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I could see myself burning a lot of money from this forum - beginner learnings & thoughts.. (7 Viewers)

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lettucecookmeat

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New member here, in an effort to get out of my comfort zone. I just wanted to share some of my learnings and first impulse thoughts in entering the world of poker chips. Whether it be for entertainment or education, this is mainly for myself to distill or condense what I've learned thus far.

About Me​

Hosted my first poker game (and still new to poker) but love the feeling of hosting, though it was borrowing my friends's chips.
Per my intro in the other post, Reddit kept mentioning PCF and here I am. Since then..


PCF​

I've been on PCF enough where my wife has called me obsessed, but am learning a lot.
When I'm on a walk -> PCF.
When I'm taking a dump -> PCF
At work -> PCF

Thoughts​

  • Who the hell is Tina? Where can I get chips from her?!? Eventually found a thread asking the same thing and got to know Tina.
  • Samples are practically a requirement for beginners.
  • Knowing the types of games you're hosting will determine the chips you're going to get.
  • I was looking at generic 500 poker sets on Amazon/eBay. "I'm new to this I should get something cheap, but still better than dice chips"
  • Browsing around here I can see that my budget range of $250-200 or less.. may or may not get me much..
  • Knowing the types of games you're hosting will determine the chips you're going to get, but I'm going against my own advice and getting a set I think I've optimized for both microstakes and tournaments.
  • The 500 pre-made chip sets looked appealing until I realized I needed a certain allocation for the microstakes games.
  • brpokerpro - has some DAM fine nice looking chips too.
  • The case for these sets is a scam (?), better to just get good chips.
  • SLOWPLAY branded stuff NASH/GODEL was what got my eye at first as a coworker reccomended it but upon research its a nicely dressed up clay composite (?). So looking to get Monte Carlo. I like the minimalistic stuff with numbers clearly seen so Godel and Monte Carlo spoke to me. NASH design looked cool too.
  • China Clays are.. not worth it any more as hybrid ceramics with the mold exist.
    - Tier List I've developed in my head based on my readings of PCF (correct me if I'm wrong). Probably missing materials here and I know my personal preference but I think from what I gather here this forum treats places chip types like this:
    S - Paulsons
    A - Clay, Ceramic
    A- - Tinas Hybrid Ceramic
    B - China Clays
    C - Monte Carlos or stuff with metal slugs inside.

Newer Thoughts​

At the moment my thoughts are I want to enter a group by, but am too scared about how to even enter one/what info I need to provide. Think i missed it too October 2nd cut off.. I'll try to wait for the next one.


If you have any tips/tricks or helpful pages on the forum for beginners let me know. (also any mistakes I should avoid).​

 
Welcome. I'm newer on the active end (was a long time lurker). Super nice community. Post around. Talk about random chip stuff and get comfortable. They've been super welcoming.Avoid the politics forum. Just not worth it.

Get samples galore. I have like 30 sample sets just to get a feel for what I like. Personally, there are some good sluggo chips that get too much hate, but there are much better options. As far as sluggos, Outlaws are basically my go to recommendation. They feel pretty good and stack like bricks. I got a small set of Casino Royale and was disgusted. They just feel like cheap plastic. Outlaws feel like a more expensive plastic (despite being cheaper).

Tinas are fantastic. China clays are pretty meh (Majestics and Royals are nice though). BRPro is absolutely legit and the first step down from Paulson or CPC, but they are still a pricey, premium product. Tiki Kings is probably their most popular product.

Careful not to get sucked down the Paulson or NAGB rabbit holes. Aurora Star, Empress Star, and Tiger Palace are basically the best chips ever made... but I'd rather pay off my student loans or buy a car.

For $200 though... Either save up some more and get Tinas, or buy some Outlaws and save for a better set down the road.
 
lettucecookmeat said:
New member here, in an effort to get out of my comfort zone. I just wanted to share some of my learnings and first impulse thoughts in entering the world of poker chips. Whether it be for entertainment or education, this is mainly for myself to distill or condense what I've learned thus far.

About Me​

Hosted my first poker game (and still new to poker) but love the feeling of hosting, though it was borrowing my friends's chips.
Per my intro in the other post, Reddit kept mentioning PCF and here I am. Since then..


