A Chip and a Chair
Edited reviewed in-house335 wordsby the EasyPlay.Vegas desk
The saying ‘a chip and a chair’ means that so long as you’ve got a chip and a chair then you have a chance to win. It originates from the 1982 World Series of Poker where Jack Straus was down to only one $25 chip early in the tournament, but staged a remarkable comeback to win the event and become World Champion.
21+ No operator we name holds a licence from a state regulator, and what you are allowed to play is settled by the state you sit in, not by us. This desk books no wagers, holds no balances and deals no cards — every button hands you over to the operator, and the terms you agree to there are the operator’s own. Conditions ride on every offer. Who pays this site, and for what.
Casino sites with a welcome from a $20 deposit
What put each of these rooms on this page, and what its welcome offer demands in exchange. A commission reaches us if you open an account; every figure is the operator’s own.
- 1
Welcome from a $20 deposit
230% match up to $20,000 across the welcome package, code ROYALSHOW
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 40x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Government of Anjouan (Union of Comoros), Curacao eGaming
- Running since
- 2020
- The catch
- Wagering is 40x — nothing on this list asks for more.
- 2
Welcome from a $20 deposit
100% up to $2,000 + 20 free spins on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 35x on bonus plus deposit
- Free spins
- 20
- Running since
- 2013
- The catch
- Our record names no licence for this operator at all.
- 3
Welcome from a $20 deposit
245% + 55 free spins
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 40x
- Free spins
- 55
- The catch
- We hold no independent record of this operator beyond its own pages.
- 4
Welcome from a $20 deposit
250 free spins on the first deposit, 25 per day for 10 days
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 1x on the deposit
- Free spins
- 250
- Licence on record
- Panama Gaming Commission
- The catch
- We hold two independent records of this operator, which is thin for this list.
- 5
Welcome from a $20 deposit
200% up to $500 on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 40x
- Running since
- 2013
- The catch
- We hold one independent record of this operator, which is thin for this list.
- 6
Welcome from a $20 deposit
Welcome offer up to $8,000 across the first four deposits
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 30x
- Licence on record
- Anjouan, Comoros Gambling License Authority
- Running since
- 2019
- The catch
- The operator has only been running since 2019 — a short record next to the rest of this list.
- 7
Welcome from a $20 deposit
250% up to $1,500 on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 40x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2016
- The catch
- Casino only: there is no sportsbook on the same wallet.
- 8
Welcome from a $20 deposit
100% up to $1,000 on the first deposit with code CAWELCOME100
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 25x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2011
- The catch
- We have not tested a withdrawal at Bovada Casino ourselves.
- 9
Welcome from a $20 deposit
125% up to $1,000 on the first deposit with code SIGNUP1000
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 30x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao, Saint Kitts And Nevis
- Running since
- 1996
- The catch
- No poker room sits behind this account.
- 10
Welcome from a $20 deposit
Crypto welcome: 300% up to $3,000 split between casino and poker
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 25x
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2016
- The catch
- No crypto payout is listed in our record — card and wire only.
Every room above accepts deposits from the United States and keeps the account in US dollars. Not one holds a licence from a US state regulator; a licence our record does name is printed in that room’s card. A commission reaches us if you open an account, and every figure above is the operator’s own — read yours in their cashier before paying anything in, and our procedure says what this list is and is not.
A Chip and a Chair – Dave Tarbet
Thus the old ‘chip and a chair’ adage is now widely invoked by short stacked tournament players all over the world.
So if you do happen to be down to your last chip or chips in a tournament, here are some tips that might enable you to perform a Staus–like miracle:
- Although Straus was down to a single chip, that was because he lost a big pot where his opponent had one fewer chip than he did. Try not to let yourself go that low. When you have only 3 big blinds it really is time to make a stand.
- Although a multi-way pot might give you a chance to treble your money or more, you are also more likely to go bust. Furthermore, your opponents are likely to check the pot down when you are all-in to try and eliminate you. (This is not collusion and is good tournament strategy) The best chance you have to get more chips and stay in the tournament is against just one other player.
- The hands you should be looking to go all-in with and try to double up are hands that can win on their own without any help from the community cards. For example an Ace-rag rather than a Jack-Ten.
- Position is still important, even when short stacked. If you choose to go all-in under the gun it is more likely that you’ll get one or more callers behind you, and someone will probably have a better hand.
- Keep your eye on the size of your stack in relation to the blinds at all times. Although you might be very short stacked one minute, a couple of double ups might allow you to adjust your strategy and not be looking to find an opportunity to go all-in and double up.
So next time you take a bad beat in a tournament and find yourself the low stack don’t lose heart and think of Jack Straus. Untill next time.