New Member - A Little Lost (2 Viewers)

[jxfan]

Welcome to the forum

 

[petersona95]

Welcome fellow Chicagoan! For your set ups, I’d recommend ceramics from BRProPoker.com or Tina chips would be best to start off.

Tina’s are purchased here
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/chips-web-jester-greek-sun-tangiers-april-2026.141424/

If you want to upgrade to clays, your best chance at an affordable clay set would probably be the Black Friday sale that The Chip Room does. You can find some other clay sets on the marketplace around that price but the chips may be heavily used.

Stupid question but I've seen "clays" on websites like apache poker chips. What makes these so much cheaper than other options I've seen people referring to in this thread?

 

[mr11]

Stupid question but I've seen "clays" on websites like apache poker chips. What makes these so much cheaper than other options I've seen people referring to in this thread?

No question is a stupid question when starting off. Chipping is a deep dark rabbit whole that takes a while to understand all your options.

The chips you see on Apache are china clays which are composite clays. Likely made from some sort of plastic, clay mix. The more expensive clay chips (I.e. Paulson & CPC) are compression clays. These are made of a more pure clay mixture and compressed in a mold to create the chip.

I would say that this video explains the chip material better than I ever could

 

[BigGrizz]

Stupid question but I've seen "clays" on websites like apache poker chips. What makes these so much cheaper than other options I've seen people referring to in this thread?

What mr11 said but the big difference is the composition of the material and the production method. Paulsons and CPCs are compression molded from materials that area trade secret. China clays include more plastic in their mixture and are injection molded. This means China clays are significantly cheaper and easier to mass produce, but don't feel quite as clay like as a Paulson (if that makes sense). Just know, if you are buying a China clay, its a pretty fair price. If you are buying a Paulson or CPC, it is a luxury product and thus comes with a sharp price increase.

The textures are also different. China clays are smooth with typically rounded edges and have a slightly chalky feel. CPCs are hard and typically have a more textured feel (mold dependent). Paulsons have a smooth feel without the chalkyness, have sharp edges, and a bit more "tacky" with their feeling with put together (like the material grips a bit between chips despite being smooth). So the comparison there is more chalky, tacky, or hard textured.

 

[mr11]

Another thing to add on why compression clays are so expensive: Paulson stopped selling to the public around 2015 causing molds like WTHC to soar in prices. Paulson only sells to casinos (there’s been some exceptions but that’s another rabbit hole) which makes them harder to acquire. CPC chips are typically more affordable than Paulson and they’re the only company that will create custom compression clay chips for home use. They are currently in the process of moving from Maine to Washington and not producing any chips (many folks are eagerly waiting for them to reopen).

 

[upNdown]

Stupid question but I've seen "clays" on websites like apache poker chips. What makes these so much cheaper than other options I've seen people referring to in this thread?

There is only one company in the world currently manufacturing compression clays - Paulson (owned by Angel/GPI). Classic Poker Chips (CPC) is a company that manufactures compression clays and sells to the public, but CPC was recently sold and is in the process of relocating - hopefully they’ll resume production in the upcoming months.
That’s it. Anybody else who tells you they’re making clay chips are actually making injection molded plastic chips.
There have been a handful of companies that have produced compression clays in the past (BCC and TRK most recently.)

 

[GGHank]

Welcome, and good luck on your search. There's enough info on this forum to make your head spin! I can definitely recommend the new member thread linked earlier. Take your time learning the differences in chips and deciding what's best for you. And order sample sets!