First Time Home Game Chips: Paulsons, CC, or Something Else? (1 Viewer)

[Ventura]

Guys, I realize how ridiculous this is going to sound to anyone who’s been around here longer than five minutes, but I came here just trying to buy my first set of chips for a tiny home game. Like… tiny. Usually 3 to 5 people. That’s it. No casino dreams, no WSOP fantasies. Just poker with friends and family. I’ve been lurking for a bit and my brain is officially melting.
From what I can tell, the hierarchy goes something like this: 
Paulsons (Hat and Cane) > CPC (if I order now maybe my grandchildren will receive them) > everything else
Because my game is so small, I started thinking I could maybe justify Paulsons? I think 200 chips would do the job (please correct me if I’m wrong).
I’m really drawn to original, real clay chips. I don’t know why, but they just do it for me. I could probably budget around $350 for the chips, though getting samples might be tricky since everything would have to ship to Europe. I started looking at some China clays too. I really like the look of Apache Dunes, with Mirages coming in second. They look great… but at this point I honestly don’t know what I don’t know yet and I’ve gathered that CC tends to evoke some mixed feelings around here.
At this point I’m kind of stuck. I guess I’m just looking for opinions from people who own them Apaches or honestly anything that might help push me off the fence. All opinions welcome.

 

[RocAFella1]

Tigers

 

[upNdown]

Tigers

I always hope this flippant response that we see everywhere is poking fun at Tiger owners, but I’m never sure.
@Ventura most of what happens here is ridiculous, so that should be the least of your concerns.
If you like clay, buy clay. But you should mess around with some samples first, because not all Paulsons are created equal. Mold, wear, and clay formulation can drastically affect the feel of chips.

As for 200 chips, do some reading here - are plenty of threads that discuss appropriate chip breakdowns for a variety of stakes. My opinion is that 200 would be fine for 3 players, but I’d want 300 or 400 for 4 or 5 players.

 

[sleepypiggly]

Let's see, 200 chips, up to 5 players.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Tourney (T25 base)
10K Starting stack:
(12) T25
(12) T100
(5) T500
(6) T1000
x 5 players gets you:
(60) T25
(60) T100
(25) T500
(30) T1000
(175) Chips

Round the above into barrels of 20 chips, then it's:
(60) T25
(60) T100
(40) T500
(40) T1000
(200) Chips
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cash ($30 buy-in)
(12) 25c
(17) $1
(2) $5
x 5 players gets you:
(60) 25c
(85) $1
(10) $5
(155) Chips

Round the above into barrels of 20 chips, then it's:
(60) 25c
(100) $1
(20) $5
(180) Chips
-----------------------------------------------------------

So I think 200 chips is doable for 5 players. The problem is finding a set in those quantities. It's easier for mass-produced chips like Tina hybrids, but for Paulson it is more difficult, because finding matching chips will not be easy, much less finding fracs (most people make their own fracs by relabeling). Paulson will also be much more expensive than your budget of $350.

 

[Kam]

Check out reviews here for chips in your price range (not clay):

https://youtube.com/@hobbyphilic?si=A48_-RGd4ajRxOI7

There’s quite a few Europeans on the forum that can advise where best to buy chips online there.

I’d recommend you get a ‘cheap’ / affordable set first and see if you’re into it and will use, then put money towards a table topper and some plastic playing cards.

After that, save up a little and keep an eye on the classifieds, every so often used paulsons come up at really good prices for new chippers.

GL!

 

[Colquhoun]

IMO, if you're already considering Paulsons, you won't be entirely satisfied with anything else...so there's no use spending extra money/time on other chips.
Besides, you could likely get most (if not all) your money back if you change your mind in the future.
Get what you really like...it doesnt matter the size of your game. Also keep in mind that you're doing this for you, most people won't care about the chips (in fact, they'll think you're crazy if you tell them what they cost!)

 

[MC_CPA]

If it is only 2 to 5 players, you can get away with tigers. Its approx 700 to 900 a rack but u only need 2 to 3 racks for 2 to 5ppl. And ull never want to buy any other chip.

Thats like 6 times over budget but in the grand scheme of things 2.1k to 2.7k isnt that bad for the best chips.

 

[ExileExistence]

I can completely relate with you. I just had a ultimate poker chip set (plastic, but for that relatively high quality) since I was a teenager and a few weeks ago, I randomly got into the mood of hosting poker games regularly with my friends and improve the quality by ordering a rubber mat and a better chip set. I entered this forum and I can tell you, you can really get lost into this, but hey, it is also very fun!

So you are right about the hierarchy. It is

1. Paulsons
2. CPC (although I think nearly as expensive as Paulsons, they're still inferior and have metallic splinters in them, which I would not like. But customizable!)
3. CC (definitly completely different, but good quality for the price)
4. Ceramics (highly customizable, some might prefer them over CCs)
5. Standard Plastic/ABS chips
6. Dice Chips

Since you are also from europe, I think options are limited. Check you my post from a few weeks ago:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/upgrading-my-poker-chip-collection-in-germany.139499/

I think the best shop in europe is pokershop.de, here you get a few CCs, Ceramics and a lot of the standard metal-slugged ABS chips.

If you are thinking about getting a nice set and want to dive into this rabbit whole (which you probably have since you joined the forum), I definitly recommend to 1. get samples! and 2. as @Colquhoun said, don't waste time and money on lower quality chips when you want to get the best. However, if you want to get started, I'd probably go with a nice set of ceramics or CCs. But they have their flaws.

For me, I bought a set of ceramics and I am happy with them. They are definitly an upgrade and I love the design. However, now I am looking for a set of Paulsons... But getting them to the EU/germany will probably be a pain and you need to wait for the right chips to appear here on the marketplace for an acceptable price. Since I want to buy a larger cash set, I am thinking about getting a set of CCs until I am more sure about the whole shipping process and whether I want to commit my bank account to a $2-$3 purchase per chip for a larger set.

 

[Colquhoun]

CPC (although I think nearly as expensive as Paulsons, they're still inferior and have metallic splinters in them, which I would not like. But customizable!)

Blasphemy!


But seriously, I have Paulsons and I love my CPC's as well. The brass flakes not only add weight, they give the edges a slight texture that never wears away. Some Paulsons can get very smooth and almost plasticky-feeling, but the CPC's texture remains, even with wear.