Official 2025 Custom Chip Set Hall of Fame Voting Thread (1 Viewer)

[wonderpuddle]

It is almost time to vote for the 2025 PCF Custom Chip Set Hall of Fame. But before we get to the voting, the HOF Committee would like to take a moment to honor the memory of @Johnny5 who unfortunately passed away earlier this year (obituary ). John was a legend who designed inlays for so many of the custom sets PCFers love. You cannot even browse the list of Hall of Fame sets without seeing the incredible legacy he left behind, as @Johnny5 worked on at least 22 of the 41 sets that have been inducted in the Hall of Fame. You can see more of his designs here: J5 designs

From all accounts, John was a wonderful family man and person. He clearly had a strong passion for design, especially when it involved chipping, and his body of work speaks for itself. He truly was one of the greatest PCFers of all time and will be missed. Rest in peace good sir.

With that said, now it is finally time to vote for the 2025 PCF Custom Chip Set Hall of Fame!

If you read nothing else, please read these two points!!!

• When voting please MAKE ALL YOUR SELECTIONS AT ONE TIME!!!! Once you hit “Submit”, you will NOT be able to go back and edit them!!!
• You may vote for as many or as few sets as you like. This year’s committee has recommended that two sets be enshrined in the HOF.

Current PCF HOF Sets
All sets currently in the PCF HOF can viewed here: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/resources/categories/hall-of-fame.6/

Hall of Fame (HOF) Purpose
The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize significant achievements in the creation of custom poker chip sets. This recognition comes from the votes of the PCF site membership, in collaboration with the work of a selection committee that solicits feedback from the membership and nominates sets for a formal vote. The committee is comprised of current PCF members, and the committee’s nominations do not necessarily equate to choosing the most popular sets. There is no quantitative way to assess the merits of a poker chip set; therefore, it is up to each committee member’s qualitative judgement on whether a set should be nominated for public voting. As poker chip sets are a very personal creation, in no way should a lack of nomination be viewed as any criticism on the quality of a member’s custom set. The entire HOF process is solely intended to celebrate and augment the enjoyment of our hobby.

The HOF Committee Membership
The committee is comprised of a chairperson, and a group of members. The chairperson’s role is to facilitate the HOF nomination process, and the committee’s role is to determine those sets that merit consideration for a full site vote. There was no formal membership selection process for the current committee members, it simply self-manifested. When a current committee member wishes to step down, they can select their replacement. If a replacement is not selected, the current committee members will debate and offer a seat to a replacement member. It is the intent that the members rotate every few years, to harvest the best ideas from a diverse group of people. Current HOF committee:

• @wonderpuddle (Jason) - chair
• @MarquetteMonkey (Andy)
• @krafticus (Mark)
• @cpac54 (Conor)
• @rieguy (Rob)
• @josh kifer (Josh)

HOF Nomination and Selection Process
Custom sets made by current or former PCF members are eligible for consideration in the HOF (permission from the owner is required for nomination). There is a one year “cooling-off” period from the date a set is revealed before a set is eligible for HOF consideration, intended to prevent short-term hype from influencing the process. Custom sets are eligible for nomination for a period of four years. The 2025 nominee class includes sets revealed from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2023. Once a set has exceeded the eligibility period, it is no longer up for consideration. However, the HOF committee may nominate a limited number of “expired” sets for legacy consideration (i.e., to correct a previous oversight). The general process is as follows:

• The HOF committee will solicit ideas from the site membership for HOF consideration in the first half of the year, including legacy sets.
• Using the opinions of the membership and their own personal beliefs, each committee member provides an independently created list of sets to the chairperson. Note that PCF moderators and admin have no prior knowledge or input regarding nominations.
• The sets are compiled by the chairperson, and the committee privately debates the merits of those sets. Eventually, sets that merit formal nomination are determined by an internal voting process. Members of the committee may recommend and vote for the nomination of their own sets; however, members of the committee are strongly discouraged from promoting their own sets (i.e., other committee members should do all the talking). The chairperson is responsible to discourage all forms of self-promotion.
• Once formal nominations are completed, notification is provided to the set owners. The creator of a set must formally agree to inclusion of their set in the HOF process, and a draft write-up of the set with pictures is requested to facilitate the voting process.
• After owner consent and information are obtained for all sets, the final list is subject to a public membership vote where the top sets will be inducted into the HOF. Voting is open for 2 weeks to established members - 30 days with a minimum of 30 posts. The number of sets for induction will be determined by the committee, based on the quality of that year’s nominations. This year’s committee has recommended that two sets be enshrined in the HOF. The quantity of PCF votes for each set is public; however, the ballots are secret.

Without further ado, here are this year's HOF Nominees...

