How did you come up with your custom poker chip design (1 Viewer)

detroitdad

Royal Flush
Joined
Nov 6, 2014
Messages
32,739
Reaction score
60,159
Location
Michigan
That's it in a nutshell.

During the Chicago trip I had an opportunity to play with multiple different custom chip sets. My question (not just to the members that brought their sets, but to the entire PCF community), what was your inspiration for your set? If your so inclined, share the reasons behind the decision for your custom set (s).

I say this because after playing with, fondling, and drooling all over these sets. I now want a custom CPC set damnt. Its going to be some time for me. I have a very specific bank roll that I can't destroy for a chip set. Chaos suggested to me that maybe I should earmark a certain percentage of my future winnings for a custom set. I think this is what I will do. Only if my bankroll stays above "x" amount.

I did own a custom set on some cheap China Clays. I liked the design, but didn't much care for the chip quality. I'm not sure if I just want to improve on that design, or go in a totally different direction. If I go in a different direction, I have no idea what that would be. I'm hoping to hear some of your stories/reasons/inspirations to give me food for thought on a future set.

I called my custom set "The Sunshine" set. 6 years ago my wife and I took our first big vacation to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. I decided to have a design done to kind of commemorate our 20th Anniversary vacation.

HPIM0757.jpg


some of these images were used to help come up with the design

Cancun155.jpg


Cancun037.jpg


Cancun012.jpg


Thanks in advance.

B
 
Mine is a pretty simple story. The Dunes and Vineyard chips were the inspiration for my cash set. Three putt poker is a game we play on the course and thought it was a great theme for a set. I don't have an album here with pics of the tourney set - I should probably do that :) Here is a link to the cash set album:

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/media/albums/three-putt-poker-v2-cash-set.531/

I'm VERY tempted to place a relatively big add-on order but have a few other projects ahead of this in the queue :)
 
Mine is a pretty simple story. The Dunes and Vineyard chips were the inspiration for my cash set. Three putt poker is a game we play on the course and thought it was a great theme for a set. I don't have an album here with pics of the tourney set - I should probably do that :) Here is a link to the cash set album:

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/media/albums/three-putt-poker-v2-cash-set.531/

I'm VERY tempted to place a relatively big add-on order but have a few other projects ahead of this in the queue :)


You don't have a bad chip in that set. The "A" mold is probably my favorite mold. I know some guys don't like this. I'm a huge fan of the fractional being a solid chip followed by a simple edge spot flow from denom to denom.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Strangely enough, I've spent an ugly portion of my time since the WCB mocking up custom sets, lol... sic!

:)

Another question for custom folks.. How big are your sets? I want to get a set that can handle all game present and future that I might host, but I don't know that my BR can support that kinda splurge now. What's the size set most people are going with?

I was thinking something like this:

$.25 300
$1 400
$5 400 (500?) (600?)
$20 200

Hosting $.25/.50 mostly (sometimes up to 2 full or three partial tables (20ish people)

Sometimes $1/2 single table.
 
My set is currently

200 x 25¢
600 x $1
300 x $5
60 x $10
30 x $20
10 x $100

I'm in the process of adding $20 plaques as well as a 5¢ chip (plus more quarters dollars and fives just for the hell of it)

300 quarters is overkill (imo) for 20ish-max 25¢/50¢ NL. 200 should be just fine. Spend that money on more dollars and/or fives.
 
Strangely enough, I've spent an ugly portion of my time since the WCB mocking up custom sets, lol... sic!

:)

Another question for custom folks.. How big are your sets? I want to get a set that can handle all game present and future that I might host, but I don't know that my BR can support that kinda splurge now. What's the size set most people are going with?

I was thinking something like this:

$.25 300
$1 400
$5 400 (500?) (600?)
$20 200

Hosting $.25/.50 mostly (sometimes up to 2 full or three partial tables (20ish people)

Sometimes $1/2 single table.

I wanted to support 2 tables and have the flexibility to spread from 25¢/50¢ to a small $2/$5... This is what I ordered:

200 x 25¢
400 x $1s
800 x $5s
100 x $20s
100 x $100s

It sort of follows my preferred 100/200/400/80/20 per table...

Now, in theory, one can have less $5s and still manage to spread those games, I just prefer more workhorse chips...

