New Member! Got some questions for my next purchase. (1 Viewer)

Like @BGinGA said, I would also say look at the brpro offerings. I have samples of 75% give or take of what is available on brpro or apache. After handling them I was sold on the ceramics.

*I never got samples of the Nevada Jacks since I hear they are made on inferior blanks. So I cant speak to those. Check out Hobbyphilic's youtube videos, he has a detailed review on every set you mentioned.

I also picked up Laural Crown & Scroll samples and they do not compare to brpro ceramics at all. They are only slightly cheaper and have quality control and manufacture characteristics far inferior to BRP.View attachment 407874
Thoughts on Royals vs. Tikis vs. DDLM?
 
Thoughts on Royals vs. Tikis vs. DDLM?

Purely my opinion here, and I'm brand new to the chip game:

Royals: I think that Royals "seem" nicer than they actually are. I believe that most of their appeal comes from the size. They feel "cheap" to me in my hand, but thats subjective and I'm just not a fan of the way CC feels. My wife says the same about the elites which I really liked and they are the most $$ samples i got.

I believe its worth noting that for the cost of Royals I don't know that you could do better in 43mm, but I have a couple 43mm ceramics from brpro that I prefer if I was sold on 43mm. Again I'm new though and there may be inexpensive 43mm options I just haven't seen them. For me at least the real comparison should be and is majestic vs DDLM or tiki. Royal is essentially just a bigger majestic and is not apples to apples in a comparison with other 39mm chips. If you like ceramic brpro chips > Majestics then Royals shouldnt be on your radar IMO. It's just "more" of something you don't like as much & maybe you should pick up some 43mm ceramic or hybrids to compare. I never did notice the smell people talk about.

Tiki vs DDLM: The feel & shuffle on these is more to my liking than the royal/majestic offerings. Quality control and precision is clearly superior to royal/majestics and there is never going to be a 'rocker' or 'spinner' from a poorly aligned label or flashing on any of the brpro chips. Both tiki/ddlm are the same 'chip' with different graphics so it comes down to personal art preferences. I could go either way but both are just 'fun' chips. One of the things that helped me go for ddlm over tiki kings is that the ddlm plaques have edge markings. None of the other brpro plaques do as of right now although I heard it may be available in the future. Bonus that they are super durable and there are loads of very inexpensive customization options, and they are US made. (not important for many folks I know, but it is to me)
 
Thoughts on Royals vs. Tikis vs. DDLM?
As mentioned above, the Tiki and DDLM chips only differ visually by what's printed on them -- the physical characteristics of both are identical. I've long been a fan of the simplistic Tiki design and unique edge markings, and although I'm generally not a fan of 'undead /zombie' themed chips, I have to admit that the DDLM designs are pretty nice and very colorful. It really boils down to your personal preference between the two sets.

The Royals are decent chips for china clays, although simply too slippery for my personal liking. Maybe wet sanding with 7000 grit would help increase surface tension to acceptable levels, ymmv.

Generally-speaking, the more you initially pay, the nicer the chips, and the more value they will likely retain if you later choose to sell and upgrade to something nicer. Here are some of the more common lower-cost new chip options:
  • 16c/chip -- 13.5g plastic w/metal slugs, offered by Claysmith (various mold/label combinations -- Monaco Club, Bluff Canyon, The Mint, etc.)
  • 32c/chip -- 10g china clay, offered by Claysmith (Milano)
  • 42c/chip -- 10g china clay, offered by ApachePokerChips (three mold/label combinations -- Pharaoh's Club, Dunes Casino, Majestic)
  • 49c/chip -- 11g 43mm china clay, offered by ApachePokerChips (Royal)
  • 50c-61c/chip -- 10g printed ceramic, offered by Sun-Fly (Apollon Classic line, 14 standard designs, pricing varies by print design)
  • 52c-69c/chip -- 10g printed ceramic, offered by BRProPoker (15 standard designs, pricing based on ordered quantity, typical set size is 59c-62c/chip)
  • 58c-68c/chip -- 10g printed ceramic w/mold design impressions, offered by Sun-Fly (Apollon Vintage line, 3 designs, pricing varies by print design)
  • 63c/chip -- 10g printed ceramic hybrid with recess/label, offered by Sun-Fly (Apollon Hybrid line, 2 designs)
Higher grade ceramics and ceramic hybrids (including customs and/or 43mm versions) will typically cost more than 75c/chip.

https://www.claysmithgaming.com/bulk-poker-chips
https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product-category/poker-chips/
https://www.apollonchips.com/
https://www.brpropoker.com/store/c2/Standard_Design_Ceramic_Poker_Chips.html

Most ceramic chips cheaper than 50c typically suffer significant quality issues, typically relating to flatness and print quality. Most plastic chips cheaper than $1 also have quality issues. Nearly all china clays suffer from quality issues, including dimensional inconsistencies, color inconsistencies, and/or premature aging/decomposition.

Get samples.
https://www.claysmithgaming.com/poker-chip-samples
https://www.apachepokerchips.com/product-category/poker-chip-samples/
https://www.brpropoker.com/store/c4/Poker_Chip_Sample_Sets.html
 
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My 2 cents :

First cent :
If play NL100 (buyin of $50 or $100), I'd suggest blinds $1-$1 instead of $1-$2. 100 x BB is nice.

Second cent :
I'd also suggest that you don't mix tournament and cash sets. Or if you do, your buyin shall exactly match the stack you receive. Ex : $100 starting stack is paid $100 by each player. But still, I don't think it's a very good Idea.

Oh. And welcome !
 
Welcome to the forum!

I can't add much here, as much as been written already...but...two things...maybe three...

I've had 800 Dunes CCs, purchased used, for a short while and I'll say that they 1) show no wear, and 2) wouldn't fall into the slippery category. I just pulled out ten to compare to ten Paulsons and while the Paulsons are perfect in flatness and feel, the Dunes CCs are quite good. The impression of the lettering and symbols on the faces of the chips are deep and make them feel "grippy". The labels are not slippery either. And all my chips have been oiled. Compared to most ceramics, they aren't slippery at all. Plus the bright green $20 chip is awesome & my poker group really likes them. Suggestion: get samples.

As mentioned above, The Chip Exchange is having a huge sale starting today --> https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/presidents’-day-weekend-sale.51696/ With high-end ceramics and used Paulsons starting well under $1 per chip, these options have to be considered.

Finally, for the value play, Milanos. They are .31 each new or .25 or less used & good looking, too.
 
All this Big Beaver talk reminded me of a shirt my wife bought me for Christmas. I haven’t even taken the tags off yet.
BB131EB1-745E-4CFF-8E8B-0621BE65F776.jpeg
 
Yea if they are anything like casino chips lol. Never felt a high end plastic.
If you make it out to a home game, I'll bring some weighted and unweighted S2s by Bud Jones for you to handle and shuffle.

There are (were) mint S2 cash sets available for purchase. @allforcharity would know if there are any still left...
Hahaha Hooters is shut down now on "BIG BEAVER" some cantina i think opened up. I live like 2 miles from there.
Still a Hooters downriver, I believe.

Not Detroit, tho...
 
If you make it out to a home game, I'll bring some weighted and unweighted S2s by Bud Jones for you to handle and shuffle.

There are (were) mint S2 cash sets available for purchase. @allforcharity would know if there are any still left...

Still a Hooters downriver, I believe.


Not Detroit, tho...
No but the shirt would have less street cred if it said “Troy”!
 

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