2025 PCF Custom Chip Set Hall of Fame Nominees:

• The Brighton - @BillyBluff
• Castaway Casino - @Rbonus012
• City of Dawn - @Rieguy
• El Nido Poker Room - @RainmanTrail
• Hoser Hut 2.0 - @cpac54
• Ironbound Lounge - @JMC9389
• Van Card Room - @pipdenny
• The Wasp's Nest - @JP1984

 

[wonderpuddle]

The Brighton
Owner: @BillyBluff
Artist: @JeepologyOffroad
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: B-Mold
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-brighton-cpc-customs.99354/

Thoughts from the Owner
Before pulling the trigger on a CPC set for my home game, I needed a theme. After lots of failed ideas, I stumbled upon the fact that the first purpose-built hotel and casino in Atlantic City was named the Brighton (before being renamed as the Sands in 1981). As my family name is Brighton, it was obvious that this had to be the theme.

I consulted with David, and he confirmed that CPC would print labels, but under no circumstances could they say “Atlantic City”, “hotel” or “casino”. Apparently, it is still theoretically possible to cash in the original Brighton cash denominations, so any possible confusion had to be avoided due to their gaming license!

For a custom CPC cash set, I wanted to have some spot progression. As my group primarily plays 25p/50p, the higher denominations are reserved for the future generations when a loaf of bread costs £5! Until then, I also needed the lower denominations to be exciting.

I set myself the following rules:

• No white £1, it has to be a blue £1
• Must incorporate shaped inlays (and the £5 must be the hub!)
• Minimise the reuse of colours and shaped inlays wherever possible
• Avoid reuse of the same colours on adjoining denominations
• Where colours are reused, different spot sizes must be used
• For spot progression, I used the following formula:
• Complexity = number of spots (when viewed from the side) x number of differing spot colours
• The complexity number should increase with each denomination

After countless hours in the design tool, here is where I landed. Whilst wanting a cohesive set, I focused more on the chips in groups of 4, as this is what would typically be on the table at any one time. Originally, I only had the £20 chip made, but the £25 chip has since been added; once you start playing £1/£1 or £1/£2, the £25 chip becomes more logical/expected with larger buy-ins, e.g.

• Non-denom, £1, £5 and £20
• £1, £5, £25 and £100
• £5, £25, £100 and £500

I didn’t want to rush the process. After I kept coming back to this same lineup for over 12 months, I knew it had some legs. The biggest decision that went on for months was whether the £20 should have a Canary or a DG Yellow base. It’s the classic perennial CPC yellow discussion!

The entire cash set has been designed all the way up to £5,000 and includes a lucky £8 chip!

Having the theme, colours and spots nailed down, I just needed an inlay design…

Now, the chips couldn’t just say “The Brighton” like the originals – there had to be some artwork/theme. After more research, butterflies were used throughout the hotel in 1980. There was a large butterfly mounted on the exterior of the building and butterflies adorned all the crockery.

In my mind, there was only one person for the inlay design job. Thankfully, John (@JeepologyOffroad) accepted the task and was given the following remit:

• An evolution of the original inlay design that could have happened in the early '90s
• Incorporate an updated butterfly
• Classic, simple and clean inlay
• Compatible with shaped inlays
• Large, clear denominations

Could a butterfly be worked into the design as a nod to the history of the original hotel and casino? You bet!

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
Non-denom - Gray base, with DG Arc Yellow, DG Peach and DG Tiger
£1 - Retro Blue base, with DG Pink and Lavender
£5 - Retro Red base, with DG Peach and White
£20 - DG Yellow base, with Blurple and Lavender
£100 - Black base, with DG Arc Yellow and DG Tiger
£500 - Purple base, with DG Peacock, Bright White and DG Pink

Thoughts from the committee:
While the £500 is the headliner and a showstopper, @BillyBluff delivers a cohesive and unique lineup that draws upon inspiration from other notable sets that came before it. The choice of the B-Mold compliments the set's name which is most obviously a tribute to the set owner's family name but also a subtle nod to Atlantic City history. A clean inlay, smart color matching, and shaped inlays elevate this set to Hall of Fame worthy status.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
"Wow! Rad set! The history, namesake, inlay and chip design came together beautifully! Well done and congrats!" - @Thisfiendis138

"Flawless execution on the theme and lables and some really stunning chips in there! And those shaped inlays... Yum!" - @OfficerLovejoy

"Brilliant! Nice execution, B mold is the perfect choice, shaped inlays work very well - an heirloom set for sure." - @Darson

"Amazing how such a simple inlay can look so good" - @BruceWayne

 

[wonderpuddle]

Castaway Casino
Owner: @Rbonus012
Artist: @timinater
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: CSQ
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/castaway-casino-cash-set-showcase.82883/

Thoughts from the Owner
The Castaway Casino set was born out of a simple design desire: I wanted to build a cohesive cash set around palm trees as the central inlay element and fully lean into an island theme.

