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Euro-newb in need of help (1 Viewer)

G

gusstuss

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Hi guys!

Im new to the forum and I'm looking to buy my first set of good chips.

I currently have about 1000 cheapo dice chips and would like to get denominated clay chips for home games. I have around 10 friends that i play frequently with and I know each of them personally so chip safety is not an issue. Usually there are 5-7 players, rarely more and we never play cash at the same time we have tournament going on so 1 setof 500-750chips will do just fine. I would fancy Paulsons but the price is way out of my budget.

Options seem to be Desert Palms, Pioneer Club and if I dig really deep then maybe Progen or Pharaohs. All chips above look great and are to my liking but dont seem to be available in EU area. Marlow @ uk seems to have some but their prices are pretty high compared to eg. Apache (even after shipping). However, in EU area there are a lot of places you can find Nexgens (iirc metal insert?) and 12-Star Euro (clay or plastic???) I didn't find any comparisons between those I mentioned first and the ones available in EU, so the question is: what to buy? I live in Finland, so sorry for bad english and thanks for any advice given :)
 
Hi gusstuss, and welcome. What's your budget? What, in more detail, are the games you play? Do you have samples of the chips you are considering? There are a few chippers in Finland, I'm in Turku :)
 
Welcome! For sourcing to Finland, I'm sure @Puggy and @mipevi will be able to give some advice. As far as which chips to buy, "get samples" is always the advice around here, but international shipping can make that expensive. Size of the set and breakdown will depend on how your games are structured, so the more info we have the better. There are other reasons than security against cheating to avoid revaluing chips when switching from cash to tournaments (different customary denominations, different breakdown requirements, chips ending up on the floor, etc), so keep that in mind.
 
gusstuss said:
Hi guys!

Im new to the forum and I'm looking to buy my first set of good chips.

I currently have about 1000 cheapo dice chips and would like to get denominated clay chips for home games. I have around 10 friends that i play frequently with and I know each of them personally so chip safety is not an issue. Usually there are 5-7 players, rarely more and we never play cash at the same time we have tournament going on so 1 setof 500-750chips will do just fine. I would fancy Paulsons but the price is way out of my budget.

Options seem to be Desert Palms, Pioneer Club and if I dig really deep then maybe Progen or Pharaohs. All chips above look great and are to my liking but dont seem to be available in EU area. Marlow @ uk seems to have some but their prices are pretty high compared to eg. Apache (even after shipping). However, in EU area there are a lot of places you can find Nexgens (iirc metal insert?) and 12-Star Euro (clay or plastic???) I didn't find any comparisons between those I mentioned first and the ones available in EU, so the question is: what to buy? I live in Finland, so sorry for bad english and thanks for any advice given :)
Click to expand...

You're right, importing is the way ahead.

From what you've said, Pharaoh all the way. Your best bet is probably the classifieds here, you'll be able to pick up an as-new set for less than the current price too, or maybe the CPS WSOP replicas. Also, you may find an EU seller too which would save on postage/tax etc.

Although if you plan to hang around here much longer, just bite the bullet and order some custom clays...
 
Hi. Come on in. Welcome to PCF. Today we'll serve some mustamakkara with pualahillo. Ang to go with, ice cold milk ;)

Yupp. We'll help you out Sir. I'm in Tampere.

More later, with better time ...

Here's some....mjummy. The sausage EVAR :D

2727654224_d4fc8b5f3e_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
We play mainly holdem no limit with occasional pot limit omaha. Also if we're little drunk 5 card draw and sökö (scandinavian stud?) are played sometimes (were finns, afterall).

I haven't got any samples, not yet at least. I was hoping to rule some options out before getting samples because, like mentioned above, the international shipping fees are horrifying. The same goes for classifieds and asking someone to ship overseas is a bit douchey with these prices. Maybe i'll get lucky.
 
hod said:
You're right, importing is the way ahead.

From what you've said, Pharaoh all the way. Your best bet is probably the classifieds here, you'll be able to pick up an as-new set for less than the current price too, or maybe the CPS WSOP replicas. Also, you may find an EU seller too which would save on postage/tax etc.

Although if you plan to hang around here much longer, just bite the bullet and order some custom clays...
Click to expand...

