Needing advice for 220 chips at a $300 budget. (1 Viewer)

[Centaurii]

I want a tourney set and have already figured that not more than 5 of us would play. $20K starting with 12-12-7-5-2 being the distribution for the chips, (25, 100, 500, 1000, 5000.) Was just wondering on what chips people would recommend for that price range and at that many chips. If the chips are cheaper I can buy a small excess amount incase more people play, but if I'm cutting it close to being able to afford some nicer chips then I can limit the tables to 5 people until I get money for some extra barrels Thank you in advance!

 

[ekricket]

China Clays? Like Dunes or Pharoahs? Level 1 CPC’s?

There are affordable used Paulsons as well, but once you get to the 500’s and up they aren’t cheap anymore, even used. You could round up some 25’s, 100’s and the few 500’s pretty reasonable, but the 1000 and 5000 are going to be more, especially the 1000’s since you need more of them.

You could probably find a desirable larger set, buy it for your needs and sell the excess and come out ok.
That’s why a desirable set, you need someone to buy the extras.

 

[Centaurii]

China Clays? Like Dunes or Pharoahs? Level 1 CPC’s?

There are affordable used Paulsons as well, but once you get to the 500’s and up they aren’t cheap anymore, even used. You could round up some 25’s, 100’s and the few 500’s pretty reasonable, but the 1000 and 5000 are going to be more, especially the 1000’s since you need more of them.

You could probably find a desirable larger set, buy it for your needs and sell the excess and come out ok.
That’s why a desirable set, you need someone to buy the extras.

Yeah I knew the lower Paulsons were in range but I noticed the higher denoms can become drastically higher. I could break the $300 mark by a little but I dont think it will be much help.

I might go with Dunes if I have no luck elsewhere. The way they look is really nice, but Ill have to get a sample because people say the smell is bad. The PVC-ish smell doesnt bother me much, but some people say its unbearable unless they are just over exaggerating.

 

[allforcharity]

12/12/7/5/2 for 5 gives us 60/60/35/25/10 for 190. You'll probably want 5 each of 500 and 1000 to colour up all 25 and 100, which brings us to 60/60/40/30/10 for 200. Then add 20 more 5000s to give 5 rebuys, which brings us to 60/60/40/30/30 = 220. Budget of $300 brings us to just under $1.40 per chip, which is fairly generous if you can get exact chip amounts.

Fully custom/semi-custom ceramics and ceramic hybrids would certainly be in this range. Check out options frrom BR Pro and Sun-Fly who are site vendors. If you can get what you need in 5 different base colours from clays at around $1 each, then a murder-and-relabel job would fit within your budget as well. If you can handle non-standard colours, some of the upcoming used offerings from The Chip Room might work for this.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Centaurii]

12/12/7/5/2 for 5 gives us 60/60/35/25/10 for 190. You'll probably want 5 each of 500 and 1000 to colour up all 25 and 100, which brings us to 60/60/40/30/10 for 200. Then add 20 more 5000s to give 5 rebuys, which brings us to 60/60/40/30/30 = 220. Budget of $300 brings us to just under $1.40 per chip, which is fairly generous if you can get exact chip amounts.

Fully custom/semi-custom ceramics and ceramic hybrids would certainly be in this range. Check out options frrom BR Pro and Sun-Fly who are site vendors. If you can get what you need in 5 different base colours from clays at around $1 each, then a murder-and-relabel job would fit within your budget as well. If you can handle non-standard colours, some of the upcoming used offerings from The Chip Room might work for this.

Good luck in your search!

Thank you! Where would I get labels/nice blank clay chips at to do the relabel route?

 

[allforcharity]

Thank you! Where would I get labels/nice blank clay chips at to do the relabel route?

That would be none other than Gear, the proprietor of Gear Labels, another forum vendor. If you decide to go this route, it would be best to have your label design pretty much finalized before approaching him, from a time efficiency point of view.

 

[Centaurii]

That would be none other than Gear, the proprietor of Gear Labels, another forum vendor. If you decide to go this route, it would be best to have your label design pretty much finalized before approaching him, from a time efficiency point of view.

Sounds like a plan. Ill look over my options and get to thinking. Thank you!

