First Quality Set Help (1 Viewer)

[dbrous90]

First off before I go any further, I want to thank everyone for any and all responses y'all give me. I know what it's like to see this kind of post on other types of forums and it only works out if the OP has gone about it the right way and done their own research before posting which I think I have done. Most of you have forgotten more about poker chips than I will ever know myself. This is kind of the final step and want some assurance I am going about it all the right way since this is a one-time get-it-right kind of purchase. The post is semi-long but I want to make sure I include all relevant information so that no additional questions need to be answered and it is helpful to anyone else in a situation similar to mine.

Been playing poker off and on casually with buddies since middle school and now that I am 32 I find my buddies wanting to play about 10ish times a year whether it's at the camp, guy's weekend, or just a random Saturday night at one of our houses (usually no one has a set so we don't play). I've never owned my own set but have played with real casino chips down to dice slugs enough to know the major differences in everything. I am the type of person who likes to do a lot of research and then spend my money on a quality functional item that I can have for a long time and be proud of. I've read the beginners guide on here and went to every link. I've read about 100 threads. I've looked at classifieds. I've looked at chip sites and reviewed videos. I've gotten samples (Milanos, Niles, Nevada Jacks). I loved the Nile artwork but comparing them side by side to Nevada Jacks I just love everything about the NJ more and have read not great things about the Nile quality. Small imperfections and differences won't bother me but I want something that will last and looks good. I am trying to narrow down all of that information now as I finally feel like I am running in circles with the information I have.

Game type: Cash game with about 90%+ of the games being $0.25/$0.50 up to $1/$2 with people's total buyins anywhere from $20/$100 per person after rebuys. Probably max 10 people.
Chip set budget: Looking to be around $300 but max $400.
Chip set type (taking budget into account): China Clays or Ceramics. The majority of what I read lean ceramics and I think I do too after comparing Nevada Jacks to Milanos (i know its a lower-end china clay). China Clays I looked at online were dunes, pharoahs, milanos, majestic, and royals. Ceramics I looked at were niles, scrolls, and NJ's. I looked at others too on the various sites mentioned here but don't know enough about them (Apache, ABC, Sunfly, etc.) to go further. Out of all of these options, I am leaning toward the NJ skulls.
Chip Set Denoms Guess (depending if the seller sells in 20 or 25 counts):
500 Chips (probably makes more sense but open to 600. American gaming supply has NJ skulls w/ case at 500 chips for $289 which seems good. I assume that's a reputable site?):
120/125 x 25c
200x $1
160/150 x $5
20/25 x $25
600 Chips:
120/125 x 25c
220/225 x $1
200 x $5
60/50 x $25
Case: Will take whatever it comes with otherwise open to suggestions to buy one. I like the birdcage look but read it's bad to travel with and these will travel sometimes.
Cards: I know nothing about cards so would love a recommendation on the best value set of cards. Not looking to spend much here.
Custom chips: I wouldn't even know where to start although I think that is really cool. I assume this is out of my budget and not an option for this set.
Classifieds: While I would love a set of Paulson's/old casino chips, I honestly have no idea what any of that is worth or where to even start. If not Paulsons, is it worth posting on classifieds what I am looking for once this thread is sorted out, or should I just buy stock on a website as I mentioned above? If anyone has a set they think would suit me that they are looking to pass on, I am open to it.
Group buys: Ive seen a bit of these as well and don't know much more about them besides they happen and help lower the cost of pricier chips. Open to this route to if yall say its an option.

I appreciate everyone who read it through and offer their thoughts. I am excited to finally pull the trigger on my first set.

 

[tabletalker7]

You like NJ skulls, need racks, and an option for a good travel case. Buy it directly from the source.

https://brpropoker.com/collections/...iece-nevada-jack-skulls-set-w-acrylic-carrier

 

[inapinch]

.
Classifieds: While I would love a set of Paulson's/old casino chips, I honestly have no idea what any of that is worth or where to even start. If not Paulsons, is it worth posting on classifieds what I am looking for once this thread is sorted out, or should I just buy stock on a website as I mentioned above? .

you’re absolutely encouraged to post a wanted ad in classifieds once you figure out your target chips! a lot of folks will likely take note of your post and even try to help tag you if they see something that might be of interest.
I agree with above - purchasing from bro pro poker is a great route If you’re seeking NJ.

