Poker Chip Tricks 101: The Chip Snap

The chip snap is a fairly simple poker chip trick. While it is not really fancy to look at, it is still a fun thing to do. What's more, by doing the chip snap, your hands become more attuned and familiar to flipping and handling poker chips.

Think of the chip snap as the most basic poker chip trick you could learn. Here we offer you a step-by-step guide on how to do this simple trick.

1. Begin by placing two chips on the palm of your hand. Try to place it so that you could somehow grip it just by palming it.

2. Put your thumb on top of the uppermost chip. Your thumb will be used to slide the chip.

3. With your thumb, slide the uppermost chip onto your fingers. Slide it until the two chip edges meet.

4. Slide the chip a little more so that the outermost edge will rest on the pad of your fingers.

5. With your thumb still in place, bend your fingers in a 'come here' motion. By doing so, you will start to make the chip flip backwards.

6. Maintain applying pressure using the thumb. Be sure that your other fingers push the chip downward, and not just support it.

7. Remove your thumb while still pushing down on the chip with your other fingers. This will cause your fingers to lock down on the chip, returning it to its original position. By doing this fast enough, you will get a loud snap.

8. If you want a louder snap, do the following steps. Instead of supporting the chips with the pad of your thumb, sandwich your thumb in the middle of the chips.

9. With your thumb still sandwiched, Push down on the uppermost chip using your other fingers. Make sure your thumb also applies pressure on the chip.

10. Still pushing down with your other fingers, flick your thumb outward. This will cause the chips to snap loudly. If you do this fast enough, you will have a loud enough snap to distract other players.

Of course, it is not proper poker etiquette to distract other players by snapping your chips. However, doing it once in a while is not something bad. Other players blabber throughout the game, so snapping your chips at strategic moments won't really hurt that much.

Practice this simple poker chip trick, and you will be on your way to learning other tricks. Use the chip snap to pass your time while waiting for your turn, or even to distract other players.