEN the chips are dropped into the rake drop box.

Yeah, I should have clarified those two thoughts. I meant to add that game protection was only a slight issue. I don't think that's the reason at all... the MAIN reason is to keep the drop box from loading too much, so the floor doesn't have to be called over all the time to knock chips out of the way.
I will say that there are a LOT of dealers who drop before shipping the pot. I know there's a training issue there, but let's face it; poker dealers can get away with a lot more than general table game dealers. There's a guy at a casino I rarely play at who doesn't rake before a flop, like every other dealer does (and is supposed to). He has NEVER been corrected, and when I casually pointed it out to him during a tournament one time, he said 1) he wasn't aware he was supposed to, and 2) he wouldn't do it until corrected by staff. Right or wrong, OBVIOUSLY the cameras aren't too concerned with this, or else he would have known the FIRST time he did it.

When the pull the extra $1 for the bad beat, the slip a 'bad beat coupon' under the raked chips. When the hand is over, all the raked chips go into the dealer's tray, and the coupon goes into the cash drop.
These coupons are such a non-security risk that one time, when our table had only 2 coupons left and I was out of the hand, I went to the floor person for more. Instead of bringing them to the dealer, he just handed them to me.

Knocking On Poker Table Lamp

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's probably a good thing, since a dealer could 'accidentally' send two down the chute easily. Again, I don't think it would happen a lot, but it could happen.I know the Strat drops in gray $4 chips. And I know at the opening of Aria they had $3 chips in circulation at their 1/3NL tables, but they were removed shortly afterwards, although they remained in use in their 9/18 limit games. $2 chips stay in regular use at Rio and Red Rock poker rooms.

Posted on 2015-08-12 Comments (0)

Whiskey Poker (sometimes spelled Whisky Poker) is an older variant of poker, commonly played in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but fairly obscure today. Whiskey Poker was so named because it was often played for refreshments, and John Scarne asserts in Scarne on Cards that Whiskey Poker is, in fact, the ancestor from which modern Rummy games are descended. If you like Knock Poker, you’ll probably like Whiskey Poker too.

Object of Whiskey Poker

The object of Whiskey Poker is to end the hand with the highest possible five-card poker hand.

Setup

As with the majority of poker games, Whiskey Poker requires the use of one 52-card deck of poker cards, like Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards. You will also need chips to keep track of betting; each chip can represent a nominal value, or a defined amount of money, as agreed upon by the players. Distribute chips as appropriate.

In place of betting, each player may also be supplied with an arbitrary number of chips (e.g., five) and whoever has the lowest hand at the showdown must surrender one chip to the bank. Whoever runs out of chips first pays for the next round of drinks. (If you decide to play this way, ignore instructions below regarding betting.)

Shuffle and deal five cards to each player. Between the dealer and the player to their right, deal an extra hand, called the widow. Move the widow to the center of the table, keeping it face down.

Game play

After players have looked at their hands, the first betting round occurs. Betting is conducted according to the typical norms for betting in poker. After the betting, the turn goes to the player on the dealer’s left. This player has the right to exchange their hand with the hand on the table, in its entirety, without being able to see it ahead of time. After this, the next player to their left may do the same, and so on. If you decide to keep your cards, you have two options: you may simply pass, or you may knock; knocking allows everyone one last opportunity to exchange hands, with this phase of the game ending when the turn gets back to you.

The second betting round happens now. After that wraps up, the widow is exposed. The player to the dealer’s left has the first chance to play. Each player may take one card from the widow, then discard one card from their hand, face up, to the widow. Players also have the option to exchange their entire hand for the widow, but they may not exchange, say, three cards at once; it must be one card or all of them. Players do not have the option to pass; they must knock if they wish to not exchange any cards. As before, play ends when the turn gets back to the first player to knock.

The third and final betting round now takes place. After this comes the showdown. The player with the highest-ranked poker hand takes the pot.

Knocking On Poker Table Ideas

See also

Knocking On Poker Table

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Knocking On Poker Table Chairs

Posted in Game Rules Tags: card games, commerce games, poker, whiskey poker