 

[ekricket]

Thank you! Where would I get labels/nice blank clay chips at to do the relabel route?

Even going this route you may want to be careful about costs. Milling adds cost, labels add cost. Probably $0.30 - $0.65 per chip depending on just label, or mill and replace. Don’t forget there are two sides to a chip, so you need twice the labels as #of chips if you di them all. But the results are worth it, it’s a thing you made (with help) and it’s beautiful!

 

[mnebesny]

Thank you! Where would I get labels/nice blank clay chips at to do the relabel route?

Getting blank clay chips isn't really a thing...essentially you have to get chips in the colors/molds you want, and then either murder them, or mill them like @ekricket said.

For inlayed chips, you'll want to go with the murder route. This is essentially removing the plasticy part of the inlay with an x-acto blade, and then removing the paper label part with a bit of solvent like non-acetone nail polish (acetone will harm the chips).

For hotstamped chips, you'll want to go the milling route, essentially drilling a recessed area into the chips for you to put a label in. There are site members who will do this for a cost, but I have no experience with any of them so can't really recommend anyone.

As for the chips, you might want to try for some @TheChipRoom chips. He gets them from closed/rebranded casinos, and you can sometimes get sub-$1 chips in the quantities that are in high supply. If memory serves right, I think there's some Horseshoe Southern Indiana (HSI) 1s left over from the HSI sale and black friday sale, but they might be gone now. Alternatively, there are some good looking options in the Jack Cincinnati sale coming this Sunday. Especially those 2s, I've been eyeing them for a while as murder candidates.

 

[LotsOfChips]

Get a sample set of the Royal Card Room 43mm China Clays from Apache. No, they are not Paulsons, but at .52 per chip (regardless of denomination) you can build a tournament set that are several steps up from Dice or slugged chips.

If you want to customize them a bit, then you can order blanks and get custom labels from Gear or ABC for about .30 per chip (.82 per chip total, still way less than your budget).

I love mine, and until I can afford a custom CPC set, they will be my tournament chip of choice (note that the colors are a lot brighter after a light oiling)

 

[Centaurii]

Get a sample set of the Royal Card Room 43mm China Clays from Apache. No, they are not Paulsons, but at .52 per chip (regardless of denomination) you can build a tournament set that are several steps up from Dice or slugged chips.

If you want to customize them a bit, then you can order blanks and get custom labels from Gear or ABC for about .30 per chip (.82 per chip total, still way less than your budget).

I love mine, and until I can afford a custom CPC set, they will be my tournament chip of choice (note that the colors are a lot brighter after a light oiling)

Thank you!

 

[Northman]

I might go with Dunes if I have no luck elsewhere. The way they look is really nice, but Ill have to get a sample because people say the smell is bad. The PVC-ish smell doesnt bother me much, but some people say its unbearable unless they are just over exaggerating.

I have Dunes samples coming in on Tue. Already got Majestic samples yesterday (which I think are the same clay) and they only have a slight smell that’s not bothering me.

I also got a sample set of the 43mm Royal Card Room ones and those are really nice chips for the price.

 

[LotsOfChips]

The way they look is really nice, but Ill have to get a sample because people say the smell is bad. The PVC-ish smell doesnt bother me much, but some people say its unbearable unless they are just over exaggerating.

Some CCs do smell, especially when you first open them up. Washing and oiling does help, as does airing them out rather than keeping them sealed. I found the Royals initially somewhat noticeable, especially if I held them directly under my nose and take a huge breath in (not recommended LOL), but now I don't notice anything at all .

But some are worse than others, and some people's tolerance for that is more or less than others

 

[Northman]

They Royals I got did have a slightly stronger smell than the Majestics but I washed them and now it’s almost gone and barely noticeable.

 

[BGinGA]

For 5 players, I'd recommend one of the following minimum-count tournament sets.