PCF​

I've been on PCF enough where my wife has called me obsessed, but am learning a lot.
When I'm on a walk -> PCF.
When I'm taking a dump -> PCF
At work -> PCF

Thoughts​

  • Who the hell is Tina? Where can I get chips from her?!? Eventually found a thread asking the same thing and got to know Tina.
  • Samples are practically a requirement for beginners.
  • Knowing the types of games you're hosting will determine the chips you're going to get.
  • I was looking at generic 500 poker sets on Amazon/eBay. "I'm new to this I should get something cheap, but still better than dice chips"
  • Browsing around here I can see that my budget range of $250-200 or less.. may or may not get me much..
  • Knowing the types of games you're hosting will determine the chips you're going to get, but I'm going against my own advice and getting a set I think I've optimized for both microstakes and tournaments.
  • The 500 pre-made chip sets looked appealing until I realized I needed a certain allocation for the microstakes games.
  • brpokerpro - has some DAM fine nice looking chips too.
  • The case for these sets is a scam (?), better to just get good chips.
  • SLOWPLAY branded stuff NASH/GODEL was what got my eye at first as a coworker reccomended it but upon research its a nicely dressed up clay composite (?). So looking to get Monte Carlo. I like the minimalistic stuff with numbers clearly seen so Godel and Monte Carlo spoke to me. NASH design looked cool too.
  • China Clays are.. not worth it any more as hybrid ceramics with the mold exist.
    - Tier List I've developed in my head based on my readings of PCF (correct me if I'm wrong). Probably missing materials here and I know my personal preference but I think from what I gather here this forum treats places chip types like this:
    S - Paulsons
    A - Clay, Ceramic
    A- - Tinas Hybrid Ceramic
    B - China Clays
    C - Monte Carlos or stuff with metal slugs inside.

Newer Thoughts​

At the moment my thoughts are I want to enter a group by, but am too scared about how to even enter one/what info I need to provide. Think i missed it too October 2nd cut off.. I'll try to wait for the next one.


If you have any tips/tricks or helpful pages on the forum for beginners let me know. (also any mistakes I should avoid).​

Click to expand...
we together! will burn lots of money… already looking at a handful of different sets… lol
 
Welcome!

What’s missing from your tier list and entire post is premium plastic. Abbiati, Bud Jones, B&G, Matsui are in that category. Yes, most categorization of chips will come down to personal preference but don’t count premium plastics out; they could be had for relatively less. In addition to that, you also have CPC, ASM, BCC, and C&J for real clay but maybe that’s included in your “clay” on tier A.

I’d probably bump the rest down to B, C, D relative to the more “premium” chip options.

The world of chipping is deep and vast. Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for frequent change as both your taste in feel and aesthetics changes over time. Also, take your time - the perfect set you see for sale now will likely still be attainable later; don’t try to get to your destination quickly but enjoy the journey.
 
If you decide Tina ceramics are to your liking, getting in on Justin's (Broken Arrow Card Room) monthly group buys is legit and easy. You post what you want, he sends you an invoice and you pay and wait a couple months for manufacture and shipping.
I've designed and ordered many sets and this is by far the easiest way to go.
Justin also sells sample sets of the different ceramic Tina offerings through is PCF vendor page.
 
With your budget, $250, Tina hybrids are going to be the best option. Justin does the broken Arrow group buys every month. Don't be afraid...

Here are some ideas to help you stay within budget:

- wait till a design you like is offered with a zero label fee in a group buy.
- wait till enough people are splitting the label fee on a design you like.
- consider hosting 6 max cash games and get a smaller set.
- for cash games you can sacrifice value/rebuy chips to top up your workhorse chips by letting large bills play (like $20 bills only).
- use a an equal small and big blind (e.g. .25/.25 instead of .10/.25) to remove the requirement for the smallest denomination (.05).
- I think tournament sets require less chips. Like 400 for a single table of 10 players vs the 600 recommended for a cash games.

End game will be your own high end custom set. Don't rush into this. If you win the lottery tomorrow, buy a high end interim set, like Tigers or whatever, that will have a decent resale value. You can dump them when you've taken the time and figured out your own customs.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to PCF. I was in your boat a few years ago when I joined. There is a slow but big learning curve, that is quite enjoyable and satisfying to go on. A fun rabbit hole I say. Peeps on here are very friendly and helpful. I started off on the @justincarothers Tina group buy, and very glad I did. I got some nice chips I still l love and use.

