Chip suggestions (2 Viewers)

[DeadRhino]

Hi!

I'm new to the poker scene, and am interested in getting a 500 chip set, as well as a few sets of cards and a case. I want to keep the price down as much as possible, but can probably go up to around 250ish dollars.

I have a few questions:
Suggestions for what I should get?
What differences are there between low quality and high quality chips/cards?
Where do I get chips/cards?
How many of each chip should I get?

 

[DonJuanJulio]

Hi!

I'm new to the poker scene, and am interested in getting a 500 chip set, as well as a few sets of cards and a case. I want to keep the price down as much as possible, but can probably go up to around 250ish dollars.

I have a few questions:
Suggestions for what I should get?
What differences are there between low quality and high quality chips/cards?
Where do I get chips/cards?
How many of each chip should I get?

I can’t answer the “quality” questions as I don’t have enough experience with enough brands. But, I may be able to help determine quantities of chip denoms. What are you wanting to run (cash game/single table tourney)? How many players do you anticipate?

 

[springbox]

Do you have a game already running, or are you looking to start playing altogether? What kind of game and what stakes you play determines a lot about the chips you need. 500 could be too many, it might be not enough. As a general rule of thumb though, chip sets that come in predetermined quantities have a very poor distribution for actually playing with.

If you haven't checked out this thread yet, it's a good place to start:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/new-members-start-here.85303/

With a $250 budget you're looking at less than 50 cents a chip, give or take. That locks you into slugged plastics (~20c a chip), 'china clays' (40~50c a chip) and what are commonly called 'Tinas' which are plastic chips made by a particular chinese manufacturer, typically in the 35~50c range.

 

[TheLemursReturn]

Fair warning:

If you don't block this site, you have 3-9 months before 500pc becomes 1000pc, 1 set becomes 9 sets, and $0.50 per chip becomes $7.5 per chip.

 

[MrBoosh]

Fair warning:

If you don't block this site, you have 3-9 months before 500pc becomes 1000pc, 1 set becomes 9 sets, and $0.50 per chip becomes $7.5 per chip.

 

[exodus]

First things is you need to establish what stakes you want to play and then go from there. At 50c a chip that’s going to out you into china clays or slugged plastic chips. I would definitely invest in a set of plastic cards versus paper which doesn’t last as long. There is nothing wrong with paper cards though.

 

[allforcharity]

Hi!

I'm new to the poker scene, and am interested in getting a 500 chip set, as well as a few sets of cards and a case. I want to keep the price down as much as possible, but can probably go up to around 250ish dollars.

I have a few questions:
Suggestions for what I should get?
What differences are there between low quality and high quality chips/cards?
Where do I get chips/cards?
How many of each chip should I get?

Answers, in order:

Anything you can afford, or at least you think you can afford.

Low quality is anything that's not durable, not consistent, not interpretable, or not worth the money. High quality is obviously the opposite (and usually more expensive, but sometimes you get lucky).

All over the world. But I trust the ones that are vetted by members here.

As many as you need, which is surprisingly often less than you might otherwise think/want. Define your game and the numbers will follow.

 

[Machine]

@DeadRhino - First, Welcome!

We answer this question a lot, I mean a lot, I could find at least 20-30 similar posts, most new members are not familiar with the search function, so you inspired me to FINALLY write up a post on this topic.

You can find it and a few helpful links in my signature (landscape on mobile)

Happy Chipping!

 

[DeadRhino]

Do you have a game already running, or are you looking to start playing altogether? What kind of game and what stakes you play determines a lot about the chips you need. 500 could be too many, it might be not enough. As a general rule of thumb though, chip sets that come in predetermined quantities have a very poor distribution for actually playing with.

If you haven't checked out this thread yet, it's a good place to start:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/new-members-start-here.85303/

With a $250 budget you're looking at less than 50 cents a chip, give or take. That locks you into slugged plastics (~20c a chip), 'china clays' (40~50c a chip) and what are commonly called 'Tinas' which are plastic chips made by a particular chinese manufacturer, typically in the 35~50c range.

I already have a game going, ran from a friend's set of 300 dice chips, but there are a few more players who would like to join. We currently don't play with stakes, but that might change in the future to low stakes.

Fair warning:

If you don't block this site, you have 3-9 months before 500pc becomes 1000pc, 1 set becomes 9 sets, and $0.50 per chip becomes $7.5 per chip.

ok, I'll try to be careful

Low quality is anything that's not durable, not consistent, not interpretable, or not worth the money. High quality is obviously the opposite (and usually more expensive, but sometimes you get lucky).

