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looking for advise\opinions of different value/mid range sets (1 Viewer)

Poker Jedi

Poker Jedi

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just looking for the thoughts of the collectors on there thoughts of different sets at different price points. I won't be able to afford any customs or paulsons (drool) for a while but looking to get the best bang for my buck so to speak. Plus I think it could be a cool conversation.

Also thoughts on ceramics vs clay... i think most are in the clay camp but would like to hear some of the forums thoughts.

I have a small collection of samples and have some more or order, but just looking for some out side opinions and maybe I'll learn of some great chips I haven't found yet :-)

Thanks
 
I like ceramics. There's nothing wrong with them at all, I just prefer clay chips.

What is your price range for chips? It will help you get some more advice on a chip set.
 
would like to have enough chips for a 8-9 person home game I am trying to start up, ideally. looking at $200-$300 for the chips can figure the shipping separate and can go a little higher if the jump is really worth it (quantity or quality) Right now i'm kinda leaning toward the pharaohs club, but still have some other samples coming and just looking to get some outside opinions. especially from chippers.
 
You could possibly get some second hand ceramic set for your price range. If tourney 500 chips should be more than enough for a STT
 
I can make either work if I have to.. would most likely start at micro stakes to get more people into the game so .5/.10 but could make it work with .25/.25 or something. would like to be as flexible as possible. and will most defiantly be adding chips later, and slowly upgrading my sets as time goes on :-)
 
or I could do tourney style for a 20 or 25$ buy in... just want to keep the stakes low at first till the game is established then let the players sort out the most comfortable stakes... but won't have any high rollers as it will mostly be people from work
 
I highly recommend Laurel Crowns. You can get a 500 pc set for around $220 out the door (tourney set), or 600pc set for around $260 (slightly bigger tourney set or cash set). They have a nice design, have many denominations, and are readily available. Great value for the price, IMO, and by far my favorite of the mid-range ceramic options.

http://www.uspokershop.com/poker-chip-sets/laurel-crown-ceramic

Be sure to specify your desired breakdown - don't just use their default breakdowns!
 
Cash set vs tourney set will partially drive your selection, as not all available options have the denominations needed for each application. For a single table game, you are probably looking at a 600-chip set regardless of whether cash or tournament.

I don't recommend trying to build a set that gets used for both cash games and tournaments. If you do go this route, build a cash set that gets used for tournaments at actual cash value, vs the other way around.

Good budget chip options typically fall into three categories:
  • ceramic chips
  • china clay chips
  • used casino chips
There are several good values on the market right now, all china clays: Championship Poker Series (CPS), Apache's Majestic crown mold china clays, and TCR's blow-out sale on Desert Palms. All are priced at 30c/chip or lower.

Venerati ceramics from sidepot.com are a decent mid-range chip at 39c each, as are the Pharaoh's Club china clays. Others in this market segment include Dunes Commemoratives, Milano, Laurel Crowns, and Royal Yaks. Used clay casino chips can often be found for 40c/chip or less.

Get samples to determine what you like best.
 
stocky said:
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/absolute-ceramic-set.6035/

Try these? With enough left over to start saving for clays
Click to expand...

^This^

In my experience, I've found that tournaments are a good way to get new players hooked in. You have the buy-in and maybe a rebuy and that's it, there's a limit on the amount you can lose in one night. Then you slowly introduce post-tourney game games, then throw in more cash nights and get the degeneracy really going... :)

If you have a hunch that you'll eventually want a nice paulson set, get an inexpensive ceramic set like the one posted to get you started and then start saving.
 
I was going to suggest theChipRoom's recent Desert Palms sale. At 15c / chip they are a bargain and even though several denoms are out you could still squeeze out a 5c/10c cash set with $2s and/or a tournament set starting at $100/$200.
But since you say you plan to add on to your set later, this might not be the best option.
 
Lots of good suggestions above. I almost got a set of Venerati - samples worth checking out. They have NCV chips that you can use as fracs for a micro set.

I'd also throw in some chips from DiscountPokerShip:

http://www.discountpokershop.com/25pc-135g-lucky-horseshoe-clay-poker-chips-colors-p-606.html
http://www.discountpokershop.com/25pc-135g-crown-casino-clay-poker-chips-colors-p-489.html
http://www.discountpokershop.com/25pc-135g-monaco-casino-clay-poker-chips-colors-p-605.html

For well under 16 cents a chip, these feel surprisingly good, if a touch heavy. Since they're so cheap, you can afford to make a slightly bigger set, accommodating more kinds of games, and still save for "better" chips later.