Moro nääs! Naapurikuntaan paennut paljasjalkainen Mansen kasvatti olen.
 
Welcome, Finnish friend!

I 2nd the Classifieds recommendation here.

What games and limits? Nlhe only or Omaha and others?
 
Quoted wrong message to my last reply. Sry. Highest we've played have been 5€/10€ no limit. Usually we play 1€/2€ and depending on game, if there is ante it has been something between 10cnt - 50cnt. That is for cash games and we play 75% tournaments nowadays. I'm hoping to get a tournament set that can be used for cash games now and expand it later to smaller deniminations. Now im hoping to get 1-5-25-100 chips.
 
I can't really compare the chips listed, as I've only ever owned (samples of) the Nexgens. The 'clay' chips mentioned are so called China clays, which don't compare to the real deal like Paulsons (obvious from the price difference I suppose). I understand the appeal of denominated chips, but using non-denoms for various games/limits would save you on the amount of chips needed, so maybe you could afford higher quality instead... What's your budget like?
 
Manse = Tampere! Awesome!

OK, pretty much anything will be an upgrade compared to dice chips. If you want Paulsons, you might want to check, if used casino Paulsons fit into your budget. They are buttery soft and their feel is always great. You can get a set of 500-750 chips with $400-500 if lucky. Just check the classifieds (want to sell ads) here and also at ChipTalk. Our french friends also have their own forum in the interwebz, so that might also be worth checking. Just google "poker chips factory". The french guys are awesome people.

Also, with china clay Pharaohs you can't go wrong, even if used casino Paulsons are out from your budget. Or you can check the CPS (Championship Poker Series) china clays out.

In any case you might have to order from the other side of the Pond, from the US. But PM me for a tip to bluff customs to avoid some of them taxes.

You also might want to check the supporters here:
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/#marketplace.20
They all are marvellous to deal with and you can always PM or email the companies to get the best offers and prices.

When you question is "What to buy?", the best answer is "Only you know, what you like. So get samples". They will save you money in the long run. I do have some, so because you still live nearby Tampere, let's meet up and I can show you, what I have (apologies, but I do not have any extras to send anymore, I've given nearly all of my extras away). They might help you to decide.

But beware, that might be costly, since you will fall in love with them pure clay chips.
 
Oh, one more thing. Let me know the stakes you're playing. And your budget.
And are you playing more cash or tourneys? From the game selection you mentioned I reckon more cash games right?
I'll then keep my eyes open for possible sets for you.
 
Here's the stakes, Puggy:

gusstuss said:
Quoted wrong message to my last reply. Sry. Highest we've played have been 5€/10€ no limit. Usually we play 1€/2€ and depending on game, if there is ante it has been something between 10cnt - 50cnt. That is for cash games and we play 75% tournaments nowadays. I'm hoping to get a tournament set that can be used for cash games now and expand it later to smaller deniminations. Now im hoping to get 1-5-25-100 chips.
Click to expand...
 
My budget is that i wouldn't like to go much over 300€ (thats about $320). To make things clear eg. Apache sells 750pcs set of Desert Palms china clays for $109 but thats just the chips. Including shipping and import taxes the price I'm paying for them is $230. I know china clays don't compare to Paulsons but for my budget I think they're my best bet. I'll keep my eyes open for classifieds and try to get my hands on some samples. Used casino chips sound like a good option.
 
Ahh, thanks Dan. Read with my eyes closed.

gusstuss: I would go for tournament set with denoms of T25-T100-T500-T1000. That way you can use T25's as 25 cents and T100's as 1€ and so on, when playing cash.

I like to keep my sets huge, but with 750 chips, I would go for:
160 x T25
240 x T100
200 x T500
150 x T1000
You can always add-on later

I think BGinGA could give you the best reply for the breakdown. I hope he chimes in to this thread.
 
gusstuss said:
Quoted wrong message to my last reply. Sry. Highest we've played have been 5€/10€ no limit. Usually we play 1€/2€ and depending on game, if there is ante it has been something between 10cnt - 50cnt. That is for cash games and we play 75% tournaments nowadays. I'm hoping to get a tournament set that can be used for cash games now and expand it later to smaller deniminations. Now im hoping to get 1-5-25-100 chips.
Click to expand...

