Complete newbie looking for guidance/advice (1 Viewer)

[Azalyer]

Edit: apologies if I got this in the wrong section

So my situation is this - I'm not new to poker but I'm very new to hosting regular home games. Been hosting weekly for a while now, and would like to take the plunge into high quality chips.

Caveats: I'm in the UK and my group are BRAND new to everything poker, which means they won't like anything above microstakes. 5NL and 10NL.

So I'll be needing to acquire a cash game micro stakes high quality clay set sounds a bit silly when I type it like that, but honestly, I care more for chip quality than the stakes I'm playing at. I'm just in it for the game.

I have a budget of around $800-900 which looking around I'm getting the impression this will fall short for me to get a CPC custom set including custom inlays/labels as well as shipping and import fees. Is my realistic option going to be to buy a non custom set?

I was considering buying Pharaoh's from marlowcasinochips - is this my most realistic/only option?

 

[cpac54]

Get samples!

Seriously. There are plenty of options at your price point (various China clay, like the Pharoahs you mentioned, ceramic and even custom options like the “Tina” ceramics from China, or even casino-used Paulsons if minty chips aren’t a concern).

Grab a bunch of different samples, see what you like best, and go from there.

 

[Azalyer]

Get samples!

Seriously. There are plenty of options at your price point (various China clay, like the Pharoahs you mentioned, ceramic and even custom options like the “Tina” ceramics from China).

Grab a bunch of different samples, see what you like best, and go from there.

Absolutely. I have Pharaoh's samples on order. Anything I consider, a sample comes first. Main thing being - given my circumstances (UK + microstakes) what actually are my options? Is CPC an option under my budget? If so I'll order samples from them, but I need to know my options before I order the samples.

 

[Eriks]

Welcome! Very few of us host games with stakes that are anywhere near what we spend on the chips.

Custom CPCs will be out of budget but depending on how many you need, you could maybe squeeze a semi-custom in of one of their stock series.

Used paulsons in the classifieds here is another option. Will require some work to get the denoms you need and unless you’d be ok with relabelling, you won’t find the smallest ones.

China clay, like the Pharaohs you mentioned, is a good cheaper option. There is also ceramics like the ”Tina ones” mentioned above. A step up in quality from those would be brpropoker.com but that would come with shipping/custom costs since they are US based.

Firstly, figure out how many chips you need of each denom. How many players? What stakes? Limpy limpy, small ball game - or do people raise, bet big, how many rebuys on a typical night, wanna future proof for higher stakes etc

 

[Azalyer]

Welcome! Very few of us host games with stakes that are anywhere near what we spend on the chips.

Custom CPCs will be out of budget but depending on how many you need, you could maybe squeeze a semi-custom in of one of their stock series.

Used paulsons in the classifieds here is another option. Will require some work to get the denoms you need and unless you’d be ok with relabelling, you won’t find the smallest ones.

China clay, like the Pharaohs you mentioned, is a good cheaper option. There is also ceramics like the ”Tina ones” mentioned above. A step up in quality from those would be brpropoker.com but that would come with shipping/custom costs since they are US based.

Firstly, figure out how many chips you need of each denom. How many players? What stakes? Limpy limpy, small ball game - or do people raise, bet big, how many rebuys on a typical night, wanna future proof for higher stakes etc

Thank you very much. From everything I've looked at, I seem to be headed in the right direction based on what you've said.

So we would be hosting for 7-8 people regularly every week. Very limpy games with 1-3 rebuys (£5 buy in each week, £10 on special occasions ())

Higher stakes than this won't be an option for a long while at least.

 

[AlbinoDragon]

CPCs aren't completely out of your budget. If you go with the A-mold or Horsehead mold, level 2 spots cane be had for $2.16 each. L3 for $2.39. Carefully using simple spots could fetch you a 400 chip set for your budget.

Realistically, do something like the China clays or Tina card-mold ceramics to get your game going. Host and enjoy your game with those chips, but in the meantime, save up for your dream CPC set. That will give you time to design it properly and without a rush and get you the fully custom clay set you really want.


Welcome to the addiction, and good luck in these early steps!

