Buying advice - inexpensive set (1 Viewer)

[Tarheel4Life]

Looking for a tournament and cash set for a friend - long time player, first time hoster.

Clay/Paulson/CPC isn’t that important to him. I don’t think he loves ceramic or composite like a Bud Jones, but a higher end China clay work work I think - something better quality than the Dunes knockoffs.

He needs a cash set that can support 3 tables of $1/1 PL games (figure $100 buyins, $300 rebuy, 8 max players per table) and separately a tournament set for 10K stacks 4 tables with color ups.

He isn’t a chip guy so spending money on Paulsons or CPCs is out of the question - basically middle road between China Dunes and used Paulsons.

Any recommendations?

 

[LotsOfChips]

43 mm Royals from Apache for tournament, 39 mm Majestics from Apache for cash

 

[Rhodeman77]

Ceramics lol.

Unfortunately there isn’t much of quality between CC and real clay chips.

Used Horseshoe (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indy) are all the most affordable and easy to obtain cash set chips. If you/he shop around you can get the $1, $5 & $25 for under $1/chip.

As for tournament set CC or ceramics will be the best option for the sub $1 price point. Sometimes solid clay sets come up but he is trying to cover 4 tables. Finding a set to do that on a budget will take a very long time.

 

[Eloe2000]

In my experience, "non-chippers" will balk at extremely used Paulsons because of how used they are and would prefer new CCs etc.

 

[wolfpack]

jack cinci from the chiproom.

 

[TheDuke]

If your friend has a specific budget in mind, that would help narrow the options.

I'd say custom Alibaba ceramics would be the best option. But it sounds like your friend doesn't like ceramics?

Perhaps majestics/royals/board game chips from Apache would work.

 

[khp]

From my short time here, isn’t the progression of quality and cost something like:

Plastic/metal slugged —> first run China Clays without QC (flashing issues, etc) —> China Clay (bank chips, dunes, royals) —> ceramics (custom and non custom, I’ve seen multiple reports that they’re all pretty comparable) —> high end plastics (bud Jones, etc) —> clays (Paulson, CPC, etc)

If you’re asking for something between China Clay and Clays but excluding ceramics and high end plastics…I’m not sure this exists?

 

[beerlightbroker]

Buying quality chips is a good investment.

 

[allforcharity]

Your friend is going to need quite a few chips.

3 tables of cash will probably be in the range of 1200-1500 chips, minimum, very much concentrated on the $1s and $5s.
4 table tournament T25 base T10K is again 1200-1500 chips, depending on how efficient you want to make stacks, and how many rebuys needed.
Please do not ask about chips doing double duty as both cash and tournament - that's just asking for trouble.

So, 2400-3000 chips. I hope your friend has a healthy budget. New China Clay or perhaps those China-sourced card mold ceramics might do the trick, but you're still looking at $1000-1200 minimum.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I'm not a big fan of most ceramics either. But I LOVE my cards mold ceramics that mimic clay chips. There is no better bang for the buck than fully custom cards mold chips (or one of the existing sets that can be piggy backed) at about 35 cents a chip.

 

[Zr1]

I'm not a big fan of most ceramics either. But I LOVE my cards mold ceramics that mimic clay chips. There is no better bang for the buck than fully custom cards mold chips (or one of the existing sets that can be piggy backed) at about 35 cents a chip.

I like ceramics. Not a fan of the cards mold. To me they look cheap, everyone has them, the dice chips of ceramics. Much prefer a regular ceramic chip.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I like ceramics. Not a fan of the cards mold. To me they look cheap, everyone has them, the dice chips of ceramics. Much prefer a regular ceramic chip.

Don't think the point of this thread was to have a debate over various types of chips. OP said his friend does not care for most ceramics and likes a clay look better. Which is exactly the point of cards mold. It's not really relevant whether you like them or not. I brought them to his attention so he and his friend could decide if THEY like them.

 

[Zr1]

Don't think the point of this thread was to have a debate over various types of chips. OP said his friend does not care for most ceramics and likes a clay look better. Which is exactly the point of cards mold. It's not really relevant whether you like them or not. I brought them to his attention so he and his friend could decide if THEY like them.

So letting him know that some people dont like them is a bad thing? You think its a nice chip other people dont. I think if you are recommending or bringing a style of chip to his attention cause you love it that it is ok to tell him why others dont. Is this not ok?

 

[LeLe]

If he is not into chipping used paulson are not really a good choice.

Go for China Clay or Chip Mold Ceramic those 2 are very affordable choice as your Friend will need around 1200-1500 chip in total from what u saying

 

[surfik]

Buy Nexgen chips and label them

 

[CrazyEddie]

He isn’t a chip guy

He'll be super-happy with nice-looking slugged plastics with an attractive custom design. There's a handful of custom chip sellers domestically but their offerings aren't great and their prices are pretty high for what you get. But you can look on alibaba and find vendors who have a wide range of styles and will put custom labels on for you, at super-low prices. Most have really large minimum order quantities, but you can still find a few where the minimum order is in the range of what your friend will need, i.e. around a thousand chips or so.

But really, you need to do for your friend what we tell everyone - get samples. Don't guess about what he might like, get some chips into his hands and let him tell you.

