If you’re paying more, I think you should get more than looks.‡ I want to see improved handling as well, and the Monte Carlo chips do not deliver. But I also bet you couldn’t easily perform the same feat with the Super Diamond chips on the left. Something to keep in mind, however, is that you cannot order blank ceramic chips. † I should take a moment to mention that there is another sub-variety of dice chips that avoid some, but not all, of the slipperiness problems. Take a look at the following two photos with Super Diamonds on the left and typical dice chips on the right. For a set of 500 poker chips, for example, you should have 200, 150, 100, and 50 chips in white, red, blue and green, respectively. ‡ Personally, I think the foil design looks better in website photography than in person. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I like my poker chips to look a little more muted, and a little less loud than the designs available now through most manufacturers. Sure you could go off book and use all manner of wild colors to represent 1s, 5s, etc., and if you never plan to play 18xx with anyone but your small group, that may work for you. In forming my opinions and mining the net for information on poker chips, I read a lot and watched a lot of review videos. Our chips are high quality clay poker chips with the classic clay poker chip … As is, my curiosity got the better of me: I really wanted $20 chips. But that of course depends greatly on the particular lighting and the particular shade of yellow (this is purportedly a problem with the Majestics). The Chip Cave has the largest selection of clay-composite, ceramic, and plastic poker chips around. I feel strongly enough about the $25 chips being more hassle than boon that I think it’s worth putting up with the potential color differentiation problems. That can be invaluable as a time-saver (you don’t have to ask your opponent how much cash he’s holding) as well as a way to keep your plans secret (if you ask Amber how much money she has, she’ll know you’re up to something! In fact, you get really used to the color of your poker chips. When it comes to playing 18xx, an article like this can make is sound as if assembling the perfect set of poker chips is crucial to a quality experience. However, if you know what to look for, you can find some great chips that are worth the extra cash. I can understand how that might be annoying over a long gaming session. Because they were unlabeled, you were free to attach any value you liked to each chip. Thousands of Casino, Poker, & Gambling supplies in stock and ready to ship. Poker Chips are made from a variety of materials with clay poker chips and ceramic poker chips being the most popular. A simpler distribution also makes counting chips across the table easier. Sale. They don’t feel as nice overall even if they more reliably resist slippage. The major difference between ceramic chips and nearly everything else I’m talking about here is that, with a ceramic, the design is embedded directly on the underlying chip material via dye sublimation (i.e., baked on with a heated press) from edge to edge and even on the side of the chip. Our Poker Chip Sets are subject to availability of the chips. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands | affordable prices. You’ll have to accommodate your players while they internalize the system. The most damning mark against them is that they are incredibly slippery.† Stack them up on your company charter and even a nudge will send the entire pile sliding across the table. Even better, the labels are low-key, eschewing the typical casino theme (a rarity! In terms of design possibilities, I think that’s probably true. However, I wouldn’t make that bet. John Wayne's Official Texas Lottery Prize Pack Official Collector's Edition #69 of only 1830 made. Loose Poker Chips. To reiterate, when you pay for ceramic chips, what you’re getting for your money is high quality design and manufacturing. I discuss all of these advantages elsewhere in this article. I’ve heard NexGen chips described as “soft” and even slightly “rubbery,” but I think that feel is an illusion better attributed to the high quality manufacturing process. These are also, and misleadingly, marketed as “clay composite” poker chips. I don’t know what happened with the blue, but the Majestics miss the mark. Many other foreign currencies are available. Finally, if you’re used to a casino chip (9 grams), the Claysmith chips will always feel clunky. No 20s. In practice, this isn’t the case. Custom 10 Gram CasinoTek Ceramic Chips (25/Pkg), Imperial Casino 13.5g Poker Chips (25/Pkg), Monte Carlo 12.5g 3 Tone Holographic Poker Chips (25/Pkg), European Style Rectangular 32g Holographic Poker Plaques (each), 12 Gram Triple Striped (Tri Color) Poker Chips (25/Pkg), 8 