Key West 67.7 mm chip racks
Price: $3.49 per rack, plus shipping. (Returnable for a refund if you don't like the way they fit.)
To order: PM dennis63 here at PCF
Question: Are these racks the perfect fit for my casino chips?
Answer: These racks are sold by the manufacturer using the measurement "67.7 mm" interior tube width, and the phrase, "Fits 100 Paulson chips perfectly."
They should be a very good fit for most Paulson or Classic 39 mm poker chips. I've found them to be the best fitting rack for Key West chips so far.
For more, read...
"The Myth of the Perfect Chip Rack"
Recently, on the Poker Chip Forum, I've read posts where people seem to be seeking out the perfect 100-chip rack. Frankly, I think that's a myth. I don't think there is such a thing as "a perfect chip rack." There are only racks which fit your chips better or worse than others.
First, I realize that collectors here spend a lot of money on high-end casino chips. They want to find a chip rack that fits each barrel of 20 chips perfectly. I understand that part.
The trouble comes when we realize that the definition of a perfect fit varies from person to person. Some people like the chips to touch each end of the tube and stand on edge when the rack is on the table. Some prefer the chips not be too tight in the tube. Others prefer to have the chips a bit tighter. A smaller group really doesn't care if their chips fit loosely, even leaning a bit in the rack. They just want a rack to store their chips.
Now, add a few things we all know, but that will drive us crazy when we try to get that "perfect" rack.
1. Casino chips are reasonably uniform in thickness. They are not perfectly uniform. Even Paulson chips can vary in thickness. I've seen this myself while working at a casino. Classic chips can vary, too. The variation in chip stack height may not be noticeable, but it's there. The variation between two stacks of 20 chips (same manufacturer, same color / denomination) can sometimes be visible to the naked eye.
2. The chip rack itself is reasonably uniform. It's (probably) not perfectly uniform, even across the five barrels inside the same rack. The difference may be really, really tiny, but it can make you feel a difference in how tight the chips are in the rack. Even a barrel of 20 chips will be very snug in an end tube, but not snug in the middle tube.
3. A casino uses the racks to store 20-chip stacks in a fill carrier so the amounts of chips are clearly visible. As long 21 chips won't fit into the barrel, or the barrel won't max out at 19 chips, they fine with it. Then they turn the rack on it's side and slide the chips out onto the table, up to 100 chips at a time. (Highest denomination closest to the dealer.) So you'll want your chips to fit nicely, but still be able to come out easily.
Even then, a casino dealer must prove the stacks for the cameras and the floor supervisor to make sure the racks weren't short or overloaded. (They'd be crazy not to, because they're signing for the value of the chips.)
So casino dealers don't trust the racks to count for them.
In the end, there are racks that fit well, racks that fit poorly, and everything in between, depending on which chip, which mold, and which manufacturer you are using for your home chips.
I don't think there is -- or ever will be -- a chip rack that fits "perfectly."
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