All In Chip

When the 2006 World Series of Poker got underway in the summertime in Las Vegas, players noticed a few things that were different from the year before. The food was different, and more accessible, as were the bathrooms and the staggered breaks, but one thing stood out immediately as each player took his seat in the first game of the season. An oversized chip with no monetary value that, players were told, was their "All In chip."What was the All In chip? It was used to signify that a player was All In, rather than requiring the player to move all of their chips towards the pot as usual. Players had the choice of using it or not - they could push their chips in, use only the All In chip, or both.So, then, what was the point? The point was to clear communication and speed up play, two very admirable goals.If a player pushed chips forward and did not declare All In, for example, and lost, and forgot a chip or two, then they were technically still in play. If a player put their All In chip in the middle, however, they were All In regardless.The all in chip was a good move, but not one without drawbacks. Die hard players were having trouble getting their head around the chip, and many long time players just ignored it and continued to move the chips forward. There were none visible at the TV tables either, and then there was the rumor of one player who, playing with the chip, lost control of it and it rolled to the center of the table. The floor manager declared it a binding All In declaration, and the player lost the hand and was out of the Main Event just like that.