Gram Super Diamond Poker Chips (25/Pkg), Clear Acrylic Poker Chip Spacers (Pack of 10). With that said it makes it … Are you surprised? Instead of a range of colors, everything can start to look grey or black at a glance (or so the argument goes). In 1830 you need 15 @ $500 28 @ $100 16 @ $50 24 @ $20 30 @ $10 18 @ $5 30 @ $1 total 161 chips. What we have here is a bit of an odd duck in my progression of poker chips. You won’t know what you like until you’ve developed a sense of what’s available. Proponents of grey and light blue especially express concern that white and yellow can look similar under poor lighting, leading to confusion at the table and thus slowing down the game. If I were to purchase Majestics, I’d have to order blank chips. Let me see if I can help. The 500 piece poker set is good for 5-8 players. At least in the U.S., they are usually made by Bicycle, the same company that makes nearly all our playing cards. The Tiki Kings are still smooth, but it’s more of a buttery smoothness than a slick smoothness. 7 22 1. Here I see two advantages to the Majestics. Typically, they are plain, super-smooth ABS plastic in bright colors. $5 chips are almost always red, and $25 chips are almost always green. They have distinct sound and feel to them. Great deals on Poker Chips. The labels look great. If I wanted to label the Majestics with a custom design, I’d have to increase the cost of the chips by the price of new labels (which can be substantial depending on the service; see below). 5 out of 5 stars (2,127) 2,127 reviews $ 11.50. Color, denomination, material, and handling are all important aspects of chip selection, but what you want for poker, the game for which most chips are designed, isn’t always the same as what you want for board gaming generally or 18xx specifically. Plus, unlike custom labeled chips, if you ever need replacements, you don’t have to worry about ordering additional labels, which in turn means you gain flexibility down the road. The good news is that, by in large, you can break your choice down into four broad categories or “grades” of poker chip. The second drawback, related to the first, is that you’re sort of stuck with the standard Vegas color scheme for your poker chips. ), that will go a long way towards accurately telling the two chips apart. Labeled chips are a must, which should mitigate most of the potential problems with color. Custom poker chips designed online and ships in 1-3 Days. So instead of having an easy instinctual feel for what each chip is worth, labeled chips force them to read the face every time. And that’s not a knock against Bicycle by the way! First, to my eye, the design of most stock ceramic chips look over-the-top and kitschy. The roman times true clay poker chip is an exclusive chip that truly feels like a casino poker chip. Finally, I’m not sure I like the color progression on the edge spots, despite my preference for the triangle and stick design overall. Sorry! Different casinos use both white and light blue for $1 chips, and all sorts of colors (including grey and orange) for $20 chips. On the low end, you’d be better served by China clay chips. Can I justify spending 40¢ per chip when I can get a set of five hundred (with a case!) The second problem is potentially more serious, and it has to do with the fact that Super Diamonds are all a single color. Our chips are high quality 11.5g - 13.5g poker chips. The arguments in favor of labeled chips are the counterpoints to those in favor of unlabeled chips. * What I’m getting at is that there’s no end-run around the learning curve. On the other hand, perhaps you really want labeled chips, but you don’t want to hassle with custom labels. These are serviceable chips that are cheap and readily available in almost any color you like. It’s an opinionated article, but convincing you to make the same choices is not my goal. For example, how often do you and your friends check in with each other about cash holdings? To my eye, the Super Diamonds look great! And despite the smoothness, the Tiki Kings feel great in the hand. But I’m not everyone, and maybe you like, for example, the whimsical design of the Tiki King chips shown to the right. Apache Poker Chips has been operating in Las Vegas since 1999. Yellow is the standard color for $20 in Illinois casinos (where I’m from), not to mention Atlantic City, so I was happy to use it. You want your chips to have some heft, but 13.5 grams may be too much. There are a number of companies that will allow you to design your set of ceramic chips from top to bottom, and for not too much more than it would cost for stock chips. Many 18xx (and poker) players talk about them, and I can’t help but include them here. I find it works well for most small to medium games, but the distribution may get a bit wonky around edge cases (e.g., games with huge banks and/or a large number of variable companies). For just this reason, some players report that labels serve as a distraction once you get used to unlabeled chips. Personalized poker chips are perfect for casino poker chips, weddings, golf ball markers and Some players like to use a series of notecards, each with the value of a chip printed on the front. While Claysmith’s website is in a sorry state of disrepair, you can still find their chips at a number of online retailers. In a word, no, and it all has to do with those edge spots. Many players purchasing their first set of poker chips try to parallel the distribution of paper money included with, for example, 1830. First, you might take a look at NexGen chips, specifically the “Pro Classic” series. ), which I find more appealing than, say, Monte Carlo chips. Instead, the biggest drawback is the chip’s weight. Aside from a wide variety of stock designs, you can customize your set. They’re too clean and a little too bold. However, for normal people that don’t have the requisite dough, look elsewhere and don’t even worry about what you’re supposedly missing out on. The labels are terrible. And even if you are, buy a cheaper set first, figure out what you like, and only then after a couple years of use consider buying a custom high-end set of chips. This gives you an overall better playing experience. For example, let’s say you have a player used to gambling in Atlantic City. You can order the precise color combination you like in whatever quantities you prefer and that’s it! That’s more than I needed, but I wanted back-ups. We specialize in custom game layouts! For example, they ask: Why hand over four $1 chips when you can simply use two $2 chips? You can find them online for about 7–10¢ a chip, and I've seen them used for even less. The triangle and stick design is, to me, the better design — I think, maybe. 8 7 0. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate a simpler distribution with as few colors as possible. There is no choice to be made about colors, no hassle trying to design matching labels, and no long evening spent affixing stickers to your new chips. Expand your options of fun home activities with the largest online selection at eBay.com. † If you’d like to play around with custom banks on a per game basis, I created a small web app to help with the math. That means you’ll probably be “stuck” with denominated chips, and that you won’t be able to order up custom labels after the fact if you decide you want something other than the stock denominations. And let’s face it, that’s plenty! You can purchase them without or with denomination labels. And you know what? That would require $1s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, and 500s, and all in relatively small quantities. There won’t be any questions because the values will always be emblazoned on both sides of each chip. I sometimes see them marketed as “Suited Chips,” and I most often see them included in the “premium” mass-market sets by Cardinal. We’re talking something in the range of an extra $30–40 for top of the line (see below), and there are cheaper options if you’re a DIY sort of person. You’ll see them in old movies, and they are what they are. If the label is poorly designed, the problem is exacerbated. Create one yourself! Overall, I like these chips and recommend them. If you take a look at a stack, you’ll notice the colors all start to bleed into each other. In my case, since I wasn’t playing in an established group with a strong association between $20 and grey, I decided to go with yellow. In that case, you could substitute white $1 chips for the blue ones I recommend and green $25 chips for the yellow $20 chips. I’m sure with experience this concern would subside, but it’s something else to keep in mind when shopping for chips. First, instead of a plain field of bold color, a label mucks up your sightline, forcing you to spot the color of the chip around its edges. The simplest and most flexible option is to forgo labels altogether and order your favorite chips in blank, non-denominated form. — grey works just fine! You won’t use them often, and so they won’t unnecessarily complicate your spread, but they’re convenient to have around when the need arises. 