The Quest for a Micro-Stakes Chipset (1 Viewer)

Genious_Moran

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I would like to have a nicer set of chips for my 10¢/20¢ NLHE/PLO home game. Right now, we're playing with blank dice chips. My goal is to find a set that scores high-enough on the cost vs quality curve, has the denominations I need, and has no potential for dirty stacks. Also, it would be ideal if I actually liked the design of the chips!

My plan is to buy a 600 chip set:
100 x 5¢
200 x 25¢
200 x $1
100 x $5.

(Though, I may wind up getting second racks of 5¢ and $5 chips.)

I've ordered several sample sets and I thought I'd document my thoughts & questions here just in case it helps someone else or some of the more experienced members of the forum have any helpful suggestions.


Tiki Kings

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Overall these are pretty nice.

I'm a tiny bit disappointed in the colors. They look a lot more vibrant and saturated in the photos & video reviews I've seen than in person. They're a bit more shaded than I was expecting. Still, pretty nice, just not mind-blowing.

I like the art style. I like how flat they are. They feel good to hold. They are super easy to shuffle. I don't like that they won't stand up on edge.

The edge spots don't do a good job of distinguishing the chips from one another. The focus of the edge spots is a fat yellow diagonal stripe... on every chip! That's probably for cohesion with the yellow tikis on the face of the chip, but maybe a more functional design would have been to use some other color that's unique to that chip as the focus of the edge spot on that chip, and then use yellow as an accent on all of them.

And that leads to my biggest concern with the Tiki Kings: the potential for dirty stacks. Ideally, I'd like to stick as closely as possible to the standard Vegas chip color scheme. I prefer blue to white $1 chips so, with the Tiki Kings I could stick with the stock red $5, put $1 on blue, and then can use white for either 5¢ or 25¢. Then the question becomes: what color do I use for the other frac? I'd really prefer to not use green or black since those colors are standard on chips my friends and I actually see & use in casinos frequently enough. That leaves just orange and purple. My fear is orange is too close to red and purple is too close to both blue and red and we'll get dirty stacks. (The lighting in my poker room isn't the best.)

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill here? Would a single red stand out well enough in a stack of oranges? What about a big stack of blues & purples randomly mixed together? Any color theory experts out there who can answer whether red/orange has higher or lower contrast than blue/purple (and red/purple, for that matter...)

I guess I could just suck it up and go with green for 25¢, no issue with dirty stacks then, but feels bad man...

Pharaoh's

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These are totally functional. The design is okay, kind of blah, but I like the classic casino chip style, especially that it has edge spots that are visible on the faces of the chip and aligned on the edges. When I ordered this sample set I was worried the 5¢ & $1 chips would be too close in color and thus would cause dirty stack issues however the edge spots completely eliminate any chance of that being a problem.

These chips feel thin & cheap for some reason, even though I don't think they're actually any thinner than the Tiki Kings or CPC samples I have. Must be the bevels on the edges? Also, these chips get points off for not standing on edge. I have a hard time shuffling these (not a skill I'm very adept at, though.)

Because they're functional, and a huge step up over the dice chips, I would probably just buy a set even knowing I'm likely to replace them relatively soon. Unfortunately, Apache Poker Chips is currently sold out of the 25¢ and $1 denominations.


Monte Carlo

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I actually like these better than I thought I would. I thought they would be closer in quality to the dice chips, but they're actually a big step up. That said, they're just a tad too heavy feeling and the design is super gaudy and bad. On the plus side I like that the edge spots line up, and they're very flat, no rocking whatsoever. They also stand up on edge! These are nearly impossible for me to shuffle. Also, I think the pink 5¢ and red $5 will cause major dirty stack issues.

Am not going to buy these.

---

I also have samples of the Rounders CSQs and Key West chips. These are obviously both very nice chips. Love the sound and feel in my hand. (And both stand on edge!)

I love the design of the Rounders chips. The simplicity of the inlay, the CSQ mold, everything... (except for the white $1!) I'm surprised with myself here, I would seriously consider dropping the cash for a set of these if they had a 5¢ chip.

