Starting Out: Goals and how I plan to get there (1 Viewer)

[TheUnseen]

Instead of going nuts on a bunch of different sets I thought it might be best for me to flesh out what I intend to accomplish starting out. I have quite a few ideas and have been bouncing all over the site. The more I learn the more I'm realizing that 'you don't know what you don't know.' I'm a big believer in finding out information yourself. When you research and go looking for an answer to a question you learn so much along the way. However this often leads to some blind spots or misunderstandings.

So here is a list of things I'm looking to accomplish, how I plan on going about it. What's important to me, what's secondary. There's a lot of smart people on here and it feels like it would be foolish not to have some peer review.



Goal 1 - Cash game chip set


Most important goal for me. I have a clear idea of what I want but a not so clear clear way of getting there. I love the feel of casino chips . I've been playing poker for a long time and for me there's a big difference between Paulsons and... well everything else I've tried really.

I'm looking for my 'forever set'. ~1600 chips. I feel good about the breakdowns I have in mind. For me it comes down to balancing out getting something I love without going overboard.

I'm also looking at doing custom labels for each chip. I have a particular color scheme that I want for each denom and also want to feel loke this set is 'my set'. Added security is also nice but doesn't feel like it would be a big issue (until it unfortunately does for some).

I'm looking to spend ~$1 per chip, although I can definitely be talked up a bit. I know this excludes a lot of really great higher end chips but it is what it is. I'd love to go to CPC for my dream set but just can't afford the $5 per chip. So I've ordered lots of samples. Started with Apache and have contacted a few vendors here for samples.

What I like is the traditional casino chip feel. I'm from the north east US. Learned poker at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods and I love the feel of the Mohegan chips.

What I don't like are the feeling of chips from casinos like the Borgata. They look beautiful but to me feel plastic-y, stick together while handling and just don't feel pleasant to shuffle and handle.

I'm looking for advice for sample sets that would be within my price range that would feel somewhat close to a Paulson. Big ask, I know, but I'm looking to get what I can with the budget I have.

In terms of my taste for appearance I really like the Sands set that vendor justincarothers had posted (attached). I also love the colors of the Royal Princess Casino chips but those are far outside my price range.

The labels are going to be another big project. I have a company building me a table with a custom felt that they will be designing. I'm going to reach out and see if they can pull something from the felt design that would work for the chip label. This would give a cohesive and custom feel as I can add the denoms to the artwork. I'm looking at options for labels. I've read there's a user named Gear that does very good work. I'm unsure at this time if it would make sense at this price range. I'm more than willing to do things myself. Looking for advice on balancing where to put my money in terms of chip cost and label cost.

My chip breakdown will be something like this:

.25 - 300
.50 - 200
1 - 400
5 - 400
25 - 200
100- 100
500- 50

Total - 1650

I'm expecting to run mostly .25/.50 and .50/1 . I know I could get away with fewer chips but would like the option of having 2 tables going in the future. I also know that both .25 and .50 chips are kind of redundant but if I'm getting a set I'd like the option of having the .50s.

Sane logic with the higher denoms. I don't expect to be playing 2/5 or 5/10 at home but for a small investment I'd like that option open in the future.

I was also a bit back and forth about .05 chips but I think I'd rather do .25/.25 for the casual nights with people who don't really play poker. In my mind I'd need quite a lot of .05 chips to be functional and the few times I'd be running the game it wouldn't be worth the investment.


So, that's it for now. I'm anticipating this to take a few months to come together. I'm enjoying reading up on all the information on here and appreciate your input.

Maybe I'll see some of you in a game in the future!

I'll update as I get my samples in. Take care.

 

[BGinGA]

A solid two-table cash set to adequately cover 25c/25c up to 5/10 stakes would require:

200 x 25c
400 x $1
400 x $5
400 x $20 (or $25)
200 x $100
100 x $500
--------
1700 chips.

You might consider making the 25c chip a no-denom chip so it could be used as either a 25c (for 25c/25c or 25c/50c) or as a 50c chip (for 50c/$1). The no-denom chip could also be used as a $500 chip in higher stakes games down the road, eliminating the need for buying a dedicated $500 chip now that may never be used. This brings the total set count to 1600 chips.

I recommend the greek or web mold ceramic hybrids from @justincarothers; get samples if you haven't already. The hybrid chips have labels, so you can order your custom-design labeled chips all from a single vendor. Even the 43mm versions (highly recommended) will fall well under your budget ceiling.

 

[TheUnseen]

You might consider making the 25c chip a no-denom chip so it could be used as either a 25c (for 25c/25c or 25c/50c) or as a 50c chip (for 50c/$1).