I did start with samples a friend got me and that helped me choose the type of Tina's to buy, No Mold vs Cards Molds at the time. Now there are better molds, Greek, and Web Hybrids that I haven't tried, but are very highly prized for a low cost. I'm not a fan of the Premium plastics like Bud Jones. I use them at my casino, and they are ok but I like other options better.

I think samples are worth the time, but if you are in go mode, you can do what @legend672 says. Good luck, and if you have any more questions, check out @Machine's New Members Start here thread.
 
jamesjkim said:
Welcome!

What’s missing from your tier list and entire post is premium plastic. Abbiati, Bud Jones, B&G, Matsui are in that category. Yes, most categorization of chips will come down to personal preference but don’t count premium plastics out; they could be had for relatively less. In addition to that, you also have CPC, ASM, BCC, and C&J for real clay but maybe that’s included in your “clay” on tier A.

I’d probably bump the rest down to B, C, D relative to the more “premium” chip options.

The world of chipping is deep and vast. Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for frequent change as both your taste in feel and aesthetics changes over time. Also, take your time - the perfect set you see for sale now will likely still be attainable later; don’t try to get to your destination quickly but enjoy the journey.
Click to expand...
I couldn't stress this last part enough. TAKE YOUR TIME before you pull the trigger especially if your budget is limited & you want to remain married. (& where the hell is the TRK love @jamesjkim?!?)

See if you can borrow your friends chips a couple of more times while you figure out what you really want. If you add 50% more to the budget you can skip the whole dice chip/Amazon level of stuff entirely.
 
BigGrizz said:
Welcome. I'm newer on the active end (was a long time lurker). Super nice community. Post around. Talk about random chip stuff and get comfortable. They've been super welcoming.Avoid the politics forum. Just not worth it.

Get samples galore. I have like 30 sample sets just to get a feel for what I like. Personally, there are some good sluggo chips that get too much hate, but there are much better options. As far as sluggos, Outlaws are basically my go to recommendation. They feel pretty good and stack like bricks. I got a small set of Casino Royale and was disgusted. They just feel like cheap plastic. Outlaws feel like a more expensive plastic (despite being cheaper).

Tinas are fantastic. China clays are pretty meh (Majestics and Royals are nice though). BRPro is absolutely legit and the first step down from Paulson or CPC, but they are still a pricey, premium product. Tiki Kings is probably their most popular product.

Careful not to get sucked down the Paulson or NAGB rabbit holes. Aurora Star, Empress Star, and Tiger Palace are basically the best chips ever made... but I'd rather pay off my student loans or buy a car.

For $200 though... Either save up some more and get Tinas, or buy some Outlaws and save for a better set down the road.
Click to expand...
Yes, everyone here's super nice! Normally I'm used to getting shredded for asking beginner questions. You've peaked my interest about Outlaws, how do you think they compare vs Monte Carlos (and from which store DiscountPokerStore vs PokerStore)? Thinking to get a cheaper set to tide me over till Tinas.
SteveEH said:
With your budget, $250, Tina hybrids are going to be the best option. Justin does the broken Arrow group buys every month. Don't be afraid...

Here are some ideas to help you stay within budget:

- wait till a design you like is offered with a zero label fee in a group buy.
- wait till enough people are splitting the label fee on a design you like.
- consider hosting 6 max cash games and get a smaller set.
- for cash games you can sacrifice value/rebuy chips to top up your workhorse chips by letting large bills play (like $20 bills only).
- use a an equal small and big blind (e.g. .25/.25 instead of .10/.25) to remove the requirement for the smallest denomination (.05).
- I think tournament sets require less chips. Like 400 for a single table of 10 players vs the 600 recommended for a cash games.

End game will be your own high end custom set. Don't rush into this. If you win the lottery tomorrow, buy a high end interim set, like Tigers or whatever, that will have a decent resale value. You can dump them when you've taken the time and figured out your own customs.
Click to expand...
Awesome thank you so much! These tips are exactly why I posted. Makes the group buy a little less intimidating on my end. For a ball park, if I wanted a 500 chip set with "splitting label fees" what do you think that would ball park cost?


SeanGecko said:
If you run a home game get the colors you want! Most non chip people couldn't care less.
Click to expand...
I'm going to be honest, didn't even know there was a standard mapping of colors to denoms so I will take your advice to heart regardless!

findmereno said:
we together! will burn lots of money… already looking at a handful of different sets… lol
Click to expand...
Ayy yes.. I am on the same boat. All the sets look amazing.

jamesjkim said:
Welcome!

