Good Quality Poker Chips in the UK (3 Viewers)

[Spikeh]

I've currently got a set of 500 Poker Night Pro chips from Amazon, they're much better than me and my friends are used to playing with (we used to play at another friend's house, and he used those light plastic chips), but I'm now considering buying a nicer feeling set with a custom design on them.

I have to say, the Poker Night Pro chips aren't too bad - probably sacrilege to some of you guys - but they're quite nice to play with. Can't really riffle them, though tbh, I can't really riffle anyway! One thing that miffed me off a bit, is that when I bought them a few years ago, they were advertised as "Clay Composite", and whilst the item description still says clay, the item details now say Acrylic / Metal.

I found the premium poker chips site and ordered a sample pack of what they advertise as "Clay Composite" here: https://www.premierpokerchips.com/crown-14g-clay-custom-poker-chips. Turns out, these have an identical sound and feel to the Poker Night Pro set. Both chips feel decent, but when I bite on them (is that weird?) they feel like plastic... is that the lamination?

I am aware much better chips exist. I've read all the FAQs and newbie posts, but I'm still a bit lost... though this has more to do with being in a chip-starved economy here in the UK.

What I'm looking for is a working 1000pc tournament set (I reckon 5, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 should do the trick) made from clay (or maybe ceramic) that won't break the bank. Ideally I want to add a custom design, though for the right set, I'd be willing to compromise on the customisation aspect.

Can any of my UK brethren point me in the right direction?

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

I'm not in the UK, but if you really want clay (and I don't blame you - nothing else feels like true compressed clay chips) your best bet for a reasonably economical clay set is to find a large set of older (vintage) clay chips from CPC, or ASM or Burt, (predecessors to CPC) remove the original inlays or mill if they are hot stamped, and get custom Gear labels. Keep an eye out on the classified sale ads, or post a wanted ad.

Older chips like these can often be found in bulk at 20c to $1 (USD) per chip. Inlay removal or milling is DIY. There are tutorial threads for both here. And custom inlay replacements will run from 20 cents and up per chip. If you don't have skills with graphics programs, there are lots of designers here that can help with producing a professional looking design, and their fees are very reasonable.

All in all this can be a very enjoyable project, and you will have a custom set to treasure and share with your poker buddies. There are many threads here that showcase custom sets that PCF members have put together.

Welcome to PCF and good luck! Ask all the questions you want to. This is a very helpful community of people who love poker chips and love talking about them.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Let me add one more thing. Any inexpensive (around $1 or less) chip advertised as clay or clay composite is just injection molded plastic. Even real clay chips made by Paulson and CPC have some elements of plastic in their makeup. It's the compression molding (vs injection) that makes all the difference.

 

[Nymor]

What's your budget (for those 1000 chips)? - that's the all important question.

£200 and you're looking at the same type of chips you have now - metal slugged plastic/acrylic.
£500 would get you fully custom ceramics.
You may also be able to put a clay set together on that budget as described above, I don't know any of the in's and out's to that, but I suspect that realisitcally you'd have to part with £1000+ to complete a compression clay set of any kind.

I'm in the UK and a couple of years ago was looking for 1000 chips and my original budget was a couple of hundred but I quickly came to the conclusion that ...

so upped it and ended up with 1000 custom ceramics from Tina for ~£500 (£280 chips/ £220 delivery from China)

 

[CallingStation614]

Maybe it helps to make the set itself more efficient. Tell us about your game. How many tables, how many max. players do you want to cater.
Are you playing T5? (won‘t need 5k chips most likely. T25? T100?
Starting stacks? (For each Txxx there are several ways to build stacks, color up‘s and rebuys. More efficient or rather more chips in play?)
How many rebuys do you need?

Maybe you would be fine with a 750pcs set, that would allow you to have better chips. Just an idea. Enjoy the ride

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Maybe it helps to make the set itself more efficient. Tell us about your game. How many tables, how many max. players do you want to cater.
Are you playing T5? (won‘t need 5k chips most likely. T25? T100?
Starting stacks? (For each Txxx there are several ways to build stacks, color up‘s and rebuys. More efficient or rather more chips in play?)
How many rebuys do you need?