I thought that as well but for an extra ~$100-$200 I think for me I'd prefer to have denoms on all the chips.

I have the mentality that it's a one time purchase for the set I'll be using for a long time. I'd rather spend the money and get what I want with having a bit that I don't need versus trying to be more conservative and then later on wishing that I did things differently.

Maybe I'll go a bit overboard and do something like:

300 x 25c
200 x 50c
400 x $1
400 x $5
400 x $25
200 x $100
100 x $500
--------
2,000 chips

I don't see myself in the future hosting more than 1 full table of 2/5 or 5/10 but again, it'd be nice to have the chips. I also would like having an extra rack of the .25s

I recommend the greek or web mold ceramic hybrids from @justincarothers; get samples if you haven't already. The hybrid chips have labels, so you can order your custom-design labeled chips all from a single vendor. Even the 43mm versions (highly recommended) will fall well under your budget ceiling.

Thanks! I've contacted him about a sample set of the 39 mm Web Molds. Although the oversized chips are pretty cool I think I'd prefer the standard 39s. Maybe for a tourney set in the future I'll go with the 43s.

I'm curious as to what the feel will be like for these hybrids.

Side question. Does anyone know what type of chip the Borgata uses? Trying to educate myself with references I'm familiar with.

 

[BGinGA]

Borgata uses Bud Jones v7 high-end plastics

 

[SteveEH]

Good you plan to take your time with a big long term purchase like this.

Unfortunately I don't think a Paulson relabel/CPC set is within your budget of $1/chip. As mentioned above, custom Tina hybrids from the broken arrow group buys are under budget and are the best value these days.

Personally, I would go for a more efficient breakdown and hopefully increase my budget to $3/chip for a CPC set. Also, are you being realistic with regards to two tables? You'll need a really big pool of players to fill both...

 

[TheUnseen]

Also, are you being realistic with regards to two tables? You'll need a really big pool of players to fill both...

If I'm being honest... no, not that realtic. Moreso future proofing. I could see it hapening further out. Would be more cost effective and have better consistency having one larger order vs adding on in the future.

As mentioned above, custom Tina hybrids from the broken arrow group buys are under budget and are the best value these days.

I'll check them out, thanks for the recommendation!

 

[SteveEH]

Would be more cost effective and have better consistency having one larger order vs adding on in the future.

With CPC, colors can vary a bit so yes it is best to order all together if you get OCD about that kinda thing. Check out the variation in my blue chips below. Prices go up annually too.

 

[Eriks]

If you’re anything like the rest of us, there is no ”one and done”. The rabbit hole is so friggin deep and your taste will change over time as you learn more and experience different kinds of materials, molds, brands etc

I would suggest either get your perfect 2000 chip set from the web/Greek mold group buy that was suggested above, and erase your account never to look back. Or, cater only to your current needs, up your per chip budget, get a nice 700-800 piece set and take it from there. You can also spend a fortune on a table, cards, special chips, plaques; you name it. And we’ll be here to enable you all along the way

 

[TheUnseen]

I would suggest either get your perfect 2000 chip set from the web/Greek mold group buy that was suggested above, and erase your account never to look back.

Already ordered samples from Justin

Or, cater only to your current needs, up your per chip budget, get a nice 700-800 piece set and take it from there.

....already ordered samples from CPC.


Yeah... wallet might be in trouble in the future.

 

[LeLe]

300 x 25c
200 x 50c

There's zero need to allocate 500 chips for fracs for 2 table, you are 300 chips over

100 fracs does the job as they are really only ever used preflop and blind

What I like is the traditional casino chip feel. I'm from the north east US. Learned poker at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods and I love the feel of the Mohegan chips.

What I don't like are the feeling of chips from casinos like the Borgata. They look beautiful but to me feel plastic-y, stick together while handling and just don't feel pleasant to shuffle and handle.

I'm looking to spend ~$1 per chip, although I can definitely be talked up a bit. I know this excludes a lot of really great higher end chips but it is what it is. I'd love to go to CPC for my dream set but just can't afford the $5 per chip. So I've ordered lots of samples

You don't need that much of samples, just get 1-2 set of ceramic (decal and non-decal version)

Since you already handle Clay (Paulson) before so not really needed as sample, you might want to get Mint and Used paulson as they felt and look very different.

If you can enjoy Ceramic den $1 is way enough for your budget, if you don't $1 are way not enough for your budget. Choose Wisely.

I'm looking for my 'forever set'. ~1600 chips. I feel good about the breakdowns I have in mind. For me it comes down to balancing out getting something I love without going overboard.