I also want to add that if your timeline for getting chips is flexible, and if it‘a of interest to you, you can sometimes find some great values for CPC chips. A lot of folks on PCF appreciate the quality and feel of these chips. But, that’s not meant to deter you, just a friendly comment. Good luck on the hunt!

 

[buzzmonkey]

Go straight through BRPro. Excellent company and service.

 

[Machine]

Okay so deep dive on chip break down, 120 is likely too much for Fracs, If you are going to have 10 player and playing only holdem then maybe we can make the argument for 120, barebones would be 60, and it's what I rock. A rack is too many imo, but you could do worse.

You should get atleast 20 100s.

300 - 400 is a tight budget, it means paulsons are a non starter, I would suggest you check out samples from BRPro the 43mm. If you're not going to rock clay the 43s are dreamy, check out my 43mm sets in the sig

 

[Jeevansluck]

You could also jump on to one of the “Cards Mold” sets that get bought in group buys.

Definitely within your budget and you can even go full custom. You may not have sampled any, but they may prove to be worth a look.

Just a suggestion of course.

EDIT : welcome to the sick house of course! Mind your wallet and have fun!

 

[Nanook]

How much of a rush are you in?

It's easy for me to say "be patient" because I already have multiple nice sets that I can break out anytime, but if you are willing to be a little patient I would guess that within a couple weeks at most there will be in the sales area a set of cards mold ceramics that would fit your budget and be very nice. If I was maxed out at 40 or 50c/chip, that is the route I would go. You might speed up the process by posting a "wanted" ad in there.

You could always get into one of the cards mold GB's, but then you are likely waiting at least a few months....

 

[dbrous90]

You like NJ skulls, need racks, and an option for a good travel case. Buy it directly from the source.

https://brpropoker.com/collections/...iece-nevada-jack-skulls-set-w-acrylic-carrier

Go straight through BRPro. Excellent company and service.

I assume they make them? Why can they be purchased for cheaper elsewhere?

I also want to add that if your timeline for getting chips is flexible, and if it‘a of interest to you, you can sometimes find some great values for CPC chips.

My timeline is flexible. No hurry. I see that CPC chip is classic poker chips from a defunct place. Are those typically posted in the classifieds?

Okay so deep dive on chip break down, 120 is likely too much for Fracs, If you are going to have 10 player and playing only holdem then maybe we can make the argument for 120, barebones would be 60, and it's what I rock. A rack is too many imo, but you could do worse.

You should get atleast 20 100s.

300 - 400 is a tight budget, it means paulsons are a non starter, I would suggest you check out samples from BRPro the 43mm. If you're not going to rock clay the 43s are dreamy, check out my 43mm sets in the sig

We would have 8-10 players and play hold'em. Im flexible on the $0.25 but may do 100 and take the extra 20 and get 20 - $100's.

Any specific 43mm from BRPro? Also the ones in your sig look great. Do you sell those or how does that work?

You could also jump on to one of the “Cards Mold” sets that get bought in group buys.

Definitely within your budget and you can even go full custom. You may not have sampled any, but they may prove to be worth a look.

Just a suggestion of course.

EDIT : welcome to the sick house of course! Mind your wallet and have fun!

Thanks for the welcome lol. I keep seeing "Cards Mold" but I cant quite figure out exactly what it is or how to participate. Can you elaborate?

How much of a rush are you in?

It's easy for me to say "be patient" because I already have multiple nice sets that I can break out anytime, but if you are willing to be a little patient I would guess that within a couple weeks at most there will be in the sales area a set of cards mold ceramics that would fit your budget and be very nice. If I was maxed out at 40 or 50c/chip, that is the route I would go. You might speed up the process by posting a "wanted" ad in there.

You could always get into one of the cards mold GB's, but then you are likely waiting at least a few months....

Im in no hurry. Of course I would like a set tomorrow but im willing to wait for the right set. Is Card Molds like a brand of ceramics and how do they compare to like a nevada jack (I have a NJ sample so just asking cause of that).

 

[tabletalker7]

I assume they make them? Why can they be purchased for cheaper elsewhere?

Chinese imitations are always cheaper, but they are never as good. Cheaper blanks, lower quality inks, and cheaper printers will let you make cheap ceramics, but when compared to the real deal they don't quite measure up.

 

[ChipFinderSK]

I’d sample some worn Paulsons as well. If you like them, you could probably find some sets in that range every so often (I’m thinking of Majestic Star as a recent example).

