Chip race
Also: race off, colour up, color up
The procedure for removing a denomination from play when the blinds have outgrown it. Each player's odd chips are raced off by dealing cards for them, the winners taking a chip of the next denomination up, so no one is left holding currency the game no longer uses.
As blinds rise, the smallest chips stop being worth the table space. Rather than round every stack and either create or destroy chips, tournaments run a race: the dealer deals one card face up per odd chip a player holds, highest cards win the larger chips, and the total number of chips in play stays correct.
Two details matter to a player. First, a race can cost a short stack real equity or hand it a windfall, because a single chip at that stage may be a meaningful fraction of a stack. Second, by convention no player is raced out of a tournament entirely - a player who loses everything in the race is given one chip of the new denomination and plays on.
Colouring up is the step either side of it: exchanging a pile of small chips for the equivalent in larger ones, where the amounts divide evenly and no race is needed.
Related terms
Full glossaryFrequently asked questions
How does a chip race work?
The dealer deals one card face up for each odd chip a player holds in the denomination being removed. The highest cards win chips of the next denomination up, keeping the total chips in play correct.
Can you be eliminated by a chip race?
By convention, no. A player who wins nothing in the race is given a single chip of the new denomination and continues playing.
What is the difference between a chip race and colouring up?
Colouring up simply exchanges small chips for the equivalent value in larger ones, where the amounts divide evenly. A race is needed only for the odd chips left over.