Complete newbie looking for guidance/advice (1 Viewer)

Also, just consider taking a dive into the deep end from the start. I’m sure £800-900 sounds like an obsurd amount of money to spend on a chip set right now, but chances are you won’t be satisfied with a ”pretty good” set for very long. At least not if you stick around here with the rest of us maniacs.

If I were you, I would take some time here to read up on what’s what, maybe get some samples, figure out what you really like, save up and go for it. I did that 17 years ago when I picked up a Paulson CDI set as my first (aside from dice obv). Granted they were cheaper then, but $1/chip still was an insane price to pay for me back then. I used and loved that set for 14-15 years before passing it along through the classifieds here and went on to discover other chips.

At the minimum get something with a decent resale value.
Yeah I know for sure I'll want the best of the best which is why I'm trying to get the highest quality option for my budget. I'm very close to CPC's so I might just try and hold out so I can get them for sure.

Would relabeled majestics/Pharaoh's lose a ton of value?
 
Edit: apologies if I got this in the wrong section

So my situation is this - I'm not new to poker but I'm very new to hosting regular home games. Been hosting weekly for a while now, and would like to take the plunge into high quality chips.

Caveats: I'm in the UK and my group are BRAND new to everything poker, which means they won't like anything above microstakes. 5NL and 10NL.

So I'll be needing to acquire a cash game micro stakes high quality clay set sounds a bit silly when I type it like that, but honestly, I care more for chip quality than the stakes I'm playing at. I'm just in it for the game.

I have a budget of around $800-900 which looking around I'm getting the impression this will fall short for me to get a CPC custom set including custom inlays/labels as well as shipping and import fees. Is my realistic option going to be to buy a non custom set?

I was considering buying Pharaoh's from marlowcasinochips - is this my most realistic/only option?
Take a look at the Key West chips, Readily available in micro up to tourney stakes.

They are CPC chips, so top tier compression clay with an old school classic design. They are great chips, I love them!! These would be within your budget as well (or very close).

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hello-from-the-key-west-resort-casino.50/

He is Great PCF vendor as well.

16A90BE0-4002-4EA4-94BA-37C1DA84863F.jpeg
 
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I mean would they lose even more than keeping them unchanged
Totally depends on how you’d personalize them. I wouldn’t care for a set that said ”Azalyer’s poker club” for my game for instance, but if you made it something generic with a cool design, it might even improve on them. Who knows
 
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Yeah I know for sure I'll want the best of the best which is why I'm trying to get the highest quality option for my budget. I'm very close to CPC's so I might just try and hold out so I can get them for sure.

Would relabeled majestics/Pharaoh's lose a ton of value?
Just being honest here, I wouldn't recommend custom CPCs as your first upgrade. Custom CPCs are high end, top shelf, expensive pieces of poker paraphernalia that you don't want to rush into. There are so many options to go through like purchasing samples of each CPC mold to check out first because they all feel and look different. You need to actually think about an inlay design/idea that you'll be proud of. This also takes time (and money if you hire a designer). At the same time, you need to think about your color palette, obsess over spot patterns all while keeping everything within your budget. And you know while you are doing all this, you'll stumble onto a spot pattern(s) that you LOVE but that might just add an additional $1,000 to your order because that is just the way it goes :D. And then right when you think you are ready to place the order, you pause and go through every single spot combination (again) to make sure the chips, inlay, quantities all work together for your game and second guess every decision you've already made. Take your time with customs!

With that being said, there are plenty of options for you within that range that would be a better buy I would think. The Key West stock designs mentioned above are awesome but would be over $1,000 for a 600 chip set (not including other fees, taxes, shipping, etc.). China clays, as mentioned already, would definitely work and be a nice upgrade for now. Semi-custom ceramics would work as well. I recommend getting samples of the Dia De Los Muertos chips from BR Poker if you like the look of them. They are of great quality and you can customize the denoms to whatever you want.
 
Here’s a curveball: how about a non-denom CARDS mold limit set?

Perfect for new players to learn, reduced player risk. Non-denom sets allow you to grow stakes as your crowd gets ready.

Should easily be able to score that from Tina.
 
Just being honest here, I wouldn't recommend custom CPCs as your first upgrade. Custom CPCs are high end, top shelf, expensive pieces of poker paraphernalia that you don't want to rush into. There are so many options to go through like purchasing samples of each CPC mold to check out first because they all feel and look different. You need to actually think about an inlay design/idea that you'll be proud of. This also takes time (and money if you hire a designer). At the same time, you need to think about your color palette, obsess over spot patterns all while keeping everything within your budget. And you know while you are doing all this, you'll stumble onto a spot pattern(s) that you LOVE but that might just add an additional $1,000 to your order because that is just the way it goes :D. And then right when you think you are ready to place the order, you pause and go through every single spot combination (again) to make sure the chips, inlay, quantities all work together for your game and second guess every decision you've already made. Take your time with customs!