How big of a difference is there? If I just got say, slugged plastics, would they break over time?

 

[drdr]

I already have a game going, ran from a friend's set of 300 dice chips, but there are a few more players who would like to join. We currently don't play with stakes, but that might change in the future to low stakes.


ok, I'll try to be careful


How big of a difference is there? If I just got say, slugged plastics, would they break over time?

Plastic likely varies widely in quality. My 500 sluggo set served for 18 years for up to 24 player games. Once chip stolen, faded/smeared printed faces, and a myriad of tiny nicks and chips. But they still do the job. CPC set is currently on a plane so the sluggos will be retired when they arrive.

 

[RedDirtBo]

Welcome to the board! Sorry for all the questions. but the more information we have, the better we can help you. You say you aren't currently playing for stakes. When you start, what is your expected buy in? That will help to determine your blinds, which will tell you what denominations to get. Also, how many players are you expecting to have?

Just some general advise, avoid the "pre built" sets you see. Those are put together by people that don't know anything about poker. They will usually include things like $5, $10, and $50, $100 chips, which is inefficient. You want your denoms to increase by 4 or 5 times. In a 500 chip set, they will also normally give you 50 $500, and 50 $1000 chips. There is a 99% chance you will never use those chips, so that's 20% of your set being useless.

One of our site vendors runs a monthly group buy of the previously mentions "Tina" chips. I believe a new one is starting today. There are many stock options to chose from, and you can even design your own custom set. The only drawback is that it is a relatively slow process. The buy will be open for a month, the chips will take about a month to produce, and then it will take another month for them to come over from China. The same vendor also sell some pretty nice cards, that are a stock item and would be delivered to you quickly. They are plastic cards, which are generally preferred to your normal paper cards. They will feel, and shuffle better, and are much more durable.

Here is a link to his section of the board. There will be a thread to purchase the cards, and you can look at the previous group buys, to get an idea of what chips are available. https://www.pokerchipforum.com/forums/broken-arrow-cardroom-supply.172/

 

[allforcharity]

How big of a difference is there? If I just got say, slugged plastics, would they break over time?

Chips don't really break with regular use unless you're really abusing them or they are poorly manufactured.

Having said that, clay chips (the "best" kind) can break if they fall the wrong way on a very hard surface, or thrown around with force. Older CC chips have been known to weaken and crumble over time as well.

All chips will eventually show wear depending on how much use they get. Since a lot of casinos are open 24/7, you see wear on those chips quickly. Home game chips, rarely (unless they came that way).

 

[DeadRhino]

Is there a significant difference between feel/quality in more expensive chips? Does dice vs. slugged vs. china clay vs. tina really have a big difference? Also, what brands/vendors sell good cards?

 

[springbox]

Is there a significant difference between feel/quality in more expensive chips? Does dice vs. slugged vs. china clay vs. tina really have a big difference? Also, what brands/vendors sell good cards?

Like most things, as you go up in price the differences in quality becomes smaller. A chip that costs $10 is not ten times better 'quality' than one that costs $1, it's just rarer or has some aesthetic value.

Dice chips have rough edges and feel the least pleasant to the touch. Slugged chips are probably the best place to stop for the budget minded. They don't feel cheap quite like dice chips, and they are as functional as anything more expensive. All the card rooms in my area actually used slugged chips, presumably due to cost. The label quality on them isn't always fantastic however, I had a few labels peeling off my slugged chips, but probably 3% or less. Beyond that, yes there are differences in feel and quality, but they're not functional differences, and every kind of chip has enough minimum durability that they shouldn't be breaking in regular play, especially if they're only used once or twice a month.

As far as cards, most people here will prefer plastic (I do as well). Common brands are COPAG, KEM, Desjgn, Modiano, Faded Spade. You can find them on various online retailers like Amazon or The Poker Store. Paper cards are fine too, but they don't last as long and are much stiffer and don't glide the same. They are much cheaper however, and I do have some players who prefer them (plastic is too slippery they say). If you go paper, nothing wrong with picking up some bicycle cards.

 

[Tonysquander]

Welcome to PCF. See above

 

[DeadRhino]

Ok, gonna make an approximate list of what I might buy (played 9 or 10 people 1-2 blinds, 200ish buy in):

type: Monte Carlos? not completely sure
150 1s
200 5s
100 25s
50 100s
Total: 8650

2 decks of cards, probably copeg 1546

please let me know if anything is majorly wrong (i'm sure i did at least one thing wrong here)

 

[springbox]

That sounds pretty sensible.

