Trying to bring chips to an existing game (1 Viewer)

Joe Harris

Joe Harris

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I've been playing in a long-running (10+ years) home game since moving to Vermont. It's hosted in one of two locations, and both of them feature plastic chips that are one minor step above classic dice chips. Today, one of the hosts called me to gauge my interest in playing this week. I confirmed, then this exchange happened:

Me: "Say...so, I've got a nice set of real clay, casino style chips. Would you be willing to let me bring them, and use those chips in the game?"
Host: ".......Why would we do that?"
Me: ...

I wasn't sure what to say, really. "Uh...because we're not savages?" o_O:rolleyes:

Maybe I will bring a set anyway and call it my good luck charm.
I don't want to get disinvited, although it might be worth it for preserving sanity reasons.

Anybody have similar experiences?
 
Ignorance is bliss, and saves your wallet. Once someone gets "educated" on this site, the sickness sets in, and things spiral out of control.
 
Maybe just bring a stack of chips with you, to show the host and some of the other players. If they're receptive to the look and feel compared to what they normally use, then say that you have a full playable set that you'd be willing to bring with you to use at the next game.

That way the host(s) won't feel ambushed by you showing up with a full new set, it'll just seem like a casual introduction to higher quality chips and someone sharing one of their interests/hobbies with the group.
 
Mr Tree said:
I hate to say it but you are throwing pearls before swine. Most people have no appreciation of just how craptastic their shitty plastic chips are and are in total denial.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this. If it ain't broke after 10 years, they don't wanna fix it.

The way to get uninvited would be to bring a couple barrels of the current plastic chips and just plop them down as your buy-in. Just a demo of the importance of chip security lol.
 
You likely have already done this - bring a few chips from your set to use as a card guard. Then if someone happens to notice/admire it, casually mention you have 999 just like it at home...
 
There was a guy I know, locally, who posted on a secret (Poker) Facebook group (that has 1000+ members) about him starting up a game.

In his post, and he shows pictures of his brand-new custom LED lighted $3000 table, and his $250 chairs. He is recruiting for his game, and also shows pictures of his custom "clay" official casino weight chips.

The chips are a front runner in the worst chips ever thread. They are plastic and each denomination has a white base, with different color spots for the different denominations. Just horrible.

I posted a comment extremely complementary about his table and chairs, and mentioned that they deserved better chips to go along with them. This guy became extremely defensive, telling me I have no idea what I'm talking about and that these chips were top-of-the-line.

Not wanting to be critical of this person or his chips in public, I took the conversation off-line. I know this person fairly well (in fact I'm the one who helped him get his chairs), and I tried not to be preachy, but the conversation escalated quickly. People get it in their heads, that their chips are the absolute nuts. They do not want to be told otherwise.
 
Trihonda said:
There was a guy I know, locally, who posted on a secret (Poker) Facebook group (that has 1000+ members) about him starting up a game.

In his post, and he shows pictures of his brand-new custom LED lighted $3000 table, and his $250 chairs. He is recruiting for his game, and also shows pictures of his custom "clay" official casino weight chips.

The chips are a front runner in the worst chips ever thread. They are plastic and each denomination has a white base, with different color spots for the different denominations. Just horrible.

I posted a comment extremely complementary about his table and chairs, and mentioned that they deserved better chips to go along with them. This guy became extremely defensive, telling me I have no idea what I'm talking about and that these chips were top-of-the-line.

Not wanting to be critical of this person or his chips in public, I took the conversation off-line. I know this person fairly well (in fact I'm the one who helped him get his chairs), and I tried not to be preachy, but the conversation escalated quickly. People get it in their heads, that their chips are the absolute nuts. They do not want to be told otherwise.
Click to expand...
Table - $1500
Chairs - $2500
3000 chips - $39.95

Seems legit
 
As others have said, most people probably wont care what they are using. If you will enjoy the game more using nice chips, and you don't mind risking your set, I have occasionally used the line "hey I got a new set of chips, and Id like to see how they work in a game situation - colors/lighting etc".. and then ask if the hosts minds using them. If you get compliments then it can become a regular thing.
 
ssanel54 said:
As others have said, most people probably wont care what they are using. If you will enjoy the game more using nice chips, and you don't mind risking your set, I have occasionally used the line "hey I got a new set of chips, and Id like to see how they work in a game situation - colors/lighting etc".. and then ask if the hosts minds using them. If you get compliments then it can become a regular thing.
Click to expand...
I like it! The trial run idea is a good one I think.
 
I have a set that I got such a good deal on (Chipco The Club) that I just donated them to my group of players so that when I play at one of the hosts that has a lot of games there will be decent chips at the game.

So if the chips are that bad, and you play there enough it might be worth it to donate a set of China Clays or something similar to the game. Once they see the differnce the host may want to get something better down the road anyways.

I have a friend that bought a $400 table for a game he played every week. It was a $5/10 game with thousands of dollars on the table and they had a cheap ass fold in the middle table!!! He made enough from one hand to cover the cost.
 
When I started playing with some friends who had a long term game going (using slugged plastic non-denominated chips), and decided I liked poker, I started talking about buying a chipset. I ordered samples and brought them to the game to get opinions. So when I finally built a mixed Paulson set, they'd been along for the ride and were glad to see them and play with them. The host and one at least one other guy REALLY appreciate the chips, so I bring them every time. I think most of the other players don't notice the difference or don't care. A couple of times, new players have sat down, looked at the chips, and asked what each was worth. Um, they're worth what they say they're worth.
So I guess I'm lucky because my host friend with cheap chips has the sense to like mine. But I guess I wouldn't have been shocked if it went the other way and he preferred to play with hs own chips, because most people just don't get it.
 
