What is the hype of Paulson chips? (1 Viewer)

[ontheriver51]

I've played at several casinos/poker rooms that use Paulson chips and they are fine, but the inlay is frequently not symmetrical. Is this intentional? It seems to me that there are so many other options that provide a more pristine chip, but the majority in here seem to say Paulsons are the best and I see them going for astronomical amounts in the classifieds. I'm really not trying to hate on them, I am genuinely curious what sets them above the rest in the popular eye.

 

[upNdown]

If by symmetrical, you mean inlays that are aligned with the chip’s edge spots, I say who needs it? To be fair, a lot of PCFers prefer it; maybe even a majority. But I love the randomness of inlays that are just randomly slapped on. I prefer it by a mile.
(There are some Paulsons with aligned inlays - I assume it’s an upcharge add-on.)

 

[ontheriver51]

If by symmetrical, you mean inlays that are aligned with the chip’s edge spots, I say who needs it? To be fair, a lot of PCFers prefer it; maybe even a majority. But I love the randomness of inlays that are just randomly slapped on. I prefer it by a mile.
(There are some Paulsons with aligned inlays - I assume it’s an uncharge add-on.)

It seems like you can slap inlays on all sorts of custom chips for far less than $1/chip and I see Paulsons going for $5-$40/chip. I just cant wrap my head around it

 

[Tommy]

It seems like you can slap inlays on all sorts of custom chips for far less than $1/chip and I see Paulsons going for $5-$40/chip. I just cant wrap my head around it

You have to be a scrub donkey to understand.

 

[MeridianFC]

I think for many people it is the texture and look of the chips. Certainly older Paulsons have a weight and feel unlike anything else. Many like the availability of colors that are deep and saturated. Many folks are drawn to the history. And then there certainly is an amount of exclusivity since they are no longer sold directly to the public.

I think chips that you can just slap a label on or less desirable and certainly less secure (Paulsons can certainly be “murdered”, that is have their inlet removed and a new one put on, but that’s a separate thing).

In the end compression molded clay chips of whatever variety have a feel that you either love or you don’t

 

[Josh Kifer]

I've played at several casinos/poker rooms that use Paulson chips and they are fine, but the inlay is frequently not symmetrical. Is this intentional? It seems to me that there are so many other options that provide a more pristine chip, but the majority in here seem to say Paulsons are the best and I see them going for astronomical amounts in the classifieds. I'm really not trying to hate on them, I am genuinely curious what sets them above the rest in the popular eye.

People generally don't want "pristine", they want real. you personally can't order them. They are a limited resource, still using classic clay, that only can be found thru limited means. They sound like chips should, they have great colors... It's the same as all collectables, if you can't buy it easily, it will command more money. Plenty of people on here aren't Paulson snobs and love Matsuis and Bud Jones options, but in the end collectors like what they like.

Plenty of room here for all chip collectors from China clays to TRKs. The Paulson group is just the largest one by far.

I'd actually say TRKs are more loved than Paulson's, but the extremely limited availability and even higher price point make them a little less of a conversation for the mass of the group.

I'll take a clay chip over a perfect plastic every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[greenchip]

Plastic chips suck

Ceramics are merely ok, but people here seem to think they suck.

Clay is great, the above 2 also have alignment issues too

 

[allforcharity]

If you are bothered by asymmetry, then get solids.

 

[ontheriver51]

Plastic chips suck

Ceramics are merely ok, but people here seem to think they suck.

Clay is great, the above 2 also have alignment issues too

I agree plastic is trash. I think what makes the most sense to me from the posts above is that they are not not only good quality, but they are also extremely limited. People always want what they can't have and limited availability will certainly drive up prices

 

[LeCoq]

I like both ceramic and clay chips. I find the ceramic easier to shuffle.

 

[buzzmonkey]

If by symmetrical, you mean inlays that are aligned with the chip’s edge spots, I say who needs it? To be fair, a lot of PCFers prefer it; maybe even a majority. But I love the randomness of inlays that are just randomly slapped on. I prefer it by a mile.
(There are some Paulsons with aligned inlays - I assume it’s an uncharge add-on.)

Agreed. If the alignment is 'too clean' it just doesn't feel like Vegas to me.