You will likely have to get creative with .25s, however, such as using roulette molds or possibly starbursts/other hotstamps.

 

[upNdown]

We would have 8-10 players and play hold'em. Im flexible on the $0.25 but may do 100 and take the extra 20 and get 20 - $100's.

There are debate threads full of pages and pages of recommendations and arguments about how many fracs to have. But I can’t say I’ve ever seen anybody recommend 60 x quarters for a ten handed game. Are you using 50 cent fracs, @Machine ?
Anyway bro, don’t sweat it. If you want 120, get 120. If you want 100, get 100. You’re not going to get these things right the first time because every game is different and everybody has their preferences. But this is a lot of over-analysis BS; it will work either way, I promise.
And that’s the only message I have for you. Do your homework (as you seem to be doing) but at some point you just have to jump in and buy chips. If you’re like a lot of us, you’ll play more and buy and sell some and buy some more and eventually figure out what’s perfect for you. If you’re like most people, you’ll put that case on the shelf, pull it out a few time a year for games and call it good.

 

[dbrous90]

Chinese imitations are always cheaper, but they are never as good. Cheaper blanks, lower quality inks, and cheaper printers will let you make cheap ceramics, but when compared to the real deal they don't quite measure up.

So sites like customizedpokerchips.com and texaspokersupply.com and americangamingsupply.com are not selling the same Nevada Jack Skulls as BRPropoker?

I’d sample some worn Paulsons as well. If you like them, you could probably find some sets in that range every so often (I’m thinking of Majestic Star as a recent example).

You will likely have to get creative with .25s, however, such as using roulette molds or possibly starbursts/other hotstamps.

That may be a next set attempt when I know more down the road. What is the best place to sample worn paulsons?

There are debate threads full of pages and pages of recommendations and arguments about how many fracs to have. But I can’t say I’ve ever seen anybody recommend 60 x quarters for a ten handed game. Are you using 50 cent fracs, @Machine ?
Anyway bro, don’t sweat it. If you want 120, get 120. If you want 100, get 100. You’re not going to get these things right the first time because every game is different and everybody has their preferences. But this is a lot of over-analysis BS; it will work either way, I promise.
And that’s the only message I have for you. Do your homework (as you seem to be doing) but at some point you just have to jump in and buy chips. If you’re like a lot of us, you’ll play more and buy and sell some and buy some more and eventually figure out what’s perfect for you. If you’re like most people, you’ll put that case on the shelf, pull it out a few time a year for games and call it good.

Appreciate it. Just the kind of person that always wants to be sure im not making a fuck up.

 

[CrazyEddie]

Welcome to the forum! I commend you on what you've done so far. You've done your research, you've gotten samples, you've identified your budget...

You're pretty much set.

Your breakdowns are fine. People obsess too much about breakdowns, but the truth is a) almost anything will work and b) what's best is a matter of preference. As far as type of chips - given your budget, the category of chips you're targeting (ceramics or china clays) is the right place for you to be. While it's possible to get clays in your budget, you'd end up making some compromises that I'm betting you wouldn't be happy with, i.e. less attractive designs and worse condition. Ceramics and china clays are great chips and I think you'll be very happy with them.

My advice is to pick between the various stock ceramic designs that BR Pro / ABC Gifts offers and choose whatever design suits your aesthetic tastes, visually.

As a newbie looking for a first set of nice chips on a budget, I do not recommend that you mess around with group buys or go shopping for premium chips in the classifieds. You'll spend a lot of time and energy and money simply trying to figure out what you want and how to get it. Save that for later, once you've decided that you want to take up chipping as a hobby - which, by the way, I also do not recommend.

Case: the cheap generic aluminum cases that retail sets come in are fine. You can get something different and nicer if you like, but it's hardly a requirement. Birdcages are compact and handy; they'll travel fine in a car ride to a friend's house but I wouldn't take them on a long trip or use them where they might get handled roughly, like a bar poker league or some such. For more durable storage in that same form factor, consider one of the Versa bidcages, they're extremely sturdy. If you like the generic-aluminum-case form factor but want one that's sturdier consider one of the Versa flat cases. There's a wide variety of other options; don't stress about finding something perfect, almost anything will do just fine.

