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Advice for UK chip newbie (2 Viewers)

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fishandchips

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Hi All,

I've been thinking of trying to get my old poker gang together for games at my house. We used to play tourneys at the pub and each others houses. I'd like to convert them to cash games though because I think its more suitable for a home game because no-one gets knocked out and sent home after 20mins. And more important, I don't get knocked out and then can't even go home because they are all in my office/playroom.

For tourneys I have a southern comfort dice chip set which I bought because I liked the colours and then I added greens. I bought a couple of sets and filtered out the warped chips. At the pub we used to use RedTooth poker 8stripe chips. I have previously thought about custom chips but never bought any. Apart from some printed ceramics that I bought as giveaway cards protectors with my company name on.

I want to keep it low stakes and fun. Our tourneys used to be £10 buy-in at the pub, £20 buy-in at home. So I'm thinking 10p/10p with most people starting at £10 buy-in, and expecting £20 to £50 (rare) of buyins from the losing players.


What does anyone know about these chips ? https://www.pokernolimit.it/blister...rip_3_colour_25_poker_fiches_14_gr_orange.asp

I'm just looking for something cheap until the game either dies or becomes established. I've got a line on some unwanted new ones in acceptable colours and with denomination stickers that I can make use of, for £20 per100. Which seems OK.

plan is to buy 10p x100, 50p x100, £1 x400 (that's all the £1s to help the seller out, and may get a steeper discount )

I think that works well. Minimal number of colours, decent number of playing chips, and nice single colour stacks of wealth chips. £460 of table buy-in before we have to use notes or I buy another colour.

Any comments ?
 
PS. Not expecting anyone to be impressed :) but this is what I use for tourneys at my house.
 

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hmmmmm, done a bit more reading and viewing pictures. I'm getting sucked in........ Will soon be designing custom labels for some china clays, or maybe hybrid ceramics once I've worked out what they are.
 
Welcome!

Main advice is to buy samples first if you can.

I had a look online (some different options in the US), and I bought some of these ceramics and more ‘plasticy’ chips - they were mostly advertised as clay. There was quite a big difference in feel, and sometimes they’ll look great online but a bit meh in person.

IMG_3446.jpeg


I would say if you all ready have the dice chips that you can use, unless you’re in a rush, I’d recommend checking some different options. I used to have a monster 1000 piece dice set, great starter chips. Those 14g chips will be metal slugged, and unless you love the design, not much different from the dice chips.

I think shipping costs might be more of a factor, but the Tina hybrid web/sun mold might be more of an upgrade in terms of chip design and choice, weight of chip + some level of customization for £ vs $ denom. Search for the monthly group buys and design options and questions to @justincarothers

The other things to consider is maybe a table topper and decent cards, and comfy chairs. Keep ‘em coming back ;)

GL!
 
fishandchips said:
I'm just looking for something cheap until the game either dies or becomes established.
Click to expand...

I'd just use the chips you have until you know whether the game is a long term goer or not. The chips from the italian site aren't much of an upgrade, if they even are, so I'd skip them and look at some Tina chips you can fully customise if you get to that point.

For your current set I'd go with 5p-red, 25p-green, £1-black and £5-yellow.
 
Kam said:
Welcome!

Main advice is to buy samples first if you can.
Click to expand...
It's a good idea.
Kam said:
The other things to consider is maybe a table topper and decent cards, and comfy chairs. Keep ‘em coming back ;)

GL!
Click to expand...

I have lots of copag decks, which have all warped. As have my Party Poker promotional ones. Got some cheap aliexpress plastic cards coming to test.

Table is sorted, I tried that as a hobby_business, built about 10 tables in total.
 
Nymor said:
I'd just use the chips you have until you know whether the game is a long term goer or not. The chips from the italian site aren't much of an upgrade, if they even are, so I'd skip them and look at some Tina chips you can fully customise if you get to that point.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm a bit torn. Plus I shouldn't be messing around thinking about poker at the moment, got work to do.

Nymor said:
For your current set I'd go with 5p-red, 25p-green, £1-black and £5-yellow.
Click to expand...

That would work great for say 10/25 especially as the players know those colours. But for 10/10 or 10/20 I'm sure 10p 50p is the best lower denoms.
 
How much you looking to spend mate? I joined and bought china clays, then BR Pro DDLMs, then RHCs, then CPCs. I would advise you to decide on what you'll be happy with and start there.

I should have known I'd only be happy with proper clay and got on with it.
 
Welcome to PCF!
I don't know much about the chips you linked to, but would say they are probably 'on par' with what you have right now. Try and get some samples around here of the new Tina ceramics - very cost effective and fully custom.
I'd also maybe look at future proofing the chips and getting more than you might need. In the future when a loaf of bread costs £12, you'll have no use for the smaller chips.
JP1984 said:
I joined and bought china clays, then BR Pro DDLMs, then RHCs, then CPCs, then more CPCs, then moar RHCs
Click to expand...
FYP.
 
And it's done! I've bought the chips. Classic newbie move ! ? If it turns out to be a mistake, so be it.

