Keeping up with the Joneses (2 Viewers)

[doakwolf]

Just pondering... This sense of wanting to keep up with the Joneses (you guys are the Joneses!). What am I talking about? Well, I'm somewhat non-materialistic lately. Or perhaps more accurately, I'm less materialistic than I used to be. That is, I have hardly any material possessions that don't serve an immediate purpose in my life and I live in a one bedroom tiny house with my partner and baby. I began a de-cluttering process quite a few years ago ditching surplus items including my poker chips. I kept just two sets (one cash and one tourney - both under 600 chips). Now I want custom CPCs. It was always a desire for me as it is for many of you and I feel I'm in the right point of life to make it happen (the customs). I will be selling the cash set (currently listed) before I order CPCs. I can't have two cash sets.

The dilemma? There is such a strong desire to order far more chips than I A) can justify/afford and B) need. Why? Because I have seen all of the gloriously delicious photo pr0n posted by you degenerates over the years and I have a voice in my head telling me I need a huge set like so many of ya'll have got "If you're going to do it, you may as well do it right the first time".

I'm thinking about the likes of Tommy's Broken Bell cash set (1600pc?) etc. How glorious is that set all spread-out on his table?! Then again, the recent discussion of the old(er) Casino Nacional set proves modest sets can be beautiful too.

Fact is; I've been making do with a sub-500pc cash set for years. My guys don't bring much money to the table so rebuys never get out of control. The truth is, 600pc would be plenty for my custom set. 100/200/200/100 (frac to $25) but that voice just won't shut up. "Order 800! Future proof it!". "Sell a kidney and order 1200! Do it right, you're only going to do it once!".

It's a first world problem.

There's no great point to this thread. If it sparks a conversation, good. If not, thanks for reading and happy chipping

 

[ekricket]

I appear to have all your extra stuff if you ever need it.

 

[linux]

I'm fairly new to this virus/hobby but have felt the same thing you're thinking about. Heck, I don't even gamble or host poker parties that I see a lot of members doing, so why on earth would I need a set of 1600 or even 600? To look at I suppose but if you've seen one NM Dunes $1 you've seen them all, just not in one place.

My wife of course doesn't understand it in the least and she has a point. My idea of a set (for now...) is 100, IE a rack of what I guess is called a cash set, 1's, 5's, 25's, 100's and 500's, so I typically buy barrels. I've put together I guess 4 100 chip sets and they then sit on a shelf. When I was discussing my angle on another thread somebody was puzzled and asked if I was just going to 'look' at them. The answer is yes of course even if it does seem a bit pointless.

This is a timely subject for me because over the span of a couple days I had thoughts in both directions; a couple days ago I thought that maybe I should assemble one (and only one...) set of 600, maybe pharaohs, but it's just more of the same to sit on a shelf. Then yesterday I saw a picture of a chip that absolutely caught my eye and I wound up bidding $130 for 4 chips, and it got me to ponder that maybe I should focus more on interesting singles and the occasional barrel.

When I started exactly 2 months ago, one of the members kindly sent me a Dunes chip with the advice that they can be expensive and hard to get (true) but also suggested that I create a spreadsheet. I did that and in 60 days I've collected almost 900 chips. How did that happen?

So my conclusion so far is that the real fun for an old retired guy is being on this forum and buying on occasion (not selling yet but I probably will at some point) as well as interacting with the members. I can't explain to my wife how I feel when I hold a Dunes 100 in my hand (better yet 5 of them) but there's just something about little discs with cool labels/inlays that brightens up my day.

 

[allforcharity]

This happens, yes. It's not the healthiest way to approach this (or any) hobby. I'd be a hypocrite if I said I was immune to this aspect.

It helps if you have some clear goals in mind. It helps you avoid always buying on impulse.

