i recently started playing at 1/2 nl at delaware park and i am wondering how safe my chip stack is when i am away from the table?

if u want to get up, color up ur chips and take it with it and then come back

• They'll be safe. The floor will pick them up if you are away too long. Say over a half hour.
• If your just running to get a smoke, going to the bathroom, taking a short walk don't worry about it. Anything longer ask for a "dinner break", or talk to the floor/dealer to get a seat reserve.
• Be aware that you'll have to pay your set of blinds for each set missed.
• Many rooms will pick up your chips and you loose your seat if you miss three sets of blinds. You can retrieve your chips from the floor when you return
  and get reseated.
• Different rooms have different rules... ask the floor/dealer.

You should be much more concerned with rudeness than safety. I think any more than about 30 minutes is discourteous.

I suspect the OP is worried if his chips will be stolen when he runs to say the bathroom. I hope he is not thinking about being away longer. Yes that can be rude and players will call for the floor to pick up his chips.

I think the last is most important.

In rooms I've been in dealers place an absent button in front of players who are not there when they start their down. A down lasts 30 minutes. I've seen at least 3 absent buttons build up and never seen anyone picked up. This has been places like Borgata in AC and Venetian in LV. Maybe they are quicker to pick up players in smaller rooms where each seat is in higher demand.

Also, in rooms I've played in, the player has to pay ONE set of blinds when he returns or wait for the big blind to reach him. That's regardless of the number of rounds missed.

Also I think they will generally be safe but there are threads about the rare occasions with chips being stolen from players who are away, whether it's returning to find the stack is $20 lower or situations where "a friend" came by and picked up chips for their friend.

There are several threads here that discuss times when this was not the case. The casinos are not obligated to refund you if someone comes along and swipes your chips 45 minutes after you've left the table. It's usually the players at the table who keep your chips safe, not the staff, because the dealers push out regularly so after 30 minutes the new dealer at the table has no clue who the chips belong to. So if you show up, play silently for 5 minutes, and then disappear for an hour, don't be all that surprised if nobody remembers you when a stranger appears and cashes you out.

Generally you'll be fine making restroom runs and other quick trips out and about. But if you head to Outback and return an hour later, there's probably only a 99.998% chance your chips will be there, and you may or may not have luck getting the casino to reimburse you.

To improve your chances, make sure people know you. Say something about heading to dinner as you go to call attention to yourself, and take any cash or large chips off the table during your absence (and announce it as you're doing so--you will be replacing the cash/chips when you return). So if you have 8 $100 chips at the table, and 5 stacks of $5's, take the $800 with you as you go. Also, know how much was in your stacks as you go--count 'em (perhaps even count 'em so the cameras above can see it).

Or just fly dangerously and don't worry about it. That's what most folks do and they go forever without getting burned. It's not that common a problem.

Always keep a count. A few years ago i ALWAYS drank beer when i played and i went to the bathroom often, leaving my chips. The cameras only help if you ask someone to review. Even then, the thief will just leave. Let guys see you counting them alot, and they will leave your stack alone.

keep a count
put something or smaller chips on top of your stack, so missing big ones is noticeable
take bills or large chips with you
slide you stack away from the guy next to you that is least reputable

this is pretty much true at del park. i've seen people take an hour away from the table and then come back. i've seen tables shut down with players away for a while and they just bag the chips and put them at the front desk.

first time i was there 2 or 3 guys took the full 90 minutes for a dinner break, came back more drunk than they left.

most i have ever been away was about a 30-minute break. was desperately hungry.

If you're at a room that has Bravo units at the tables, make sure that you're logged in the correct seat before you take a dinner break/extended break. That way if the table breaks while you're gone, the dealer can have the floor get your info off your player's card to further ensure the chips get to their rightful owner.

In our bigger games, players will request that playover boxes be put on their chips while on extended breaks. It rarely happens in $1/$2, but I'm sure if you requested it, the floor would probably accommodate.

I'd say you're 99.9% safe in most casinos. i guess it could happen, but there is probably an equal (or greater) chance of someone randomly breaking into your house or car while you are at the table. i don't know what the casino's obligation is, but i do know they take great care to protect the players. everything is on camera, so if something does go awry, it will be caught on tape. I've seen the Venetian fill out forms recording the time, date, table, seat etc for a SINGLE $1 chip left at a table. They bagged it and put it into safe keeping at the cage.

As everyone has said but I'll repeat just so you realize this is a slam dunk, your chips are fine for a trip to the bathroom, even if it's #2. Don't worry about it.