Maybe you would be fine with a 750pcs set, that would allow you to have better chips. Just an idea. Enjoy the ride

Agreed. I was going to address that subject too. Depending on starting stack sizes, if he's talking single table, then he definitely doesn't need 1000 chips. If 2-3 tables, then yes he will need that many. But it is important to map all that out prior to purchasing chips.

What I'm looking for is a working 1000pc tournament set (I reckon 5, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 should do the trick) made from clay (or maybe ceramic) that won't break the bank. Ideally I want to add a custom design, though for the right set, I'd be willing to compromise on the customisation aspect.

For one thing, you don't need T50 chips. And as @CallingStation614 pointed out, if starting with a base T5, you really don't need T5000. If budget is important, pick one or maybe two stack sizes, then optimize the set to the games you're actually going to play. I believe I've read that base T100 is the most efficient, and that is very popular in the casinos and card rooms now. There is a science to laying out a tournament set, and we can help you with that.

 

[JP1984]

What's your budget (for those 1000 chips)? - that's the all important question.

£200 and you're looking at the same type of chips you have now - metal slugged plastic/acrylic.
£500 would get you fully custom ceramics.
You may also be able to put a clay set together on that budget as described above, I don't know any of the in's and out's to that, but I suspect that realisitcally you'd have to part with £1000+ to complete a compression clay set of any kind.

I'm in the UK and a couple of years ago was looking for 1000 chips and my original budget was a couple of hundred but I quickly came to the conclusion that ...

so upped it and ended up with 1000 custom ceramics from Tina for ~£500 (£280 chips/ £220 delivery from China)

I came to the same conclusion and now I have 2 sets of RHCs and 2 sets of CPCs...ffs

 

[Spikeh]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm catering for 10 players in a 4 / 5 hour tournament. I wanted to get 1k chips so I could cater for 2 tables (as I've got a new table arriving this weekend, and potentially more players this year), and my current 500 set limits us a bit when we have 8 or more people.

Because of the set I have, structure has been as follows (we tend to always finish L11 or before the end of L12, and most people are in until L7/8 (which is what I want for a friendly home game)). I'm quite happy with this in general, and think I'll be fine working out a new structure with different blinds (going to have a pop with that now actually).

There are no rebuys, and I've got some plaques that we use for 1k, 2k.

I like to provide a big stack, and the players like that too.

Obviously I'm going to modify the blind structure with the new chips.

Probably happy to spend up to £500, but I definitely don't want to be milling or customising them myself. I just do not have time for any of that for the foreseeable

 

[JP1984]

My 2 table tourney breakdown is below...along with a structure that gives you what you're looking for in terms of duration. Don't go with £1 chips for a tourney...

Cash £1/£5/£25/£100
Tourney 25/100/500/1000/5000

Also if you want a poker clock...this software is brilliant and browser based - https://ultimate-holdem-timer.com/tournaments

 

[Spikeh]

My 2 table tourney breakdown is below...along with a structure that gives you what you're looking for in terms of duration. Don't go with £1 chips for a tourney...

Cash £1/£5/£25/£100
Tourney 25/100/500/1000/5000

View attachment 1436456

Also if you want a poker clock...this software is brilliant and browser based - https://ultimate-holdem-timer.com/tournaments

Thanks

I've been using a tabata timer on a tablet and it works wonders, so I'm good there thanks!

 

[jayfiggy]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm catering for 10 players in a 4 / 5 hour tournament. I wanted to get 1k chips so I could cater for 2 tables (as I've got a new table arriving this weekend, and potentially more players this year), and my current 500 set limits us a bit when we have 8 or more people.

Because of the set I have, structure has been as follows (we tend to always finish L11 or before the end of L12, and most people are in until L7/8 (which is what I want for a friendly home game)). I'm quite happy with this in general, and think I'll be fine working out a new structure with different blinds (going to have a pop with that now actually).