 

[LeLe]

I always been using a 600 chips set for my Cash game even before finding PCF so I do agree a 600 chips with the right denominations is enough to cover a single table Cash game

Set a few rules / limitation on what direction you are going for (example some limits like only 500-600 per set to cover one stake and 600-800 to cover 2 stake)

choose wisely or just tried out more, neither path are wrong (nothing wrong with just collecting Clay or collecting plastic Clay & ceramic)

Most importantly, don’t spend more than what you can afford or just doing it for likes. It always good to have options if one have spare cash but one set is always more than enough for a good poker game

 

[doakwolf]

This is a timely subject for me because over the span of a couple days I had thoughts in both directions; a couple days ago I thought that maybe I should assemble one (and only one...) set of 600, maybe pharaohs, but it's just more of the same to sit on a shelf. Then yesterday I saw a picture of a chip that absolutely caught my eye and I wound up bidding $130 for 4 chips, and it got me to ponder that maybe I should focus more on interesting singles and the occasional barrel.

Very interesting to read your post! I guess it makes sense to collect barrels/racks if you really do just appreciate the beauty of the chips/art! But what is it that got you into chipping or how did you discover your love/appreciation for poker chips?

I gotta admit, there are a few racks I sold and really regret it. They weren't playable - just random racks but some were lovely to look at. I might even see about buying some back to just put on the shelf

 

[Santa123]

Just pondering... This sense of wanting to keep up with the Joneses (you guys are the Joneses!). What am I talking about? Well, I'm somewhat non-materialistic lately. Or perhaps more accurately, I'm less materialistic than I used to be. That is, I have hardly any material possessions that don't serve an immediate purpose in my life and I live in a one bedroom tiny house with my partner and baby. I began a de-cluttering process quite a few years ago ditching surplus items including my poker chips. I kept just two sets (one cash and one tourney - both under 600 chips). Now I want custom CPCs. It was always a desire for me as it is for many of you and I feel I'm in the right point of life to make it happen (the customs). I will be selling the cash set (currently listed) before I order CPCs. I can't have two cash sets.

The dilemma? There is such a strong desire to order far more chips than I A) can justify/afford and B) need. Why? Because I have seen all of the gloriously delicious photo pr0n posted by you degenerates over the years and I have a voice in my head telling me I need a huge set like so many of ya'll have got "If you're going to do it, you may as well do it right the first time".

I'm thinking about the likes of Tommy's Broken Bell cash set (1600pc?) etc. How glorious is that set all spread-out on his table?! Then again, the recent discussion of the old(er) Casino Nacional set proves modest sets can be beautiful too.

Fact is; I've been making do with a sub-500pc cash set for years. My guys don't bring much money to the table so rebuys never get out of control. The truth is, 600pc would be plenty for my custom set. 100/200/200/100 (frac to $25) but that voice just won't shut up. "Order 800! Future proof it!". "Sell a kidney and order 1200! Do it right, you're only going to do it once!".

It's a first world problem.

There's no great point to this thread. If it sparks a conversation, good. If not, thanks for reading and happy chipping

I am with you. Not living in a tiny house but I am too a less materialistic guy. Right now I own only one set both for cash as tourneys.
However if you go with custom cpc I would also recommend to buy 600 chips. Think about the time you put into the design + the money + the time from ordering till the chips finaly arrive at your home.

 

[SteveEH]

Did someone say Casino Nacional???

Sounds like we're similar... I'm a bit of a minimalist, don't like clutter, and don't have a lot of stuff I don't need. I prefer to spend my money on experiences instead of stuff, but depending on the stuff, I want it to be nice. For example, I have a 1998 Toyota because live in the city and can walk/ride everywhere, and I have 2 poker chip sets that are probably worth 4x more than the car because I look forward to my monthly games with friends. That is how I can justify my, somewhat minimalistic, ASM and CPC sets.

The other thing that helps me is that I generally don't give a crap about the chips unless they're custom and meaningful to me. Seeing other custom sets and hearing their stories helps me live vicariously too.

