The poker chip that’s right for you
Now that you know how to play poker, you now
have the option to buy poker chips. Poker chips
or chips in general, have been around as early
as 1900s although gambling was already popular a
hundred of years before that. As time
progressed, poker chips have been more
standardized in terms of materials, design,
weight, as well as the prices. Casinos even put
microchips in their poker chips to avoid
replication. There are different materials used
for poker chips that will be discussed later on.
Before buying poker chips, consider the
following factors first.
• How often will you use the chips? If you plan
to use it only during Christmas season, it’s
okay to buy cheap plastic chips. This type you
may buy at any toy store.
• How many chips will you need? This depends of
course on how many will be playing on a usual
poker night. For a game of 3-4 people, you will
usually need around 300 chips.
• What quality of chips are you looking for?
If you prefer to have the ones like in casino,
be aware that this can cost you more; however,
you have the option to customize the chips on
how you want them to look as well as the weight.
• You may also consider buying a rack to store
your chips.
There are generally five types of poker chips,
as follows:
• Clay poker chips
This is the most durable and most expensive chip
style and it has the right feel in one’s hands
as they are smooth and easy to hold. What’s good
is, you can choose patterns for the chip. The
preferred clay chip weight is 8 grams.
• Suited poker chips
This type of poker chips is designed with suits
(hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs) all over the
edge of the chip. This kind is more for
aesthetic reasons.
• Casino poker chips
There are different types of casino poker chips
namely plastic casino, clay casino, and
composite clay. Plastic casino poker chips tend
to warp over time. Clay casino chips are
expensive but they tend to break easily,
although they look almost the same as real
casino poker chips. Composite clay chips never
break or warp and usually weigh 11.5 grams.
• Custom poker chips
As the name suggests, the buyer has the chance
to fully customize the appearance of the chips.
This usually makes the perfect gift.
• Discount poker chips
These are the cheapest style and ideal for
learning players or families. The set usually
contain chips with flaws like uneven colors and
patterns.
In terms of poker chip values, it is up to the
players to assign values. Usually though, the
colors and rates are white = $1, blue = $5, red
= $10, green $ 25, and black $100. If this is
the case, it is advised to purchase the most
number of chips for those with the lower values
because players usually consume these more
often.
