Robert, "Hold is the difference between the money dropped and the change in chips.."
Can we then rightly say that "Hold" will ALWAYS be the net gain by the casino? In your example we see a poor Nebraska farm boy come to the table and plunk down his $100. Let's say he is given 20-$5 chips and the table is a $5 minimum bet. He plays awhile, makes eyes at the waitress and thinks he's in love. He leaves the table with $80 in chips but decides he will give the waitress a $5 chip for a tip. He cashes in $75 in chips at the cage, but the table would have seen a $80 change in chips. Would this mean the "house" realized a $20 hold. How would they know or take in to account the tips to the waitresses, chip hounds like me and other means of 'loss' between the table and the cage? Inquiring minds want to know!