Each denomination was designed to tell part of that island story. The fractional chip uses pink and purple to capture the colors of a sunset at sea with those moments where the sky reflects off the water and everything briefly feels suspended in time. The $1 chip leans heavily into layered blues, representing the ocean itself, from shallow coastal water to deeper open sea.

The $5 chip became the workhorse of the set and, without question, my personal favorite. Arc Yellow was a must here, tying directly back to the sun and serving as a bright, energetic focal point at the table. It anchors the set visually while still feeling completely at home within the island palette.

Moving up the ladder, the green and brown $25 chip draws directly from the colors of a palm tree, lush green palm fronds and brown trunks reinforcing the central design theme. The black $100 chip represents the complete darkness found on an island at night. It's minimal, quiet providing a strong visual contrast to the brighter chips in the set.

Beyond the standard denominations, I included several specialty chips to add personality and storytelling to the set. A brown $8 chip was created as a nod to coconuts an unconventional denomination that fits the playful nature of the theme. An “X” chip was included as a clear reference to X marks the spot, tying into classic island and treasure-hunt imagery.

Finally, the set includes a truly unique piece: a one-of-a-kind 8-dot chip that incorporates all of the major colors used throughout the set. To my knowledge this is the only 8-dot chip of its kind in existence, making it a singular capstone that brings the entire Castaway Casino palette together in one chip.

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
50c - Lavender w/ Pink 1/4 inserts
$1 - Light Blue w/ Dayglo Peacock and Blue 414 inserts
$5 - Arc Yellow w/ Dayglo Peach and Bright White 3TA16 inserts
$25 - Light Green w/ Butterscotch and Green 4TA181418
$100 - Charcoal w/ Retro Lavender and Canary 8D18 inserts
Bonus $8 - Light Chocolate w/ Chocolate and Maroon 414418 inserts
Bonus X - White w/ Butterscotch, Gray, and Blue 8Q14 inserts
Bonus Captain - Black w/ Rainbow Herpes inserts

Thoughts from the committee:
Castaway Casino is a fantastic demonstration in how the subtlety of inserts and inlay, combined with a strong and cohesive color palette, makes a set pack a real punch. All four of these aspects appropriately tie into the colorful remote island theme that is simultaneously tranquil and beautiful. The black and white inlay style with a centered red denomination is a timeless aesthetic that elevates the clay around it and allows the various shaped inlays to stand out even more by not drawing focus away from them when viewing the chips on their faces. Despite the arc yellow $5 being an unconventional choice in a more traditional-colored lineup, it simply bucks the trend and works in this tropical set to elevate the lighter colors and bring a full lineup that just works. Top off the set with some fantastic, unique, and fun bonus chips, both of which are either thematic or personal, and you end up with this Hall of Fame worthy set that any chipper would be happy to own themselves.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
<The Rock clapping GIF> @JeepologyOffroad

"These are so much better than I thought you capable of"- @Perthmike

"Can't wait to fondle them all brother!" - @Ben8257

"ho. lee. shit." - @raynmanas

"I f*cking love these bro!" - @FordPickup92

 

[wonderpuddle]

City of Dawn
Owner: @Rieguy
Artist: @JeepologyOffroad & @Rieguy
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: DIASQ
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/city-of-dawn-cardroom-cash-cpc.112468/

Thoughts from the Owner:
City of Dawn comes from the ancient name of the Mayan city in Tulum the Maya called, as we know it, "Zama", which means "to dawn". Zama is the only Mayan settlement located on the beaches of the Caribbean, built on a bluff facing the rising sun. I chose this theme as I am a big proponent of family, and growing up going on cruises out of Florida to the Caribbean was the best way for my extended family to gather in one place to visit my grandparents and go on trips. One of my best memories, specifically, was spending quality time with my pops in Tulum at this site, especially for a history-junkie like me. Caribbean chips and a theme to go with them was always my plan going in, and with the architectural aesthetic the Diamond-Square CPC mold provides, it was a perfect match.

When I first joined PCF, it didn't take long to stumble upon CPC and realize that a custom set would eventually be the end game. About two and a half years later, after truly knowing what I loved most in chips and chip sets, it was time to get to work on my number one forever set, and the result is something that I truly believe to be worthy of that title. While my range in chips is extremely wide and inclusive of many styles, this was always going to be the first one tackled. Getting to felt this at a meetup with friends and people who gave input in the process is some of the absolute best of what chipping has to offer. This set simply "goes beyond the clay" for me.

