WESTMINSTER, Colo. — John McCain bet with $100 chips. Barack Obama threw nickels around like they were manhole covers.

Maybe that's why Obama thinks it's a subject worth harping on — even though both men played in the company of lobbyists.

Betting habits of the presidential candidates is a hot topic on the campaign trail now, in the wake of reports that McCain played at a casino table he oversaw as a member of a Senate committee.

As even a casual player knows, you can learn a lot about a person by the games they play — and the places they lay down their money.

Campaigning here yesterday, Obama took a jab at McCain based on the latest from The New York Times. The paper reported over the weekend that McCain played high-stakes rounds at a craps table at a Connecticut casino with a lobbyist for the Mashantucket Pequot tribe.

McCain was a chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which has a lot to say about the laws that govern Native American casinos.

Speaking to the crowd at a local high school, Obama tied the gambling story to Washington's — which is to say, McCain's - failure to prevent the Wall Street crisis.

"I read the other day that Sen. McCain likes to gamble," Obama said. "He likes to roll those dice. And that's OK. I have a little confession, I enjoy a little friendly game of poker myself every now and then.

"But one thing I know is this: We can't afford to gamble on four more years of the same disastrous economic policies we've had for the last eight."

There's potentially a bonus payout for Obama in stoking the gaming story. It's already picking up steam with social conservatives who don't take kindly to the part about McCain gambling.

But as Obama notes, he has played a game or two himself. When he was a member of the Illinois Senate, Obama was a regular member of a poker group that members referred to as "The Committee Meeting."

His frugal way with betting earned the Democrat a reputation of stinginess. He didn't take many risks with his own money, said one former colleague.

"I only wish that the agenda of Barack Obama would be as conservative as the poker he played," said state Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican businessman who joined in the poker nights when Obama was a member.

Like Obama, Republicans are also trying to turn the metaphor to their purpose.

"During this economic downturn, Americans aren't willing to bet on a wild card; they want the best odds for their money and that's why they are voting for John McCain," said Chris Taylor, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.