View attachment 1436453

There are no rebuys, and I've got some plaques that we use for 1k, 2k.

I like to provide a big stack, and the players like that too.

Obviously I'm going to modify the blind structure with the new chips.

Probably happy to spend up to £500, but I definitely don't want to be milling or customising them myself. I just do not have time for any of that for the foreseeable

Without getting too deep into it, which i’m sure others will do. Having a T1 tournament (1 being lowest denom) will force you to have a large tournament set. If you changed it to a T25 you could get away with 700-800pc breakdown, especially if there are no rebuys. I have a T100 set coming in that’s 700pc but I could support twenty players if needed. Before you pull the trigger on anything, please, spend a week or two on here. Get a feel for what options are out there, and what prices are like.

 

[Spikeh]

Without getting too deep into it, which i’m sure others will do. Having a T1 tournament (1 being lowest denom) will force you to have a large tournament set. If you changed it to a T25 you could get away with 700-800pc breakdown, especially if there are no rebuys. I have a T100 set coming in that’s 700pc but I could support twenty players if needed. Before you pull the trigger on anything, please, spend a week or two on here. Get a feel for what options are out there, and what prices are like.

Yeah I'm realising that - I'm just working out the denominations with my spreadsheet now. I don't think it's going to take me a week or two!

The more I think about this, the more I reckon I'm probably going to end up with these Crown ones I've got from premier poker chips. Best quality I've found in the UK so far, and I don't want / need to spend a fortune on shipping.

 

[JP1984]

Darrell (Premier Poker Chips) is a good guy, I've grabbed a few racks and cages off him in the past as he's 20 mins up the road but I've been to his warehouse and looked through those samples. You don't want to go down that path, I promise. You can do so much better for the money if you get into a Tina group buy, and this is from a guy that only has clay...I get you don't want to spend a fortune, but don't buy imported Chinese stuff from him when you can get your own custom stuff made and imported with a little effort.

Also, 600 chips is plenty for 2 tables and big stacks...

 

[Spikeh]

Darrell (Premier Poker Chips) is a good guy, I've grabbed a few racks and cages off him in the past as he's 20 mins up the road but I've been to his warehouse and looked through those samples. You don't want to go down that path, I promise. You can do so much better for the money if you get into a Tina group buy, and this is from a guy that only has clay...I get you don't want to spend a fortune, but don't buy imported Chinese stuff from him when you can get your own custom stuff made and imported with a little effort.

Also, 600 chips is plenty for 2 tables and big stacks...

View attachment 1436457

Right, so "Tina group buy" is going to have to be explained to me

 

[JP1984]

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...d-cards-mold-textured-no-mold-10-2024.123589/

Check that out, believe that was the last one. It's not something I've done but they are wildly popular.

Here's a thread of previously made sets too - https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/tina-cards-mold-no-mold-greek-mold-web-mold-showcase.110561/

Take your time and do some research, you'll end up with something unique to you which your mates will love.

 

[Spikeh]

Once again, thank you very much - I did do a search just now, but there's a lot of mentions...

Well, I'm certainly not in a rush for this. I've just dropped 1.5k on a new table, so I can put it off for a bit

 

[JP1984]

Pics or it didn't happen! Haha!

Hard to find a good table at a reasonable price here, I ended up making my own.

 

[Spikeh]

Pics or it didn't happen! Haha!

It's arriving on Saturday after a load of delays. Very excited

I was tempted with a custom build (looked into using The Card Room), but I needed something that folds... so ended up with the Triton Elite:

https://tritonpokertables.co.uk/col.../elite-10-player-poker-table-with-wood-finish

I am fully aware there are tables out there better value for money. I was even considering making my own, but I just don't have the time as I'm busy starting a new business

In the end, I weighed up my time + the space it will take up, vs buying one, and it worked out much better getting this one. Seems to be the best option in the UK other than custom builds (think its actually shipped from the US, but hey).

I will for sure take pics when it arrives!

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Yeah I'm realising that - I'm just working out the denominations with my spreadsheet now. I don't think it's going to take me a week or two!