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
25c – Retro Lavender, DG Green, Blurple
$1 – Light Blue, DG Pink, DG Peacock, DG Arc Yellow
$5 – DG Peach, Imperial Blue, DG Yellow
$25 – DG Green, DG Pink, Green, Bright White, Butterscotch
$100 – Black, DG Saturn, DG Peacock, DG Tiger
$500 – Lavender, DG Pink, Maroon, Grey, Blurple

Thoughts from the committee:
Overall, the HoF committee viewed “City of Dawn” as an exceptionally polished, cohesive set, worthy of its HoF nomination. Members highlighted how well the artwork, colour palette, and edge spots were executed. Even though we’ve seen numerous “Tropical Island” themed sets over the years, the inlay design, font choice, subtle colour matching, and shaped inlays elevate “City of Dawn” to something special. The colour choices and spot patterns create a strong visual continuity across all denominations. Taken as a whole, members viewed this set as thoughtfully designed, visually striking, and one of the standout releases of the year.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
“this set just oozes with creativity that I haven't seen done in any CPC set so far. Fantastic set, congrats!” - @quintooo

“These are AWESOME!! So well done Sir! Love how the inlay colors subtly match each chip!! You know it’s good when you can’t pick one favorite!! I tried and I just can’t” - @Budha

“Absolutely spectacular. Next year HOF / calendar entry for sure!” - @Gear

“This set is gorgeous. Very cohesive and well thought out design” - @ChipMonster

“Wow...just wow. Talk about maximizing everthing you can do with CPC. These are easily in the top 5 custom CPC's ive ever seen. Usually i can find at least one thing i would have done different. I can't with these” - @Huskerchipper

 

[wonderpuddle]

El Nido Poker Room
Owner: @RainmanTrail
Artist: @Johnny5
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: SCrown
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/el-nido-poker-room-my-new-cpc-scrown-set.80436/

Thoughts from the Owner
I've been wanting a nice limit set for years. So, I decided to make one. The tri-moon $2 is what I came up with first. I've always liked DG Peach, but have never used it in any of my CPC sets in the past. I'm really happy with how these came out. I loved the limit set mockup so much that I decided to go all in and just build a full set.

El Nido is a small island town at the northern tip of Palawan, Philippines. It's not far from the island of Coron. It's a long journey to get there though, as you have to fly into Puerto Princessa and take a 5 hour van ride through some rough dirt roads to get there. But once you arrive, it's a pretty magical paradise. Caves, lagoons, white sand beaches, diving, snorkeling, sport fishing, and tree house restaurants at the beach. The name El Nido translates to "The Nest" and is named that because it is home to 5 of the 7 species of sea turtles, all of whom make their nests there on the islands. It was also the first vacation spot that my wife and I went on together. They don't have a poker room though, so I decided to make my own.

OK, enough rambling. Inlays were designed by @Johnny5.

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
220 x 25¢ - Retro Red 1TA316 Gray, Dark Blue
420 x $1 - Light Blue 4A14 Dayglo Tiger, Dark Green
820 x $2 - Dayglo Peach 3ATRIM Retro Red, Blurple, Imperial Blue
820 x $2 - Dayglo Peach 4DSDA316 Retro Red, Blurple, Imperial Blue
620 x $5 - Dayglo Yellow 4DSA316 Blurple, Dayglo Pink
420 x $20 - Black 414418 Purple, Dayglo Green
110 x $100 - Bright White 6QADS18 Dayglo Peacock, Retro Red
30 x $500 - Gray 4TA181418 Pink, Dark Blue, Dayglo Arc Yellow w/ Dots

Thoughts from the committee:
The committee thought that the Strong color choices with spot progression and the inlay color matching took this set over the top and into consideration. It has multiple standout chips that each member could speak up on and defend. The addition of the 2-dollar limit set also helped make it unique against the other offerings. Repeatedly it was brought up that it was the first time using the combo of a black base with a blurple spot.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
"Best set of 2021 is going to be fun to watch now… *kicks rocks*" @chipinla

"Damn!!! What a set! That $20 is quite attractive and the level-infinity spots on the $500 are proper drool worthy" @AlbinoDragon

"Still can't get over the 20 though. Never would've thought to put purple on black but it just plain works. Love it" @JeepologyOffroad

"Seriously, have you ever made a bad CPC set? These are, once again, perfect." @jr8719

 

[wonderpuddle]

Hoser Hut 2.0
Owner: @cpac54
Artist: @Johnny5
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: CSQ
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hoser-hut-2-0-bring-your-eh-game.107495/

Thoughts from the Owner
As an ex-pat, living abroad in Switzerland, the Hoser Hut started from a desire to create a theme which paid tribute to my homeland, Canada.
The term “Hoser” is a bit of an ironic term, used to describe Canadians. The term grew in popularity and became engrained in Canadian culture largely through the skits of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas (playing the characters of Bob and Doug McKenzie) on SCTV’s “The Great White North” segment.

