Tab Card (poker)
A credit account available in some clubs to favored customers
(generally those on whom a credit check has been run), to which
a player can charge chips to play on. This is a convenient means
for a player to get around the difficulty of carrying large
amounts of cash on his person. The tab card is usually kept
track of on a ledger card with transactions initialed by the
player or a house official or both. The cashier is usually responsible
for keeping the records straight. In most clubs, a player is
supposed to leave a check for the amount charged at the end
of a playing session if he does not cash in as much as he charged.
Frequently a player with charging privileges does so against
a blank, signed check. If he loses, he fills out the check for
the proper amount; if he wins, the blank check remains attached
to his tab card, to be used the next time. When such a player
calls for chips at the table, he usually fills out a charge
slip, called a ticket, for the amount requested.
