I read on some other threads that there were issues with an earlier batch of GCRs where some chips were warped, causing stacks of just 20 to wobble a bit. Has anyone experienced this, and how big of an issue is it in your opinion?
I have a set of 2000+ Grand Cardrooms (GCR) and would say almost all of my chips have some degree of warping. But the wobbly/slippery GCR stacks is a problem that, in my opinion, is four-fold:
1) WARPING: The GCRs are known to be warped rather consistently across the chipset. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being severely warped and 1 being a completely flat chip, I'd say the GCRs fall in at about a 5 or 6. Yes, it is noticeable. Yes, it can create spinners and wobbly stacks, but it does not significantly effect game play or use.
2) MATERIAL: Having had this set for almost a year now, and having put them in play three times, it is my personal opinion that the material used in these chips is not the standard Paulson chip formula. I have compared them with the
PNY quarters on the same mold (thanks to games hosted by
@pokerplayingpisces), and while the PNYs have that classic "rubbery" Paulson feel, the GCRs are a very hard (non-rubbery) feel, and even
seem "slippery" to many users (more on this in note #4, below). I've never felt chips like the GCRs before, and in my opinion it is some type of modified
BCC formula.
3) MOLD: Compared to other Paulson chips, the Paulson Suits Mold simply does not have a deep surface texture. This can also contribute to the slippery feel and more fragile stacks.
4) OXIDATION: There is a theory that the GCRs have a severe amount of
oxidation on their surface which creates the hard/slippery feel that some experience. This is also true of some Paulson National Poker Series chips. If this is true, it would lend some credence to the theory that the GCR chipset is made of a different/unique formula; for why do the GCRs all have this slippery/hardness issue, while the majority of Paulson chips do not? Anyway, it seems that some have had success in "softening" up their oxidized chips by
rubbing the surface with a Magic Eraser (in the case of this link, National Poker Series). But I don't have the time/interest for that kind of project.
Hopefully this helps.