T25-base -- 20k stacks (200bb, 25/50), 12/12/5/6/2:
60 x T25
60 x T100
26 x T500 (includes 1x for color-ups)
67 x T1000 (includes 7x for color-ups)
10 x T5000
-------------------
223 chips

Alternate T25-base (8/8/4/7/2 stacks):
40 x T25
40 x T100
20 x T500
40 x T1000 (includes 5x for color-ups)
10 x T5000
-------------------
150 chips

T100-base -- 40k stacks (200bb, 100/200), 15/5/11/5:
75 x T100
25 x T500
55 x T1000
29 x T5000 (includes 4x for color-ups)
-------------------
184 chips

Alternate T100-base (10/4/7/6 stacks):
50 x T100
20 x T500
35 x T1000
33 x T5000 (includes 3x for color-ups)
-------------------
138 chips

T500-base -- 200k stacks (200bb, 500/1000), 10/10/7/8:
50 x T500
50 x T1000
50 x T5000 (includes 15x for color-ups)
40 x T25000
--------------------
190 chips

T1-base -- 400 stacks (200bb, 1/2), 10/8/10/1:
50 x T1
40 x T5
50 x T25
8 x T100 (includes 3x for color-ups)
----------------
148 chips

With a $300 budget, that puts your per-chip range somewhere between $1.34 and $2.17 per chip, depending on which chip set is chosen.

Custom ceramics, ceramic hybrids, and low-denomination Paulson clay chips are all within that range, plus stock and semi-custom clays from CPC or Key West. A second-hand Gemaco clay set (PCF, Monaco, Elite) should also be in that price range.

Get samples.

 

[Centaurii]

For 5 players, I'd recommend one of the following minimum-count tournament sets.

T25-base -- 20k stacks (200bb, 25/50), 12/12/5/6/2:
60 x T25
60 x T100
26 x T500 (includes 1x for color-ups)
67 x T1000 (includes 7x for color-ups)
10 x T5000
-------------------
223 chips

Alternate T25-base (8/8/4/7/2 stacks):
40 x T25
40 x T100
20 x T500
40 x T1000 (includes 5x for color-ups)
10 x T5000
-------------------
150 chips

T100-base -- 40k stacks (200bb, 100/200), 15/5/11/5:
75 x T100
25 x T500
55 x T1000
29 x T5000 (includes 4x for color-ups)
-------------------
184 chips

Alternate T100-base (10/4/7/6 stacks):
50 x T100
20 x T500
35 x T1000
33 x T5000 (includes 3x for color-ups)
-------------------
138 chips

T500-base -- 200k stacks (200bb, 500/1000), 10/10/7/8:
50 x T500
50 x T1000
50 x T5000 (includes 15x for color-ups)
40 x T25000
--------------------
190 chips

T1-base -- 400 stacks (200bb, 1/2), 10/8/10/1:
50 x T1
40 x T5
50 x T25
8 x T100 (includes 3x for color-ups)
----------------
148 chips

With a $300 budget, that puts your per-chip range somewhere between $1.34 and $2.17 per chip, depending on which chip set is chosen.

Custom ceramics, ceramic hybrids, and low-denomination Paulson clay chips are all within that range, plus stock and semi-custom clays from CPC or Key West. A second-hand Gemaco clay set (PCF, Monaco, Elite) should also be in that price range.

Get samples.

Thank you so much! Going to look into all of these right now

 

[Marius L]

I prefer ceramics to China clays, but both are reasonable options for the price. As you said yourself, you should get samples to check how you like the feel and if the smell bothers you. I had a small set of older 8v china clays and I couldn't stand the smell. I also have had a sample set of pharaohs china clays, that I also didn't like because of the wierd silvery background on the inlays (not white), and also the smell. Knowing how many people do like both of these options, its clear it comes down mostly to personal preference. It's probably also correct that the smell will diminish (maybe vanish?) with cleaning, oiling, airing out and use. Personally I would wanna use them with that annoying smell 10-20 times just to remove the smell, but I'm probably on the more sensitive side when it comes to this.

Ceramics are great chips at a decent price. You can go full custom or get some design you like. There are quite a few design options available. There are also different quality ceramic chips, but I'm not very knowledgeable about those specifics. I have played many times with ceramic chips though, as it's the most commonly used chip over here (other than slugged plastics), and I always enjoy it. They are usually quite slippery so it's a bit different of a feel than clays.

 

[davidj]

Agree with Marius. China clays are great and customizable!