My “Hoser Hut” journey began with a first CPC set on the DSQ mold several years back, and grew to include a custom table from Chanman (a fellow Hoser), dealer buttons, cut cards, etc. While I thoroughly enjoyed making my first CPC set, I was truthfully never 100% satisfied with it for a number of reasons. And thus, the seed was planted for an eventual “Hoser Hut 2.0”

After several years in the chipping game, the second time around was different. I had a far better understanding of what I was hoping to create and what changes I wanted to make to the original theme. There were countless iterations, feedback from fellow PCFers as well as from the late, great John Faulhaber (R.I.P.), another fellow Hoser, with whom I was so fortunate to be able to work with on for all my Hoser Hut ideas, and even more iterations after that. The result is something I feel much better reflects my chipping journey and is a set that I envision being a part of my “forever” collection. It still brings me joy just to look at this set on my shelf and it’s always a thrill for me to get this set into play with friends – it’s by far and away the cash set that sees the most action in my collection. Long live CPC and the creative outlet it provides!

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
25c - Dayglo Pink, Maroon, Retro Red, Bright White
$1 - Dayglo Peacock, Dayglo Peach, Dark Blue
$5 - Dayglo Arc Yellow, Lavender, Retro Red, Dayglo Tiger
$25 - Light Green, Retro Green, Dayglo Yellow
$100 - Black, Light Blue, Lavender, Dayglo Pink

Thoughts from the committee:
Hoser Hut 2.0 "Bring Your "Eh" Game" is a set that just screams "fun". With powerful yet deliberate colors and a whimsical inlay and theme that has a personal touch of home, this set fires on all cylinders in what is worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. Its dark shaped inlays have a nice contrast with the bright clay, and the color scheme and insert patterns have shown to play well on the felt when it all comes together. Typically, two-sided inlays can pose a risk for potential confusion when being felted, but the layout and nice bold red to differentiate from the white text makes these simply work and elevate the set. Finally, we have a fantastic progression with a bookmark at the top in the $100 denomination that is just simply electric, eh?

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
"Double Booyah!!!" @doublebooyah85

"I am brilliant sometimes!!!! Feel so fortunate to have a sample set on the way!" @liftapint

"Congratulation Connor for this superb set... thx god you brought this set Kudos!!!" @NeoViny23

"So good! I love that hundo but the fiver is beautiful, congrats " @JP1984

 

[wonderpuddle]

Ironbound Lounge
Owner: JMC9389
Artist: @Johnny5
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: DIASQ
Showcase Threads:
Cash: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-ironbound-lounge-cash-set-cpc.92073/
Tournament: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-ironbound-lounge-tournament-set-cpc.105767/

Thoughts from the Owner:
This is a project that I was very excited about when drafting ideas to come up with a custom set theme that has ties to where I first grew up in Newark, New Jersey. The theme of the set is based around the city of Newark, specifically, the Ironbound section of the city. My grandparents (father's parents) emigrated there from Portugal in 1973. This is where my parents met, grew up, and went to school together. The Ironbound section of the city has the Portuguese culture ingrained as a result of the high numbers of Portuguese immigrants that arrived mostly in the 1960's and 1970's. It gets the nickname of "The Ironbound" due to the high number of factories in that area of the city and that manufacturing was the primary basis of the local economy that provided the most jobs for the residents of the city that provided livelihood for most of these Portuguese immigrants, including my grandfather, whom worked at a leather factory to support his family previously not knowing any English or otherwise having any other skill in any kind of trade.

I'm made this set on the MD-50 (DIASQUARE) mold for a few reasons. The first is that I like the aesthetics of the mold design itself (that's the most important, right?). The second is that the history and use of the hub mold (or "square" mold, cousin to the current MD-50 mold, I believe it's named the MD-33 mold something like that) can be traced all the way back to the Mason and Co. days back in the 1930's before they were bought by Burt and Co., the company that manufactured most of the current molds that CPC uses to this day. The hub mold has since been retired, but the MD-50 mold is very similar and was also made by Burt and Co. just after they absorbed Mason and Co. Mason and Co. had a factory and headquarters in the peak era of industrial Newark, guess where? The Ironbound.

This design was an absolute blast to work with J5 on, and he absolutely nailed it right on the head. I have very fond memories of taking the train into Newark, even after my family moved away into the suburbs, of walking down Ferry Street and taking a look at all of the local shops and restaurants. There are a lot of little restaurants where the locals get together and watch soccer games and have a meal that are called "clubs" or "lounges", sipping on beer, or sangria in warmer months. Sangria is a drink ingrained into Portuguese and Spanish culture, using wine, brandy, lemon lime soda, orange juice, and infused with cut up fresh fruit (apples, oranges, berries mostly) served chilled and absolutely refreshing on a warm, humid New Jersey summer day.

