Paulson Grand Cardrooms QC Issues? (1 Viewer)

[Goobus]

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?

 

[justsomedude]

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.

 

[justsomedude]

PS: For what it's worth, I still love my GCRs, and they are my "go to" tournament set. While the warping and slippery-stack issues are definitely real, they don't make me love them any less.

Hell... they're still Paulsons.

 

[Goobus]

Thanks for sharing your expertise. Exactly the kind of answer I was looking for.

I think they’re one of my favorite chipsets out there right now, they just look so classy.

 

[BGinGA]

Interesting write-up, Andrew. And as an owner of a 1000-chip set of GCR chips from the original group buy, a write-up that contains several viewpoints that I do not share, nor do I have a similar experience in regards to my own GCR chip set.

1) Warping: No question on this topic; many of chips produced on the Paulson suits mold were warped from the factory, particularly when hot-stamped.... and the GCR chips are no exception. I'd personally rate some of my chips at about a 3 or 4 on the 0-10 warp scale, and some are in the 1-2 range. Is it noticeable? Yes, sometimes more than others. Is it bothersome from a playability aspect? I have not found it to be, and I'm a pretty anal OCD collector. Of all the times the set has seen play, only two other players -- one chipper and one non-chipper -- have ever noticed ir commented on it. And it's never bothered me to the point where I felt a need to flatten the chips using the clamp-bake process.

2) Material: My GCR chips exhibit the same characteristics as every other suits mold chip I've owned, and I would describe the base material as identical or nearly-identical to all other Paulson chips (suits mold and otherwise) produced by GPI during that time frame. My understanding of the 'slippery' issue is two-fold -- chips produced on the suits mold have less surface friction than some chips made with other Paulson molds (as you noted), and that there were some recent 'slippery' suits mold chips discussed on PCF that had been washed with an oily soap (that once properly cleaned, returned to their original condition).

I don't buy into either the 'different materials' or 'oxidation' conspiracy theories. I suspect that a thorough cleaning (to adequately remove any oils used during the machining process, which can adversely affect feel and color) is sufficient to restore the GCR chips to a condition comparable to any other suits mold chip of a similar age and condition.

 

[Goobus]

Thanks. As beautiful as these chips are, I think the money for my first set should go towards a set of CPC customs. I could always pick up a set of GCRs for tourneys at a later time.

 

[duffman]

Great write up @justsomedude . I own a similar set of Paulson Private Cardroom's on the suits mold and felt that from day 1 they were inherently different from any other Paulson I'd had experienced. I've owned them since they were new from the original pre-sale. Never oiled or cleaned them in any way. Straight out of the box I noticed they were warped and very slippery.

They do however hold a special fondness to me, since they were my first set of new Paulson's. So I still have them. I too thought that Paulson had changed the formula when I first got them. So much so, I created a thread about this over on the old blue wall. They feel a lot harder then any other home use Paulson I've handled.

As @BGinGA pointed out, I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the mold design and the fact that both of these sets were hot-stamped.