Cards: anything plastic is fine. There's lots of brands, and different people have different preferences, but anything plastic is fine. Plastic is more expensive than paper but it's worth the extra money. Get two decks of something that looks attractive to you; if you don't like the way they feel, you can get something different; if you wear out two decks quickly, you can buy more in bulk later.

Custom chips: Skip these for now. There's a few different ways to get customs: custom ceramics, custom labels on various other types of chips, and custom clays from CPC. I absolutely don't recommend you get customs until you've a) been in the hobby for a while and b) had a chance to see the many, many, many different custom chips that other people have produced. Otherwise, you'll really have no idea of what you would want to get on a custom chip; you won't know what's even possible, let alone what type of designs you like.

You're on the right track and doing fine! Don't feel like you have to pull the trigger right away, but at the same time, don't hem and haw and put it off waiting to get it perfect. There is no perfect. But there's plenty of good enough.

And keep asking questions! We love to show off what we know help out the new folks.

 

[Nanook]

.....My timeline is flexible. No hurry. I see that CPC chip is classic poker chips from a defunct place. Are those typically posted in the classifieds?

You are right, CPC is Classic Poker Chips. But they are not defunct. They are very much in business and are the only game in town for truly unique and custom compression molded chips. Unfortunately, they are way out of your price range.

I keep seeing "Cards Mold" but I cant quite figure out exactly what it is or how to participate. Can you elaborate?

You can look in m2m sales for Arias or some other cards mold chips. Or... go all the way down to the bottom of the main forum and you will see an area for group buys and within there occasionally someone organizes a group buy. Spend some time digging around there and you will begin to understand how that whole thing works.

....Is Card Molds like a brand of ceramics and how do they compare to like a nevada jack (I have a NJ sample so just asking cause of that).

probably slightly less quality, but a pretty good knock off. I'm sure that if you put up a "wanted" ad in the sales area someone could sell you a barrel of them so you could play around a little with them.

Chinese imitations are always cheaper, but they are never as good. Cheaper blanks, lower quality inks, and cheaper printers will let you make cheap ceramics, but when compared to the real deal they don't quite measure up.

Probably true. As long as you are ok with supporting this sort of thing, the product is excellent for the money.

 

[Nanook]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cards-mold-showcase.69344/

23 pages of cards mold pics and discussion

 

[LeLe]

Chip set budget: Looking to be around $300 but max $400.
Chip set type (taking budget into account): China Clays or Ceramics. The majority of what I read lean ceramics and I think I do too after comparing Nevada Jacks to Milanos (i know its a lower-end china clay). China Clays I looked at online were dunes, pharoahs, milanos, majestic, and royals. Ceramics I looked at were niles, scrolls, and NJ's. I looked at others too on the various sites mentioned here but don't know enough about them (Apache, ABC, Sunfly, etc.) to go further. Out of all of these options, I am leaning toward the NJ skulls.

Card Mold are going to be more in line with your budget for 500-600 chip set

Chip Set Denoms Guess (depending if the seller sells in 20 or 25 counts):
500 Chips (probably makes more sense but open to 600. American gaming supply has NJ skulls w/ case at 500 chips for $289 which seems good. I assume that's a reputable site?):
120/125 x 25c
200x $1
160/150 x $5
20/25 x $25
600 Chips:
120/125 x 25c
220/225 x $1
200 x $5
60/50 x $25

100 x 25c
200 x $1
200 x $5
80 x $25 20 x $100

Will be the recommended breakdown for 600 chip set

Case: Will take whatever it comes with otherwise open to suggestions to buy one. I like the birdcage look but read it's bad to travel with and these will travel sometimes.

Nanuk910 can fit in 400-800 chips and you can get them at around $40-60

Cards: I know nothing about cards so would love a recommendation on the best value set of cards. Not looking to spend much here.

Get 100% Plastic Cards, Desjgn is one of our vendor here and it less than $20 per setup

Custom chips: I wouldn't even know where to start although I think that is really cool. I assume this is out of my budget and not an option for this set.

You can do Custom chips on Ceramic and Relabel

Classifieds: While I would love a set of Paulson's/old casino chips, I honestly have no idea what any of that is worth or where to even start. If not Paulsons, is it worth posting on classifieds what I am looking for once this thread is sorted out, or should I just buy stock on a website as I mentioned above? If anyone has a set they think would suit me that they are looking to pass on, I am open to it.