Interesting fact: I was playing a mixed game at Jeff's and a couple of games were $2/$4 Limit. We had 400 of those gorgeous Via Lactea's $1s on the table and we had plenty for it... If I wanted to have enough for two tables I would have to have more $1s for sure (now I'm thinking I should add 200 more $1s :))

If you're hosting Limit games often, than the number of $1s kinda blows up really, more like a rack per player... I can't afford that right now and I never host pure Limit games...

Man, can wait to see where you're head's at regarding design and spots!
 
my breakdown for my cpc order is

200 x 25c
340 x $1
400 x $5
60 x $20

and I will allow $100 bills to play if it is needed, until I add on in the future :)
 
300 quarters is overkill (imo) for 20ish-max 25¢/50¢ NL. 200 should be just fine. Spend that money on more dollars and/or fives.

Solid advice, and budget sound. With unlimited resources, I might opt for 300 quarters, but you're right, I probably don't need them.


Man, can wait to see where you're head's at regarding design and spots!

OK, this is just what happens to be on my browser at the moment. I've changed the colors and spots around so much, my head is spinning. The quarter is getting changed the most. And, This isn't the final inlay design, just a place holder with the general theme. It's design inspiration comes from my Fat Tire (and other) neon signs. Progression would be $.25/1/5/20

FT mock.png
 
I like the quarter color combo as is.

I prefer starting stack with 12 quarters. I don't know why. I've always used 12 x .25, 17 x 1, 8 to 12 x 5's depending on the starting stacks.

8 quarters per starting stack is what most guys use that I play with. Definitely makes more sense budget wise
 
or this variation... lol With neon as the inspiration, I wanted the colors to be vivid, but not gaudy (seems like I'm skirting that line). I personally prefer full barrels of chips as starting stacks (way easier to dish them out at buyin/rebuy time). Given a larger game, I could justify less quarters I suppose.

FT Mock 2.png
 
How did you come up with your custom poker chip design
I've only just started the process of creating a design, but it will be based on my 'Discobeetle' avatar. Once upon a time, I was going to start a software consulting company called "Discobeetle Software". I paid a designer to come up with an icon and website layout around that idea. The consulting company path fell apart when I got a job for The Man, but I'm currently working with a (different) designer friend to use it as concept art for some ceramic customs.

How big are your sets?
Any custom set I get made will probably be far bigger than I would normally need, say 2k chips. That is because I don't want to commission extras later on that may be slightly different than the original production. Also because the company that made them may go out of business at any time. I like the idea of being able to handle several tables at once, possibly playing for different stakes, all out of the same set.
 
Any custom set I get made will probably be far bigger than I would normally need, say 2k chips. That is because I don't want to commission extras later on that may be slightly different than the original production. Also because the company that made them may go out of business at any time. I like the idea of being able to handle several tables at once, possibly playing for different stakes, all out of the same set.
^^^^^^^

YES [emoji106]
 
The Lady Luck Club, series 1 (BCC, on the MGK mold). The story is here.

  • 300 x 25¢
  • 600 x $1 (wish I had twice as many)
  • 600 x $5
  • 300 x $20
  • 100 x $100
  • 1900 Total chips
  • $19,675 Total bank
Lady Luck Club, series 2 (ASM Maine, now CPC, on the DIASQR aka MD-50 mold). I had fallen in love with this mold and simply had to do a second custom set. The chips are reminiscent of Nevada chips from the 1960s and 1970s (i.e., Mapes Casino Hotel and Pick Hobson's Riverside). The inlay design is a nod to the Art Deco revival period of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The mold was in use during the early part of that period, although not in casinos AFAIK. However, the feel of the DIASQR chips is, IMO, a combination of TRK scrown and Paulson H&C, which were used at the time, and the look reminds me of the scrown. The back story is that the chips were issued in connection with the grand opening of the club's new nightclub and ballroom.
  • 200 x 5¢
  • 300 x 25¢
  • 1200 x $1
  • 600 x $5
  • 200 x $20
  • 100 x $100
  • 2600 Total chips
  • $18,285 Total bank
With 1200 $1 chips, the MD-50 set easily accommodates 2/4, 3/6, and 4/8 limit games, for which we use just the $1s and $20s. Each set can cover a wide variety of games and stakes.

Inlay designs by the illustrious J5.
 
