43mm chips for a cash game set — too big or still comfortable? (5 Viewers)

[Mayuri]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to ask for some opinions about 43mm chips for a private cash game set.

I know that 39mm is the more standard/classic size, but I’m considering 43mm because my custom design is quite detailed, with text, rings, suits, gradients and small decorative elements.

When printed on 39mm ceramic chips, I’m worried that some details may look too soft or not sharp enough. A manufacturer suggested that 43mm hybrid chips could give a cleaner and sharper result, while still being comfortable for real cash game use.

For people who have played with or owned 43mm chips:

do they feel too large in hand?
are they comfortable for a full cash game set?
-do they stack and handle well?
- do you personally prefer 39mm or 43mm for a custom set?

I’m trying to decide if 43mm is a good choice for better artwork quality, or if it would make the chips feel too oversized compared to a normal poker set.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[arch3r]

It basically comes down to personal preference. I have both 39mm and 43mm sets ( I also have 36mm sets ). I enjoy the variety. It keeps it fresh when you can switch it up.

Now for those who are used to just 39mm, the 43mm may feel strange at first, maybe for like 10-15 minutes. After an orbit or two, you'll completely forget you are playing with larger chips. And if that is all you ever use, that will become the norm and it won't feel strange at all. I brought a 43mm tourney set to our monthly neighborhood game and people didn't even notice the size difference at first. Someone commented like an hour into the game that the chips seems larger but no one had any issues handling or shuffling the chips what so ever.

So to answer your questions:

1. Too large, doubt it. Unless you have tiny baby-like hands, you will quickly get comfortable handling them.
2. Yes, a full 43mm cash set is super nice IMHO. But then again, so is a full 36mm set. I'm a chipper and appreciate playing with all different sizes/styles.
3. No issues at all stacking them. The diameter of the chip has no real bearing on the stickability. That is more a function of how flat the chips are and the material they are made of. My 39mm bud jones pacific star chips are way slippery and unstable in taller stacks then my 43mm majestic china clays.
4. Personally, I like variety and I love playing with custom sets. 39mm or 43mm are both fine options.

You said your design may look better on a larger chip, then go for the 43mm as long as you love it. These are YOUR custom chips so ultimately you have to love them. The size, 39mm vs 43mm, really does not matter ( that's what she said ).

The only possible "issue" with 43mm chips is storage. You'll need to get racks that hold 43mm chips which are less readily available. And if you plan on storing them in a birdcage, you'll have to fine one that can handle the larger racks. Not a show stopper by any means, but just something to consider.

But as always, the standard recommendation is get samples. Get a barrel of 39mm and 43mm. Handle them. Shuffle them. See what you think. I keep multiple shuffle stacks on my desk of various sizes and materials just to mix it up. And if you can get mock-ups of your design on both sizes, even better. Ultimately, I don't think you can go wrong with either size.

And anyway, once you get one set, you are going to want more. It's just how it goes. Give into it now and accept it. Welcome to our sickness.

Enjoy.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

My apes strongly prefer my 43mm cheap ceramics to my 39mm casino clays. Their opinions are deeply flawed in many ways, but we don't have any issue with the size or playability. I agree, I like the extra room for art. They handle and stack fine, with the caveat that the cheaper Tinas have some 'spinners' (look up on here for more info and videos).

The size is one element but your printer may be another hinderance to detailed designs, I would be wary of going too high resolution. Some of it may be lost in the printing.

 

[upNdown]

I prefer 43mm but not by a lot. It’s really like a 50/50 thing in my opinion - both sizes are great (though I wouldn’t go any bigger or smaller than those two sizes.)
So, no, 43mm chips are not too big. They’re fine for a cash game and a lot of people probably won’t even notice that they’re a larger size.

 

[BKisback]

I have 39mm, 43mm, and 48mm sets, plus the different IPS sizes and their plaques. To me, there's not a huge difference unless playing with one right after another.

 

[JMC9389]

43mm chips are spectacular

 

[upduck]

I'm a big fan of 43mm. Everyone who plays at my game leaves wanting to buy a 43mm set (instead of the standard 39mm).

You should pick up a sample set and feel for yourself.

 

[GamingWithChips]

Definitely a personal preference thing. I’ve seen enough comments of preferring either or to suggest that it’s pretty split between the two on if many people in a group would like it or not. I personally shuffled with a small stack of each and decided I prefer 39mm overall. I also decided that my sets with be a mix of the two sizes so that only the largest denominations are oversized (43mm in this case).

I have also heard many people say 43mm stacks better and that seems intuitive because they are the same thickness just with a larger base width.

From what you described I would lean towards going with 43mm for your custom ceramic chips, but as others have said, it’s always a good idea to get samples first and then decide.

 

[acezag]

43mm is fun, and non-chippers will likely not notice much of a difference.

One small practical consideration - the rack sizes are significantly different. Be sure to buy what you need in advance, and if you already had an Apache case setup for 39mm chips, you'll need a different set of foam for 43mm racks (or a second Apache).

Seconding what others have said - if your inlay doesn't work at 39mm, 43mm isn't going to make it better - the problems will just have a bit more space. Simplicity is your friend in inlay design, always.