 

[Azalyer]

CPCs aren't completely out of your budget. If you go with the A-mold or Horsehead mold, level 2 spots cane be had for $2.16 each. L3 for $2.39. Carefully using simple spots could fetch you a 400 chip set for your budget.

Realistically, do something like the China clays or Tina card-mold ceramics to get your game going. Host and enjoy your game with those chips, but in the meantime, save up for your dream CPC set. That will give you time to design it properly and without a rush and get you the fully custom clay set you really want.


Welcome to the addiction, and good luck in these early steps!

Interesting, thank you!

So in your 400 chip set estimation there, are you including inlays/labels and shipping fees?

Also how do the inlays work? Do I find someone on here to make me a design and then I send it to CPC when I put it an order?

 

[Machine]

Welcome!
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[Eriks]

Thank you very much. From everything I've looked at, I seem to be headed in the right direction based on what you've said.

So we would be hosting for 7-8 people regularly every week. Very limpy games with 1-3 rebuys (£5 buy in each week, £10 on special occasions ())

Higher stakes than this won't be an option for a long while at least.

I assumed this was a cashgame since you said NL5/NL10 but just to make sure? If cash, what blinds? 5p/10p?

A tourney set would require less chips than a cashset, that’s why I ask

 

[LeLe]

You might want to consider an other option of buying used Casino Clay set without doing any relabel and use $5 as 5c $25 as 25c and $1 as $1

$800 is doable for 500 chip ($1x100, $5x200, $25x200) and $100 for shipping

$800-900 CPC is enough for 400 chip (5cx100, 25cx200, $1x80, $5x20) not include design and shipping which prob about $100-$150 extra

 

[Azalyer]

I assumed this was a cashgame since you said NL5/NL10 but just to make sure? If cash, what blinds? 5p/10p?

A tourney set would require less chips than a cashset, that’s why I ask

Yes so when we play 5NL we play 5p/5p blinds. 10NL 5p/10p

 

[LeLe]

cash game micro stakes high quality clay set

I assumed this was a cashgame since you said NL5/NL10 but just to make sure? If cash, what blinds? 5p/10p?

He is looking for Cash Set

NL 5 will be 5c/5c
NL 10 will be 5c/10c

 

[Azalyer]

$800-900 CPC is enough for 400 chips set not include design and shipping which prob about $100-$150 extra

Well this is certainly good news in my book.

400 chips, 150 5p, 150 25p, 75 £1, 25 £5

This could work for 7-8 players, no?

 

[London24]

I started off with a China clay Dunes set from Apache / Marlow and am still really happy with them. Ridiculous VFM compared to higher-end sets I've picked up since - £300 all in for 500 chips which more than covers 10 of us.

Pharaohs would be a good choice for you because, unlike the Dunes set, they have a 5c chip

Or if you can wait for the next Tina Cards mold group buy (maybe a few weeks?) there are loads of options - I'd rate their quality just below China clays, which is where their price point sits

 

[Azalyer]

I started off with a China clay Dunes set from Apache / Marlow and am still really happy with them. Ridiculous VFM compared to higher-end sets I've picked up since - £300 all in for 500 chips which more than covers 10 of us.

Pharaohs would be a good choice for you because, unlike the Dunes set, they have a 5c chip

Or if you can wait for the next Tina Cards mold group buy (maybe a few weeks?) there are loads of options - I'd rate their quality just below China clays, which is where their price point sits

Did you ever consider relabelling dunes or Pharaoh's, or similar?

Was just thinking I could pick a colour chip based on preference and then label with 5p and 10p etc how I want?

 

[MeridianFC]

I got 1500 Card Mold/Tina for your budget, which so far I'm very pleased with. I did this solo, air shipped, no group buy. I'd strongly consider that.

For your stakes you could also do off the shelf Bank Chips, or get some labels for Majestics or Royals from @Apache Poker Chips.

 

[SteveEH]

CPCs aren't completely out of your budget. If you go with the A-mold or Horsehead mold, level 2 spots cane be had for $2.16 each. L3 for $2.39. Carefully using simple spots could fetch you a 400 chip set for your budget.