Last edited:
re: breakdowns, i usually go overboard. when i'm trying to figure out what is actually necessary at a true minimum to keep my game(s) playable at the stake(s) that are most likely to occur, i use the following procedure, modified for your 20-max attendance estimate:

(1) calculate the chips need for initial buy-ins for 10 players at each game/stake you expect to spread (i.e., a mixed limit game with a $400 max of mostly one denom; a circus game with a $200 max of varying chips; etc.);
(2) calculate the chips need for one rebuy per player for each game/stake;
(3) take the highest number of chips needed per denom for each game/stake (i.e., $2/4 limit needs 1000 $1s, and no $5s whereas $2/5 NL needs 200 $1s and 1000 $5s, so you assume you need 1000 of each $1s and $5s);
(4) double each denom total to account for the second table so that the same game can be played at both tables*;
(5) add enough of your highest denomination to account for 20 more buy-ins at your highest expected stake;
(6) round up to the rack for each denom and you have your breakdown.

*however, in some cases, you may be able to say with 90%+ certainty that both tables will never be playing certain games, so you can discount the need. in my case, for instance, i know there will never be a time when both tables will be playing $2/4, so i would not double that amount; instead i would use the amount needed for a single table if it is still larger than double what any other game/stake requires.

for me, that whole process ends in a breakdown of:

200 (.50)
1200 (1)
1200 (5)
300 (25)
100 (100)

but i'm assuming 16-max with the primary games being $5/10/15 limit dealer's choice, $1/2 NLHE/PLO and a single table of $2/5 NLHE.
 
The tournament set came from the love of my car







When we first started playing my friends played with coins and bills. It wasn't until a few years later that we learned that there was poker chips that can make things easier, so my cash set will be a throwback to those cash playing days
 

Attachments

  • download (4).png
    download (4).png
    210.8 KB · Views: 167
I was doing some research for a book idea, reading up on cats.

I'd always thought that the superstition of a black cat crossing your path signified good luck as per the UK belief but learned that in other cultures it signified bad luck instead.

This duality struck me as a great metaphor for the chance players encounter at the table, that the Black Cat (poker club) crossing your path can mean good or bad fortune to players.

This idea was also incorporated into the Latin script on the chips that translates as "Let he who plays with the Black Cat expect to get scratched", which is further aped in the bounty chips.

It was also designed to inject a bit of humour, fun and friendly competition into proceedings.

More story:

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/resources/black-cat-club.6/

Gallery:

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/black-cat-club-tourney-set-asm-fdl-mold-1-1-16-inlays.6026/
 
Last edited:
I blame @Payback because I saw his set on 2+2 and it blew my mind that you could actually get custom clay chips.

A 3yr+ journey with 1000s of mock ups.

I was working on a Stockys Card Room set for ages and couldn't nail it down. Then one night after watching GoT I had a brain fart and started working on a set based on it. I am a huge fan of the books, and the wife and I love the show. It's probably the only show we both like. The set seemed to come together quickly in comparison to the other set. First step was get GRRMs permission. I thought there was no chance, but when he said it was fine I was over the moon.

The hard part was $$ and hiding the final cost from my wife ;)
 
I blame @Payback because I saw his set on 2+2 and it blew my mind that you could actually get custom clay chips.

A 3yr+ journey with 1000s of mock ups.

I was working on a Stockys Card Room set for ages and couldn't nail it down. Then one night after watching GoT I had a brain fart and started working on a set based on it. I am a huge fan of the books, and the wife and I love the show. It's probably the only show we both like. The set seemed to come together quickly in comparison to the other set. First step was get GRRMs permission. I thought there was no chance, but when he said it was fine I was over the moon.

The hard part was $$ and hiding the final cost from my wife ;)
Lol. I had no idea. Glad I dragged someone else down with me! Love your set, so I'm glad to know that without me we wouldn't have your beauties.
 
I read through everyone's link or story for their design. All are great stories. Thank you for sharing.