Tough to bring your nice chips to a game unless the host asks. In my experience, the host will want to use everything they have because it is their game / event and their place. It is an ego thing and they do not want to be shown up. Nothing wrong with that. I get it.

I personally would not want to bring my chips unless the host asked and if I knew the majority of his guests.

I am with @Sprinsd I would not want to babysit my chips at another place.

Most of the time I just suck it up and play with their crappy chips.
 
Sprinsd said:
Maybe I am not good at sharing but I hate taking my chips anywhere. I have to spend the entire night babysitting them and I can't just stand up and leave after going broke.
Click to expand...

The players in our group realize by now the really good chips I have. I will loan out my China Clay set but my Paulson's are for my house only. It makes it more special. What is funny is that some of them think the China Clay chips are really high end and compliment them too now thinking I only have casino chips! :LOL: :laugh:
 
Kyle said:
Tough to bring your nice chips to a game unless the host asks. In my experience, the host will want to use everything they have because it is their game / event and their place. It is an ego thing and they do not want to be shown up. Nothing wrong with that. I get it.
Click to expand...

This is also very true. Many people who buy "14g Casino Weight Chips" actually believe they are buying nice chips. Its a difficult conversation to explain how they got duped.
 
Joe Harris said:
then this exchange happened:

Me: "Say...so, I've got a nice set of real clay, casino style chips. Would you be willing to let me bring them, and use those chips in the game?"
Host: ".......Why would we do that?"
Me: ...

I wasn't sure what to say, really. "Uh...because we're not savages?" o_O:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, they are chip savages. Courage nailed it, imo -- the absolute best answer to that question is, "Game security - you don't want people to be able to introduce their own chips into your game and play for free, do you?"

If he poo-poos you on the issue, don't argue, but bring a couple hundred dollars worth of matching $5 chips to the next game. Buy in like normal, then break out your two barrels. Say nothing, but don't use them. Then see what he says when you try to cash out at the end of the night as the last player, and he's $200 bucks short in the bank. Nothing makes a point like a gut-shot to the wallet.
 
Another angle could be saying "Hey, I just got some chips that I really like. Is it cool if we play a game with them?"
 
Mesnik44 said:
I use a combination of TeamViewer and VNC. If you have too many computers connecting to the main clock computer you run the risk of using it commercially. I know because I've had them flag my account for commercial use. I had to explain how I was using TV and they told me that any more than 2 connections to the SAME computer risks commercial usage. If people want to have their players watch a clock, Tournament Director pushes that information to a website. I have a the clock running online so when people are either away from the table or on their way to the game they can go online and see where we are in the game.

Desktop
View attachment 96606

Mobile
View attachment 96611
Click to expand...


Think maybe you posted in the wrong thread...
 
Mr Tree said:
Table - $1500
Chairs - $2500
3000 chips - $39.95

Seems legit
Click to expand...

Truth be told, this is a guy who probably spends more on weed each day than these chips are worth... good player, and he and his regular crew do very well at poker, but they're certainly not people I'd entertain playing regularly with in a home game. This is one reason I'd never recruit players from 1000 random poker players on Facebook. You'll likely get the worst of the degens...

Ps. I know his table builder, and I'd put his table's value well above $1500.

Screen shot of the table/chips in question.

IMG_0065.PNG
 
Joe Harris said:
I've been playing in a long-running (10+ years) home game since moving to Vermont. It's hosted in one of two locations, and both of them feature plastic chips that are one minor step above classic dice chips. Today, one of the hosts called me to gauge my interest in playing this week. I confirmed, then this exchange happened:

Me: "Say...so, I've got a nice set of real clay, casino style chips. Would you be willing to let me bring them, and use those chips in the game?"
Host: ".......Why would we do that?"
Me: ...

I wasn't sure what to say, really. "Uh...because we're not savages?" o_O:rolleyes:

Maybe I will bring a set anyway and call it my good luck charm.
I don't want to get disinvited, although it might be worth it for preserving sanity reasons.

Anybody have similar experiences?
Click to expand...
Unfortunate, but he likely missed the point that you were helping upgrade the experience and the level of trust you were giving to let the "swine" touch your chips.

Like @Trihonda pointed out he sadly went defensive, but more importantly don't forget that if you are in a hand with him and want him to go on tilt...

One of the reasons I run my own game is to put my own chips into play, so I may run the risk of the same reaction if someone proposed to bring their nice dice chips.
 
I had a similar situation years ago when I joined a Meet-Up poker group. I got in on the ground floor, and was part of a discussion about how many chips did the host need. When we finally met, I brought my Milanos, but left them in the car - just in case. As it turned out, nobody had chips (the person that was bringing them did not show), so I want out to my car and the game went on.

The next event took place, and someone brought dice chips. I could not convince them to switch to the Milanos. Now, I'm not saying Milanos are all that nice, but they're miles better than dice chips, and the "How much is this worth" question being answered 8 times at each table. Chips weren't the only bad part to that game, but a number of the players were very cool so I stuck it out for about a year. Then I poached the friendliest players and that game collapsed.

The host now plays at my game, and we have used Ceramics, China Clay, CPC, Paulsons, RT Plastics, and Plaques. I sometimes think about putting a stack of dice chips out for each player just to see if anyone notices (It would most certainly knock Ben out of his chair), but clearing them would be more hassle than the prank is worth.
 

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