With that being said, there are plenty of options for you within that range that would be a better buy I would think. The Key West stock designs mentioned above are awesome but would be over $1,000 for a 600 chip set (not including other fees, taxes, shipping, etc.). China clays, as mentioned already, would definitely work and be a nice upgrade for now. Semi-custom ceramics would work as well. I recommend getting samples of the Dia De Los Muertos chips from BR Poker if you like the look of them. They are of great quality and you can customize the denoms to whatever you want.
Agreed. I didn't take my time with my first 2 custom sets which was a waste as I wasn't happy and sold them for a loss.

Don't rush it!!!
 
As much as I would personally love to skip the micro stakes like this entirely, I'm thankful enough to just have a regular group to play with at all.

Unfortunately it's not really gonna be much of an option for me to move up, if ever. Stuck down here with the penny bets for a while at least!

Sucks, but it's better than no poker I'm just glad my group took to it enough to be willing to play regularly.
Micro stakes > no poker
 
Well this is certainly good news in my book.

400 chips, 150 5p, 150 25p, 75 £1, 25 £5

This could work for 7-8 players, no?
I would recommend getting fewer nickels. I put about 10 nickels per player on the table, and that's plenty. Most of the betting after the blinds gets done with quarters and dollars, and everyone knows how to make change efficiently. Of course, your game may play smaller than mine, with more limping and smaller bets after the flop, so more nickels may be warranted.

Your breakdown has a total bank of about $250, and it sounds like that's enough for your game now. Still, I would get 100/150/100/50 to have a bank of $395 in case the game evolves to be bigger.
 
As much as I would personally love to skip the micro stakes like this entirely, I'm thankful enough to just have a regular group to play with at all.

Unfortunately it's not really gonna be much of an option for me to move up, if ever. Stuck down here with the penny bets for a while at least!

Sucks, but it's better than no poker I'm just glad my group took to it enough to be willing to play regularly.
Nothing wrong with micorstakes. My regular local group plays 5¢/10¢, with a max $20 buy in. Some people scoff at those stakes, but it's easily the most fun I have playing poker. A big loss is the cost of pizza and a movie, not a house payment. We usually order a pizza, or someone brings a pot of soup, and we goof around and play all sorts of mixed games.
 
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Nothing wrong with micorstakes. My regular local group plays 5¢/10¢, with a max $20 buy in. Some people scoff at those stakes, but it's easily the most fun I have playing poker. A big loss is the cost of pizza and a movie, not a house payment. We usually order a pizza, or someone bring a pot of soup, and we goof around and play all sorts of mixed games.

If it means that you're playing, and everybody is having a good time, then this is the way to do it!
 
I got 1500 Card Mold/Tina for your budget, which so far I'm very pleased with. I did this solo, air shipped, no group buy. I'd strongly consider that.

For your stakes you could also do off the shelf Bank Chips, or get some labels for Majestics or Royals from @Apache Poker Chips.
Questions for ya if you don't mind...I've been thinking about a new set, which eventually led me to Alibaba, which eventually led me to here. A: How does one find this "Tina" on Alibaba? I found a store that had a review and said how awesome Tina is, but a couple reviews later someone was thanking Lance so I got scared..
B: What template did you use to make your customs? C: How do they feel?
I am new to PCF and have been scouring threads on my phone but finally had an inkling of time to reach out. I was going to create a thread asking, and I still may but I saw your post and thought, let's start here!
Thanks in advance!!
 
Questions for ya if you don't mind...I've been thinking about a new set, which eventually led me to Alibaba, which eventually led me to here. A: How does one find this "Tina" on Alibaba? I found a store that had a review and said how awesome Tina is, but a couple reviews later someone was thanking Lance so I got scared..
B: What template did you use to make your customs? C: How do they feel?
I am new to PCF and have been scouring threads on my phone but finally had an inkling of time to reach out. I was going to create a thread asking, and I still may but I saw your post and thought, let's start here!
Thanks in advance!!
Try this as a starting point and then link up with a group buy, which are almost always going on.

Thread 'Cards Mold/"Tina" Alibaba Ceramics Master Consolidated Info Thread'
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ramics-master-consolidated-info-thread.65544/
 
Questions for ya if you don't mind...I've been thinking about a new set, which eventually led me to Alibaba, which eventually led me to here. A: How does one find this "Tina" on Alibaba? I found a store that had a review and said how awesome Tina is, but a couple reviews later someone was thanking Lance so I got scared..
B: What template did you use to make your customs? C: How do they feel?
I am new to PCF and have been scouring threads on my phone but finally had an inkling of time to reach out. I was going to create a thread asking, and I still may but I saw your post and thought, let's start here!
Thanks in advance!!
The thread above should give you the information you need.

The template I started with is the Paulson Chip designer here:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/pcf/pokerchiptool/

Normally I'm not into ceramics trying to mimic compression molded clay, but I ended up needing a new big tournament set and I really liked these. Go figure. The chips feel great. Ceramics have a different vibe, but these have nice heft, handle well, and I highly recommend them for this purpose. Again they aren't clay but they are nice. And way inexpensive.

Then I hired @timinater to do the inlay and actual design and art files. I can not recommend him highly enough. If you want more details check out my thread about the chips:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-pines-tournament-cm-tina.96396/
 
I am in the same boat as you, OP (with a slightly lower budget).
Getting back into poker (as an adult), I am in the market for a set for ma home games (tournaments and microcash games with 6-8 players).
After getting many samples, I am hesitating between 500 pharaoh CC or pushing my budget a little bit and get 300 Atlantic CPC.

The question is, are 300 chips enough? I thought of a 125x5, 100x25, 50x100 and 25x500 distribution, since the Atlantic have no denomination, they can easily serve as cents for a cash game.
 
I am in the same boat as you, OP (with a slightly lower budget).
Getting back into poker (as an adult), I am in the market for a set for ma home games (tournaments and microcash games with 6-8 players).
After getting many samples, I am hesitating between 500 pharaoh CC or pushing my budget a little bit and get 300 Atlantic CPC.

The question is, are 300 chips enough? I thought of a 125x5, 100x25, 50x100 and 25x500 distribution, since the Atlantic have no denomination, they can easily serve as cents for a cash game.
You tell us, what amount of bank do you need to support? What stakes do you plan to play? What buyins will you have?

300? Not likely
 
300, can be done, but tight tight tight

8/8/4/7 stacks of T25/T100/T500/T1K in a T10K game x10 players is 270 chips. 30 T1K colour up all the others gets you to 300 chips, but then no more for rebuys, so play freeze out. Lots of change-making.
 
I was hoping that it would be enough for 5c/10c no limits for about 8 players with 10-20 euros buy-in. The chips would serve as cents in this case. Bankroll would be 125x0.05+100x0.25+50x1+25x5 = 206.5 euros, allowing for some rebuys. I might purchase cheap 1000 plaques on the side if needed.

As for tournaments, I agree it is [instert Tuco Salamanca meme] indeed, but again I doubt I would have more than 8 players at the table. So perhaps starting stacks as 10/10/5/2 for a value of 1800, and enough left in the bank for a few rebuy? Again, buying ten 1000 plaques might complete the set and make more ... practical?
 
.05 x 60
.25 x 200
1 x 200
5 x 40

would be a better breakdown imo, also it fits nicely in 5 racks.

If it were a pure cash game set, sure, but I love the 25 and 100 Atlantic/Pharaohs chips (the finalists), so I'd prefer if my set include some of these as well.
No particular rational behind that, but as we say in French: Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ignore! :)

Also, I believe CPC does not offer 0.05?

But essentially, what you are suggesting is to go for a more practical 500 set with the pharaohs rather than a nicer but tight 300 CPC set?
 
Also, I believe CPC does not offer 0.05?
You would look for a non-denominated chip (not to be confused by NCV (no cash value))
But essentially, what you are suggesting is to go for a more practical 500 set with the pharaohs rather than a nicer but tight 300 CPC set?
I would say no such thing.

I would advocate that you set a clear objective and pursue it, regardless of emotional appeal and broken hearts.

Shipping is going to cost you about the same regardless of chip count, it's going to be excessive, and you should only pay it once.

I think you should determine the amount of chips you need to run a game, then you should figure out your budget. I'd love a set of TRKs but I value food more ;)
 
Oh, you want cash. Usually you need about 500-600 split among 4 denoms for 8-10 players. It really depends on your bank needs.

There are no such thing as inexpensive plaques.
 
I think for your budget Cards mold are a solid bet. I recently got a cash and tournament set (over 1500 chips total) for less than your budget for a league I host monthly and it has been a huge upgrade (they already think those are fancy chips - I don't think they would really appreciate Paulsons or CPCs).
As many others have said, in the meantime save up for your dream set. You really have no idea what breakdown/stakes you'll be playing in 5-10 years, and for fully custom clay that's probably what you should be aiming for. Patience is one of the few things in this hobby that can save you (a little) money.
 
Thanks all.

Cards mold are ceramics, right? I sampled the wsop and ascona sets, I am not a fan of the feel.

Anyway, I have samples for Atlantic and Pharaohs coming in, that will help me decide. These are the 8th and 9th samples, it's a budget on its own!
 
I've been hosting games for a bit now and it really depends on what all you are looking to do. Big thing I would focus on is what you want. Listen to advice and such but get samples and figure out what works for you and your players etc. You could get a reasonable set of chips for a 50 max buy in and make it work for 200-300 dollars. You could even do .25/.25 instead of .25/.50. I wouldn't bother with .50 chips. Just do .25 then jump to 1. Casino Royales off apache are good at that price point. Chippers on here will have you thinking you have to spend a grand for and decent chips. Just don't feel like you have to out spend yourself. Focus on growing your game of you want. That can help solidify things as you figure things out.
 

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