Poker Chips – How to Buy

Buying poker chips is confusing business. There are a large number of choices available online and at shops. The below given tips seek to make the task easier for you.

1. The first step in buying poker chips is to fix your budget.

2. Next, choose the kind of poker chips you want. This will depend on your budget and your requirement. Following is a list of the kinds of chips in use.

• Plastic Poker Chips: This is the prescribed variety for the casual and occasional home player. These chips are easily available at any sports store and they are cheap - sometimes as low as $5 for a 100 piece set.
• Composite Chips: These too are plastic chips but they come with a metal core that adds to their weight. They are slightly more expensive than the plastic ones. They are durable and usually of the casino grade weight and size specification 8 – 13.5g and 39mm. The casino grade chips are smooth to the touch and easy to stack as against this composite variety which is usually slippery and less easy to handle.
• Clay Chips: This is the most expensive variety and a single piece may easily cost you $1. But these are smoother and easier to handle. Serious poker players and collectors opt for this variety of chips. They adhere to casino grade standards of 8 – 13.5g weight and 39mm diameter.
• Clay Composite Chips: This type of poker chip is rapidly gaining popularity. It feels and handles like clay chips but contains ABS that lends it greater strength and durability. These are a little cheaper and have better graphic capacity. This material is being used more and more for casino grade chips.
  

3. Decide the number of chips you need. Sets come in 100 – 1000 pieces. However you can choose the number that you need. This depends on the denominations you need. 100 of each is a good number to buy. But then again, having more of the frequently used lower denominations is a wise decision. If you’re trying a brand for the first time, going for the lowest number is a good idea.

4. Next comes the weight of the chips. There is no rule here except for what feels right to you. Generally, 11.5g is taken as the ideal weight and you’ll see a lot of 11.5g poker chips in the market now-a-days.

5. Last but not the least, opt for personalization if you wish to - it adds an air of uniqueness you can ill-afford if you’re a frequent player. You can choose the design of your inlay yourself to add character and personality to your chips.

6. When you have the chip in your hands ensure the following:

• The inlay labels are not easily peeled off
• The print on the chip doesn’t rub off with the fingers or when two chips are rubbed together
• Ensure that the chips stack properly
• The poker chips edges should be smooth and strong. Not easily chipped or dented.