Experience will tell you that it's very unlikely to get your forever anything for your first anything on the first try/

It often takes multiple purchases and time to know what you want and prefer.

Might be wiser to get a smaller set like 600-800 chips, use them for a few months before expanding to 1600-2000.

 

[NeoViny23]

If you’re anything like the rest of us, there is no ”one and done

Amen ....

I would suggest either get your perfect 2000 chip set from the web/Greek mold group buy that was suggested above, and erase your account never to look back.

I whish someone would have suggested that to me 1 1/2 years ago @Eriks is 100% right: there is no one and done once you open Pandora's box ...

I've been playing poker for a long time and for me there's a big difference between Paulsons and... well everything else I've tried really.

Better don't try TRKs... Just sayin' ... Thank me later....

 

[TheUnseen]

There's zero need to allocate 500 chips for fracs for 2 table, you are 300 chips over

100 fracs does the job as they are really only ever used preflop and blind

I know I can make it work with less, for sure. I haven't honestly played a lot of micro stakes so I'm kind of basing it off of 2/5 and just mathing it out from there.

Also specially for the quarters there's a lot of people I work with who are new to poker and want to get into the game. I'd prefer being heavy on the lower end because for a lot of people big stacks are fun and less time making change.

Personally I don't like having a big working stack but I know a lot of people do.

If I end up going for cheaper chips like Tina's I'll end up getting a lot of extras.

If I'm feeling that I want to go CPC or something at a similar price point then I'll absolutely have to pare it down and be more efficient.

I've ordered a web mold from broken arrow, 5 different sample sets from Apache and one from CPC. I'll go from there when I get them all in.

You don't need that much of samples, just get 1-2 set of ceramic (decal and non-decal version)

Since you already handle Clay (Paulson) before so not really needed as sample, you might want to get Mint and Used paulson as they felt and look very different.

For sure, def don't need that many samples. Could be more efficient with it but I think it'd be cool to have them. Kind of a theme with me, would rather have a bit extra


That's a great point with the Paulsons that I haven't considered. When I was playing full time the casino I was at did a big order of 1s that were all brand new. They looked nice but honestly I really disliked the way they shuffled and handled. While playing I definitely preferred a broken in set of chips.

 

[chippitydoodah]

Just tossing this out as a reference.

Thread '.25 or .50 frac?' https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/25-or-50-frac.122822/

It's your set and your game. You might find you bought $.50 chips and never put them in play. You might find you're never using the $.25. The players and game you play will dictate what's preferred.

 

[jamesjkim]

It might make more sense to get two cash sets… there isn’t really a reason to have a single two table set - people can cash out and buy in again if moving from one table to the other.

Your current plan seems to limit you a bit and may not even be a realistic scenario.

 

[TheUnseen]

It might make more sense to get two cash sets… there isn’t really a reason to have a single two table set - people can cash out and buy in again if moving from one table to the other.

Your current plan seems to limit you a bit and may not even be a realistic scenario.

How so? I know there can be major issues mixing cash and tourney but I don't see why having a second table running of the same bank / chipset would be a problem.

Honestly it probably won't happen often, and not for a while.

I just wanted a set that has the denoms I'm expecting to play now (micro, for fun with work friends) as well as the ones I'd normally play myself in the future (1/2, 2/5, with my old poker friends).

I move every few years for work (military) and things often change. I have all my degen friends back at home who I'd love to someday throw some chips around with.

I've been working with a table manufacturer (bbo) and am going with a custom felt. So I thought it would be really cool to have custom artwork to tie the chips to the table.

I'd like to have a nice beefy set that I don't have to worry about adding on to given the artwork and consistency. And if that means spending an extra few hundred to ensure that I'm covered in all the denoms future me will want, even if they sit on the shelf for a bit, I'm cool with that.

 

[Phoe9x]

Honestly I would get rid of the .50 denom and then you’ll have 200 extra chips to put somewhere else. (You can drop 100 quarters too but it seems you still like having a lot of fracks)

You’re already covered for .25/.25 to .5/1 with the large amount of quarters you have. If you think you need a .50 denom for .50/1, just change it to a 1/1 game and it plays nearly identical.

 

[jamesjkim]

How so? I know there can be major issues mixing cash and tourney but I don't see why having a second table running of the same bank / chipset would be a problem.

Honestly it probably won't happen often, and not for a while.

I just wanted a set that has the denoms I'm expecting to play now (micro, for fun with work friends) as well as the ones I'd normally play myself in the future (1/2, 2/5, with my old poker friends).

I move every few years for work (military) and things often change. I have all my degen friends back at home who I'd love to someday throw some chips around with.