The Key West set does have the fracs I need, I really like the h-mold, and design-wise, I like the edge spot configuration. Unfortunately I just don't like the generic beach resort theme & color combos enough to feel comfortable spending that much cash on a set right now.

For next steps, I've placed orders for sample sets of The Valentino, Golden Dragons, and Dia de los Muertos. Once I get those, I'll see how I like them compared to the Tiki Kings. One potential advantage the Dia de los Muertos may have over the Tiki Kings is, even though I don't like the art style as much, they have many more color options, and the edge spot design appears to be much more functional (very distinct between denoms, and the pattern on the edge matches the pattern on the rim of the face.)

I've also contacted Sun-Fly to see if I can get some samples from them. I really like the design of The Prestige (though I would prefer a 39mm chip to a 43.)
 
Welcome! Nice write up. You have done everything by the book by getting samples and finding out what you like. It sounds like you’re not really gonna get satisfied with anything less than premium. You could do semi-custom on the Rounders to get the fracs you need. Or you could get paulsons you like and mill/murder and design your own labels.

If you like the feel of tikis or DDLM, you can also get custom designed chips from brpro.
 
Thanks. Yeah, I'm sure that in the long run I'm going to wind up with a custom set. However, good design is hard, and I'm no designer so that seems like something that's going to take quite a bit of time and effort and I have no idea where to begin. So, in the interest of getting the home game leveled up sooner rather than later, I'm willing to live with something easily available via retail for now.

Regarding getting semi-custom Rounders, should I just contact CPC if this is something I'm interested in? (I just say something like: "make the $1000 5 cents, please.") Or do I need to have a more specific design specified somehow?
 
Thanks for sharing! No issues with losing red $5s in stacks of pink?
No but that nickel is a really bright pink and the $5 a really dark red. Also, because I used the original Valentino to go semi custom, the denom on the chip is HUGE. You will see when your samples get there
 
No but that nickel is a really bright pink and the $5 a really dark red. Also, because I used the original Valentino to go semi custom, the denom on the chip is HUGE. You will see when your samples get there
Cool. Thanks.

And BTW those $20 plaques are a sweet addition. Where did you get those, if you don't mind my asking?
 
Also @rjdev7 has designed some amazing Super Poker World ceramics! He has offered his design to the community for a small fee and they are made on the same blanks from BR Pro as the DDLM chips, just a different design. Not everyone's flavor but I absolutely love them! Super bright fun colors too!
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They can be ordered from this link if any interest
Thread 'Super Poker World Ceramic Chips' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/super-poker-world-ceramic-chips.88888/
 
You can contact David at CPC for custom rounders denominations, but you will probably have to wait a long time for the CSQ mold has it recently finished running :(

How about $5, $25, $100 and $500 denominations, telling your players to pretend the dollar signs represent cents signs? This is what I do with my Casino Nacional set and there are no issues. You could also sell these if you decide on your own custom theme too.
 
Welcome.
I wouldn’t be too concerned that a chip stand on edge. We use that criteria around here a lot, but only to help describe the condition of the chips.
In play, you’ll never need to stand them on edge. If they feel fine and shuffle well, they’ll work well in your game. Heck, nothing shuffles better than well worn “bike tire” condition clay chips.
Good luck!
 
Not sure if you've looked at Majestics already, but they're really nice chips for the price point. Lower demoninations can be a pain-in-the-butt to find when they're out of stock, but I've had really good results on the classifieds of the forum.
 
Also @rjdev7 has designed some amazing Super Poker World ceramics! He has offered his design to the community for a small fee and they are made on the same blanks from BR Pro as the DDLM chips, just a different design. Not everyone's flavor but I absolutely love them! Super bright fun colors too!
View attachment 916833
View attachment 916834
View attachment 916835
They can be ordered from this link if any interest
Thread 'Super Poker World Ceramic Chips' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/super-poker-world-ceramic-chips.88888/
Thanks for the suggestion. Nice chip pr0n. I took a look at rjdev7's thread and I think I could definitely put together a set that would work for me with a yellow 5¢, blue 25¢, white $1, red $5. I would prefer a blue $1, but there's no white option for 5¢ or 25¢ and I'm not sure I like the idea of a yellow 5¢ next to an orange 25¢... Sample sets aren't mentioned in that post, maybe I'll PM rjdev7 to see if I can get one.