 

[BGinGA]

From my short time here, isn’t the progression of quality and cost something like:

Plastic/metal slugged —> first run China Clays without QC (flashing issues, etc) —> China Clay (bank chips, dunes, royals) —> ceramics (custom and non custom, I’ve seen multiple reports that they’re all pretty comparable) —> high end plastics (bud Jones, etc) —> clays (Paulson, CPC, etc)

If you’re asking for something between China Clay and Clays but excluding ceramics and high end plastics…I’m not sure this exists?

^^ This guy has been paying attention. /standing ovation/

Short of the nonexistant "early china clay flashing issues" (long-term material stability is a real issue for those, however), the assessment and list above is pretty accurate.

Getting samples for the buyer to evaluate is a wise idea, given the set size and cost involved. I'd recommend including slugged plastics (~18c), china clays (~40c), and a few ceramic varieties including molded, standard, and hybrids (~ 40c to 80c). Not much else is going to be available for less than $1, and I doubt your friend will be interested in either used or expensive chips.

Custom chips are advised from a cash game security aspect, which tends to favor ceramics.

And there are no 'higher-end' china clay chips -- the Dunes knockoffs (plus similar quality Majestics or Royals) are as good as it gets.

 

[chicubs1988]

I would suggest you order a sample set from someone like Apache Poker Chips. They have a fairly wide selection of quality options in the affordable range ($.15-$.50 per chip). Have him get a feel for their options up close and then go from there. That’s what I did like 5 years ago when I wanted to get a nicer set but wasn’t ready to spend the money to get Paulsons.

 

[upNdown]

I like ceramics. Not a fan of the cards mold. To me they look cheap, everyone has them, the dice chips of ceramics. Much prefer a regular ceramic chip.

This is funny. The cards mold ceramic chip has existed for like 2 years, as far as I can tell, but everybody has them? Not quite.

Depending on time and budget, I’d suggest card molds. If he wants to spend more, (and again, has time) I’d look at CPCs, maybe solids for the tournament and level one for cash.
My point here is that for a game of that size, I think you want customs. Yes, you can get used horseshoe Paulsons for cheaper. So can anybody. And if you’re spreading 3 tables, that should be a concern.

 

[Darson]

I think you honestly need to talk to him about budget before looking for recommendations. Most people I know will happily play poker with up to $1000s on the table but balk at the thought of spending even $100 on a set of chips. Last game I played at had plastic NCV 5s and 25s and white dice chips...

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

So letting him know that some people dont like them is a bad thing?

It's not a bad thing. It's just irrelevant. There's nothing that some people don't like. He's asking for suggestions. He and his friend are going to be the ones deciding if they like them or not. What is the point of trying to talk him out of them before he even looks at them?

You think its a nice chip other people dont.

That can be said about absolutely anything. Even Paulsons and very expensive ceramics and high end plastics. So what?

I think if you are recommending or bringing a style of chip to his attention cause you love it that it is ok to tell him why others dont. Is this not ok?

The fact that I love them is just as irrelevant as the fact you don't. My only reason for posting was to bring them to his attention, because they fill a specific niche. They are ceramic, so he may not like them, BUT they are very different from what most people think of when they think of ceramics. So it would be very easy for him to overlook an option that may in fact be a viable one. For several reasons:

• It's a ceramic chip that many people (like me) like, even though we don't like the typical, normally thought of style of ceramic chip.
• They are designed (because they are debossed) to look like a compressed clay chip. Which to me makes them a lot more like a china clay than a ceramic.
• The artwork printed on them can be fully customized. Which again means they can be made to look a lot like a compressed clay chip.
• They are dirt cheap compared to virtually any other option, especially any custom or even semi-custom option. In fact, they cost only a few cents more than just the labels needed for any semi-custom relabeling project.
• They are in the range of what most people consider to be "casino weight." Around 9.5 - 10 grams. Most everything cheaper than cards mold are much heavier plastic sluggos that are 12-14 grams.

And one major con:

• Obtaining them is very slow. From placing an order to receiving them could take up to 6 months, or even longer.

So regardless of whether I love them or you hate them, anyone considering inexpensive sets of chips ought to consider cards mold. Like you, they may very well hate them too. But they will never know unless they look into them.

Here's a good link to look at for anyone who has no idea what these look like. On just the first page there are photos of at least a dozen different sets.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cards-mold-pron-we-love-pron.69344/

Happy chipping!

 

[utgtrash]

Post in thread 'CARDS MOLD PrOn! We Love Pron!!!'
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cards-mold-pron-we-love-pron.69344/post-1544325
These came out amazing IMO

 

[TheWhat]

I think you honestly need to talk to him about budget before looking for recommendations. Most people I know will happily play poker with up to $1000s on the table but balk at the thought of spending even $100 on a set of chips. Last game I played at had plastic NCV 5s and 25s and white dice chips...

It's hilarious hey?

 

[philhut]

Just bring/loan him one of your sets for the game. pick it up later or bring it home at the end of the night. Way easier and everyone will be happy. bring some samples along so they can make some considerations as the night progresses.

 

[JustDave]

No mention of hybrids like the Sun-Flys?

 

[jrs146]

I was in your friends boat and first bought Milano’s. I thought I didn’t care and just wanted chips for cash and tournaments. they were fine. But I couldn’t get past the smell and the rounded edges. I basically came back to the forum looking for an affordable alternative. I almost bought a set of dia de Los muertes, but ended up just bucking up for Paulsons. If I stuck to my original budget though I’d say those (or similar ceramics) are the best bang for your buck. You can even semi-customize them.

 

[BGinGA]

No mention of hybrids like the Sun-Flys?

Yes, in post #17.