Realistically, do something like the China clays or Tina card-mold ceramics to get your game going. Host and enjoy your game with those chips, but in the meantime, save up for your dream CPC set. That will give you time to design it properly and without a rush and get you the fully custom clay set you really want.


Welcome to the addiction, and good luck in these early steps!

You're mentioned you want quality customs, and because you mentioned CPC I assume you prefer compression molded clay vs ceramics/plastics. This is the same reason I found this community 15+ years ago.

Agree with @AlbinoDragon 100%! Get a resellable set you can eventually let go in the interim, save up for your custom end-game set, and take your time with the design. Like others have said, you're not far off with your budget. I have a set of 400 CSQs for my 6 max game that could easily be adjusted for 8 players with a 4th denomination.

Also a couple of points regarding CPC samples

1. The different molds can have very different feels to them, so make sure to get shuffle stacks of 10 or so of the ones you're considering.

2. The colours in the chip designer can vary based on phone/computer screens. I believe there's a CPC sample set moving around the EU you might be able to get and pass on.

Finally, you should absolutely hire a professional designer here. There are lots of great ones.

Welcome and enjoy the ride!

 

[Azalyer]

You're mentioned you want quality customs, and because you mentioned CPC I assume you prefer compression molded clay vs ceramics/plastics. This is the same reason I found this community 15+ years ago.

Agree with @AlbinoDragon 100%! Get a resellable set you can eventually let go in the interim, save up for your custom end-game set, and take your time with the design. Like others have said, you're not far off with your budget. I have a set of 400 CSQs for my 6 max game that could easily be adjusted for 8 players with a 4th denomination.

Also a couple of points regarding CPC samples

1. The different molds can have very different feels to them, so make sure to get shuffle stacks of 10 or so of the ones you're considering.

2. The colours in the chip designer can vary based on phone/computer screens. I believe there's a CPC sample set moving around the EU you might be able to get and pass on.

Finally, you should absolutely hire a professional designer here. There are lots of great ones.

Welcome and enjoy the ride!

Great thank you. If I got majestics or Pharaoh's and relabeled, would they lose value?

Also where can I find designers?

 

[SteveEH]

Well this is certainly good news in my book.

400 chips, 150 5p, 150 25p, 75 £1, 25 £5

This could work for 7-8 players, no?

100 .05s is usually enough for a full table as they're only used for blinds.

I would think about your game maturing and moving up in stakes. This really depends on your current player base, but you should also assume you will eventually lose and replace some players. As much as I personally love micro stakes, it will probably be easier to recruit friends for a little more "meaningful" stakes. A common next level would be .10/.25 and $20-$25 buy ins, As you're on a budget, you could do .25/.25 that would play the same without the need for .05s. Another option, that a lot of us do, would be to get solid hot stamped .05s which would help with your budget.

I have 2 sets, one with .05s and they rarely get used. Maybe for a family night in the future but not much more.

 

[upNdown]

Well this is certainly good news in my book.

400 chips, 150 5p, 150 25p, 75 £1, 25 £5

This could work for 7-8 players, no?

I would say no. I guess there's a big difference between "could work" and "will work nicely," and I think for an 8-max game, that difference is the difference between 400 and 500 chips.

 

[Azalyer]

I would say no. I guess there's a big difference between "could work" and "will work nicely," and I think for an 8-max game, that difference is the difference between 400 and 500 chips.

Gotcha. 500 it is. How would you add the extra 500 to the denominations I mentioned?

 

[London24]

Did you ever consider relabelling dunes or Pharaoh's, or similar?

Was just thinking I could pick a colour chip based on preference and then label with 5p and 10p etc how I want?

Actually I chose the Dunes more for the label than the chip colours, so I'll always leave that set as is.

But now I've disappeared down the rabbit hole of chipping I have all sorts of hot stamping / relabelling plans for future sets

 

[upNdown]

Gotcha. 500 it is. How would you add the extra 500 to the denominations I mentioned?