Also, not sure how I feel about the design yet... on the one hand, I think it's a cool idea, and it looks well executed here. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it's really the vibe I'm going for.


You can contact David at CPC for custom rounders denominations, but you will probably have to wait a long time for the CSQ mold has it recently finished running :(

How about $5, $25, $100 and $500 denominations, telling your players to pretend the dollar signs represent cents signs? This is what I do with my Casino Nacional set and there are no issues. You could also sell these if you decide on your own custom theme too.
Do you know how frequently the CSQ mold runs?

And thanks for the denom suggestion. I used to do this with my Nexgen Pro Classic set and I'm not a fan, which is part of why I'm on the hunt for a set with proper denominations. I actually really like the Nexgen Pro Classic chips, if they had the correct denominations, I'd be 100% okay just playing with those.


Welcome.
I wouldn’t be too concerned that a chip stand on edge. We use that criteria around here a lot, but only to help describe the condition of the chips.
In play, you’ll never need to stand them on edge. If they feel fine and shuffle well, they’ll work well in your game. Heck, nothing shuffles better than well worn “bike tire” condition clay chips.
Good luck!
You're right, it's not a huge priority, I just think it's really fun to be able to stand the chips on edge, and a nice square edge feels high quality. I've played in lots of casinos and card rooms where the chips won't do that. It's nice when they do, though!


Not sure if you've looked at Majestics already, but they're really nice chips for the price point. Lower demoninations can be a pain-in-the-butt to find when they're out of stock, but I've had really good results on the classifieds of the forum.
Thanks for the pointer. Yeah, they look to be out of stock right now. Maybe I'll get a sample set...


What's your realistic budget for your 600 chip set?
I don't have a set budget. It's a judgement call, I guess, and depends on how I feel about the chips in question. If the 50¢ Rounders chip was a 5¢ chip, and everything was in stock and ready to ship, I'd probably spend the... whatever it is... $1000 or $1300 for the 600 chips. I'm not willing to pay that for the Key West chips, though.
 
Also @rjdev7 has designed some amazing Super Poker World ceramics! He has offered his design to the community for a small fee and they are made on the same blanks from BR Pro as the DDLM chips, just a different design. Not everyone's flavor but I absolutely love them! Super bright fun colors too!
View attachment 916833
View attachment 916834
View attachment 916835
They can be ordered from this link if any interest
Thread 'Super Poker World Ceramic Chips' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/super-poker-world-ceramic-chips.88888/
These look spectacular from rack view. I knew the face art was terrific, but they look equally fantastic in barrels. Thanks for sharing these pics!
 
For a 10¢ / 20¢ structure you really don't need the nickel. You may get better mileage with this sale: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/indiana-grand-sale-thread.89861/ and play at 10% buy-ins. $1 = 10¢, $5 = 50¢, $25 = $2.50, etc...

You will spend slightly more up front, but the set will retain its re-sale value. More than likely it will appreciate.

Whatever you decide, good luck in your search & welcome
 
If my group wanted to move up from the 5¢/10¢ we normally play, I'd just go to .25/.25, and simplify the chip set. No need for the nickels, and the stakes would play just about the same.
 
I would like to have a nicer set of chips for my 10¢/20¢ NLHE/PLO home game.
My plan is to buy a 600 chip set:
100 x 5¢
200 x 25¢
200 x $1
100 x $5.

@Genious_Moran,
If you like the DDLMs, I can get you started on this.

You’d have to pick one of their other chip faces and order some semi-custom 5¢, and some more $1 and $5 to complete your set, but I’ve got a 400 chip set to sell (with 1 extra barrel each of $1 and $5, racks, and a case that holds 600 chips as included options).

If interested, send me a PM and we can talk.

