How to Play Poker Without Chips: Creative and Practical Ideas

Check your local laws if you’re considering actual cash games, though. Non-profit home games are legal in most states, but not all of them (profit, in this case, is defined as taking a rake/vig and not simply beating your friends at the game).

Candy

Do you know what else comes in various colors and types? Candy! You could opt for a family-sized bag of Skittles or M&Ms. They are different colors, and assigning values to those colors would be easy. But that means everyone will play with sticky hands, and the winner can’t eat the candies they win (not when they have passed through so many hands).

It’s much better to use individually wrapped candies like Jolly Ranchers. You could even buy a few candy bars and use them as super-sized chips.

Board Game Pieces or Money

You could be sitting on a goldmine of replica poker chips without even realizing it—check your board games. Games like Trivial Pursuit come with stacks of colorful little pieces and some bigger ones to use as larger-value chips. If you have a game that uses fake money, like Monopoly, that’s even better!

The game that has been the source of countless board game nights (not to mention the arguments that result from such nights) can now supply your poker nights!

Matchsticks or Popsicle Sticks

You can pick up a box of matches for just a few bucks. You may already have one or two in the house. If not, save those popsicle sticks in preparation for the next game night. If you buy and consume many of them, it’ll be a free and handy alternative to using real poker chips.

Bottle Caps

Start collecting your bottle caps. Any cap will do, whether it’s a metal cap from a beer bottle, a screw cap from soda, or a cork from a wine bottle. The more variety you have, the better, as you need caps to represent different chip values.

If you serve drinks throughout the night, you may accumulate more “chips” as you go. Ensure the ones you serve on the night are accounted for, and no one inflates their stack after drinking a few beers!

Another Deck of Cards

One of the easiest ways to play poker without chips is to use another deck of cards. They are cheap and stackable, and if you’re a poker fan, you may already have a few decks around the house.

Just assign different values to each card. You can keep it simple by sticking with blackjack values, in which case ace can be 1, 2-9 are worth the amount on their face, and all others are worth 10—or assign your own.

The trick is to use a deck that is very different from the one you’re playing with. You don’t want to mix the two up, as you’ll be going up against five- and six-of-a-kind hands, and things will get very confusing. Choose one that can be differentiated from the playing deck with a single glance.

Nuts and Bolts

Dig around in your toolbox and see what you can find. Nuts and bolts are perfect, as they are small and come in various sizes. Don’t use anything sharp; wash them first if they are oily or greasy.

Summary: How to Play Poker Without Chips

Casino chips are a good investment if you want to do things properly. The average set contains all the standard poker chip color values found in most US casinos, so it’s an excellent way to practice for the real deal. But as the above proves, you don’t need an actual set and can get by with everything from board games to matchsticks, coins, and candy.

Get creative, and your poker night will be one to remember! The only thing left to do is master the game and beat your friends. Check out our guide on how to read opponents in online poker to learn how simply paying attention to their betting habits can tell you what you need to know.