If you’re new to poker, you might be unfamiliar with how poker chips work. You might know a few facts, like that the black chip is typically the highest in value. However, you might still need clarification if you’ve noted that values can change based on the game or tournament.
Additionally, there are home games and professional poker tournaments. Each variation has some preset rules and conditions that influence chip value. With so much apparent inconsistency, it can seem, at first glance, that the rules don’t make much sense.
With some understanding, however, you’ll see many constants in poker, regardless of where the game is played and even the type of game or tournament. To help you understand more about chip values and chip colors, we’ve created a brief overview of the values that are typically applied across poker games. Continue reading to learn how poker chip values work.
Value Ranges And Colors
Although every poker establishment can set unique poker chip values, most of the assigned values are maintained across games. Home games will include similar, if not identical, values, with the lowest denomination belonging to white. From there, the values increase, starting with red, blue, green, black, purple, yellow, orange, and a different green. You may also come across pink and other shades of blue.
The poker chip values
The assigned poker chip values are typically consistent across games. They are: $1, $5, $10, $20 (sometimes $25), $100, $500, $1000. You can find chips valued at $5,000 and $1,000 if there are high stakes. They might go up to as much as $25,000 or even $100,000.
Color-To-Value Breakdowns
For special games and tournaments, venues will have different chip colors. Players purchase into the game for a set amount that does not typically correlate with the amount they start with in their chip stacks. For cash games, poker chip values are typically the same across games. While there is no standard, most chip values are preserved.
A typical color-to-value breakdown looks like:
- White is $1
- Red is $5
- Blue, Brown, or Orange is $10
- Green is $20 or $25
- Black is $100
- Purple is $500
- Yellow, Orange, Gray is $1,000
- Red/White/Blue, or Orange or Gray is $5,000
- Darker Greens, Blues, and Browns are $25,000
- Lighter Blues or Grays are $100,000
In tournaments, there must be high poker chip values available. For major tournaments, the values may look like:
- Green is $25
- Black is $100
- Purple or Light Blue is $500
- Yellow/Gold is $1000
- Orange, Gray, is $5,000
- Dark Green/Brown is $25,000
- Pink is $100,000
- Red is $500,000
- Light Yellow is $1000,000
Familiarizing Yourself With The Game
Poker chip values vary from one game to the next. Whether you’re playing a home game or are enrolled in a tournament, you can expect some variation, especially with the high-value chips. The easiest way to get started is to familiarize yourself with one set chip value system. Once you adjust, you can more easily substitute values as they apply to new games.