The more I think about this, the more I reckon I'm probably going to end up with these Crown ones I've got from premier poker chips. Best quality I've found in the UK so far, and I don't want / need to spend a fortune on shipping.

He didn't mean take a couple weeks to set up your tournament structure. He meant take your time researching chip options here on PCF. As @JP1984 said, please don't buy chinese sluggos. (I'm not sure what "Crown" chips are, but I'm assuming they are plastic chips with a metal disk (slug) to make them heavy.

Once again, thank you very much - I did do a search just now, but there's a lot of mentions...

Well, I'm certainly not in a rush for this. I've just dropped 1.5k on a new table, so I can put it off for a bit

Good to see you are not going to rush. . Looking forward to seeing table pics.

Honestly, if you don't want to buy vintage clay to make your own customs, (stay close to budget) or try to find an existing set of clay chips that meet your needs, (go a little over budget) then you have two good options, in my opinion. Stay within budget and order a set of "Tina" hybrids with your own custom colors, spot designs, and label. Or bust the budget and spend around $3K on custom CPCs.

If you like the look of real clay chips with a mold (the design that is pressed around the outside portion of the chip, such as the top hat on Paulson chips) and edge spots, then Tina hybrids are the only way to go to stay in budget.

Here are some pics I just took. Top row are CPC custom chips on the CSQ mold. Middle row are custom Tina hybrids on the Web mold. Bottom row are Paulson chips on the THC mold from real casinos. As you can see, the intent of the Tina hybrids is to look as much like real compressed clay chips as possible. At a significantly lower price point. Roughly 50 cents (USD) a chip. The chips in my photo are oversized (43mm) but Tina hybrids are available in 39mm also, same approx size as CPCs and Paulsons.

 

[JP1984]

He didn't mean take a couple weeks to set up your tournament structure. He meant take your time researching chip options here on PCF. As @JP1984 said, please don't buy chinese sluggos. (I'm not sure what "Crown" chips are, but I'm assuming they are plastic chips with a metal disk (slug) to make them heavy.


Good to see you are not going to rush. . Looking forward to seeing table pics.

Honestly, if you don't want to buy vintage clay to make your own customs, (stay close to budget) or try to find an existing set of clay chips that meet your needs, (go a little over budget) then you have two good options, in my opinion. Stay within budget and order a set of "Tina" hybrids with your own custom colors, spot designs, and label. Or bust the budget and spend around $3K on custom CPCs.

If you like the look of real clay chips with a mold (the design that is pressed around the outside portion of the chip, such as the top hat on Paulson chips) and edge spots, then Tina hybrids are the only way to go to stay in budget.

Here are some pics I just took. Top row are CPC custom chips on the CSQ mold. Middle row are custom Tina hybrids on the Web mold. Bottom row are Paulson chips on the THC mold from real casinos. As you can see, the intent of the Tina hybrids is to look as much like real compressed clay chips as possible. At a significantly lower price point. Roughly 50 cents (USD) a chip. The chips in my photo are oversized (43mm) but Tina hybrids are available in 39mm also, same approx size as CPCs and Paulsons.

View attachment 1436465
View attachment 1436466
View attachment 1436467

I recognise those in the top row on the right!

Now we know you've dropped £1500 on a table, you can defo drop the same on real clay!

 

[Spikeh]

I recognise those in the top row on the right!

Now we know you've dropped £1500 on a table, you can defo drop the same on real clay!

Cheeky. Its people like you that get people like me into trouble

 

[MeridianFC]

Cheeky. Its people like you that get people like me into trouble

Brother, if you’re here you’re already in trouble. I would suggest the best thing you could do is go right back out that door close it and pretend you never came here. Your sanity and your wallet will thank you.

 

[Spikeh]

Brother, if you’re here you’re already in trouble. I would suggest the best thing you could do is go right back out that door close it and pretend you never came here. Your sanity and your wallet will thank you.

Nah, I'm good where I am thanks

Though I do like the look of those neon Sun-Flys I keep seeing everywhere... has it... started? :|