Starting buy in for 10 people
15 x $1
17 x $5
4 x $25

Then you have 30 x $5 for ¾ of a buy in, 60 x $25 leftover for 7½ re-buys
And 50 x $ 100 for another 25 re-buys.

Usually you don't need more than 100 of your small blind chip. You could cut some $1s to add $5s, and start people with

10x$1
23x$5
3x$25

Just depends how people bet. If it's nearly always in $5s after the flop the $1s matter less. You could also turn the $1s into more $25s or $100s if you want an ultra deep bank.

Although you said you currently aren't playing for money? Going from play chips to $200 buy ins is a big jump. Unless you're going to play them at ⅒ value or something.

Copags are good cards. There's no way to know what cards you'll like best until you've played with them, so just try different brands as your cards wear out, which can take a while for plastics, unless your players are mistreating them.

 

[BirdCage]

Ok, gonna make an approximate list of what I might buy (played 9 or 10 people 1-2 blinds, 200ish buy in):

type: Monte Carlos? not completely sure
150 1s
200 5s
100 25s
50 100s
Total: 8650

2 decks of cards, probably copeg 1546

please let me know if anything is majorly wrong (i'm sure i did at least one thing wrong here)

Looks pretty good! For $280, you can buy new Dunes China Clay chips via Apache, example set below. I used $20 chips since I prefer them and most people have $20 bills, but the $25 chips are the same price. The $5.50 Dunes dealer button is cool, so I added that, too.

Alternately, Milano chips are a bit less expensive. Even more so, if china clay sets can be found used. Card choice is good, too. Copag even makes a four color suit version.

 

[Lord_Foldemort]

I love my china clay majestics! They seem to fit exactly what you are looking for budget-wise and I will say all of my players love them (none of them are chippers, but all of them appreciate how much better they are than the cheap plastic dice chips.)
Check out Apache Poker Chips. I have a cash set of Majestics and a tournament set of Royals and could not be happier. The only caveat is if you get china clays you will need to oil them before playing. Apache has some good prices on samples too. Can't speak towards breakdown without knowing what stakes you want to play with and cash vs tournament. But there are tons of preexisting threads that have a lot of info that helped me figure out what breakdown worked best for my game. I play with copag Plastic 1546 cards and love them. I played with the cheap bicycle cards when starting out and had to use new decks every game.

TLDR:
Apache Poker Chips (I think the majestic china clays are the best cost vs quality you will find)
Samples, samples, samples
Plastic Cards are king

 

[BirdCage]

China Clay comparison and discussion thread -> https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/china-clay-poker-chip-cash-set-comparison-picture.51383/

All about the same cost new - around $250 for 500 chips.

Actually, Milano chips are only $200 for 500 chips -> https://www.thepokerstore.com/colle...500-milano-10-gram-pure-clay-poker-chips-bulk

 

[DeadRhino]

I love my china clay majestics! They seem to fit exactly what you are looking for budget-wise and I will say all of my players love them (none of them are chippers, but all of them appreciate how much better they are than the cheap plastic dice chips.)
Check out Apache Poker Chips. I have a cash set of Majestics and a tournament set of Royals and could not be happier. The only caveat is if you get china clays you will need to oil them before playing. Apache has some good prices on samples too. Can't speak towards breakdown without knowing what stakes you want to play with and cash vs tournament. But there are tons of preexisting threads that have a lot of info that helped me figure out what breakdown worked best for my game. I play with copag Plastic 1546 cards and love them. I played with the cheap bicycle cards when starting out and had to use new decks every game.

TLDR:
Apache Poker Chips (I think the majestic china clays are the best cost vs quality you will find)
Samples, samples, samples
Plastic Cards are king

What do you think about the royals?

 

[Tonystark137]

What do you think about the royals?

I have the a set of Royals for Tournament, you get use to the 43MM easily, shuffles well after breaking it in a bit.
Wish the green was $20 or the colors more customizable.

 

[Lord_Foldemort]

What do you think about the royals?

I love them. There's something about the 43mm chips that are super satisfying to play with. I would say my pros and cons are as follows:

Pros:
-More interesting color scheme than the majestic imo. (I love the higher denomination color schemes, hence why I use them for my tourney set)
-Different pip designs for each denomination.
-43mm chips have a great feel and shuffle just as well as the 39mm.
Cons:
-Need to do a bit more research when looking for a case or racks for 43mm chips. Most cases/racks will fit 39mm, but not 43mm. The options are out there, you just need to be mindful when looking.
-Because they are china clays, when you get them they will have a factory clay residue on them. Any china clays will require oiling in order to make the colors more vibrant and remove the residue.

Hope this helps!