Still, I'm always thinking of how to expand my sets/build new ones:

- I just did a $500 add-on to my Casino Nacional set
- I really want a limit set, but the dilemma is that I want to see more than 1 denom (value chips don't count) in play.
- Harvesting nice $1s would be a "cheap" limit set
- A couple places I like to travel to would be good themes for new sets.

IMO, you need sets that are custom and meaningful to you AND your regs (but mostly you cause most don't care), regardless of what stakes you play. Also so I can continue to live vicariously

 

[allforcharity]

- I really want a limit set, but the dilemma is that I want to see more than 1 denom (value chips don't count) in play.

I don’t see this as a problem. You can definitely make limit sets without requiring a small mountain of a single denom.

If, say, you decided to play $2/$4 limit, I see no reason to push stacks of $1s every time for your $8 and $16 bets. By all means use a bunch of $5s.

 

[doakwolf]

Did someone say Casino Nacional???

Sounds like we're similar... I'm a bit of a minimalist, don't like clutter, and don't have a lot of stuff I don't need. I prefer to spend my money on experiences instead of stuff, but depending on the stuff, I want it to be nice. For example, I have a 1998 Toyota because live in the city and can walk/ride everywhere, and I have 2 poker chip sets that are probably worth 4x more than the car because I look forward to my monthly games with friends. That is how I can justify my, somewhat minimalistic, ASM and CPC sets.

Ohhh they're yours! Congrats on that design. They really have proven one doesn't need to run with L11 edge spots to achieve beauty. It's a killer set!

Did you receive the add-ons? I'm really curious about CPCs ability to color match add-ons down the line? (EDIT - just found your post and can see they're a different denom/colour).

I'm glad I started this thread because it's made me realise I definitely shouldn't waste money on excess chips just so I can look at them with excitement for a few hours. And maybe I can add on a couple of extra racks of $5s later on in life if my game requires it.

P.S. I drive a 1992 Toyota AllTrac!

 

[SteveEH]

I don’t see this as a problem. You can definitely make limit sets without requiring a small mountain of a single denom.

If, say, you decided to play $2/$4 limit, I see no reason to push stacks of $1s every time for your $8 and $16 bets. By all means use a bunch of $5s.

The mountain idea is my dilemma, then that led me to the idea of harvesting 1s from a poker room cause it's cheaper than CPC customs.

But I'm keeping everything in check, so far

 

[SteveEH]

Ohhh they're yours! Congrats on that design. They really have proven one doesn't need to run with L11 edge spots to achieve beauty. It's a killer set!

Did you receive the add-ons? I'm really curious about CPCs ability to color match add-ons down the line?

I'm glad I started this thread because it's made me realise I definitely shouldn't waste money on excess chips just so I can look at them with excitement for a few hours. And maybe I can add on a couple of extra racks of $5s later on in life if my game requires it.

P.S. I drive a 1992 Toyota AllTrac!

My other set makes up for spot patterns and progression, but the highest is only 3D14. I've never felt the need to do anything crazy.

Some (or all?) dayglo colours changed due to new restrictions on importing materials to the US, so something like that is pissible again I guess. My add-on is a new chip with different colours so not an issue. I think colours can vary a bit but hard to notice. Don't quite me on that though...

Had to google the all trac. We don't have them up in Canada, eh.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Lol have to agree. Paid an extra $35 or so to get 50 $100s for my micro cash set...just in case...nonsensical.

 

[allforcharity]

Lol have to agree. Paid an extra $35 or so to get 50 $100s for my micro cash set...just in case...nonsensical.

But it increases joy!

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

But it increases joy!

100%, very happy with them. Ive wanted a set with denominations on them for 15 years, incredibly excited.

 

[doakwolf]

100%, very happy with them. Ive wanted a set with denominations on them for 15 years, incredibly excited.

Photos please!

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Photos please!

They're being shipped, I only have the Tina pics but I want to be a diva and show it all together along with each denoms inspiration!