Cheap Poker Chips: Getting The Most For Your Money

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

So you have decided that you want to buy a new set of poker chips but you don?t have a lot of money to spend, what you really need are cheap poker chips. There are two types of cheap poker chips ? cheap in quality and cheap in price. Let?s talk about what the difference is, because you really can get a decent quality poker chip for not a lot of money, if you are careful with your purchase.

If you can go into your local drugstore or discount store and buy poker chips, they are probably cheap poker chips, and not in the good way. So what do these cheap-o poker chips look like? They usually come in three colors: red, blue and black. They come in sets of 200 or 250 for only a dollar or two. The problem with these is that they are flimsy, and you won?t get any respect from your friends when you do play. Why don?t you want cheap quality poker chips? Because they don?t play well, they don?t sound real, and they don?t the feel good either. Why aren?t they going to play well? When you throw them down, they aren?t going to have the same Las Vegas sound; they aren?t going to clink and clank. They won?t remind you of your last gambling vacation. They?ll do the job, but it won?t be the same amount of fun.

What you might want to do is think about spending a bit more money, and get a better quality (but still cheap) set. You want something that you can be proud to take with you to the next poker game. Something you won?t have to be embarrassed about when it is your turn to host the next poker night at your house. So how do I buy cheap poker chips that aren?t cheap poker chips? Well, the answer is simple really: do a little research first. And then take the plunge and buy a set.

Now, I won?t lie, there are certain types of poker chips that aren?t cheap. For example, you probably won?t find clay poker chips that are cheap. However, there are some resin poker chips or some composite poker chips that may be in your budget.

One thing to look for in your new cheap poker chips is weight. How heavy do you want them to be? Something between nine and thirteen grams is about average for a poker chip. Don?t skimp out on weight.

Another thing to consider is how many colors you want. Don?t just initially buy two or three colors of poker chips to represent the denominations of your bet, because if you end up expanding the number of players you play with, or changing the minimum bet, you?ll end up paying twice for shipping and handling. This will increase the price of the cheap poker chips, and make them not so inexpensive.

The third thing you want to consider is how many you want? The more you buy, the cheaper it?s going to be, so why not just start off with a set of 500 right away, instead of buying a bit at a time? Again, if you can buy what you want the first time around, you will save money on shipping and handling.

You can definitely buy cheap poker chips that look and play great, if you try. You will have to research to find a style that suits you. If you follow this guide, and resist buying the cheap poker chips that I?ve warned you about, you no longer have to go to your game night in shame.