For longer trips, you're generally fine, but absolutely take more care:
- Check the rules to see how long you can lobby for.
- Check to see whether there's a "dinner list" or something like that where you actually leave the table, but are put at the top of the list when you return. This benefits both you and the casino.
- Count your chips before you go.
- Stack them neatly with higher denomination chips least accessible and your stack easily verified by a quick glance (even-sized stacks, excess chips on top) and not easily knocked over by your neighbors.
- Take cash and high denomination chips with you. If you're at a NL table you may need to declare how much you're taking off, and you'll be required to put it back on the table.
- You don't need to make a big deal about leaving, just announce you're going to dinner / lunch / take a walk / whack off in the bathroom and people will get a decent look at your face. If you play often enough most of the dealers will know your board name and face anyway.

I'd check with your room about this - pretty sure you can't take chips off the table while in-play, mostly because there is a chance there will be a different dealer when you return so there will be no way to ensure that $800 gets back in-play at the table.

At my local b&m, I've only ever seen it once, but after about an hour and 15 minutes the floor came and counted out a players chips, bagged them and labeled the bags, and told the dealer and players that when he comes back to send em to the podium. Sure enough, right then the player showed up.

Only place I've heard of players taking chips while gone for a bathroom / smoke break is the Taj, never seen it happen though.

If you look around most poker rooms, there will be a tiny sign that says they are not responsible for chips left on the table, so they can't really stop you from taking chips and cash when you take a break. I almost always take my cash and really big chips.

Also, generally it's the players who police the amount in play, not the dealers. If someone objects to him taking his $100s, he can simply say, "$800 behind" when he stands up.

Is it not common for dealers to check all $100's in play for counterfeits? In my room, we have to check all money with counterfeit pens and verify watermarks before exchanging for chips or allowing cash to play. Players demanded that we check all $100's again when they were taken off the table and brought back, so we quit allowing players to take cash with them while walking. It can be very time-consuming rechecking all bills when it's $3k+. They are required to exchange cash for chips and walk with chips or use a playover box.

I've never seen 100s checked with a pen. Long ago, they used to make us staple the 100s into bundles of 5k and 10k, then sign or initial the top bill.

Not sure about Delaware Park, but don't do this at Taj mahal in AC for very long.. I had nearly $300 chips stolen from my stack in a 10 minute span.. all I did was go have a smoke and a restroom break. I came back and my stack was $300 lighter. They got a description of the guy who did it from the cameras, but I never did get my money back...

to each his own, but i have seen and been around when many times large amounts were taken from stacks and only a few times did the person get any back.

protect your money as you see fit to. but the casino does not even though they may appear to be concerned.

Funny story that happened at Oaks in California. 2-100 spread limit. seat 4 is lobbying. drunk white guy (DWG) in seat 5 doubled up thru me and instantly sits out to walk around. DWG returns within 10 minutes and sits in SEAT FOUR. nobody notices. seat 4 has about $200 and seat 5 has about $300. within 20 minutes, DWG loses all the money he has in front of him and leaves the table steaming about the bad beats. A new player sits in seat 4.

10 minutes after DWG leaves, a man in his late 20s/early 30s comes to the table and asks, "hey! where's my chips?" We pointed to the chipstack in seat 5 and the man said "no, I don't remember having that much chips."

The dealer points out that the man mustave been lobbying for over 50 minutes, and the house rule states that chips will be picked up by a floor after three missed orbits.

None of the players remember anybody picking up chips. Eventually, we all realized DWG sat in the wrong seat and lost all of seat 4's money.

The floor checked the cameras (to this day I still don't believe the ceiling cameras can count player's chipstacks) and concluded that seat 4 has two full stack of $5 and one stack of $1 for a total of $220. The floor took that amount from seat 5's chipstack and gave it to the man who was lobbying for over 50 minutes. The floor then racked up the rest and put it in holding so if DWG returns, he may claim his chips.

Chances are DWG will never get his money back. He wouldn't even know to ask.

Chip Security: Mention to your neighbor you're leaving AND drop your hat over the stack. This might keep random chips from walking away.

As for breaks, like has been mentioned, show courtesy for others and if your going to be gone longer than to take a smoke and dump a load, pick up and leave. How rude can you be to leave your stack while you go out for a steak, tying up a seat? If the game's so juicy, freaking stay and play. The game'll get a little less juicy when some ass-hat leaves for dinner. It'll get allot less juicy with two tied-up seats.

people who need pens to determine counterfeits shouldn't be handling money in the first place imo

FYP. Thanks for your opinion though.

If you're going to be gone for a long period of time, announce you are leaving, and put your player's card with your chips. That way, if you were picked up, they'll know exactly who the chips belong to.

My local room won't pick anyone up unless there is a list waiting for seats. I had to beg the floor to pick up some chips once after they sat there for over 3 hours. No one at the table knew who they belonged to (and neither did I), and I didn't want some random person sitting down to take/play the chips. No one would have known the wiser. Took me about 3 pleas before they finally bagged them.

To answer your question...for as little a time as you possibly can.