The inlay on the chips pays homage to this, showing a sangria pitcher and glass. Hence the name "The Ironbound Lounge" was born. I actually had a local say that they looked up the name on Google just to make sure it wasn't a real place, which is a testament to J5's design work. For a night of cards, you can hang out, bust balls, and sip some sangria when I transform my basement into The Ironbound Lounge for the night.

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
Cash:
160 x 0.50
200 x $1
200 x $5
140 x $20
40 x $100

Limit:
1600 x DG Tiger NCV
200 x Blue NCV

Tournament:
360 x T25
360 x T100
200 x T500
300 x T1000
160 x T5000
40 x T20000
60 x Bounty

Thoughts from the committee:
Overall, committee members liked how well the spot progression works across both the cash set and the tournament lineup. The colors of the chips pop, yet are distinct enough from each other to avoid any dirty stack issues. Members enjoyed how the chips work together and appreciated the style and theme of the set, particularly noting how clean the art and font of the inlay were executed. Overall, the committee viewed this sets as one of the most deserving of the nomination period.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
“And the pics don't even do them justice, the tigers and dollahs are the stone cold nuts.” @Irish

“This set is hot AF. LOVE it.” @liftapint

“Fantastic job, I love every chip.” @Skagglio

“Beautiful set of chips!!!! Congratulations on completing them!!! Love the story behind them as well!!!!” @MrBoosh

“Another hall of fame worthy set! Definitely Ironbound!” @mugenpowr

 

[wonderpuddle]

Van Card Room
Owner: @pipdenny
Artist: @Johnny5
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: Jockey
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/van-card-room-tournament-cpc-jockey.83566/

Thoughts from the Owner
Even before joining the forum, I knew I wanted to create a custom set of chips. My buddies and I had a game going for many years, and we always used crappy dice chips. I was the only one who felt like we could do better, so I set on a search for custom chips, not knowing what was even out there. I found several sites offering just printing on dice chips, but I knew there must be something better. That's when I stumbled on PCF, and eventually, CPC. There it was! I didn't know exactly what I was looking for at the time, but PCF and CPC was certainly it!

I quickly learned, samples were king! So I began with color samples from CPC. When they arrived, I KNEW the dayglo pink, dayglo yellow, and lavender had to be a chip - those 3 colors look INSANE together. I was still a newbie, and I saw many many sets going for the green-black-purple-yellow-orange progression of tourney chips, so it looked like my T500 (purple) was already set! The rest of the chips took me a long, long time. Many months of playing with the designer tool and many, many iterations brought me to what you see here. I ultimately took inspiration from some of my favorite sets at the time (ie T25 and T5k from ESPT), as well as some ideas I knew I wanted from the start (ie the 3-tone gradient in the T1K). Although some of my tastes have changed since this set, I still get a tingly feeling whenever I open the case and look at these.

Now for the mold. At first, I liked the look of the small crown and circle-square the best, but I knew I had to get them in my hand. The mold samples from CPC didn't do anything for me, and I knew I had to get an INLAID shuffle stack of each mold. I reached out to David and he put together 10 inlaid chips of each mold for me to play with. After many hours of shuffling, jockey felt the absolute best. I HATED jockey before I started, but it really, really grew on me, especially after shuffling them! Now it is easily my favorite mold.

As for inlay design, the story is quite simple. My son (first baby) was born as I was learning the poker chip ropes and playing with my color samples. The first time I ever saw him smile was when he was watching a video of some heron/stork stype of bird. Every time I played him that video, his face LIT up. And there it was, not only the main design element of the chip (the stork bird), but also the name of the set itself (Van is my son's name, as well as an ancient Armenian township - a nod at my family heritage). I reached out to the incredible @Johnny5 and he did such an awesome job!

My favorite element is the color-matching of the spots on the bird with the base and spot colors of each chip. It's subtle but it makes me so happy inside haha! Another design note: both sides of each chip are actually different - they are mirror images of each other! And one last note: Van is pronounced "vawn"

Anyway, I can spend all day writing my thoughts of each chip, the colors, the iterations, my experience with the inlaid mold samples, etc. I'll just leave it at that though. I know you all know exactly what goes into this hobby and designing a set haha. I am so glad I found this forum! This set is now a family heirloom!

