Poker Chips Overview

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

When it comes to poker chips there are so many different types to choose from. Your decision generally rests mainly on the quality of the equipment you desire and how much would you be able to spend.

More specifically, the other considerations you may bear in mind are durability, quality of manufacture (especially along the edges) and graphics design.

Types of Poker Chips

There are mainly three kinds of chips that are available in the market ? plastic, composite and clay/ceramic.

Plastic chips are the most inexpensive and of the type you might find in many mahjong sets. It need not be said that they are not of the highest quality and seasoned players may dislike plastic chips as they don?t provide the best feel or sound for the chips.

The composite variety is made from mixing clay and plastic with a bit of metal. They also have the right weight and feeling and are extremely durable. 11.5g composite chips are probably the standard chips used in most households as they are available in retail.

The clay variety is the most preferred chip and though a bit expensive it is the most favored chips by most professionals and casinos. The main difference between ceramic and clay poker chips is that ceramic chips do not have an inlay to the chips the way clay poker chips do. Both these types of chips are customisable.

Colour

Poker chips come either in a single color or may be two or three colors. While a single color chip may appear a bit pale a three colored chip may be a bit too loud on the eyes of many. Generally the preferred choice is dual color chips. They often come printed either with the card suites on them or the faces of a dice.

Customised Or Personalised Chips

It has been a regular practice among casinos to get their chips customized mainly as an opportunity for branding and also to prevent theft. They have been largely successful in their purpose.

Individuals however have a completely different reason to get their chips customized. A personalized chip adds appeal to their game. Exclusive designs that suit the taste of the player makes the game more interesting and attractive.

A very inexpensive solution for customized chips is to purchase the clay or ceramic poker chips without printing and to use stickers on top of your chips.

You can get your own design done using a graphics program and print them on to sticker paper.