Haha, if you're going to do what I say, then I say go for 600!
I'm not exactly sure how the british denominations work, and what's ideal will vary a bit from game to game. But in my 8-max .25/.25 game, I think 100 x .25 is necessary, I think at least 160 x $1.00 is ideal, I think that 100x $5.00 isn't nearly enough, and I think some $25s are necessary.
So I'd generally suggest a minimum of 100 160 200 40. But there are hundreds of pages of this topic. There are plenty of variations and plenty of them are fine. And you can undoubtably get away will 400, I just think it's not ideal.

 

[MeridianFC]

100 .05s is usually enough for a full table as they're only used for blinds.

I would think about your game maturing and moving up in stakes. This really depends on your current player base, but you should also assume you will eventually lose and replace some players. As much as I personally love micro stakes, it will probably be easier to recruit friends for a little more "meaningful" stakes. A common next level would be .10/.25 and $20-$25 buy ins, As you're on a budget, you could do .25/.25 that would play the same without the need for .05s. Another option, that a lot of us do, would be to get solid hot stamped .05s which would help with your budget.

I have 2 sets, one with .05s and they rarely get used. Maybe for a family night in the future but not much more.

Agree re stakes. IMHO the sweet spot for a home game is what would you spend at the pub. If you're group is all about swift halfs and get home, then micro stakes is the right level. If your group is one one that will sink the pints then you will (and should) probably be at the £50-100 buy-in level (maybe .10, probably .25 small blind/ante level). Definitely plan for where you would like to be.

As noted by Harry S. in my signature, no one should feel (too) horrible after a loss but feeling quite smug after a 10 pint win is a must.

 

[Azalyer]

Agree re stakes. IMHO the sweet spot for a home game is what would you spend at the pub. If you're group is all about swift halfs and get home, then micro stakes is the right level. If your group is one one that will sink the pints then you will (and should) probably be at the £50-100 buy-in level (maybe .10, probably .25 small blind/ante level). Definitely plan for where you would like to be.

As noted by Harry S. in my signature, no one should feel (too) horrible after a loss but feeling quite smug after a 10 pint win is a must.

As much as I would personally love to skip the micro stakes like this entirely, I'm thankful enough to just have a regular group to play with at all.

Unfortunately it's not really gonna be much of an option for me to move up, if ever. Stuck down here with the penny bets for a while at least!

Sucks, but it's better than no poker I'm just glad my group took to it enough to be willing to play regularly.

 

[allforcharity]

7-8 players can get away with 500 chips.
100x 0.05
200x 0.25
150x 1
50x 5
Bank 455

With a budget of 800, that gives you 1.60 per chip excluding other fees. Can do fully custom ceramic from BR Pro and Sun-Fly, and within striking distance of stock CPC.

Chip breakdown efficiency matters in your situation, so define that first. Everything else will flow from there.

Are you willing/able to do a little custom work yourself? Do you have access to a small drill press to do a milling project?

 

[ekricket]

Best piece of advice I can give newbies is make friends with older chippers which have a bunch of shit they just collected but aren’t using. They can cut you good deals.

 

[Azalyer]

7-8 players can get away with 500 chips.
100x 0.05
200x 0.25
150x 1
50x 5
Bank 455

With a budget of 800, that gives you 1.60 per chip excluding other fees. Can do fully custom ceramic from BR Pro and Sun-Fly, and within striking distance of stock CPC.

Chip breakdown efficiency matters in your situation, so define that first. Everything else will flow from there.

Are you willing/able to do a little custom work yourself? Do you have access to a small drill press to do a milling project?

Your chip breakdown there looks great to me.

Unfortunately unable to do any custom work myself

 

[Eriks]

Also, just consider taking a dive into the deep end from the start. I’m sure £800-900 sounds like an obsurd amount of money to spend on a chip set right now, but chances are you won’t be satisfied with a ”pretty good” set for very long. At least not if you stick around here with the rest of us maniacs.

If I were you, I would take some time here to read up on what’s what, maybe get some samples, figure out what you really like, save up and go for it. I did that 17 years ago when I picked up a Paulson CDI set as my first (aside from dice obv). Granted they were cheaper then, but $1/chip still was an insane price to pay for me back then. I used and loved that set for 14-15 years before passing it along through the classifieds here and went on to discover other chips.

At the minimum get something with a decent resale value.

 

[surfik]

Get samples

Card mold ceramics shoul be right for you