See all the recent Sales closed on Classified will give you a better feel on the market pricing

Group buys: Ive seen a bit of these as well and don't know much more about them besides they happen and help lower the cost of pricier chips. Open to this route to if yall say its an option.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/forums/group-buys.26/

 

[BGinGA]

A lot of this has already been covered above, but....

To reverse-engineer your set decision, start with budget and game requirements:
-- a typical 10-player NLHE cash set consists of 600 chips, a two-deck set-up of plastic cards, a dealer button, and a case.
-- For mid-range products, figure $20 for decent cards, $5 for dealer button, and $35 for case. Add another $20 for six acrylic chip trays, well worth the investment.

That leaves $320 for chips (53c/ea) with a $400 budget, or $220 for chips (37c/ea) with a $300 budget.

There are some decent chips available at both price points, but off-the-shelf choices for good chips will be pretty limited at the sub-40c level. Lots of good stock china clay and ceramic chip options between 50c and 60c per chip.

If it were me, I'd select a 600-chip stock design set I liked from BRPro (with matching dealer button), a two deck set-up of Copag plastic cards (not top-end, but good quality and not overly expensive, either), and purchase an inexpensive Pelican-style foam-filled case (Harbor Freight, Costco, Sam's Club) to house it all.

As far as set breakdown goes, my personal preference is 600 chips:
100 x 25c
200 x $1
200 x $5
80 x $20 (or $25)
20 x $100

Sufficient chips of each denomination to avoid excessive change-making, with enough larger denomination chips to handle a game that plays big.

 

[xdukeluvax]

IMO your best bet would be royals if china clays or tiki kings if you tot ceramics. The tiki king design was off putting to me at first but everyone at my games absolutely love them and they look amazing in a stack! Not too expensive either.
Now if you got the budget sun-fly sells stock chips called prestige chips. The best chips i own by far! But they are $1.10 a chip. Also faded spades are the best poker cards idc what anyone says. Good luck

 

[BearMetal]

Cards: I know nothing about cards so would love a recommendation on the best value set of cards. Not looking to spend much here.

I feel that cards complete the full package and you should not skimp on them. Much like the little circular discs that we all covet, cards are works of art and should contribute to the overall feel of your poker room.

For me, it's all about Desjgn. They have amazing cards. I absolutely love the look, feel, colors, patterns, artwork, and friction.

But whatever you do, don't fall for that air cushioned paper crap. 100% plastic!

 

[upNdown]

I feel that cards complete the full package and you should not skimp on them. Much like the little circular discs that we all covet, cards are works of art and should contribute to the overall feel of your poker room.

For me, it's all about Desjgn. They have amazing cards. I absolutely love the look, feel, colors, patterns, artwork, and friction.

But whatever you do, don't fall for that air cushioned paper crap. 100% plastic!

Problem with cards are they’re so consumable. Plastic cards are supposed to last a long time, but you get one jerk off mashing his card protector chip into his hole cards when he peeks, and your premium setup can be dead on its first night. Adios $25.

 

[BearMetal]

Problem with cards are they’re so consumable. Plastic cards are supposed to last a long time, but you get one jerk off mashing his card protector chip into his hole cards when he peeks, and your premium setup can be dead on its first night. Adios $25.

Well, I would argue that that same jerk would be the one that spills his beer all over my brand new Chanman table, and splashes the pot with my minty Paulsons.

I'm actually okay with consumables; there's no sense of the need to preserve them. You use them and get maximum enjoyment out of them and then replace them. Unlike chips, which are not what I would consider to be consumable. Someone drops all your $20 barracats all over the floor and you have a miniature heart attack.

In addition to that, that jerk doesn't get invited back. And honestly, if people are fucking up the cards, you got to tell them. It's just etiquette to not mangle em.

Edit: I have to say that the enjoyment that I got out of using my Desjgn in my first post-apocalypse poker night it was worth $20 if I have to replace them.

 

[upNdown]

Someone drops all your $20 barracats all over the floor and you have a miniature heart attack.

Carpet! We never remind people to budget for carpet, and with the good pad!

 

[buzzmonkey]

So sites like customizedpokerchips.com and texaspokersupply.com and americangamingsupply.com are not selling the same Nevada Jack Skulls as BRPropoker?

They could be knock offs or the reseller could be buying in such high bulk that they can undercut BRPro slightly on smaller purchases.

