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Guide to Purchasing
Poker Chips, Poker Cases
POKER CHIPS
Poker Chips have been around in one form or another for as long as people have needed a way to keep track of their winnings. They are made from a variety of materials and made in a variety of styles. The most common materials used to manufacture poker chips are plastic, clay composite, and acrylic composite.
A brief history of clay poker chips…Pure clay chips were used during the late 1800’s in the United States, they were so fragile and broke so easily they were soon replaced by clay filled composite poker chips to increase their durability and security. Early in the 1900’s clay poker chips were commonly molded from Plaskon, which is an unreaformaldehyde molding compound. Starting in the 1930’s die-cut metal foil was added to the chips to give them a unique identity and added security. The Flamingo Casino was opened by Bugsy Siegel with these new clay poker chips. Then, in the 1940’s even greater security was added when they began printing in the centers and using edge spots. In the 1950’s most casinos began using poker chips with house designs, logos, or both molded into the rim and the top of the chips. Today, the style and materials used in manufacturing poker chips is unique to each casino. Some use cloth fiber reinforced polymer molded chips, some chips have metal coin centers with structural plastic outer rims, and some have just recently introduced an all metal alloy poker chips that is anodized in a variety of brilliant colors.
Composite Metal Core Poker Chips – These chips are probably the most common and durable of poker chips, and are generally 11.5 grams and 39mm diameter. These chips are injection molded from a particulate filled thermo set (does not soften when heated) plastic around an internal metal slug for an exact “casino” look and feel. These chips work very well for adding personalization or adding security using hot stamping or decals. Almost all metal core poker chips are manufactured in either Taiwan or China.
Clay Poker Chips – In reality there is no such thing as a “pure” clay poker chip. What is generally referred to as a clay poker chip is in actuality a clay composite poker chip and is made up of part clay mixed into a durable high impact polymer matrix. Clay composite chips range in style and weight, usually between 8 grams to 13.5 grams, with any clay poker chip that weighs over 10 grams includes a metal insert, but all chips are casino standard size of 39mm diameter.
Casino Poker Chips – These chips are the gold standard, they are the very best in terms of security. Casino poker chips are produced by an extremely limited number of bonded companies, all of which are located in the United States. Each casino has its own secret blend composition used to mold their individual poker chips; this is one of the main defenses used to prevent counterfeiting. All casino poker chips are injection molded with copyrighted designs in manufacturing facilities with such high security, they rival the US mint. Most modern casino chips are a synthetic polymer acrylic composite with a laminated center. If these are the chips you want, you will either have to buy them directly from the casino at face value, or purchase them from a reseller, usually with quite a large mark-up. Most casino poker chips vary slightly in weight, but are usually between 9.5 to 10 grams.
Plastic Poker Chips – These chips are considered an entry level economical poker chip that you could find and purchase just about anywhere. Plastic poker chips vary in quality and weight from the extremely cheap chips you could find at the supermarkets in the toy aisle to solid plastic poker chips weighing as much as 7 grams. Plastic poker chips do not offer much in terms of security and can be easily damaged. They lack the look and feel of composite poker chips and tend to “tinkle” when splashing the pot.
POKER CHIP CASES
A poker chip case is a very important to protect and secure the investment of your poker chips, cards, and dealer button. After making this level of investment, can you afford to not protect your poker chips and poker supplies? Your poker chips will remain safe under lock and key during play, so you can concentrate on your play. Lost or missing poker chips will be quickly determined when you rack the poker chips back into the poker chip case. Lost of missing poker chips can really cost you if they are lost during the penny-ante game on Tuesday and reintroduced into the high stakes game on Friday.
Poker chips cases come in a wide range of styles, materials and price ranges. Choose the case that best fits your needs and budget. Most poker chip sellers offer complete sets with a case included. Plastic, inexpensive poker chips need not be protected, so the poker chip case may be as simple as a shoebox. Once you move into the midrange or high-end casino style poker chips, you should definitely consider a quality lockable case.
Metal Poker Chip Cases is the most common and popular poker chip case. Most metal poker chip cases are constructed from structural aluminum in a wide variety of styles and price ranges. The quality of metal poker chip cases varies considerably, so keep in mind that metal is not synonymous with desirability. Some metal poker chip cases are not all metal and may have plastic panels and parts in their construction. In addition, some metal poker chip cases are not lockable or some may have sharp corners, and exceptionally lightweight metal sheets will not last long. The features to look for in a quality metal case are medium weight, all metal (aluminum preferred) construction with added reinforcement in the critical stress areas. Keyed locks to keep poker chips and supplies secure. The style to look for is beveled construction with round corners and edges, the carrying handle should be heavy and double riveted directly to the frame. The overall appearance of the poker chip case should be a well fitted, grooved lid, uniform seams, and finish with no sharp edges or ill-fitting parts. The interior of the poker chips case should be flocked trays that fit the poker chips in a snug fashion and have card and accessory trays. When closed, the poker chips should be held firmly in place.
Wood Poker Chip Cases with custom brass fittings are many peoples favorite poker chip case. Wood poker chips cases, like most other cases can come in a variety of styles and price ranges, from the low end pine models to the (you can’t afford it), carved exotic word, with inlayed precious metals handmade by a master cabinet maker. Most affordable wood poker chip cases are constructed from pine, mahogany, oak, cherry and other hard woods. Look for the same features listed in the metal poker chip case description. Quality construction and finish, heavy duty handles and hinged, keyed locks, and well fitted removable poker chip trays are a must. In general, you should except to pay more for a good quality wood poker chip case, but you can expect to receive years of use.
Vinyl Poker Chip Cases are a step above the plastic case and provides greater protection for your poker chip set. The vinyl poker chip case is usually constructed from wood or plastic and covered with a vinyl material. Vinyl poker chip cases may or may not be lockable. The weight of a 500 piece set with 11.5g poker chips is around 20lbs and places considerable amount of stress on the poker chip case and mostly the handle. We have found that often times the vinyl case handles will break off from the rest of the case and most sellers no longer sell this style of case due to too many problems.
Plastic Poker Chip Cases are the entry level carrying case for your poker chips. These cases are usually not lockable and provide the simplest method of storing and carrying your poker chips, and supplies. Plastic poker chip cases offer the lowest cost and the shortest life of the specialized poker chip cases. The lack of security required constant vigilance of your poker chips during the game.
The Right Poker Chip Set is determined by answering a couple simple questions. How much can you afford to pay for your poker chip set? How many players will be using the poker chips in a game? As with most things, you get what you pay for. The best advice is to buy the highest quality poker chip set you can afford. It is rare to be sorry that you opted for a higher line of goods, so buy the best poker chip set your budget will allow. A good rule of thumb for quantity of poker chips is as follows:
3-4 players – 300 poker chips
4-6 players – 400-500 poker chips
6-8 players – 500-650 poker chips
8-10+ players – 1000+ poker chips (depending on numbers)
The above guide is a suggested number only. Remember that you cannot really have too many poker chips, only too few, so buy all the poker chips you can afford! Many poker chip sellers maintain an open stock of poker chips so you can purchase more as you need them. Add a good lockable poker chip case to protect your poker chips and you are ready to enjoy Americas favorite past time – POKER!!
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