 

[Taghkanic]

I agree plastic is trash. I think what makes the most sense to me from the posts above is that they are not not only good quality, but they are also extremely limited. People always want what they can't have and limited availability will certainly drive up prices

My sense is that most of this crowd preferred true clays even when they were relatively easy to get (when Paulson/GPI still sold directly to individuals).

I prefer them because of the texture, colors, and appropriate weight (not overly heavy like so many commercial chips).

I also like how they wear—to me an ideal clay chip is in VG or “excellent” condition, i.e. not worn down to bicycle tires but broken in enough to shuffle smoothly.

 

[MeridianFC]

My sense is that most of this crowd preferred true clays even when they were relatively easy to get (when Paulson/GPI still sold directly to individuals).

I was immediately drawn to them above all others when they were .65-$1/chip

 

[extreme517]

My sense is that most of this crowd preferred true clays even when they were relatively easy to get (when Paulson/GPI still sold directly to individuals).

I prefer them because of the texture, colors, and appropriate weight (not overly heavy like so many commercial chips).

I also like how they wear—to me an ideal clay chip is in VG or “excellent” condition, i.e. not worn down to bicycle tires but broken in enough to shuffle smoothly.

Yes! I can only speak for myself, but after playing with Paulson chips in casinos there is no way I will ever like anything other than compressed clay chips. It has nothing to do with cost. And it's possible to find well worn Paulsons for very reasonable prices.

CPC chips are the bomb as well. I've used a set of HHR chips more than anything else outside of a casino as they were more affordable/available at that point in time. Different than Paulsons, but compression clay chips and beautiful in every way!

 

[Moxie Mike]

I've played at several casinos/poker rooms that use Paulson chips and they are fine, but the inlay is frequently not symmetrical. Is this intentional? It seems to me that there are so many other options that provide a more pristine chip, but the majority in here seem to say Paulsons are the best and I see them going for astronomical amounts in the classifieds. I'm really not trying to hate on them, I am genuinely curious what sets them above the rest in the popular eye.

Well man it's not 'hype'.

It's also not really about owning the 'best' or 'highest quality'.

The difference between casino used Paulsons... and well, most anything else is the fact that they're a piece of functional history. Scarcity is part of it - but it's kind of cool to own chips from the Empress Casino in Joliet, IL, which burned and went out of business about 12 years ago. Or the Eldorado Club in CA, which closed in like 1996, the the chips I harvested in '21 from Bally's... which is now Horseshoe. Those chips will never be made again so that's a factor but it's more about what they represent - at least to me.

 

[springbox]

A few reasons

1. Price - Even if we try not to, we all tend to associate a higher price with higher quality. If Paulson's are more expensive, we feel they're more premium. Now, often there is a strong association between price and quality, but it's easy to get it backwards. Rather than something that's high quality demanding a high price, we see a high price and assume it must be high quality. Even if it is high quality, the high price assures us they're better chips. It's a way of signaling the chips are desirable, because why else would people pay so much?

2. History - The vast majority of casino chips in the US are historically compression clay. I personally prefer customizing chips, but I understand why people would want real chips from real casinos with real history. It's pretty neat to own chips that can or will never be produced again, and are many decades old. I think being used for actual casinos also adds to the perceived authenticity of the chip.

3. Scarcity - People like to collect stuff not too many other people have. It makes your collection feel more unique. Scarcity is also highly tied in to history and price, scarce chips cost more, old chips are often much scarcer.

4. Feel - I do prefer the way clay chips feel to stack and shuffle. The texturing on plastic chips just is never quite the same. I prefer the noises they make, and generally bow they stack.

5. Aesthetic - The colors on clay chips are different in how they appear to plastic chips. Plastic chips have a greater range of colors, and can have more intricate designs printed, but it's the nature of a different material that the way they reflect light, how color is applied (clay it's the mixture, plastic it's dyed on the surface), etc. means you can't perfectly replicate the clay style on other chips.



As for aligned inlays, I think it's nice but it's not a priority for most people. When I do relabels I don't bother because I know I can't do it perfectly, and having all relatively random alignments looks better than all trying to be aligned but slightly off.