Barry, what you are proposing is just why the casino doesn't want roulette chips to walk.

You have honest intentions, but someone else may try the same thing, and then buy in at a higher value, and then try to "ring in" with the lower buy-in chips.

Trade them or sell them to someone who collects, for a buck each.

I try to cull out the chips I want for my collection, as I'm playing. So I sort through for the best few, and stack them for my pocket and then get just the ones I want.

You can call me chicken, but I only take three chips at a sitting. I don't want to harm the casino by taking a full stack, and the old guide, one for me, one for a friend and one to trade, is just fine.

I also think that casinos have been on top of collectors for years and expect people to pocket a chip or two. The old concern that they will have a broken rack and have to close the table, may have been true in the old days, but now they have ample back-up.

I have actually seen tables with odd size stacks, when I come to the table. Maybe they aren't worried about an exact count when most of the players are at 50c or a buck. If someone goes for a higher value, there might be a color that does have an exact count?

Oh by the way, if I'm losing, I wait until the last spin, with the last of my chips. Lose and get up and walk. By then the dealer is working to stack chips from the other people and I'm gone by the time they notice a few chips are short.

If I'm winning, I cash out and while they are stacking all the other colors, I'm also off and walking.

I've been the only player at a tiny casino and pocketed the two chips, not even three, and they never said a word. I think the two short would be obvious, but it was worth the try. No problems.

Meanwhile, I would say that trying to return a roulette to the casino is just what the subject line says. The Worst Case Scenario..

And I might add - Cluck Cluck. lol