 

[Nanook]

.....How big of a difference is there? If I just got say, slugged plastics, would they break over time?

Slugged plastics handle very poorly. They will never break or wear unless severely abused.

Is there a significant difference between feel/quality in more expensive chips? Does dice vs. slugged vs. china clay vs. tina really have a big difference? Also, what brands/vendors sell good cards?

Yes & no. They all do the same job, some do it much more elegantly. It's sort of like the new guy to the Ferrari forum asking. Hey guys, I'm thinking of buying a Ford escort. What do you think?

You made it this far, skip the slugged chips, ok? They work, but they suck!

Ok, gonna make an approximate list of what I might buy (played 9 or 10 people 1-2 blinds, 200ish buy in):

type: Monte Carlos? not completely sure
150 1s
200 5s
100 25s
50 100s
Total: 8650

2 decks of cards, probably copeg 1546

please let me know if anything is majorly wrong (i'm sure i did at least one thing wrong here)

I'm going to tell you what I would tell myself if I was new to this but I knew what I now know.

If you really have to have a set in the next week, get something like what you are suggesting Milano's, Monte Carlos, China Dunes, whatever you like. They are all about the same. They are all significantly better than slugged abs chips, but they still kinda suck.

If, however you want something significantly better for about the same price go for a set of the Tina ceramics. I would opt for one of the hybrid ceramic molds like @justincarothers does with his new Greek hybrid mold. They are fantastic, can be customized any way you want and cost about the same. While it is true that you would have to wait a while if you want something customized, sets show up in the classifieds routinely.

Either way, Milano type or Tina Ceramic and then delete your UN here and never return.

If you ignore that last bit of advice then you might as well skip all my other advice because you will be selling/tossing these and upgrading soon anyways.

 

[DeadRhino]

A few more questions:
How often does apache restock? 1s are out of stock for a few options
Are there any sites where I can get a cheaper case? All the ones I can find seem pretty expensive (upwards of 100 dollars)
How long does oiling take? Are there any good guides on this?
Any comments on color choice for cards? I know it doesn't really matter but just wanted to see if anyone had any opinions

 

[DeadRhino]

One more thing:
How do ceramics compare to CCs?

 

[drdr]

A few more questions:
How often does apache restock? 1s are out of stock for a few options
Are there any sites where I can get a cheaper case? All the ones I can find seem pretty expensive (upwards of 100 dollars)
How long does oiling take? Are there any good guides on this?
Any comments on color choice for cards? I know it doesn't really matter but just wanted to see if anyone had any opinions

As a fellow newbie, I recommend using the search function. Allmost all of your questions have existing threads, some are incredibly helpful.

 

[Colquhoun]

One more thing:
How do ceramics compare to CCs?

I think the newer hybrid ceramic chips (like the Greek mold chips) feel and sound as close to a real clay chip as you're going to get for around 50 cents each. And they're 100% customizable, with high-quality printing on the label.
But I highly recommend getting samples of any chips you are considering.

 

[BirdCage]

Are there any sites where I can get a cheaper case? All the ones I can find seem pretty expensive (upwards of 100 dollars)

$40 or less when on sale. Nanuk 910.

See thread -> https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/nanuk-910-400-chip-perfection.33187/

 

[Goldfish]

Slugged plastics handle very poorly. They will never break or wear unless severely abused.


Yes & no. They all do the same job, some do it much more elegantly. It's sort of like the new guy to the Ferrari forum asking. Hey guys, I'm thinking of buying a Ford escort. What do you think?

You made it this far, skip the slugged chips, ok? They work, but they suck!


I'm going to tell you what I would tell myself if I was new to this but I knew what I now know.

If you really have to have a set in the next week, get something like what you are suggesting Milano's, Monte Carlos, China Dunes, whatever you like. They are all about the same. They are all significantly better than slugged abs chips, but they still kinda suck.

If, however you want something significantly better for about the same price go for a set of the Tina ceramics. I would opt for one of the hybrid ceramic molds like @justincarothers does with his new Greek hybrid mold. They are fantastic, can be customized any way you want and cost about the same. While it is true that you would have to wait a while if you want something customized, sets show up in the classifieds routinely.

Either way, Milano type or Tina Ceramic and then delete your UN here and never return.

If you ignore that last bit of advice then you might as well skip all my other advice because you will be selling/tossing these and upgrading soon anyways.

Customized Tina chips are much better for another reason - security. As your game involves more money, having customized chips lowers the chance of someone slipping extra chips into the game. If you use sluggos that anyone can buy easily, that will always be a potential problem. Customized Tina chips make it much harder for some bad actor to do that.