John, I don't usually get into roulettes (I have just one set from one casino) but the "counting before cashing out" as you reported would not stop the determined roulette collector.
He would simply allow a few of them to accidentally fall into his pocket while playing, let himself get down to just 5 roulette chips which he would then play on the next spin, and then if he lost on that spin he immediately leaves the table
before the dealer even has time to separate the various colors. In other words, he would not have any "cashing in" to be done.
Don