24 Mixed Pictorial Antique Clay Owl Dog Poker Chip Lot Embossed Chips Griffin Crown Moon Ram Elephant Lucky Old Vintage 1920s 1930s Figural hauntedlampvintage. I’m happy with them, and the contrast is good. They have space for 168 chips. It’s unique! Don’t get me wrong, I give full points to the Milanos for an interesting trapezoidal design. Generate your own play money by putting in a picture of yourself. What matters is that you find a set of chips within your budget that increases speed and accuracy of gameplay, and that you and your fellow players find aesthetically pleasing. These aesthetic details matter to me, but perhaps they don’t matter to you. The big difference is going to come in terms of style. But no, ceramic chips, are made of a type of plastic or resin that sort of sounds like ceramic when shuffled in a stack (it actually reminds me of Bakelite if you’re familiar with that material). Our Poker Chip Challenge Coins are the cost-effective alternative to metal stamped challenge coins. If you want the highest quality possible, and you’re willing to spend $1–2 per chip, then I’m guessing you aren’t even reading this article. Probably not, and especially if you’re two hours into the game. Likewise, labeled chips free you from the standard Vegas color progression, which can be a boon when trying to create a set with maximum contrast across the range of denominations preferable in 18xx games. Mar 25, 2012 - A free money template representing US $1. Likewise, the Claysmith chips are still plastic, and while the edge designs are attractive, they don’t offer the same gripping power as a full-blown crosshatch pattern. We carry a huge selection on 14 gram clay poker chips, plastic playing cards, and other poker supplies. In this way, you can order fully-customizable sets with a design that wraps all the way around each chip. In this price range, at the very least, you probably want to order a few sample sets before committing to a major investment. What’s odd is the Nile Club chips have little to no texturing that I can detect with my bear hands! They are also highly durable, including a lack of cheap stickers that can fall off over time. If I were purchasing mid-range chips for a poker game, I think I’d be more enthusiastic. Instead, let’s put money aside for the time being and talk about the benefits and drawbacks to labeled poker chips apart from price. Every once in a while you might need a fourth color, higher than blue, and that color would often be yellow, but there was no universal standard. You’ll be fine.§ Affordable poker chips, especially China clays, have come so far in the past decade that it’s better to let any burgeoning poker chip obsession subside while you keep your focus on playing 18xx. That all means I don’t recommend any chips at this grade unless your personality lends itself towards the types of bold designs possible with ceramic chips. Or at least it would be that simple if you ignore cost. Casinos usually have custom-designed chips with the monetary value and the name of the casino printed or engraved on the face. What you gain when you spend a little more (now were’re up to the 30–50¢ range) is compression-molded clay chips — and this time I actually mean “clay,” even if they’re certainly mixed with other materials to enhance durability and add a bit of weight. You’ll never find the perfect set of chips, but the quest for an enjoyable set is a journey worth pursuing. The edge spots provide some much needed contrast and help your eye to distinguish between individual chips when stacked. New Jersey gaming regulations specify a yellow $20 chip compared with the grey commonly used in West-coast 18xx circles. In addition to white you can find many examples of casinos using light blue and even grey for $1 chips. And a casino enthusiast will prefer our Pure Clay or Ceramic options. On the other hand, few poker chip lines come with a decent grey chip save the PGI and Great Wall China Clay lines, so finding a substitute is often necessary. All told, it was $35 with shipping for two hundred labels — enough for one hundred chips front and back. Clay poker chips are the most popular choice of chip when playing poker. By way of example, the cheapest ceramic chips run 39¢ per chip (e.g., Nile Club), which puts them in the same price range as Grade 4 China clay chips (see below). ), and makes up for some of the chip’s slipperiness. Likewise, the molds offer interesting patterns like the gear (or square wave) design around the example $5 chip from Claysmith’s “The Mint” line. First, you have the type of chips that have become ubiquitous: the “Dice” or sometimes “Striped Dice” chips that are sold everywhere from Target and Amazon to specialty poker supply shops. Do not be misled by such descriptions in the hopes of finding a high-friction chip. When it comes time to play with another established group of players, you want to make sure you’re speaking the same language, and that means using the same standardized set of colors as everyone else. $10 46. Let’s say you work your way through the learning curve, as does the rest of your group. That means you can pick up a set of Milanos for about $100 plus the cost of a case and/or some poker chip trays. The weight, material, and mold combine for a pleasant feel in the hand. 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