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
T25 - Light Green (Green + Dayglo Peach)
T100 - Black (Dayglo Arc Yellow + Light Blue)
T500 - Lavender (Dayglo Yellow + Dayglo Pink)
T1000 - Canary (Dayglo Green + Green + Dark Green)
T5000 - Dayglo Tiger (Dayglo Peacock + Dark Blue)
T25000 - Imperial Blue (Daylgo Peach + Bright White)
"Bonus Chip" (bounty, rebuy, etc) - Bright white (Dayglo Tiger + Canary + Dayglo Peacock)

Thoughts from the committee:
A nominee last year in a stacked class, the committee believed Van Card Room deserved another nomination and consideration from the community. This set delivers a stellar inlay with a clean and crisp presentation, smart color matching and font choices, and a bold denom. Taking a risk with the lesser used Jockey Mold really paid off here. With a couple standout chips and a strong inlay, @pipdenny delivered a fun and cohesive set.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
"The color matching is the absolute BOMB. So good. I'm in love." - @liftapint

"Epic job on these. Future HoF tourney set imo. Straight up awesome from top to bottom" - @Perthmike

"What an absolutely spectacular set!!! Damn near perfect in every way. Grand-slam home-run set." - @AlbinoDragon

 

[wonderpuddle]

The Wasp’s Nest
Owner: @JP1984
Artist: @mattross1313
Manufacturer: CPC
Mold: CSQ
Showcase Thread: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-wasps-nest-cpc-csq.105856/

Thoughts from the Owner
Having recently completed the classic new member journey, travelling to Paulson RHCs via China Clays and Ceramics, I reached a crossroads. Do I buy a THC set or just go straight for a CPC purchase? Pages and pages of messages with my Enabler in Chief (and inlay designer) @mattross1313 followed, then sets like Casa Mango and Midnight Cardhouse started to drop and it proved to be too much for me, I could no longer resist, I admitted defeat and opened the CPC design tool.

I already had my theme, The Wasp’s Nest was already open for business, chosen because during my first trip to Vegas, I was called a "F****** Wasp" by someone who didn't appreciate me showing them the nut low.

A couple of things were obvious, it had to be a cash set, as I don’t host tourneys (the CPC Tourney set followed 12 months later), and we mostly played 25p/50p, so it didn’t need a huge bank (it ended up being 1000 chips and big enough to host a smallish £2/£5 game).

When it came to this design, I wanted something unique, there are so many amazing sets on PCF already, the aforementioned Casa Mango and Moonlight Cardhouse sets, The Rainier Room, Le Gold Luxury Hotel & Resort to name but a few. All of these were tough acts to follow and so I felt like I wanted to do something different, eventually I landed on ¼ pies.

I knew they were often shunned (unfairly) by the community, but one of my favs sets I’d ever seen on PCF right at the beginning was the BCC Riverboat set, naively I thought I could just pick them up in the classifieds! There’s something so pleasing to my eye about ¼ pies, the consistency through the set, how they look when stacked, I knew that was the spot pattern for me.

Most ¼ pie sets I’d seen had featured 2 colour chips, I knew that 3 colours would make it harder to avoid dirty stacks, but I felt it would make them a bit more special, like the Riverboats. I wanted each chip to be unique though, even the Riverboats shared some colours across multiple chips (yes I know the reds were different shades).

I set to work bombarding @mattross1313 and also @Eriks with countless different options, some of which were horrific, however with a bit of back and forth we soon landed on the base colours for each chip, and then worked on the overall feel of the set. I wanted to see some “colour progression” where each denom was more complex than the previous one, moving from a fairly monotone design to something with greater contrast by the end. It felt like a new twist on ¼ pies and would satisfy that spot progression itch that I obviously couldn’t scratch with this set.

The 25p, and £1 came together pretty quickly and were both monotone type designs. I knew I wanted the £5 to be the star of the show, it’s the workhorse, and would make up 40% of the final set, The Riverboat 1k was my favourite of the entire lineup, so I chucked what I thought was a fair approximation of that chip into the designer and immediately loved it. One other thing I wanted to do with this set was to have more consistency than the BCCs, all the lighter shades at the top, and heavier shades at the bottom of the chips, it just felt right (as soon as @mattross1313 mentioned it!).

The £25 and Hundo were both trickier to nail, I tried so many combinations of various green, gray, charcoal, purple, and blurple for the £25 but just could not land on something I liked. Then I found DG Yellow, the views on CPC Yellows are well known, but when paired with the right colours I think it’s a really cool colour. Then Dark Green on the base to add a real contrast.

Finally, I knew I wanted a Bright White chip, and I figured using it for the Hundo would mean it would stay Bright and White for longer. Once @JeepologyOffroad tipped me off and told me to try Butterscotch, I was on the home stretch, the Blurple works really well with those two colours without clashing with the rest of the set as well.

The inlays came together remarkably quickly, I’d never liked black inlays and I had already done white on my RHCs, so coloured seemed like the natural next step, colour matching the denoms to the bottom colour tied them together well, but at the 11th hour, after submitting the order, @mattross1313 then fired over a message saying “what do you think of these?”...matching the colour of “The Wasp’s Nest” text to the top colour really finished them off nicely.