 

[Old State]

I have a 1200 chip cash game set of Br Pro ceramics in 43mm. Like others said, you won’t notice the difference in size as far as feel unless you were just handling 39mms or vice versa. The first time I brought them out for a game it was a good two hours in before one guy asked if the chips were bigger. He’s the same guy that notices the difference with the stiffness of cards, etc. that may change during my game.

I personally love 43 mm. It would probably order all my chips that way from now on if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s hard to store them. Bank Supply is the only vendor I found that makes a birdcage that will hold traditional style 43 mm racks. You can also get the clam shell style from broken arrow/Justin here but I’m not sure if they fit in a birdcage designed for 38mm chips.

Apache Poker also makes them (which I bought) that will fit in a traditional birdcage designed for 39 mm chips. I have those, but I only recommend them with reservations as they’re very brittle.

They have become a primary cash game chip over my full custom 23-year-old ASM‘s. While ceramics aren’t as popular as real clay chips on this forum, my guys don’t care and actually really like the ceramics. I like ceramics for a practical standpoint in the sense that you can clean them very easily. I use them a lot and they start to pick up a smell. I simply put them in a bucket of soapy water and let them sit for a few hours and then rinse them off and dry.

You may also want to consider “Tina” hybrid 43mm chips that will give you that custom clay look of a label in the middle. Here is a link below for the birdcage and the racks. Other companies make traditional style racks for 43 mm chips, but I don’t know of any other company that makes a birdcage big enough to hold them.

I’m also only aware of one flat chip case on Amazon that’ll work with 43 mm chips.

Pictured below are my 43 mm chips shown in the clamshell racks that fit in the smaller birdcage and then the larger birdcage with the traditional racks from Banksupply

https://banksupplies.com/large-bird-cage-style-10-tray-acrylic-chip-carrier-840-87815
https://banksupplies.com/777-30003?___SID=U

 

[Old State]

Simplicity is your friend in inlay design, always.

Not only are simple designs easier to print etc, they look more realistic…if you are going after the casino feel. Almost all casinos have simple designs. Some extremely simple like the Wynn or the old Mirage

Here are some of my $1/3 stacks from famous casino card rooms. Borgata is the only moderately complex one.

 

[ChaosRock]

3. ...The diameter of the chip has no real bearing on the stackability.

Pretty much agree with 100% you wrote and it would be exactly my reply, except for the above.

Imo, with everything else being equal, 43mm stack better than 39mm that stack better than 36mm (although not super significantly). The reason is that the ratio of diameter to height of each chip is higher for the 43, then the 39 than the 36, so the higher that ratio, the more stable the barrels when chips are on top of each other.

 

[TheRealTeddyKGB]

Manhole covers ftw

 

[arch3r]

Pretty much agree with 100% you wrote and it would be exactly my reply, except for the above.

Imo, with everything else being equal, 43mm stack better than 39mm that stack better than 36mm (although not super significantly). The reason is that the ratio of diameter to height of each chip is higher for the 43, then the 39 than the 36, so the higher that ratio, the more stable the barrels when chips are on top of each other.

True, wider diameter, wider base, more stable. I actually considered that and meant to go back and edit my response to include a blub about a wider diameter adds a bit of stability, but not significant enough that one would really need to consider unless you are one of those animals who make one chip tall wide towers of random counts of chips instead of keeping your chips in easily countable manageable stacks/barrels of 20.

Yes.

Ok, I'll allow it.

No!

Just go fuck yourself.

 

[SwissChip]

43mm are cool - even as a Tina version.
I made this set to play outdoors.

 

[Coyote]

43mm chips are fabulous, if you can:
-afford them
-store them

PS: let alone 44mm ones

 

[BigGrizz]

I'm on team 43mm. Storage is more of a bitch for sure but that's it. Plus I have giant bear paws so 39mm feel tiny to me, like Shaq drinking a normal sized water bottle.

 

[Northern Paladin]

Just go fuck yourself.

It's still easy to calculate Mercier's chip count. 3 stacked barrels for the base of the tower. So ~1,550,000 in total.

But visual calculation has its limits, especially for a building like this one:

Or for these kind of stack - @fish72s
(@TheRealTeddyKGB must have some nice photos like these, even though I didn't find them)

 

[Huskerchipper]

IF U are talking specifically about the ceramics on Justin's group buy then you would definitely be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't go with 43mm. Especially the web mold with a larger inlay area... depending on what your inlay issue is. Make no mistake, a larger inlay CAN be beneficial to some designs.

Also, IF U are indeed talking about the Tina's from Justin's group buy, the 43mm chips handle better than the 39mm chips. The larger chip with more surface area is much easier to handle, especially when riffling etc. The 39mm's are a bit slick and like to slip and slide around a bit.

 

[ValueTown]

43s are a nice change of pace. I have both 39 and 43. Just keep in mind to accommodate storage, racks, and tubes for pre game distro based on the larger diameter.

 

[RansomStoddard]

Using Justin's racks for my Tina 43s, they easily fit in a standard birdcage. Enjoy!