I'd suggest strongly considering a cheap chip and doing this:
Get $10, $50, $100, $500 chips to use for your dime game, playing as dime, fifty cent, dollar, and five dollar.
(In a set that has no $10, just get $5 to use as nickels.)
Add $25, and you're good for a quarter game and quarter-fifty.
The high end of this can double as part of a tourney set - many tourney sets use the 25 as a base.

The money that's left becomes the base for saving for a better cash set. If your game takes off, you'll definitely want a separate cash set and tourney set, and these cheap chips can become your tourney set while you build a better micro cash set... or these can stay your micro cash set as you build a better tourney set.

Either way, if you take your time and look for people selling their better chips, you can get better chips at a better price - and having a cheap playable set with plenty of chips keeps you from being tempted to buy the wrong set because you're in a rush. Takes the pressure off. You can take your time and build the sets you really want.

And you'll still probably be able to get part of your money back by selling the cheap ones, or make a nice gift... or buy even MORE cheap ones for a big multi-table tourney, if you go that route.

If your game never takes off, or doesn't take off for a few years, you may be glad you didn't spend several hundred on an intermediate set.

This may make no sense in your situation, but it make make sense to consider it.
 
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I agree with the suggestion Nomad has above.

To add to it, once you have a better idea of the cash game your group will enjoy, you can really tailor your set for that. This allows you to minimize the number of chips in your set (I know sacrilege). My 10 player .25/.50 (200bb buy in) cash game plays perfectly with a 400chip set. Pretty much any used casino chip offering from TheChiproom is under $300 for a playable set (for me).
 
Mental Nomad said:
Or, if you can wait six months, you can get a nice set of brand-new Majestics (china clay) for only 40 cents each!

http://www.apachepokerchips.com/majestic-poker-chips.html
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/coming-soon.5517/page-7
Click to expand...

this seems like the best option to me and they're going to be available for quite a bit less than 40 cents:

Apache said:
We are just starting to create the mold now so I will start the pre-sale in the next few days. Prices will be around $.29 for chips with labels and $.28 for blanks. I will be selling lables also but not sure how much they will be yet. I am hoping to have them ready for shipment in six months.
Click to expand...
 
Great stuff here thanks for all the advise. Just want to say what a great community you guys have got going on here, very friendly and helpful.

In topic I got more samples coming in this week and a bid on a tourny set of cps chips. And waiting for more pics on the absolute set.

Any obscure but good sets out there?

:edit: those majestics do look good though :)
 
I was playing with a CPS set the other week - they feel really good, and the beveled edge doesn't bother me in the slightest. But I'm not a fan of the label design, myself.

I'm definitely getting in on the Majestics.
 
Buy once cry once. Find a set you like and save up to get there. Otherwise you'll get stuck with a set of chips that will be hard to resell AND you'll still want the set you're saving for, but you'll be further away from it.
 
H|Q said:
Buy once cry once. Find a set you like and save up to get there. Otherwise you'll get stuck with a set of chips that will be hard to resell AND you'll still want the set you're saving for, but you'll be further away from it.
Click to expand...

This has always been my philosophy in all things. Get what you want the first time.
 
CC = Milano (opinion may change after the Majestic crowns come in)
Ceramic = Laurel Crowns, with Nevada Jack's Saloon Series right behind it
 
CC: Milano
Ceramic: PGI "Chipco" ceramics (Royal Yak's are the pre-made set offered) and GOCC (different sets available). These are a tie in my mind.

You should be able to find what they are offering in their respective forums. I have samples from ABCGiftsAndAwards as well, and they are very nice. I just prefer Chipco style ceramics.

I'm not a fan of Sunfly chips, but many are. You can get these from PGI, OWPS, and others.

Note: just like clay chips, not all ceramics are alike. Samples are always a good idea.
 
I haven't tried too many CC chips so I can't answer that one but agree wholeheartedly with CdnBeerLover about ceramics. PGI chipcos and GOCC ceramics just look, feel, and stack better than Sun Fly and other ceramics that I've tried. I can't stand the glossy edge on Sun Fly chips, I think it makes them look cheap and gaudy. I would own a set of Venerati chips if it wasn't for that glossy edge.

As always though, get samples!!! You'll never know what you like until you have them in hand.
 
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