I've been working with a table manufacturer (bbo) and am going with a custom felt. So I thought it would be really cool to have custom artwork to tie the chips to the table.

I'd like to have a nice beefy set that I don't have to worry about adding on to given the artwork and consistency. And if that means spending an extra few hundred to ensure that I'm covered in all the denoms future me will want, even if they sit on the shelf for a bit, I'm cool with that.

I just meant it sounds like you may never run two full tables so planning for the unlikely seems less than ideal. But I understand your point and that you’re ready for it when it happens.

I have a few different sets for added variety and flexibility in stakes so I was just suggesting you could get a solid single table breakdown now, see how you like it, and expand if you need to later or get a different set altogether - especially with Tina’s, I understand they have been very consistent of the same chips from different batches but ymmv. Like @Eriks already mentioned, the rabbit hole runs deep and wide and you will likely wanting something else in the future.

 

[TheUnseen]

Honestly I would get rid of the .50 denom and then you’ll have 200 extra chips to put somewhere else. (You can drop 100 quarters too but it seems you still like having a lot of fracks)

Yea I think you guys are right. Definitely makes a lot of sense.

I'll drop those and maybe I'll grab a few high denoms just for fun to have them if the price makes sense.

200 x 25c
400 x $1
400 x $5
400 x $25
200 x $100
100 x $500

--------

1,700 chips (39 mm)


I feel like a hoarder. Don't even have the chips and kinda sad to see them go lol

 

[BPTDirector]

I read your goals - Paulson chips at $- per are a thing of the past, especially when you are talking 5 or 6 different chips needed for your set. Once in a blue moon you’ll see racks of 100 chips at $1.15, but that’s just one pattern, one denom. If you want to stick to your budget, clays are out of your current range. Most like the ceramic hybrids as a fully customized durable solution. CPC is something you’ll have to adjust your budget for in a pretty large way, same with Paulsons.

Welcome to a great place to dream and overspend. Good news is you can find it here, bad news is 1500 clay chips are at least $4500 and could be upwards of 10 to 12k.

Have a good time…

 

[allforcharity]

I sold half my big cash set because I realized I would never run 2 cash tables. Sure, I has the chips "just in case", but it sure took a lot of time and money.

 

[TheUnseen]

I read your goals - Paulson chips at $- per are a thing of the past, especially when you are talking 5 or 6 different chips needed for your set. Once in a blue moon you’ll see racks of 100 chips at $1.15, but that’s just one pattern, one denom. If you want to stick to your budget, clays are out of your current range. Most like the ceramic hybrids as a fully customized durable solution. CPC is something you’ll have to adjust your budget for in a pretty large way, same with Paulsons.

Welcome to a great place to dream and overspend. Good news is you can find it here, bad news is 1500 clay chips are at least $4500 and could be upwards of 10 to 12k.

Have a good time…

Thanks.

Already did a rough draft on the CPC design tool and used the calculator to roughly calculate what this set would cost and you were right on/ ~$11k

 

[TheUnseen]

I sold half my big cash set because I realized I would never run 2 cash tables. Sure, I has the chips "just in case", but it sure took a lot of time and money.

If it's something like the the ceramic hybrids the price is so cheap at ~$0.50 per chip I don't mind spending the few extra hundred I could have saved.

I think I have my mind pretty much made up, pending samples. If they're at least 80% decent for the price it looks to me that's the best option at this stage.

If / when in the future I go the CPC / Paulson route I plan on being very efficient and particular.

 

[ModestMind]

It’s all personal preference and it sounds like you play with more chips at the table than I typically do, but for around the same cost you may be able to get by with a set like this https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hsi-cash-set-700-chips.124309/
Or this
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...p-cash-set-price-dropped.123662/#post-2549659

It’s obviously the completely opposite direction, but you may find a lot of the extra chips never get used

 

[TheUnseen]

It’s all personal preference and it sounds like you play with more chips at the table than I typically do, but for around the same cost you may be able to get by with a set like this https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/hsi-cash-set-700-chips.124309/
Or this
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...p-cash-set-price-dropped.123662/#post-2549659

It’s obviously the completely opposite direction, but you may find a lot of the extra chips never get used

At ~$3 per chip that's surprising affordable.

Two sets that really caught my eye are the Royal Princess Casino and the Tiger Palace. Really love those color schemes but obviously wayyyy outside my price range.

The designs I've been toying with are inspired by a few of their chips. Plus even if I had unlimited money it'd feel wrong to re label a set like those.


I appreciate all the chip suggestions so far. I've learned a ton over the last few days.