Anyone else?
 
the background on my Clermont cash set is here over on CT. a couple of the pic links are dead and the site won't let me edit after so long, but here is the sign in front of the club:

2V4Cmh9.jpg


cliff's is that i like skeevy, trashy bars and the Clermont Lounge is pretty much the pinnacle of the genre and in my hometown. plus my grandmother stayed in the hotel way way way back in the day commuting to see my grandfather before they were married. and on top of that there's an alleged history of underground gaming going back quite a ways.

one story i see i did not tell in that original post is that one night when a friend went into the bathroom at the clermont, he walked in on one of the more recognizable dancers smoking crack sitting on the men's commode. those who know the clermont will likely be able to identify the dancer, but i'm not about to be naming names in the context of a crack smoking story.

i'm not a strip club guy really, but there is something about the Clermont that is just undeniably charming. if you're ever in atlanta, you really should check it out. but have a substantial amount to drink before you go.
 
Last edited:
the background on my Clermont cash set is here over on CT. a couple of the pic links are dead and the site won't let me edit after so long, but here is the sign in front of the club:

GAtvw5R.jpg


cliff's is that i like skeevy, trashy bars and the Clermont Lounge is pretty much the pinnacle of the genre and in my hometown. plus my grandmother stayed in the hotel way way way back in the day commuting to see my grandfather before they were married. and on top of that there's an alleged history of underground gaming going back quite a ways.

one story i see i did not tell in that original post is that one night when a friend went into the bathroom at the clermont one night, he walked in on one of the more recognizable dancers smoking crack sitting on the men's commode. those who know the clermont will likely be able to identify the dancer, but i'm not about to be naming names in the context of a crack smoking story.

i'm not a strip club guy really, but there is something about the Clermont that is just undeniably charming. if you're ever in atlanta, you really should check it out. but have a substantial amount to drink before you go.

LMAO, are we referring to someone who may have been famous for their method of beer can disposal?
 
Hey Bill! I know we spent quite some time talking about it on our way back from Jeff's but I'll drop a couple of lines here again just in case there's more people on the same boat as you...

My process started just messing around with base colors and spots combos on ChipFactory, not differently that most I supposed... I knew I wanted a cash set with Cali Colors (love yellow $5s for some reason) so I had a good place to start... Sort of parallel to that I decided to go through many, many casino and customs inlays to see where my head was at regarding basic direction, had no theme yet whatsoever... Soon I realized I was a fan of old school inlay designs, very simple, like Stardust (the Purple $20s with Gray 3916 is one of my all time favorites), Mapes, etc... I knew I didn't want many colors on it, basically white, black and red to mimic the lack of color printing technology back in the day... I wanted the chips to shine...

Based on that, it was almost obvious settling on a white inlay, black lettering and red denoms... I also knew I wanted the name of my city somewhere in there as well... I just needed to come up with a meaningful image to be the in the center of the inlay... Spend quite some time thinking about it and trying different things until I saw the outline of a bulldog on a friends shirt. It was it, I had to design a bulldog outline that resemble Bubbles... You know how much I love her man! :) And poker nights are her absolute favorites as you also know... She absolutely loves it... Nothing better for her than taking a nap under the poker table while we gamble up the storm... So it is HER room... :)

Because of some ceramics I had designed before, some re-labeling I had to design inlays for and the custom set, I had been forced to learned Adobe Illustrator so I spent days and days trying different designs and messing around with Bubbs outline... When I thought it was close to being ready it was J5's time for a quick review, some polishing and different fonts... So Bubbs Poker Room was born...

Process took almost two years... And I still need to wait a few months to have the chips on my hands... That's the toughest part, :)
 
I've used the chip calculator before when I ordered a simple cash set a long time back. I just got done spending an hour screwing with it this morning.

I've been thinking about the design. I absolutely love my sunset chips. I love that they represent a milestone with the most important person in my life.

I'm not even close to having the funds for this (I have to be disciplined with my bankroll).

I'm contemplating building off of the sunset design. Contact J5, have him improve on this design. Then create a few more, similar, but slightly different "sunset" pictures. Each denomination will have a similar, but still slightly unique image.

Just kind of thinking out loud here. So please bare with me.

.25 sunset beach

1.00 sunset beach/huts

5.00 chip ect.....

25.00 chip ec.....
 
I know with the chip factory tool you can place the chips side by side as your "building" the set colors. The only problem is they don't have all the edge spots.

With the Chip factory tool here (same as CPC it looks like) how do I do that? I can only figure out how to design one chip's worth of colors and then save it? I need to be able to place them side by side while building it. Easier to try and make the set "flow".

Thanks,
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom