Custom Poker Chip Questions (2 Viewers)

dave0192

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I host a monthly tournament home game between friends and am looking to upgrade my tournament chips to custom ones because the labels on the ones I currently use have started to chip a ton and leave white residue all over my black felt. My budget is ideally less than $500.
Some info about the tournament-
10 Players total. Structure: $6k starting $25x8, $100x8, $500x 6, $1000x2 for a total of 24 chips starting per player. Typically around 5-10 rebuys.

I would estimate I need 500 chips total with the breakdown of $25x100, $100x200, $500x100, $1000x100. (I chip up the $25s after the first break)

I don't have a strong preference towards chip type either way so after researching it seems that ceramics would be the better option as they are significantly cheaper as custom chips, and it seems that ABC is the most often recommended seller for this type.

My questions are as follows: From what I've read the entire chip is designed, not just the center. Does this mean if I want the denomination printed on the chip I would need to create 4 separate designs? Would this cost me 4x as much? Are the designs printed on a base colored chip or is the color part of the design? (I.E. Red for $5 chips) Are there any other obvious questions I am missing?
 
For 10 players, you could get by with 400 chips:

T25 x 120
T100 X 120
T500 x 50
T1000 x 70
T500 x 40

This allows plenty for rebuys, and/or deeper stacks. T10000 starting stacks of 12/12/5/6 is typical. Color up T25's with T1000. Rebuys with T5k's.

Ceramics from ABC/BR Pro is your best option for custom chips in this range, although, if you could get close to your $500 budget with CPC, if you go solids, or about $700 for level 1 spots. If you haven't handled real clay chips, you should.

You could hire a designer (there are some terrific designers on PCF) or do semi-customs from ABC. While the entire ceramic chip is printed on a white blank, you could do a similar design for each chip, and just change colors and denoms, or do a completely different design for each chip, which would take more design work, and therefore more cost.

Hope this helps!
 
Also, you could get by with 300 chips (80/80/40/80/20, starting stacks of 8/8/4/7) which would open up options as far as price/chip.
 
Get samples. I started out with the Claysmith (Cash Club/Bluff Canyon-Slugged Plastic) Chips and they were a nice upgrade to something with denoms.

I've also handled the Monte Carlo Chips (Also Slugged Plastic) with smooth edges and thought they were nice. I did not like the color of the 100/500 though. For some reason when I was researching chips, the blacks and purples seem to be really close on a lot of them.

I have since got my hands on a nice STT Aurora Star set and HOLY SHIT the difference is amazing. I'm not saying go out and purchase a set like this yet, but be warned now, one day you will want a set of similar quality!

I had a sample set of CPCs and did not like the colors. The feel for me was there, but the colors were garbage IMO for what you have to pay for them.

Check out the Cards Mold chips if you haven't. I'm currently waiting on a sample of these. From the photos they look quite nice and for 30 cents a chip, I don't think you can go wrong.

GET SAMPLES!!
 
300-400 chips should be enough, as others have said.
Ceramics are fully customizable, both faces and rolling edge. You can use as many art and text elements as you wish as they are all dye sub printed. There is just a minimum order per denom. Extra costs are usually for things like edge alignment and security features, not the base printing.
 
300-400 chips should be enough, as others have said.
Ceramics are fully customizable, both faces and rolling edge. You can use as many art and text elements as you wish as they are all dye sub printed. There is just a minimum order per denom. Extra costs are usually for things like edge alignment and security features, not the base printing.
Sorry please excuse my ignorance. What I am understanding is if I had 5 designs (all the same except the color and denom printed) and ordered 400 chips with broken down as Beakertwang stated above then I would be paying varying costs depending on that breakdown. Like $1.50/chip for the higher value demon that are less than 100 chips, and $1/chip for the ones greater than 100 chips. Is that correct?

Also, I have also seen talk about hot stamp chips. Are those type any good?
 
Sorry please excuse my ignorance. What I am understanding is if I had 5 designs (all the same except the color and denom printed) and ordered 400 chips with broken down as Beakertwang stated above then I would be paying varying costs depending on that breakdown. Like $1.50/chip for the higher value demon that are less than 100 chips, and $1/chip for the ones greater than 100 chips. Is that correct?

Also, I have also seen talk about hot stamp chips. Are those type any good?

Perhaps, but not nearly that expensive. Minimum order quantity per denom is usually only 25 or so.

Custom hot stamp can be expensive because the custom dies can cost about $75-100 each, minimum. Stock hot stamps can be gotten cheaper. Only some clay and some plastics can be hot stamped.
 
For 10 players, you could get by with 400 chips:

T25 x 120
T100 X 120
T500 x 50
T1000 x 70
T500 x 40

This allows plenty for rebuys, and/or deeper stacks. T10000 starting stacks of 12/12/5/6 is typical. Color up T25's with T1000. Rebuys with T5k's.

Ceramics from ABC/BR Pro is your best option for custom chips in this range, although, if you could get close to your $500 budget with CPC, if you go solids, or about $700 for level 1 spots. If you haven't handled real clay chips, you should.

You could hire a designer (there are some terrific designers on PCF) or do semi-customs from ABC. While the entire ceramic chip is printed on a white blank, you could do a similar design for each chip, and just change colors and denoms, or do a completely different design for each chip, which would take more design work, and therefore more cost.

Hope this helps!
Thanks for the breakdown. Why so many T5000 chips? Is it just to allow the maximum amount of rebuys with the fewest amount of chips?

I only ask because I would be hesitant to get exactly 120 of the T25 and T100 just incase one of the chips gets printed poorly, lost, etc., I would want to have a couple backup chips.
 
Check out the Cards Mold chips if you haven't. I'm currently waiting on a sample of these. From the photos they look quite nice and for 30 cents a chip, I don't think you can go wrong.

GET SAMPLES!!

Check out buying directly from SunFly. Higher quality and much faster turnaround. Twice the price, but $.75/chip still ain't bad.
 
Thanks for the breakdown. Why so many T5000 chips? Is it just to allow the maximum amount of rebuys with the fewest amount of chips?

I only ask because I would be hesitant to get exactly 120 of the T25 and T100 just incase one of the chips gets printed poorly, lost, etc., I would want to have a couple backup chips.
It's just the most efficient breakdown, allowing you to have deeper stacks, and/or more rebuys. That breakdown allows you to color up the lower denoms with the T1000's and T5000's, which won't be colored up later.

If ordering customs, you should certainly order a few extras, in case you lose any.
 

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