I'll see if/how the game develops, and spend more time on the next set :)

These are the chips. He didn't have any more 1s. The blue blanks cost me 10p each and I've upped it to 150 in case average 10 each for 10players isn't enough, I'll sort out the "10" labels later, he's sending me a blue 10 adobe illustrator file. Stickered chips were 20p each. Total £90 for the set plus future label cost.

Total Bank of £315. Will add a £5 chip if buy-ins outgrow this.
 

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Hello and welcome !

@merkong sells a turn-key set if I'm not wrong for 5 players.
If I'm not wrong, it's 100/200/100 non-denomianted, which is perfect for 5-players playing NL10 (10c-10c and then other values being 50c and 2). It's also playable at 6.

And since it's a non-denominated set, it can be used for NL20 (20c-20c and then other values being 1 and 5).
 
Last edited:
Kid_Eastwood said:
Hello and welcome !

@merkong sells a turn-key set if I'm not wrong for 5 players.
If I'm not wrong, it's 100/200/100 non-denomianted, which is perfect for 5-players playing NL10 (10c-10c and then other values being 50c and 2). It's also playable at 6.

And since it's a non-denominated set, it can be used for NL20 (20c-20c and then other values being 1 and 5).
Click to expand...

I should be OK for max 10 players then with my extra 10s, I expect more like 7 or 8 though. I was going to use 10c 50c 200c if I had free choice. And that would be best if expanding upwards later. But the 1s were available cheap and I'm OK up to $300 bank. $1s are easier to comprehend as well.
 
@fishandchips , then 400 chips is too few for a cash set for 7,8 or even 10.
You should better target 600-800 chips in fact for that number of players ideally.
 
Kid_Eastwood said:
@fishandchips , then 400 chips is too few for a cash set for 7,8 or even 10.
You should better target 600-800 chips in fact for that number of players ideally.
Click to expand...

You've got me thinking now. I'll have to find some threads discussing this. Last night I sat with chips in front of me, imagining playing 10/10. That's when I decided average 10x 10c wasn't enough and upped it to 150 of those. Problem is it's over 10years since I played 10/10 and we were using real money for that. 40c opens with calls or 140c re-raise will use lots of 10s, but for all I know if stacks get bigger 50c could be the normal open.

When I said I'd bought them, I had just clarified prices with the seller. And would have paid if he'd been ready to take my money. However I think I will put them on hold at least until I've run one game to see how it plays. And then I can decide what to do.

PURCHASE IS ON HOLD !

Now you've mentioned non-denominated, that was my first thought (I like flexibility) but I read several threads where it seemed the majority view was denominated. A reason for going denominated would be to ease the transition from tourney to cash for my gang.

Another reason for getting custom chips was so that I wouldn't be putting out £2 value chips that could be bought on eBay for 20p. But my friends are pretty honest I hope, and no-one brought rogue chips into my tourney nights.

I will do some more reading, and if there isn't one, start a thread on the very particular subject. I think there could be discussion around 10/50/100 vs 10/50/200

And then there's the whole other subject of a single set cash and tourney, which I haven't seen discussed yet (but I haven't looked).
 
final update as a newb: Bought them for 10p a chip, to see how I get on.
150 x blue blanks (10p)
150 x Orange 50 (50p)
248 x White 1 (£1)

next time you see me I will be designing my Tina chips and discussing optimum quantities/denoms

until then..
 
That sounded a bit final, I will be looking in once I've finished my current work, or at least got it under way :)
 
fishandchips said:
final update as a newb: Bought them for 10p a chip, to see how I get on.
150 x blue blanks (10p)
150 x Orange 50 (50p)
248 x White 1 (£1)

next time you see me I will be designing my Tina chips and discussing optimum quantities/denoms

until then..
Click to expand...
have you factored in shipping to 10p per chip?
 
Welcome! Buy the most expensive chips you can find that you like. You'll just end up there anyway why waste time and money.
 
Syzygyy said:
Is Ali baba not always from china?
Click to expand...
Ah I get you!

The chips I was being offered cheap were premade and unwanted and sitting in Essex.

Whilst looking around I found the near identical chip on alibaba that I could buy fully customised. So the alibaba 10p and my purchase 10p are different 10ps, although they are related as the alibaba price informed my offer price to the Essex guy.
 
fishandchips said:
Ah I get you!

The chips I was being offered cheap were premade and unwanted and sitting in Essex.

Whilst looking around I found the near identical chip on alibaba that I could buy fully customised. So the alibaba 10p and my purchase 10p are different 10ps, although they are related as the alibaba price informed my offer price to the Essex guy.
Click to expand...
Ah gotcha understood now
 
Chips have arrived.

I'm happy with them, they are flat and smooth, and the noise they make is way lower frequency than the dice chips (which is a very good thing).

One mistake, I picked the Blue chip because it matched the Orange but they are bet together and the contrast between them in a pile is not so good. And dirty stacks are almost imperceptible. Ah well, this just guarantees a custom set in future.

Or if I really don't like the match I could get a different colour for 10p now, and get £5 labels for the blue (quick calc: that would take the bank from £340 to £1090). I will see how they play at my first game.
 

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