inside chips vanished

sat down at my usual terminal last night and the inside chips i left were gone. i know some folks will say it’s “house rules” or whatever but i always double check before i get up and no staff was nearby when i left. i’m not new, so i get it’s a risk but still feels off when it happens. maybe someone else thought my spot was abandoned? i play single zero and tend to stick to the inside streets and corners, same setup every time so maybe i make it too obvious. it’s never happened before though, even when i take a bathroom break.

does anyone else just accept it as one of those “learning” moments or should i be doing something different? i’m always careful with receipts too and track my tickets, so losing chips like that just nags at me. maybe i should get one of those chip guards or something. roulette karma or just bad luck, not sure yet. would love to know what others think.