Set Denominations and Breakdown:
25p - DG Pink, Retro Lavender, Lavender
£1 - DG Peacock, Light Blue, Blue
£5 - DG Peach, DG Arc Yellow, Mandarin Red
£25 - DG Green, DG Yellow, Dark Green
£100 - Bright White, Butterscotch, Blurple

Thoughts from the committee:
There have been several ¼ pie sets come up over the years. Using the same spot pattern across all denominations can be a challenge in that they can often end up feeling somewhat formulaic. The HoF committee however viewed the inlay as the star of the show with this set, with the harmonious, subtle chip bases allowing the inlay to do the heavy lifting and elevate the set as a whole.

The inlay design was viewed as unique, with good colour-matching and the “honeycomb” background being a very clever way of re-inforcing the theme of the set. The colour choices, in particular the frac through the $5 denominations were viewed as strong and cohesive, with the $1 receiving resounding praise from all.

Photos:

Thoughts from the community:
“That set sure has a sting to it! Congrats” - @davislane

“this set came out fantastic, congrats! And that's coming from someone who really doesn't like quarter pies, especially across a whole set. The coloring on the inlays works sooo well.” - @Irish

“Great set mate - absolutely gorgeous!” - @Beanio

“Those look soooooo good together. You really nailed the colors!” - @TX_Golf_N_Poker

 

[wonderpuddle]

Voting is now open!

 

[Sprouty]

Needs more Cactus Pete's.

 

[megarises]

Really tough year, sad to see @Gear's set didn't make the cut.

 

[Cratty]

Needs more Cactus Pete's.

IMO, Josh's Cactus Pete's set is one of the best there is without question. It's definitely in my top 5-10 favorite CPC sets of all time.

Totally understand though why it might not qualify for a custom HoF given commemorative design, but that doesn't take away from how great his set is.

Maybe someday the HoF will expand into an award show.. Best custom set, best relabel set, etc.. ha.

 

[ekricket]

P

IMO, Josh's Cactus Pete's set is one of the best there is without question. It's definitely in my top 5-10 favorite CPC sets of all time.

Totally understand though why it might not qualify for a custom HoF given commemorative design, but that doesn't take away from how great his set is.

Maybe someday the HoF will expand into an award show.. Best custom set, best relabel set, etc.. ha.

haha search around

 

[Cratty]

P

haha search around

Ha, yeah.. aware. Was joking. Liked the idea and wasnt around then, but assume it stopped due to the amount of work among other things.

 

[EmptyPocs]

Those are all incredible.
Superb photos
It will take days to decide on just one and vote.

 

[Huskerchipper]

Voted for three. Wow, what a ridiculously difficult vote but there's a few that separate themselves to me. Congrats to ALL that have made it. All selections are excellent sets!!!

 

[Rieguy]

 

[cpac54]

 

[doublebooyah85]

Congrats to everyone who made it this far. You probably shouldn’t be able to review results before you vote.

 

[cpac54]

Congrats to everyone who made it this far. You probably shouldn’t be able to review results before you vote.

Ooh, good point. Not sure if too late to change that @wonderpuddle? @Tommy

 

[HiveKueen]

Is there a place on PCF were we can compare them side by side? This would help me a lot.

 

[cpac54]

Is there a place on PCF were we can compare them side by side? This would help me a lot.

Not sure what you mean exactly, but there's a full description of each nominated set plus a photo gallery of each set in this thread (just scroll past the first post).

 

[HiveKueen]

Committee did a great job. All are worthy. Only voted for the one that I think MUST get in, Castaways. Minus this option I would have voted for Vans card room

 

[HiveKueen]

Not sure what you mean exactly, but there's a full description of each nominated set plus a photo gallery of each set in this thread (just scroll past the first post).

I was going to do the comparison where you pick two, choose the one you like best, pick a third to compare to it, choose the one you like best….etc. this is easier to do with side by side pics. No problem, I have voted.

 

[Irish]

Extending a big thank you to the committee for your efforts in pulling this together, and a thank you & congrats to all those nominated, very nice write-ups and photos this year!

 

[cpac54]

 

[GamingWithChips]

From the voting and from Tigers popularity, it seems people really love their neon colours, eh?

Don't get me wrong, I love some neon sprinkled in, but whole sets being neon gets a little tiring to my eyes. To each their own!

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Insane group of sets. Going to stew over this for a couple of days...

 

[cpac54]

Great to see a big jump in total votes since yesterday. Keep 'em coming, PCF!

And don't miss out on @MarquetteMonkey's awesome giveaway for everyone who votes: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/tip-top-club-sample-set.139051/