 

[ChipFinderSK]

Re: where to buy samples of worn Paulsons:

The best prices you’ll find are through TheChipRoom’s sales. They’re a vendor here, and have 2-4 sales per year on average. These sales can sell out very quickly, however, so you have to be quick and have a plan going in.

If you don’t want to wait, you can check Apachepokerchips.com, another vendor here.

You could also post a wanted ad for some used Paulsons. I think some of the Majestic Stars sold for as cheap as $.29 per, so hopefully you can find someone willing to sell you some for close to that price.

There’s also a sample rack for newbs that can be rented for the cost of shipping. Not sure how many Paulson samples are included in that, however.

 

[dbrous90]

You're on the right track and doing fine! Don't feel like you have to pull the trigger right away, but at the same time, don't hem and haw and put it off waiting to get it perfect. There is no perfect. But there's plenty of good enough.

Thank you for the responses to all my questions. Definitely taking all your answers into account.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cards-mold-showcase.69344/

23 pages of cards mold pics and discussion

Wow some of these are awesome. So essentially people make these designs then you can pay them for their design and buy a set of chips using their design?

100 x 25c
200 x $1
200 x $5
80 x $25 20 x $100

Recommended multiple times so this is probably what I will go with.

If it were me, I'd select a 600-chip stock design set I liked from BRPro (with matching dealer button),

This is most likely the route I will take. Thanks for your detailed response.

IMO your best bet would be royals if china clays or tiki kings if you tot ceramics. The tiki king design was off putting to me at first but everyone at my games absolutely love them and they look amazing in a stack! Not too expensive either.

Thats the thing. I see everyone loving the Tiki kings and I just dont love them. As far as stock designs I liked the nile clubs (but apparently they are shit) and then probably NJ Skulls next. Maybe I need to get tiki samples. What do the Tiki's run per chip for 500-600?

They could be knock offs or the reseller could be buying in such high bulk that they can undercut BRPro slightly on smaller purchases.

Thanks for this. I honestly would have never known BRpro made them and just assumed these other sites got a better deal from whoever made them and they are all the same quality, etc.

You could also post a wanted ad for some used Paulsons. I think some of the Majestic Stars sold for as cheap as $.29 per, so hopefully you can find someone willing to sell you some for close to that price.

I think the best route for me will be to post a wanted add with basically the couple of options Im looking at and see what people have to offer. If nothing suits me then I will just move forward with a stock ceramic set from one of the main vendors.

 

[BearMetal]

Recommended multiple times so this is probably what I will go with.

That's definitely a good breakdown. But one thing to remember is to always order extras. Inevitably, when the shipment arrives, there are usually at least one or two broken chips in the package. Ordering a little extra of every denomination ensures that you always have a complete set. It can also cover the random production error that will occur. This is advice not only for CM chips, but when getting any chips.

 

[buzzmonkey]

Thank you for the responses to all my questions. Definitely taking all your answers into account.

Wow some of these are awesome. So essentially people make these designs then you can pay them for their design and buy a set of chips using their design?

Recommended multiple times so this is probably what I will go with.

This is most likely the route I will take. Thanks for your detailed response.

Thats the thing. I see everyone loving the Tiki kings and I just dont love them. As far as stock designs I liked the nile clubs (but apparently they are shit) and then probably NJ Skulls next. Maybe I need to get tiki samples. What do the Tiki's run per chip for 500-600?

Thanks for this. I honestly would have never known BRpro made them and just assumed these other sites got a better deal from whoever made them and they are all the same quality, etc.

I think the best route for me will be to post a wanted add with basically the couple of options Im looking at and see what people have to offer. If nothing suits me then I will just move forward with a stock ceramic set from one of the main vendors.

You can get 600 Tikis with racks and case, plus dealer button and a deck of (probably cheap) cards for $465 USD.

https://brpropoker.com/collections/tiki-kings/products/copy-of-600-piece-tiki-set

Just the chips will run you about $0.65 ea.

https://brpropoker.com/collections/...i-ceramic-poker-chip-for-volume-price-testing

 

[CrazyEddie]

Thats the thing. I see everyone loving the Tiki kings and I just dont love them. As far as stock designs I liked the nile clubs (but apparently they are shit) and then probably NJ Skulls next. Maybe I need to get tiki samples.