7A32650E-87A5-40CA-93AF-A9A0AF614F35.jpegC8A8847E-2188-4318-944E-93DE770ABAB3.jpeg72195F68-A9CE-4497-97B9-D5ADA0D83A4D.jpeg9754BBFB-174B-4263-999E-2198F5DE37D2.jpeg

If my group wanted to move up from the 5¢/10¢ we normally play, I'd just go to .25/.25, and simplify the chip set. No need for the nickels, and the stakes would play just about the same.

Or do what I do and what @Beakertwang suggests — run a 25¢/25¢ game to avoid 5¢ chips. That’s what this set is used for.

I can make 12 starting stacks of 16-11-X using this set, where X is the number of $5 chips depending on buy in (ie. $20 buy in = 16-11-1)

Add ons are in $5 chip increments and change to smaller denoms is made by the table.
 
@Genious_Moran,
If you like the DDLMs, I can get you started on this.

You’d have to pick one of their other chip faces and order some semi-custom 5¢, and some more $1 and $5 to complete your set, but I’ve got a 400 chip set to sell (with 1 extra barrel each of $1 and $5, racks, and a case that holds 600 chips as included options).

If interested, send me a PM and we can talk.

View attachment 926218View attachment 926224View attachment 926219View attachment 926225



Or do what I do and what @Beakertwang suggests — run a 25¢/25¢ game to avoid 5¢ chips. That’s what this set is used for.

I can make 12 starting stacks of 16-11-X using this set, where X is the number of $5 chips depending on buy in (ie. $20 buy in = 16-11-1)

Add ons are in $5 chip increments and change to smaller denoms is made by the table.
Adding to @PokerDogDoc ’s post, I have an extra rack of semi-custom 39mm DDLM nickels that would work well with his chips. I just bought too many. PM if interested.
02177627-8F0C-4116-8C81-453EB5168A25.jpeg
 
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Thanks for the offers! I'll definitely consider following-up if I decide to go with the DDLM.

I've received my DDLM, Golden Dragon, and The Valentino samples and am planning to update the thread with my thoughts. (Just in case anyone cares...)

I've also been in touch with Sun-Fly and am planning to order samples of The Prestige (in both 39 and 42mm) as well as samples of The Ravenor (which they've said can be customized) but man, they charge a lot for samples...
 
Hello,

For a cash game, personnally, I don't like a 2-chip small blind.
For your stakes, 10c-20c, I prefer to go with a 10c chip as frac.

This is what I did here in fact :


These are "PolyClay" chips from SunFly. They are ceramic chips with debossed elements.
 
Personally I run a 10c/20c cash game using JACK Cincinattis, the $5 is 5c, $100 is 100c (aka a dollar lol) and it works out. Wanted premium chips but wasn’t ready to start milling and labeling so it’s what I came up with and works well. Maybe if you’re just starting out and interested in building a nice collection like myself you could try something like that.

Denoms are 5c, 25c, $1, $5
 
Some great ideas on this thread.

Personally I like to mix and match in my cash set especially in the small denominations.

I use the Pharaoh's 5c, I use Grey Milanos relabeled to 10c. I use Majestics 25c, and Majestics $1, then Pharaoh's $5, and my $20 is a relabel of the Turquoise Pharaoh's 5K. I know the relabeling gets a little expensive if it's an occasional use set, but it gave me something I like. (The 10c are of course not really necessary, but it gives us the memories of when we used to play with change.)
 
Also @rjdev7 has designed some amazing Super Poker World ceramics! He has offered his design to the community for a small fee and they are made on the same blanks from BR Pro as the DDLM chips, just a different design. Not everyone's flavor but I absolutely love them! Super bright fun colors too!
View attachment 916833
View attachment 916834
View attachment 916835
They can be ordered from this link if any interest
Thread 'Super Poker World Ceramic Chips' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/super-poker-world-ceramic-chips.88888/
Great Penny Poker set. Looking at the denoms and selection of characters this is one of the best character/chip correlations I've seen. It really is a fun iconic set.
 
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