You said you play with friends, but at those stakes I wouldn't want chips getting mixed between tournament/cash games, even unintentionally.
 
hod said:
You said you play with friends, but at those stakes I wouldn't want chips getting mixed between tournament/cash games, even unintentionally.
Click to expand...
If the day ever came that we would have simultaneously running cash and tournament games, we wouldn't use the same chips. For sure. And like said before, we're all friends, it not so much about gambling than it is about having fun and getting together.
 
gusstuss said:
If the day ever came that we would have simultaneously running cash and tournament games, we wouldn't use the same chips. For sure. And like said before, we're all friends, it not so much about gambling than it is about having fun and getting together.
Click to expand...

....aaand drinking. We're Finns after all yes?
 
gusstuss said:
My budget is that i wouldn't like to go much over 300€ (thats about $320). To make things clear eg. Apache sells 750pcs set of Desert Palms china clays for $109 but thats just the chips. Including shipping and import taxes the price I'm paying for them is $230. I know china clays don't compare to Paulsons but for my budget I think they're my best bet. I'll keep my eyes open for classifieds and try to get my hands on some samples. Used casino chips sound like a good option.
Click to expand...

I'm 95% sure the desert palms Apache has for $109 in the 750 set are unslugged plastic chips, not china clay. Used casino chips are great, but your price point is going to be much higher.
 
Ceramics are also something to consider. Or maybe some plastic chips by Cartamundi... Get samples and/or go fondle Puggy's chips to get an idea what you prefer.

For the breakdown I'd do something like
150x 1
150x 5
150x 25
100x 100
50x 500

So 600 chips should easily cover the games you mentioned (well, need to add fractionals). Of course your storage solution might affect the breakdown, if you wish to have full racks/rows/whatever. :D
 
Yup, it just hit me apache has two different types pf desert palms listed. Are all china clays the same or are some better than others?

I also found out that jokerchips.de has new pharaos for 0,59€/ea ($0,62) so I'll definetly get some samples from there as the shipping costs are very reasonable plus no export tax 'cos of EU. They also have some progens, have to try those out also.
 
Welcome to PCF, may your wallet be empty and your CHIP racks be full..


Pharaoh's are a very nice chip for the price. The set I had was AWESOME, they are similar in feel and look as a casino (Paulson) chip, they stack nice, look great and denoms are readable for most of my players.
 
A little update. I have lots of samples and a wallet which is soon to become very lightweight.

Had my hands on some Paulsons and was very surprised to find out none of the other chips come even close. Didn't get any CPCs but have been playing with chip design tool and wondering if they're worth selling my firstborn daughter for some moneyz :unsure:

My budget at the moment could stretch as far as getting some new Paulson authentics but the design is just plain fugly. It gives me huge headache everytime when i see these chips but maybe it's the reason they're still available (if someone haven't come across these monstrositites, here's a pic http://www.poker-production.com/images//produits/produits/1385_image_lrg.jpeg ). Importing some mint Paulsons from the US is just a bit too costly.

Pharaoh's are somewhat decent but they are missing some weight and the sharp edges Paulsons have. Also Paulsons seem to have sort of grooved sides (can't find a right word what I mean exactly). I'm hoping that Apaches Majestics will have sharper edges than pharaoh's. Those might be the chips to have as my first set. 12-Star Euro chips, that are available in europe for quite a cheap price, seem to be china clays like Pharaohs but with much worse QC. Would have to re-label those and edges are even worse on these.

Had also some aztars and it became very clear that used chips aren't my thing. Apaches cheaper Desert Palms seem to be same make as the Joker Casino chips that are everywhere in EU. They have sharp edges, although flat but they are really lightweight, plastic-like and crosshatched. They just feel too cheap.

So, anyways, i'm going to be broke. It's weird that I'm happy for having been very busy with my work lately so I haven't had time to visit Puggy. Or maybe it's an excuse and if I can prolong seein his stash it might end up saving me some pretty penny. (Sorry Pasi, I will definetly call you when you're least expecting it ;))
 
In your price range, I'd also consider ceramics. For china clays, the soon-to-be-released Majestics sound like the best fit for your tastes.
 

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