If you don't love the Tikis then you shouldn't consider them. Make sure what you get appeals to you and you alone. Your players may or may not love what you get, and in all honesty they probably won't notice or care all that much (this happens to almost everyone here). They'll enjoy playing with the chips you choose but won't appreciate them the way that you do, and that's fine. Be satisfied knowing that you've given them some good-quality chips that are improving their experience even if they don't realize it.

Nothing wrong with the Nile Club design if you like it. The thing to be wary of is the production quality. Nile Clubs, Scrolls, and Laurel Crowns are the three major ceramic designs that are widely sold in the mass market, and it's been the experience of PCF members that quality varies dramatically from batch to batch. Here "quality" essentially means print quality, where things like color consistency and even print resolution have been poor at times. If you like the Nile Clubs and want to give them a shot, I'd recommend buying them from someplace that will take returns if you decide the batch you receive is sub-par.

Here at PCF we've identified a few ceramic chip vendors whose quality you can have confidence in: ABC Gifts and Awards / BRPro Poker; Sun-Fly; and a Chinese vendor from AliBaba we call "Tina". Less often recommended but still worth considering is BBO Poker Tables.

ABC Gifts and Awards and BRPro Poker were formerly separate companies but have since merged. Their two sites show different stock designs, so be sure to check out both sites to see what might appeal to you: https://abcgiftsandawards.com/poker-chips/ and https://brpropoker.com/ . Two particularly notable designs are Tiki Kings and Dia de los Muertos; both were designed by PCF member @Puzzlemonkey and are quite popular. However, there's plenty of other designs available to suit your tastes.

Sun-Fly is a Korean vendor that has several different types of ceramic chips: standard flat ceramics, molded ceramics (their "Polyclay" line), and hybrids (their "Polyinno" line, which have dye-sublimation printing around the edge and a printed decal adhered in the center). Sun-Fly mainly makes custom chips, but they have a handful of stock designs; prices and shipping will strain your budget, though. You can see their designs and place orders here: https://www.apollonchips.com/ - that's their retail site; their manufacturing site is here: https://www.sunflycasinoequipment.com/

Tina is the sales rep for an AliBaba vendor that produces decent-quality ceramic chips at very affordable prices. However, all of their work is custom; they don't carry inventories of stock designs. They have a molded ceramic chip which PCF members call "cards mold" and which is the main product that PCF members buy from Tina; they also have a diamonds-mold chip and a standard flat ceramic (aka "no mold"). Members often put together group buys in order to get bulk pricing and to split the overhead costs, but some members have placed individual orders and simply paid the extra costs. Shipping can be expensive, and both lead times and delivery times can be long. They don't have a retail site; you have to contact Tina directly to place an order.

BBO Poker Tables manufactures and sells a handful of stock ceramic designs; a few PCF members have ordered them and reported positive results. You can see their line-up here: https://www.bbopokertables.com/poker_table_supplies/poker-chips/

There's a few other designs you can find at various retailers that might appeal to you; I can't speak to quality - in general they should be fine but as I mentioned earlier make sure you can return them if you don't like them. Designs to look for include: Bullets, Slowplay Nash Ceramic, and many different clones of the European Poker Tour chips.

Happy hunting!

 

[CrazyEddie]

[re Tina Cards Mold] So essentially people make these designs then you can pay them for their design and buy a set of chips using their design?

Basically correct, although once you've gotten permission to use someone's design you still have to place a custom order for the chips by working with Tina; you can't just buy them through a retail site.

You can also produce your own design, or work with a designer to produce a design to your specifications. You could then get that design printed by ABC/BRPro, or Sun-Fly, or Tina.

 

[BGinGA]

Nothing wrong with the Nile Club design if you like it. The thing to be wary of is the production quality. Nile Clubs, Scrolls, and Laurel Crowns are the three major ceramic designs that are widely sold in the mass market, and it's been the experience of PCF members that quality varies dramatically from batch to batch. Here "quality" essentially means print quality, where things like color consistency and even print resolution have been poor at times. If you like the Nile Clubs and want to give them a shot, I'd recommend buying them from someplace that will take returns if you decide the batch you receive is sub-par.

In addition to the print quality issues, Nile Club chips are made with inferior materials that easily chip and break, and they often contain many spinners due to a convex surface (vs flat or concave). They also have a glossy surface, which can make viewing the chips difficult due to glare from overhead lighting.

I recommend them for target practice, nothing more.