What’s missing from your tier list and entire post is premium plastic. Abbiati, Bud Jones, B&G, Matsui are in that category. Yes, most categorization of chips will come down to personal preference but don’t count premium plastics out; they could be had for relatively less. In addition to that, you also have CPC, ASM, BCC, and C&J for real clay but maybe that’s included in your “clay” on tier A.

I’d probably bump the rest down to B, C, D relative to the more “premium” chip options.

The world of chipping is deep and vast. Prepare yourself (and your wallet) for frequent change as both your taste in feel and aesthetics changes over time. Also, take your time - the perfect set you see for sale now will likely still be attainable later; don’t try to get to your destination quickly but enjoy the journey.
Click to expand...

Knew I was missing something. I'll take a look at those premium plastics! Do you have vendors of preference for those?


Colquhoun said:
If you decide Tina ceramics are to your liking, getting in on Justin's (Broken Arrow Card Room) monthly group buys is legit and easy. You post what you want, he sends you an invoice and you pay and wait a couple months for manufacture and shipping.
I've designed and ordered many sets and this is by far the easiest way to go.
Justin also sells sample sets of the different ceramic Tina offerings through is PCF vendor page.
Click to expand...
For sure! I think I was overcomplicating the process in my head. Thank you sir. I might just stick to one of the designs before dipping into any custom labels.



legend672 said:
Samples are for suckers. Big waste of time and money. See what you like and buy it. Chips don’t really depreciate in value . You can always sell some off when you need bread.
Click to expand...
I really really am tempted to skip samples. But we'll see. I also want to be sure what I like. As a rookie, my mindset is " I could save money and just go buy it. Why pay for samples" but I know the advice on PCF is sound as well. Including yours and others on here.


SixSeven said:
Welcome to PCF. I was in your boat a few years ago when I joined. There is a slow but big learning curve, that is quite enjoyable and satisfying to go on. A fun rabbit hole I say. Peeps on here are very friendly and helpful. I started off on the @justincarothers Tina group buy, and very glad I did. I got some nice chips I still l love and use.

I did start with samples a friend got me and that helped me choose the type of Tina's to buy, No Mold vs Cards Molds at the time. Now there are better molds, Greek, and Web Hybrids that I haven't tried, but are very highly prized for a low cost. I'm not a fan of the Premium plastics like Bud Jones. I use them at my casino, and they are ok but I like other options better.

I think samples are worth the time, but if you are in go mode, you can do what @legend672 says. Good luck, and if you have any more questions, check out @Machine's New Members Start here thread.
Click to expand...
Those Greek and Web molds look legit! Sorta in go-mode for a smaller cheapo set to tide me over so I'll check FB marketplace. Thank you!


foreverdev said:
I also started simply wanting better chips than my dice chips.. found slow play but looking at reviews I came across PCF. Went with some samples and then Tina semi customs. Now I’ve got multiple sets with Paulson and CPC.
The Tina group buy just closed but there will be another one:
Thread 'CHIPS* WEB, JESTER, GREEK, SUN, TANGIERS* OCTOBER 2025'
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/chips-web-jester-greek-sun-tangiers-october-2025.136043/
Click to expand...
Looks like I'm following in your foot steps haha :) And thanks for the thread link!

TheRealTeddyKGB said:
I couldn't stress this last part enough. TAKE YOUR TIME before you pull the trigger especially if your budget is limited & you want to remain married. (& where the hell is the TRK love @jamesjkim?!?)

See if you can borrow your friends chips a couple of more times while you figure out what you really want. If you add 50% more to the budget you can skip the whole dice chip/Amazon level of stuff entirely.
Click to expand...
LOL. I would like to remain married, so you're right haha I shall take my time.
 
Take a long hard look at your bank account balance. Do you like what you see? Do you not want to see it shrivel away to nothing? If you answered yes to either of those questions, my advice:

Run. Forget you ever heard of this place. Delete it from your favorites. Throw away your phone if necessary.

If, however, you enjoy spending way too much money on poker chips, you’re among friends.

Ok, this has taken longer than I intended. I should probably go check the classifieds. If I can just finish this set I’m working on, I’ll finally be retired. And this time, I mean it.
 
