A sign on the gaming table, or suspended above it, indicates
the table stakes. Each game has different stakes, and individual bets may
differ within the stake level. The value of the table chips is automatically
the value of the minimum stake. The lowest staking tables are often the most
crowded, and the highest staking tables are generally located in the salon
prive (private room).
Bets within a game may also vary. On roulette, for example,
the minimum stake on the outside bets may be higher than the minimum on the
inside bets (see roulette tutorial).
Although the value of the color (table) chips is automatically the minimum
stake, customers may request a higher value. For example, the minimum stake on
a roulette table may be $2 (meaning that each color chip is worth $2). If a
player requests that his or her chips are marked to, say $25, a special marker
is used to denote the new value of the chips.
Casinos often have lower minimum stakes during the quieter
mid-week period, increasing the stakes over the weekends and holidays, when
the casino is busy.