Outlaws are from discount poker. They are probably the best sluggo chips out there. They have an actual mold, vivid color, and are pretty flat for a slugged chip. They also dont feel as plasticy as other slugged chips (possibly because of the mold but the plastic feels higher quality). Monte Carlos are very slightly heavier than Outlaws. They have a distinctly plastic feel and no texture to speak of. They are also very busy without actually looking very good. Outlaws try to "mimic" (strong word) paulsons while Monte Carlos mimic matsuis. Outlaws are also cheaper. I really could never make a solid argument for having Monte Carlos over Outlaws.

The other popular sluggo is Casino Royale. They feel like very cheap plastic, even more so than Monte Carlos. Do not recommend.
 
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BigGrizz said:
Outlaws are from discount poker. They are probably the best sluggo chips out there. They have an actual mold, vivid color, and are pretty flat for a slugged chip. They also dont feel as plasticy as other slugged chips (possibly because of the mold but the plastic feels higher quality). Monte Carlos are very slightly heavier than Outlaws. They have a distinctly plastic feel and no texture to speak of. They are also very busy without actually looking very good. Outlaws try to "mimic" (strong word) paulsons while Monte Carlos mimic matsuis. Outlaws are also cheaper. I really could never make a solid argument for having Monte Carlos over Outlaws.

The other popular sluggo is Casino Royale. They feel like very cheap plastic, even more so than Monte Carlos. Do not recommend.
Click to expand...
+1 on anti-monte carlos. They are a super super accessible mid ranged chip with every single site selling them, and also my own personal experience I just hate 14g.
 
lettucecookmeat said:
Yes, everyone here's super nice! Normally I'm used to getting shredded for asking beginner questions. You've peaked my interest about Outlaws, how do you think they compare vs Monte Carlos (and from which store DiscountPokerStore vs PokerStore)? Thinking to get a cheaper set to tide me over till Tinas.

Awesome thank you so much! These tips are exactly why I posted. Makes the group buy a little less intimidating on my end. For a ball park, if I wanted a 500 chip set with "splitting label fees" what do you think that would ball park cost?



I'm going to be honest, didn't even know there was a standard mapping of colors to denoms so I will take your advice to heart regardless!


Ayy yes.. I am on the same boat. All the sets look amazing.



Knew I was missing something. I'll take a look at those premium plastics! Do you have vendors of preference for those?



For sure! I think I was overcomplicating the process in my head. Thank you sir. I might just stick to one of the designs before dipping into any custom labels.




I really really am tempted to skip samples. But we'll see. I also want to be sure what I like. As a rookie, my mindset is " I could save money and just go buy it. Why pay for samples" but I know the advice on PCF is sound as well. Including yours and others on here.



Those Greek and Web molds look legit! Sorta in go-mode for a smaller cheapo set to tide me over so I'll check FB marketplace. Thank you!



Looks like I'm following in your foot steps haha :) And thanks for the thread link!


LOL. I would like to remain married, so you're right haha I shall take my time.
Click to expand...
DONT SKIP SAMPLES.
 
legend672 said:
Waste of money. Jump right in . The excitement of getting your first set dwarfs samples which wastes both time and money. Wise up Kifer with your terrible advice
Click to expand...
I thought this was America where we are allowed to give bad advice.
how dare you GIF
 
Welcome to the forum and best of luck on your journey. If I was in your shoes I would find the exact amount of chips needed for your micro stakes game, find the design you like in Justins monthly group buy and save until you have the $$$. He makes it unbelievably easy. Tell him what you want, pay and wait 2-3 months for chips to be delivered to your front door. Whala...a set of chips you likely won't regret buying.
 
legend672 said:
Waste of money. Jump right in . The excitement of getting your first set dwarfs samples which wastes both time and money. Wise up Kifer with your terrible advice
Click to expand...
I tend to agree, you can’t tell much from individual samples. Unless you already have lots of experience (perhaps regardless) from handling different kinds of chips, you’d need a barrel of the same chips to get a proper idea of how they feel, stack, shuffle.
 
Eriks said:
I tend to agree, you can’t tell much from individual samples. Unless you already have lots of experience (perhaps regardless) from handling different kinds of chips, you’d need a barrel of the same chips to get a proper idea of how they feel, stack, shuffle.
Click to expand...
I couldn't disagree more, I ordered multiple samples. Tina's, Br pro, cpc, ect. The difference was night and day. I'm going to end up owning multiple sets involving all three. However knowing what they feel like before deciding was paramount to deciding what maker to go whith what set.
 

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